Chapter 3 Liz and Douglas in the study

After keeping quiet for several weeks and finding it difficult to accept Douglas as the new resident of the Max house, Liz felt it was past due for her to talk to Angie about getting into the university.

After the New Year's festivities, February-the month that saw the start of admissions to universities practically everywhere-was just two weeks away.

Since obtaining Liz's high school transcript from Benson High School, Angie hadn't mentioned Liz attending campus other than to shame her for her terrible marks.

Liz paced around her bedroom that morning, January 15, well aware that Angie's behavior with regard to her university admittance was off-kilter.

Angie was vocal about Liam's admission to high school but kept quiet about Liz's acceptance to the university.

Liz had two brothers in total, with Liam being the youngest.

Baron, Liz's second brother, was away at a distant boarding school that lasted longer because it catered to students who were interested in agriculture and technology.

Baron would spend the majority of his holidays working on big farms and laboratories there, coming home just for the Easter holiday.

Saed, their mother Kisti's ex-husband, would be where Baron would spend the rest of the year's holidays.

Saed was a loving father to all of his kids but was unable to provide for them as he would have liked. As a result, he spent most of his time avoiding the Max family and was accustomed to hiding from Liz, who he believed to be embarrassed of him.

Baron and Liz were close, and so was Saed and Baron.

Since Max was nowhere to be located, Liz knew that Angie was purposefully dodging her university entrance.

His WhatsApp and Facebook accounts both stayed inactive since September of 2019 and Angie said nothing about his whereabouts.

"Lord, please help me." Liz said a prayer before leaving her bedroom to go talk with Angie about her University admission.

While Angie managed the Bigger shops, Douglas was in charge of the Max hardware stores which were rather the smaller shops around the town.

He dictated the daily operations and Angie approved all transactions that she deemed necessary.

When Max was present, Liz was permitted to work in any of the stores but ever since he vanished, Angie made it difficult for Liz to work in any of the stores.

"Good morning, Mom." Liz said hello to Angie and crouched down next to the couch she was occupying.

"Good morning." Angie responded without displaying any emotion at all.

Angie then went back to watching her show and showed no signs of being curious about what had suddenly drawn Liz to her.

Liz waited and hoped that Angie would ask why she had come to her but Angie instead turned her back to Liz while still holding the remote control in her hands and picked up some chewing gum that was on the side stool.

Liz felt extremely uncomfortable but she couldn't do anything at that time. Liz was desperate to join school and Aarush was also asking her about her admission.

Aarush had already got his admission and was set to leave the town by the end of January.

After a little period of stillness, Liz spoke out, worried about Angie's possible reactions to her requests.

"Mom" Liz called Angie and looked around the room before telling her why she had come to talk to her.

"I need money so I can get into the university. I've already located a hostel close to the school."

Angie stared Liz in the eye and grinned oddly as she chewed gum after hearing Liz's request.

"Nice girl, wow. Finally, you were able to complete everything on your own."

Angie made a remark and persisted in making fun of Liz's subpar high school scores.

"What will you be studying, then?" Angie enquired while beaming broadly.

"Information management and record keeping." Liz replied

Angie laughed and questioned what kind of job Liz would obtain after graduating.

"A library worker?" Angie chuckled and went to the refrigerator to get some juice for herself.

Liz remained silent while waiting to hear Angie's final word since she was at a loss for words.

"Listen" Angie Cleared her throat after taking a sip of the juice and proceeded to give Liz some words of thought.

"You are grown up now and should understand that things are not easy for me. I will get you a starting fee and you should work hard for yourself."

After that, Angie left Liz there and went upstairs.

But Liz didn't understand what Angie was saying, so she became excited and texted Aarush that she would be starting her semester at Axle Christian University by the middle of February after having consulted with the university previously and being deemed qualified for admission.

That evening, they both got together, and they had a great time eating, walking, and taking pictures in one of the renowned studios.

When Liz decided to call it a day, she was escorted by Aarush and went home to find Douglas waiting for her in the living room. By this point, Liz was used to seeing him and was powerless to change that.

"How are you doing today?" Douglas asked Liz who thought he appeared to be a little tipsy and lusty when he asked her while fixedly glancing at her.

Douglas followed Liz as she said, "Fine," and she stopped in the middle of the hallway to ask him what was wrong.

"Nothing significant; we simply need to discuss." He said

"Okay." Liz replied and he requested her to go to the study room with him, which was just across from her bedroom.

He locked the door once they entered, but Liz maintained her composure while feeling anxious inside and wondered what was up with Douglas.

He gave her a long look before touching her shoulder, which caused Liz to feel a range of emotions.

Do you feel fine? Liz questioned him and while he was speaking a few things to Liz, Douglas took out $900 from his Pocket and gave it to her.

"This is all we can offer you at this time, Don't waste it."

Then Liz questioned why he was the one handing the money after initially feeling a sense of security.

"Did Mom ask you to give me this money?"

With a smirk, Douglas replied, "No."

Then he left the study and made his way upstairs.