Page 199 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol 4

And there it was. The reason why my dad didn't want me to see her. Because she had said all this to me before. That I was unwanted. That I was a mistake. That she hated me and my father for ruining her life. I blinked away my tears.Stop feeling.I had watched her pack her bags on a summer day like this 15 years ago. And I had begged her not to leave. I had begged my mother to not abandon me. And she had told me she didn't love me. She had told me she never wanted me. She had told me I meant nothing to her.

But that wasn't why I was here. The past needed to stay in the past or else it might break me again. "I'm sorry, I'm not here to talk about what happened."

"Good. Because I'm in the middle of something and I really don't have time for this." She turned around and reached for the front door handle.

"Dad's dying. He has lung cancer."

"Well he has no one to blame but himself. Maybe he shouldn't have started smoking."

"He didn't. But you did."He's dying because of you."That's one of the only things I remember about you actually. You sitting on the back porch with a cigarette in your hand."

She smiled. "Is that what this is about? You think your poor father is dying because I smoked a few cigarettes around him? Grow up, Hailey. Lung cancer is caused by things besides cigarette smoke. Jeff isn't my problem anymore. I think I've made that very clear."

"By returning every letter a seven year old wrote to you? Yeah, I got that, Elena. And I'm not asking you to help Jeff. I'm asking you to help me. Because he's the only family I have. Because you abandoned me. I'm asking for your help because I'm about to lose my whole world."

"Then you should have surrounded yourself with better people. I made a decision that made my life better. And look at me now. So don't blame me for knowing I could do better."

Better than me? Stop feeling."I'm not. I'm just asking for your help. He needs experimental treatments. I need to borrow some money. I'll pay you back every cent with interest. I'm not asking for a handout. I'm asking for a loan. Please." I hated how desperate I sounded. I hated how small she made me feel.

She eyed me coolly. "How much money do you need?"

The amount terrified me. Because Elena hadn't given me anything in years. And now I was asking for so much. "Treatments cost anywhere from 20 to 70 thousand dollars."

She laughed. "Get off my property."

Her words made my whole body feel cold. "I'll pay you back. Please, Elena. I've never asked you for anything."

She laughed. "Never asked me for anything? When you were born you ruined my life. Don't be ungrateful for my sacrifices. And as far as I'm concerned, you have no right to ask me for anything else."

"Of course I do. You're my mom."

Elena frowned. "I'm not your mother anymore, Hailey."

"You don't just get to choose whether you are or not. We have the same blood in our veins. We have the same eyes. And nose. You're my mom. Whether you like it or not. And I need your help. Just this once. I'm begging you."

"I'm asking you one last time to get off my property."

"Please. I'm just asking for a loan."

"And I'm not giving you a cent. Because you and your deadbeat father will sink the money in that stupid bar and I'll never get it back."

"I'll pay you interest. I'll..."

"Hailey, that's enough. This conversation is over. We may share some genes, but you are nothing like me. You and your father will always be broke because you'd rather ask for handouts than work hard. Me giving you money will only hinder your future. Now get the fuck off my property before I call the cops."

I was blinking hard, trying to hold back my impending tears.

The front door suddenly opened. "Is everything okay, honey?" The man she had kissed on the cheek wrapped his arm around her waist. He smiled at me. He looked kind. How could someone like that love such a monster?

But as soon as he had stepped outside, Elena's smile had returned. "Yes. It's just a solicitor, sweetie. And she was just leaving."

I'm your daughter. You're supposed to love me.I hadn't asked Elena for anything in 15 years. Not since I had begged her to stay. She owed me this. "One favor. And you'll never see me again. I'll never ask you for anything else the rest of my life. It'll be like I never existed. Isn't that what you want? Please, Elena."

Her new husband looked back and forth between us. Maybe he was seeing the similarities in our features. Or maybe he was just wondering why a solicitor was asking his wife for a favor. "Maria, what's going on?"

Maria? Who the hell is Maria?

"Richard," Elena said and looked up at her husband. "I've been trying to explain to her that there are no solicitors allowed in this neighborhood. I asked her to get off our property. And she's refusing to leave until we buy whatever she's selling. Do you think we should call the cops?"