With the memories of the original host guiding her, Audrey walked into her room and stood frozen in place upon opening the door.
The room was enormous, even larger than the two-bedroom apartment she had managed to afford by scrimping and saving. The decoration was cozy, and there was even a spacious walk-in closet.
As she marveled at the room, her phone suddenly received a notification of incoming funds.
Audrey took out her phone and glanced at it. The first thing she saw was the string of zeroes, and as she counted carefully, her mouth dropped open in astonishment.
Three million?!
She had a recollection of this matter. Stepfather Gary's assistant usually gave them pocket money every month – two million each. But why was it three million this time?
Could it be that the allowance had increased this month?
One couldn't help but say that the original host was truly stupid. Even though Gary hadn't openly announced to the outside world that she was a member of the Lance family, the treatment and allowances he provided were no different from those of a true heiress.
"Audrey, why aren't you going in?" Anthea saw Audrey standing at the doorway in a daze as she came upstairs.
Audrey snapped out of her reverie and suddenly walked over, pulling Anthea into the room.
After closing the door, Audrey took out her phone and showed Anthea the recently received transaction record. "Mom, did Uncle Gary increase our allowance?"
Anthea replied, "Because of your recent hospitalization, Gary asked his assistant to give you an additional one million. If you find it insufficient, Mom can give you more. Since you've decided to become an actress, you'll probably need to buy many things, and it'll cost a lot."
Anthea took out her own phone as she spoke, actually prepared to transfer money to Audrey.
"There's no need..." Audrey hurriedly stopped Anthea.
However, she only managed to utter two words; the rest of her words got stuck in her throat and wouldn't come out.
She still remembered vividly the time when she earned 8 yuan per hour from a part-time job for a month, and in the end, she earned 1000 yuan. When her mother found out, she made Audrey give the money to her younger brother for a date.
The pain from that experience was deeply etched in her memory, and it seemed like that sort of agony could be imprinted on one's soul forever, always staying with them.
After experiencing disappointment time and time again, she had learned not to hope for familial affection. But now, it was making her feel it again.
"Audrey..." Anthea noticed that Audrey's expression was off, watching her with concern.
Audrey's eyes welled up with tears, and she suddenly reached out and pulled Anthea into an embrace.
She buried her head in Anthea's neck and said hoarsely, "Mom, I'll make you happy."
Anthea couldn't fully grasp the underlying dynamics, yet Audrey's words still resonated within her, evoking a sense of nostalgia for the docility she hadn't witnessed in her daughter for a long time.
Mother and daughter engaged in a heart-to-heart within the confines of the room. Not wishing to disturb Audrey's reprieve, Anthea quietly withdrew once their exchange concluded.
Outside the room, Anthea initiated a money transfer of one million into Audrey's account.
Audrey was touched and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. However, she didn't ask for Anthea's money and returned it. She even sent Anthea a message: Mom, you don't have to give me money. I can earn money myself. When I earn money, I'll give you pocket money every month.
Having retreated to her and Gary's room, Anthea's heart swelled with sentiment as she laid eyes upon Audrey's message.
"What wonderful news do you have?" Gary inquired, noting the smile that graced his wife's countenance.
Anthea thought for a moment and handed the phone to Gary. The car accident that Audrey had arranged probably couldn't be hidden from this family. She should work hard to help her daughter create a positive image.
When Gary saw Audrey's message, a hint of suspicion flashed across his eyes, but he said with a smile, "Audrey has grown up and become sensible. She knows to feel sorry for Mom. She's better than her brothers and sisters."
Embedded within his words, however, lay an almost imperceptible undertone of remorse and envy.
Anthea exchanged a few courteous exchanges with her husband before lavishing praise upon all three of his children.
Privately, she couldn't help but ruminate on the course Gary had set. From their marriage to their children, his unwavering focus on his career often took precedence.
Their three children were the offspring of three different wives, a situation he seemed to regard as a natural result of familial alliances, without contemplating the ramifications of divorce on the children.
In light of this example, Anthea vowed to shield her daughter from such preordained unions, determined to never subject her to such an arrangement.