Chapter 2

"Vivienne, Dad's got an urgent matter at the company. I need to head over there!" My father approached me after hanging up the phone, pulling out a red envelope to hand to me.

Mom tried to console me, "Don't worry, I'll go with you."

I nodded, taking the red envelope and tucking it into my pocket. Then I got ready with Mom to head over to Grandpa's house.

When we arrived and went inside, Grandpa caught sight of me and immediately pulled me close. "Vivienne's here! Come on in, it's cold outside!"

His palm felt soft and smooth, not at all like the hands of an old factory worker.

This apartment complex belonged to the steel mill. Supposedly, Grandpa was a retired worker from the factory.

But looking at how pampered he seemed, you wouldn't think so at all.

Grandma spotted me and quickly handed me a red envelope. I accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Grandma."

I immediately stuffed it into my pocket. My mom looked a bit stunned beside me, because usually I would hand the money straight to her.

Back then, my mom would always say, "Vivienne is so thoughtful."

But today was different, even Grandma was taken aback for a moment before laughing, "Our Vivienne knows how to save her New Year's money now!"I raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, "I'm not hiding anything. Mom said the New Year should bring new changes, so I want to keep some pocket money for myself."

"That's right, Vivienne is so thoughtful. She earns her own tuition and living expenses!"

I knew without being told that Grandma would give me at most $50. Compared to tuition, that fifty bucks was nothing!

They're clearly so wealthy, yet they still try to squeeze every penny out of me. I don't understand. This tough love approach is only aimed at me. What exactly are they thinking?

Grandma didn't say anything. After entering the kitchen, she got busy and brought out the food. I took two bites and completely lost my appetite.

This food was identical to what I saw last night at the five-star restaurant.

Now I can finally be certain. The whole family is rich, but my parents are pretending to be poor.

Even Grandpa and Grandma are playing along with the act.

After dinner, my mom got a phone call and hurriedly left, using work as an excuse.

Grandpa and Grandma yawned, looking sleepy. I didn't feel comfortable staying any longer, so I had to leave.

But I didn't go far. I hid around the corner, quietly watching.Sure enough, not even 20 minutes after I left, a stretched Lincoln pulled up. My grandparents, surrounded by a group of people, got in without so much as a backward glance and drove off.

Taking a deep breath, I put on my mask and walked up, only to see a few cleaning ladies tidying up.

One of them sighed, saying, "I don't know what this family's thinking. They come stay for just one day a year, cook one meal, and then they're gone!"

"At least they pay well for the cleanup each time!"

"You don't know the half of it. This family's been doing this for over 20 years now. They've got a mansion in the Upper East Side. This is just rich folks playing at experiencing life!"

Hearing them talk like this, my heart sank completely.

The Harrington Estate, the wealthiest family on the Upper East Side - their mansion was in Hillside Gardens. I rode my bike over to check it out.

Seeing that glittering, opulent mansion perched halfway up the hill, with security guards outside, I couldn't even begin to imagine living in a place like that.

As I approached, a guard immediately barked, "Who are you? Get lost!"

I took a deep breath and was about to turn and leave when a motorcycle roared past from outside.I saw online that this motorcycle costs about $2 million. The person riding it was none other than Kael.