Chloe scooped a bowl of chicken soup and gently placed it in front of me. “Alex, Tiffany won’t marry Kyle without an apartment. Mom’s just thinking about Kyle.””Why don’t we move out and rent for a while? Just to help Kyle out.”My heart sank. I remembered her telling me before how Brenda doted on her youngest son, Kyle.I thought it was just Brenda, but it turned out Chloe was just as obsessed with her brother.
Brenda saw my lack of reaction and pressed on.”Don’t forget, we gave you ten thousand as wedding funds back then.””That money was meant for your apartment.”I couldn’t help but laugh. “Mom, you think ten thousand can buy my downtown apartment? You’ve got some nerve.””First off, I gave you twenty thousand as an engagement gift.
And that ten thousand you supposedly gave us? Didn’t you have Chloe transfer it back to you the day after we signed the marriage papers, saying you ‘needed money to buy Kyle a car’?””A total of thirty thousand, and not a single cent stayed with us.”Chloe’s face instantly went pale. She probably never expected me to bring that up in front of her mom.Brenda jumped up as if stung, pointing a finger at my nose.
“You ungrateful brat! You eat our food, you listen to our rules!””Don’t forget, you’re all alone here. If you cross us, things will get ugly for you!”Hearing Brenda say that, Chloe looked uncomfortable. She snapped at her mom, “Mom, don’t talk like that.”But Brenda only got more fired up. “Talk like what? He’s an outsider! Why should he hog Kyle’s apartment? Kyle is our precious jewel of the Davis family!”
“Look at him, that broke loser! You marrying Chloe was a miracle, and now you have the gall to make demands?”I instinctively glanced down at my clothes.Before coming here, my sister, Victoria, had told me to keep a low profile, so I usually picked out inexpensive-looking outfits.I guess Brenda had completely underestimated me.”Mom, what are you saying?!” Chloe finally flared up.”Am I wrong?”Brenda said, self-righteously, “If he’s rich enough to buy Kyle another apartment, then maybe I’d consider ‘lending’ him this one to live in.”
