Chapter 9: Lipgloss

The next day, Aurora walked into the bank again, clutching her card like a lifeline. The same employee from yesterday smiled at her.

"Miss Aurora Waters, back so soon! How can I help you today?"

"I just… I want to check my account balance," she said, trying to sound casual.

"Of course!" The man tapped away at his computer and then nodded. "Your balance is $7. Would you like a printed receipt?"

Aurora nearly jumped for joy. It was real. The system worked, and the money was really in her account.

"No, that's okay," she said, her voice a little shaky from excitement. "Thank you!"

Aurora stood there as the bank employee counted her $70.

Her heart pounded in her chest.

'It's alright Aurora, if you don't make the sacrifice now...you will not gain anything in future!' She reassured herself.

This was all the money she had saved over months from doing odd chores, birthday gifts, and leftover change.

"Alright, Miss Aurora, your $70 has been deposited. Your new balance is $77," the man said, handing her a receipt.

She stared at the slip of paper, her hands trembling.

That number looked so much bigger than she was used to seeing in her balance.

It made her stomach twist with a mix of excitement and fear.

"Thank you," Aurora whispered and turned to leave the bank.

As she walked home, she clutched her bank card tightly. Her mind buzzed with ideas.

With $77 in her account, she could test the rebate system in a bigger way. But she knew she couldn't go too crazy.

What if it stopped working?

The second question that plagued her mind was...how to use the money efficiently.

On returning home, she saw Olivia sitting on the sofa, writing something on the page. 

Since she was too engrossed, she didn't notice Aurora's arrival at all.

Aurora walked past Olivia and quickly sneaked a glance.

It was a budget list. Olivia was working on her budget list.

Each month, every sibling of hers would prepare a budget list to keep their expenses in check.

This was one of the skills they had learned from their parents, to avoid unnecessary expenses.

With $20 as their pocket money, it was pretty hard for them to plan out the month.

Lucas and Aridana occasionally give them an extra $5, which would ease their spending.

Aurora's eyes brightened. 

She walked over and sat beside Olivia on the sofa.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Olivia glanced up, slightly startled.

"Oh, it's just my budget for the month. I'm figuring out how to split my pocket money. Why? You wanna copy me?" she teased.

Aurora made a face.

"No! I just... thought it looked interesting."

Olivia smirked.

"Well, you should try it. It helps you plan so you don't waste money. Like, see here." She pointed at her list. 

"I have allotted $10 for stationery supplies, $5 for snacks, and $5 for emergencies."

Aurora felt her sister was too wasteful.

$10 for stationery? Tsk...tsk, she, Aurora, can buy stationary, and snacks and even save up for emergencies.

Aurora's inner voice mocked her, 

'That is because that is all you had!'

"Hey, you still haven't handed your lipgloss. Go and bring it back to me." Olivia's voice broke Aurora's train of thought.

Aurora tapped her chin, pretending to think.

Wait a second… that lip gloss wasn't bought with my Diamond Mine bank card! If I give it to her, I can't get any rebates from the system. That's such a waste!

She blinked, and instantly agreed,

"Sure. But here is a problem, I have sold it to one of my friends for $17, I will buy it and give you a brand new one."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. From when does her sister become so obedient?

Something wasn't adding up...

As soon as Olivia went back to her budgeting, Aurora dashed to her room and plopped onto her bed.

.......

The next day, Aurora walked into the cosmetics store with her bank card clutched tightly in her hand.

The shelves sparkled with colorful lip glosses, and she quickly grabbed two of the prettiest ones.

"Two lip glosses, please," she said, handing her card to the cashier.

"That'll be $40," the cashier said, swiping her card.

Aurora watched the transaction like a hawk, her heart pounding.

When the receipt was printed, she sighed in relief. She tucked it safely into her bag and hurried home.