Chapter 1

Fransisca's POV

"Fransisca, you better answer that call now. I'm getting tired of it! You should know that when you're working, you should turn off your phone!"

I immediately set down the sunflowers I was arranging in the vase and followed my boss's order to answer the incoming call on my phone.

Aunt Mary was the cause of the disturbance today. I picked up my phone and stepped outside the shop; I was reluctant to answer her call, as I was sure she only wanted money from me.

"What's up, Aunt Mary?"

"God Damn it, Fransisca! Why did you take so long to answer my call? Your mother is sick, she's been screaming in pain for a while now. Come home, you can't possibly expect me to take her to the hospital without money, can you?"

I clenched my fists, frustrated by my aunt's words. But what she said was true, I had to go home.

"Alright, I'll come home."

I immediately ended the call and went back into the shop to ask for permission from my supervisor.

"Madam, I'd like to request permission to go back to my house. My mother is sick, and I--."

"You're fired."

"What do you mean, Madam? Did I do something wrong?" Honestly, I was quite shocked by my boss's words.

"Yes, this shop has been slow for the past three months, and your sales have declined too. I need to cut down on staff. So, just go and you don't need to come back to work."

My chest tightened; it was hard to accept all of this. Why did she have to do this to me?

I stood there, frozen, holding back tears. But my boss immediately pushed me out of the flower shop. The gust of wind from the slamming door let my suppressed tears flow freely. My only job was gone; there couldn't have been a worse day.

I walked wearily to my apartment, which wasn't far from the flower shop. Groans, shouts, and cries greeted me as I entered the hallway of this rundown apartment. My boss's words echoed in my head.

Today marked exactly one year since I came to New York, this cruel metropolis that had finally turned its back on me. Where else could I look for a job now? I didn't want to go back to my hometown and live with my mother and aunt, even though my mother was sick. They had squandered the money my late father left behind on gambling and alcohol.

A photo of me and my father on my bedroom wall welcomed me when I opened the apartment door. I approached the photo and hugged it, whispering, "Dad, I miss you. Give me the strength to endure."

**

"AARGH!"

My mother's scream echoed into the front yard as the bus that brought me to the village arrived. I quickly ran inside the house and found my aunt making out with a young man in the kitchen. It was the most disgusting thing I had ever seen.

"Get a room!" I shouted, startling the two of them. I immediately approached my mother in her room; her body was burning up as if consumed by flames.

"Don’t give up, Mom!"

"Take her to the hospital, I don't understand what's happening to her. I've tried to bring down her fever but--."

"Shut up and help me call the hospital! Do you realize we don't have a vehicle to take her there?! We need an ambulance!" I cut off my aunt's sentence and directed my gaze at the young man who was with my aunt earlier. "If you have no business here, you better leave!"

The young man immediately left us. Meanwhile, my aunt looked at me as if I were a hungry lion.

"If you weren't my niece and the source of money for our lives, I'd make sure to slap you until you go blind!"

She then left while calling the hospital as I instructed. Threats like that were not new to me.

I sat by my mother's bedside, stroking her head; frustration had turned into pity. If only my mother hadn't succumbed to her circumstances after my father's death, maybe she would still be a skilled seamstress known for her beautiful dresses in this village.

Five minutes passed, and the sound of an ambulance siren echoed outside our house. The hospital wasn't far, so help arrived quickly. My mother was immediately taken to the hospital.

Upon arrival, the doctor conducted an examination. I was truly worried and hoped that nothing bad had happened. My heart felt like it wanted to escape my chest when the doctor emerged from the intensive care room and approached me.

"Your mother's condition is critical, her stomach is perforated, and the only thing we can do is surgery."

I swallowed hard and asked, "Surgery? How much will it cost?"

"$150,000. The surgery needs to be done urgently; otherwise, your mother--."

"Don't say anything else! Please, just do it. Save my mother, no matter what!" I clasped my hands together in front of the blue-eyed doctor.

"Very well, the surgery will be performed soon. You have three days to come up with the funds."

The doctor walked away, and I immediately approached my aunt, who was busy with her phone in the waiting area.

"$150,000. How much money do you have? How much savings do you have?"

I looked at my aunt, and she shrugged. "What are you saying?"

"Mom needs surgery, and it costs $150,000. Help me think, what should we do with that much money? Where should we find it?!"

"You could borrow from your boss?" My aunt answered casually, as if not burdened at all.

"I'm not working anymore! I got fired!"

"Well, in that case, a loan shark is the only option to borrow money from."

I furrowed my brows and shook my head. "Are you crazy? I don't want to get trapped by loan sharks! Who's going to pay the interest? I can't rely on you, do you want to burden me with everything?!"

"Then tell the doctor you don't have the money, so the surgery gets canceled, and your mother dies. Simple, right?" My aunt slapped my face and chuckled. I understood; her carefree attitude was a form of revenge because my mother had taken her beloved, who was none other than my late father.

But why did she continue to hold onto that grudge until now?

I was trapped in this situation, and the words my aunt had said seemed to be the perfect way out to help us.

I stood up and grabbed her hand, saying, "Help me find the house certificate and take me to that loan shark."