Irina contacted Daisy

A week passed, and Ferdinand still had not found a job. Now, he was sick and suffering from symptoms of typhoid fever, while his wife had not yet secured employment.

"I've already sold my watch and necklace. Now I have no more money," said Irina anxiously.

"Tomorrow I'll try to find a job again," replied Ferdinand, lying on the couch wearing a black hoodie, a t-shirt, and gloves. His face looked pale, his body was thin, and he seemed weak.

Irina glanced at Ferdinand. "You've been searching for a job tirelessly, but it seems pointless. You've used up all your energy looking for a job that you never get."

"But I have to keep trying," Ferdinand insisted.

"No, you're sick. You can't possibly work," said Irina, looking worried and crossing her arms while staring ahead with empty eyes. "Even if you do get a job, you won't get paid immediately. You have to wait for a month to receive your salary, and we can't get a loan. Besides, you're always rejected," she continued, then massaged her temples.

Ferdinand fell silent, agreeing with Irina's words. He continued to ponder how they could survive with what they had.

"I'll sell the car," he said.

Irina immediately looked at Ferdinand. "You just bought it when we arrived here, and now you're going to sell it again. That's crazy! The car will be sold for a cheap price, especially since we're not natives of Monterey!"

Ferdinand heaved a slightly wheezy sigh. "We don't have a choice, Honey..."

"And when we don't have a car, we need money to go here and there. Taking the train, bus, or taxi will only add to our living expenses!"

"It's okay. I'm sure I can find a job after I recover. Whatever it is, I'll do it," said Ferdinand anxiously, imagining if he was only accepted in small shops, which was far from his usual job at a big company. "Maybe I'll only get a small salary, but at least it can meet our needs."

"And make sure it's enough to pay taxes!" retorted Irina harshly. She got up and walked towards the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Irina rubbed her hungry stomach. She looked at her monochromatic kitchen with simple kitchen equipment, then opened the fridge.

"Oh, damn it!"

Irina sighed when she saw there was only water and canned drinks in the fridge. She closed the fridge loudly, then sat on the dining table chair.

"I can't keep going like this. Staying here will only make the situation worse, or I'll even starve to death!"

Irina reached into the pocket of her thigh-high denim shorts, took out her phone, and thought of contacting her parents, but immediately abandoned the idea.

"No... I don't dare to contact them. They will surely be angry with me for the mess I've made," she said anxiously, continuing to look at her phone while thinking about what to do.

"If I contact my friends, I'm not sure they will lend me money. They're only stingy friends who want to be close to me when I have money to treat them!" she said angrily.

While staring at her phone, Irina opened the Instagram app that she had not used for a long time. She opened her old account with hundreds of thousands of followers and found many DMs from friends, agencies, relatives, and family, but the one that caught his attention the most is the message Daisy sent two weeks ago.

DaisyBart: Irina, where are you? DaisyBart: Irina, the situation has improved now, and I am sure it will not be a problem if you come back... I want you to come home, Mom and Dad are worried about you...

DaisyBart: Irina, I'm sorry I had to become Richard's wife... I hope you are not angry. I really couldn't avoid that situation.

DaisyBart: Irina... I have surrendered to Richard... I think he will accept me, and that means you don't have to be afraid anymore... I don't think he will want you back. Come back to Mom and Dad, they miss you!

Irina kept reading the messages until she found a new one sent about a week ago.

DaisyBart: I hope you and Ferdinand are doing well... You must be careful because I accidentally heard that Richard is trying to make someone in trouble. I hope it's not you... Love you!

Irina sighed, clenched her fists, and instantly imagined Richard's face.

"So, the difficulties I am facing with Ferdinand could be Richard's doing. Why can't he stop bothering us when he already got Daisy? If he's satisfied with Daisy, he shouldn't disturb my life again!"

Emotionally not accepting Richard's behavior, Irina immediately contacted Daisy, hoping to help her get rid of this problem.

Irina stood up, pacing back and forth while waiting for Daisy's response.

"Irina, did you call me? Are you okay?" Daisy asked on the phone, sounding enthusiastic.

"Daisy..." Irina sighed, quickly sat down, and felt sad when she heard Daisy's voice. She instantly remembered her innocent younger sister who had sacrificed for the family because of her actions, making her feel guilty and cancel her plan to ask for help.

"Irina... Are you okay? Is it you?"

Irina refocused on the phone. "Yeah, it's me," she said, wiping her tears that were dropping uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Irina said, holding back her tears. "Forgive me, Daisy... Because of me, you lost your youth... I didn't expect you to be a victim of my actions. I'm so sorry."

"Irina, don't always blame yourself, it's all in the past," Daisy replied, sounding like she was crying. "I made it through that difficult time, and now everything is better."

"Did he accept you well?" Irina asked awkwardly. "I mean... Richard. Did he hurt you or..."

"No, he didn't hurt me or anyone," Daisy said, sounding enthusiastic this time. "You should know that Richard is not as bad as you think... At first, he was very angry and even refused to keep his promise to help Daddy. But when we were on our honeymoon in Italy, he changed 180 degrees."

Irina fell silent, imagining Daisy living in luxury with Richard, even honeymooning in Italy. It was very different from hers, who was in Mexico and experiencing financial difficulties. There was a little regret because of her actions that had caused her to be in trouble, but now she couldn't just go back because it could ruin her sister's happiness. But... She didn't know if her sister was happy with Richard or not.

"Irina, I hope you and Ferdinand are doing well," Daisy said.

Irina snapped out of her reverie. "Um, yes. We're doing okay, but we're having some financial trouble right now."

"What happened?"

"We ran out of money because we used it to buy a car and house and to cover our living expenses here, while Ferdinand hasn't found a job yet," Irina said with a worried tone, feeling hesitant to ask for money. "Now he's sick, so he can't continue looking for a job. Maybe I'll try to find a job. I also have to help him meet our needs here," she continued.

Irina sighed. "Please don't tell Mom and Dad that I contacted you. I'm not ready to deal with them. They'll be very disappointed in me."

"They're worried about you."

"Yeah, I know, but maybe if I come back, they'll be very angry."

"I don't know about that, but they always think about your condition there," Daisy said. "Please send me your new account bank number. I'll give you the money through my friend's account. I don't want Richard to know what I'm doing," she continued.

Irina frowned. "But, Daisy... you said he's a good person. You shouldn't have to be afraid."

"Yeah, I know that, but sometimes I feel like his goodness is beyond reason. I still have to be careful even though he told me that he doesn't want to disrupt my life anymore. But a week ago, I heard him say that he wants to put someone in trouble. I suspected that someone was you and Ferdinand, but he evaded the question. I tried to hide my suspicion because I don't want him to be angry with me, and it will have a bad effect on our family. The point is I still have to be cautious," Daisy said, sounding very serious.

"Okay... I'll send it," Irina said, quickly ending the call.

Irina immediately sent her account number, hoping that Richard wouldn't find out about all this because she didn't want Daisy to get into trouble.