Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
After a while, Selena left, and because her car was parked at the entrance, the other waitress, who had returned from taking the trash outside, immediately remarked, “Ellen, I can’t believe your cousin’s family is so wealthy! She drives a Bentley!”
“Ah! Do you know how much her diamond ring cost?” Ellen asked her colleague.
“How much?”
“It is equivalent to five years of our annual income.”
“Geez! Why are you so poor while your family is so wealthy?” Her colleague couldn’t help but wonder.
Ellen shrugged and inquired, “What does my cousin’s family’s wealth have to do with how poor I am?”
“Of course, it does! If I have a wealthy uncle, I will do whatever it takes to work for him rather than in a cafe.”
Ellen responded with a bitter smile. Following her brother’s passing, she recalls Connor’s family distanced themselves from her. Since that day, she had never been to her uncle’s home, nor had she seen him or his family for years. Eventually, as she matured, Jessica told her that her uncle had become the wealthiest member of the family.
Moreover, she envied Selena because, despite failing the college entrance exam, she could attend the best university in the world, becoming the family’s crown jewel. Ellen never complained about her unfortunate circumstances because her parents died when she was a child, and she remembered her brother as the person who had always been the closest to her. However, her brother passed away due to illness. Later, Jessica cared for her as though she were her granddaughter. Ellen believed she was closest to Jessica, whereas Connor’s family was only a distant relative on whom she could not rely.
Soon, Ellen had finished her shift and boarded the bus home. Ellen and Jessica lived in an old house in a suburban neighborhood of the big city. Since their house was in a less-than-ideal area, it would never be demolished.
When Ellen returned home, she was hesitant to turn on the lights. As the light was dim, she turned on a nightlight and began cleaning the house. After Jessica informed her that macaroni and cheese would be on the menu for dinner that day, she retrieved a box from the back of the cupboard and set it to boil.
One of Jessica’s favorite pastimes was chatting with the other retirees in her neighborhood. Hence, she would return by 6.00PM, and Ellen would prepare dinner in advance while she awaited her return.
After Ellen had finished setting the table with the cutlery, Jessica returned home. She had turned sixty- six, and despite her silver hair and wrinkled face, she was full of life and vitality.
“Ellie, is dinner ready?” “Grandma, did anything interesting happen today?” While cooking the macaroni, Ellen engaged her in conversation.
Jessica happily filled her in on the local tidbits, such as which family had been childless for years despite being married and whose daughter-in-law was going through a divorce. Ellen found it enjoyable to converse with her because she knew it would help Jessica’s memory and slow the progression of her dementia.
On the other hand, Ellen mentioned how she had met Selena earlier that day at the cafe. When Jessica heard that, she let out a sigh of sympathy for Ellen. Both Selena and Ellen were around the same age, but Selena had the privileged life of a wealthy daughter while Ellen was forced to make do with less.
“Ellie, please hear me out on this.”
“What is it?”
“If I pass away someday, you ought to look for your uncle and move in with them.”
“Grandma, what are you saying? You have a long life ahead of you.” Ellen hurriedly stopped her from continuing.
Jessica chuckled. “I meant “if”, silly. So, remember to go live with your uncle when the time comes.”
“Uncle Connor has his own family. I can’t live with them anymore.” Ellen had never considered the possibility of such a scenario.
“It’s better to be turned down than to have nobody to rely on. After all, Connor is your uncle, so he will not leave you alone,” Jessica spoke firmly. She was getting on in years, so naturally, she was concerned about Ellen.
Ellen’s eyes turned misty as she nodded. “Okay.”
“If there’s one thing you’re not good at, it’s winning over others. If you spent more time with your uncle, you wouldn’t have to suffer alongside me.”
Ellen pursed her lips, knowing that Jessica had suggested that for her own good, but she was content with her current situation.
“Grandma, this month I was awarded a bonus. So, let me take you out for a delicious meal.”
“Nah. You need to put that cash aside for a rainy day. Then, when you marry, you will need a dowry!” Jessica laughed.
Ellen’s pretty face flushed. “Grandma, it’s too soon for me to marry!”
“I hope I live long enough to witness your wedding. I’m curious what kind of boy you’ll marry.”
A deeper flush of redness spread across Ellen’s face. “Grandma, hurry and eat your dinner before it gets cold!”
Meanwhile, at Aguirre Residence, Olivia bought a new set of clothes and wore them to show her husband. However, Connor seemed distracted, and without even looking at her, he said, “You look great in them, but you shouldn’t go out and spend so much money on clothing.”
“Why not? I am delighted to spend it on them,” she snorted. She was frustrated by her husband’s inattention and asked, “What’s the matter with you lately?”
“I wonder if Ellie has been treated unfairly. My conscience is bothering me.”
Then, Olivia sneered, “What’s the use of being sorry?”
“We can make amends for her loss by providing financial assistance so that she does not have to endure as much suffering in her daily life.”
“No way. Life is what you make of it; unfortunately, Ellen’s life is destined to be difficult. Moreover, we have no control over it,” Olivia stated sarcastically. “We have not yet secured a job for our daughter!”
“I called Mr. Wenlock, but he was away on business. When he returns, he will arrange a position for Lena.”
Seeing how soft-hearted Connor was, she sat beside him and persuaded him, “Think about it, Connor. What if helping Ellen leads to her becoming entangled with our family? If you lend a hand to her once, she’ll be back for more. So, will she move in with us after the passing of Aunt Jessica? Worse yet, what if she chooses to live off of us for the rest of her life? If you don’t give her money right now, you are telling her we are not people she can rely on. There’s no harm in being ruthless sometimes, right?”
Connor was brainwashed time and time again by Olivia, and since he also valued profit, he ruthlessly neglected his niece for years. “Fine!” Connor had no choice but to listen to his wife and be ruthless. Due to their conversation, Olivia was no longer interested in trying on clothes anymore, so she called her daughter and reminded her to come home early.
Meanwhile, Selena was hanging out with a bunch of foreign friends in a high-end bar. Selena’s circle of friends were all rich kids in Averna who were open to meeting new people and going to parties.
In the blink of an eye, it had been a few days since Selena returned. Today, she and her friends made an appointment to visit the golf course where Ellen happened to be. She wasn’t here for fun. Instead, she was there as a cleaner. The daughter of Jessica’s good friend worked as a janitor here, but she was hospitalized because she was not feeling well and couldn’t ask for leave, so Jessica asked Ellen to help her out for a few days.
Ellen had been working for two days in a row now, and she had also requested to take over the night shift for her cafe job so that she could make time during the day. On this day, she wore the janitor uniform and a sun hat. No one could tell that she was just a young girl.
Just as she was cleaning a particular area, four fashionable young ladies walked toward her while chatting. Ellen took a glimpse at them curiously before quickly recognizing Selena. At the same time, Selena turned in her direction, so Ellen called out to her, “Selena!”
Selena was looking at the scenery at first, but she was startled by the sudden call of her name. Only then did her gaze fall on the janitor.
Surprisingly, the janitor turned out to be Ellen! Moreover, she was holding a garbage bag in one hand, while the other hand wearing gloves, and she was wearing an unfashionable sun hat. It was so embarrassing to watch.
“Do you know her, Lena?” one of the girls asked curiously and took a glance at Ellen. Since when did Selena have such a bum-looking relative?
Ellen felt the complicated gaze in Selena’s eyes as she looked at her. Thereafter, the latter smiled and replied to her friend, “No, I don’t know her.”
Feeling as if she had been stabbed in the heart, Ellen hurriedly turned around to leave, not wanting to embarrass Selena.
Selena watched Ellen’s embarrassed back with a smile, and there was no trace of guilt in her eyes. Ellen almost made her lose pride in front of her friends, for goodness sake!