Tribute System: I have quintillion coins

Chapter 8: "8,000,000 Goodbye"

Linda's words reverberated inside Drake's head, like a painful symphony of hurtful words that sent shockwaves through his entire being.

"We can claim more money in insurance if she dies! Why spend more money?" Linda heartlessly shouted, igniting a fiery rage within Drake.

"What did you say?" he thundered. "How dare you say that!"

Drake couldn't believe that those words had come from his own mother. How could someone be so cold? How could a mother be so utterly indifferent to her child? How had his mother turned into a stranger, someone he no longer recognized? The questions swirled in his mind, leaving him stunned and anguished.

"We could claim ten million from the insurance if you'd just left her alone! Why spend more on her?" Linda repeatedly asked, while angrily stomping her foot on the floor as if Drake were the one who had made the wrong decision.

Drake glanced at his unconscious sister lying in her hospital bed before he approached his mother.

"Mom—no, Linda. Is that the only thing you truly care about right now? Money?" he asked, his voice filled with disappointment.

"Of course! Money can bring happiness!" she replied, sounding utterly irrational.

"Really? Well, how about this? I'll give you the rest of my savings, but in return, you must promise to never approach us again," Drake offered.

Linda immediately grinned greedily upon hearing about what Drake would give her, disregarding the condition. "Oh, how much are your savings? You little—why have you been hiding money from me?"

"I have 8 million dollars. Let's draft a contract. Let's not see each other again. Promise you won't approach my sister ever again," he said with a trembling voice.

Despite his anger, Drake still held a faint hope for even the slightest hint of concern from his mother. However, Linda remained greedy and agreed to his condition without hesitation.

Linda and Drake left the hospital to have their agreement notarized. Drake handed his mother 8 million dollars in exchange for severing their ties.

"She's only worth 8 million," he muttered to himself while watching Linda walk away, content with the eight million she had gained from him. "Or are we the ones worth only eight million?" he mused, questioning the value of their relationship and the true worth of their connection.

"How did it go?" Aunt Beck asked the moment Drake returned to the hospital.

"She really just severed our ties for the love of money," Drake replied with a sense of dejection.

"That woman! She really is crazy!" Aunt Beck angrily remarked.

"She is," Drake agreed with a heavy sigh. "How can I even tell Ely that our mother abandoned us?"

"Just don't, not yet," Aunt Beck advised. "Let her recover first. It's not good for her if she gets stressed out too."

"You're right, Aunt," Drake agreed.

"Anyway, Drake," Aunt Beck continued, clapping her hand to snap him out of the negativity clouding his aura. "Why don't you buy a new house for the two of you? Ely has to go home soon. I don't think that smelly apartment would be good for her."

With Aunt Beck's advice and comfort, Drake found the strength to move on and decided to focus on what was most important to him: his sister. He followed his aunt's guidance and immediately started searching for a new home that would suit their new life—a life free from poverty.

"Woah, is this really our new home?" Eleanor asked, her eyes wide with wonder as she gazed around the penthouse. She was not only amazed by their luxurious new home but also by all the other things Drake had brought for her.

"Yes, isn't it amazing? I've never been in a home this clean and luxurious either," Drake commented, equally fascinated by their new surroundings.

"Did you two hit the jackpot?" a middle-aged woman asked. She was the maid and caregiver recommended by Aunt Beck to take care of Eleanor and manage their new home.

"Yes, Aunt Ling," Drake replied. "It's thanks to Aunt Beck's successful business."

"Oh, you're really lucky," Aunt Ling acknowledged, focusing on her tasks, such as unpacking Eleanor's things.

"Drake, where is Mom? Is she still busy?" Eleanor inquired.

Drake almost bit his own tongue when his sister asked about their mother. This wasn't the first time Eleanor had looked for their mother, so Drake was running out of excuses.

"Eleanor, the truth is..." Drake hesitated to speak.

The lively atmosphere inside the penthouse suddenly changed, and Aunt Ling recognized that her presence was not needed. She smoothly left the living room, leaving Drake and Eleanor alone.

"What's wrong, Drake?" Eleanor asked, still oblivious to the truth.

"Actually, Mom left us," Drake finally confessed.

"Left? To where? What do you mean?" Eleanor asked, her confusion evident.

"She abandoned us a long time ago. I... I just couldn't tell you about it because of your health."

"Huh? What? Did she find a new family? A new son and daughter? What do you mean?" Eleanor trembled.

It pained Drake, but he had to tell her the truth. He held Eleanor's hands as he shared the painful reality.

"I don't know how she became like this, but she became extremely addicted to gambling, to casinos," Drake choked on his words. "She was fired from her job because she stole the company's money to gamble. Aunt Beck was also robbed by Mom. I was too. We can't trust her anymore because she becomes like an animal whenever she sees money."

Eleanor's hand trembled, and her eyes welled up as she croakily asked, "Is it my fault?"

"No, Eleanor," Drake reassured her.

"No. No, Drake. This is my fault! Dad also left us because of me! Mom left probably because of me," she cried.

"No, Ely," Drake hugged her tightly. "You're wrong. This is not your fault. Nothing is your fault. Mom and Dad left us out of their own selfishness."

"But Drake, I want them, Mom and Dad. Can't we just be a whole family again? I'm not sick anymore, and we're not that poor either. Can't we be together again?"

Drake looked at her for a moment, contemplating her words, but his answer was firm. "I'm sorry, Ely, but they don't deserve to be with us if they couldn't be with us during our worst times."

Eleanor Chwe understood her brother. She simply nodded her head and hugged her brother tightly.

"Thank you, Drake, for not abandoning me either."

"There is no way I'll leave you behind, Ely. I love you."

"I love you too, brother," Eleanor cried.

Drake couldn't help but cry too. The brother and sister hugged each other tightly, finding solace in the thought that they had each other to rely on.

They were still far from calming down when, suddenly, their doorbell rang.

"I'll take it, Aunt Ling," Drake said, gesturing for Aunt Ling not to rush to the door.

Drake first checked the door monitor to see who was ringing their door so early in the morning.

"What do you need?" Drake asked through the intercom.

The lady outside the door automatically smiled as soon as Drake spoke, although she clearly didn't recognize Drake's voice.

"Oh, hi! New neighbor! I'm from the unit below you! I'm just here to say hi," the lady replied with a flirty tone.

Drake's temper flared. He glared at the woman he could see on the monitor, trying to seductively flaunt her cleavage.

"Liar. You don't live here, Merlyn Spenser," he said in an angry tone.

"Huh? You know me?" Merlyn said in surprise.