Chapter 83
San Francisco, California
Amalia sat across from Rob in the cramped café, her fingers tightening around the chipped edge of her teacup. She stared at the man opposite him who casually leaned back in his chair, his tattooed neck visible above the collar of his worn, faded shirt. The snake design coiled up one side, stopping just below his car. He rubbed his bald head absentmindedly, his expression impatient.
“What do you mean, give you some money?” Rob said, frowning He gestured toward his scuffed jeans. “Do I look like I’m rolling in cash right now?”
Amalia’s grip on her cup tightened further, her knuckles white. You said you’d pay me back after last time,” she said, her voice shaking slightly. “Rob, I know you’re applying for jobs, but really need that money. If I can’t get the properties back from the pawnshop, I’ll have nowhere to go. Do you understand? Nowhere.”
Rob snorted. “What do you mean by ‘nowhere‘? You’ve got that stupid niece of yours, don’t you? What’s her name? Izzy? Why the heck are you asking me for money when you can just ask her to give you some?”
“Don’t call her that,” she snapped. “She’s not stupid.”
“Really?” Rob tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. “What’s going on then? Why are you running around begging for money like this?” He leaned closer. “Hey… are you trying to test me right now?”
“What?”
“Are you testing me? Seeing if I’ll give you some money if you need it?” He looked around. “Are there cameras somewhere?”
“Rob, what are you-”
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“You can’t blame me for this. A friend of mine had this same experience weeks ago. Turns out, his woman was testing him. He didn’t budge, so she left his ass,” he clicked his tongue. “Amalia… can we stop fooling each other? Both of us know that I can’t give you anything right now. I’m still looking for a job, the market’s tough, and I have bills to pay. You-”
Amalia’s face turned ugly.
Rob continued. “What’s going on with you? I thought you were going to give me something next week. I was expecting that money for rent, and now you’re here asking me for money?”
Amalia hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line before she finally spoke. “She’s kicking us out,” she said. “Izzy is bullying your daughter, Rob. She got Monica fired from her job, and now we’re struggling just to get by.”
Rob blinked, his expression shifting from irritation to disbelief. “What the hell? How could you be struggling just to get by? Are you fucking with me right now?”
“Rob-”
“You have that car–sell it. Or that… bag…” Rob gestured at her back. “Those cost a lot, right?”
“Rob!”
“Hey… listen to me,” Rob leaned closer as he rested his elbow on the table. “I found someone willing to buy secondhand bags, as long as you still have the boxes and receipts. You can get some good money from those bags. Also, those shoes-”
“What the hell are you talking about, Rob!?” Amalia interrupted him. She looked around and noticed people staring at them. Then she lowered her voice. “I’m here asking you to pay me what you owe me. Why are you talking about selling my bags!?”
10:48 Wed, Jan 15 W
Chapter 83
“I told you! I don’t have it now!” Rob glared at her, irritation flashing on his face. “What about that niece of yours? Are you really telling me she’s kicking you out after you raised her?”
23
Amalia’s eyes filled with tears, but it wasn’t from sadness–it was from extreme irritation. If she had the chance, she would Surely punish Izzy and make her suffer the way Izzy was making her suffer now! “I thought I raised her,” she said, her shoulders trembling. “I didn’t know I was raising a wolf. She’s treating me like this–after everything I’ve done for her! I took her in. I gave her a home after her parents were gone. And now she’s turning on me. Us.”
Rob leaned back, crossing his arms, the tattoo on his neck flexing as his jaw tightened. “Why the hell would she suddenly do that? Did she notice you stealing from her bank account?” Then he shook his head. “No… that can’t be. That’s impossible. If she did, she’d have called the cops on you, and you wouldn’t be talking to me right now.”
Amalia wiped her tears hastily. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But she’s turning 26 in a few days. She’ll finally get her inheritance. Maybe she thinks she’s better than us now. She’s got power, Rob, and she’s using it to crush us. Monica’s her cousin! And she fired her, kicked her out of her job like she was nothing. I never thought Izzy would do this to me. Never.”
Rob sat in silence for a moment, his expression hard to read. Finally, he leaned forward, resting his tattooed arms on the table. “So what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to do anymore. She froze all my cards. And if I don’t find a way to get the money to buy my properties back, we’ll lose everything”
Seeing his face turn ugly, she reached out and grabbed his hand. “Just give me the money now… I’m sure I can still find a way to fix this.”
“What? Fix what?”
“Well…” Amalia cleared her throat, “I think it’s that lawyer of hers,” she said. “She must be planting ideas into Izzy’s head. She’s the one managing all of Izzy’s assets, so-
“A lawyer, you say?” Rob asked. “She‘&managing her assets?”
“Yes,” Amalia nodded. “That woman has been trying to poison Izzy’s mind against us. This… I think she might have succeeded this time. She must have dorre something behind the scenes. Yes. Atty. Alcaraz is definitely planning something against me and Monica.”
Rob narrowed his eyes. Seeing this, Amalia continued. “Izzy has always been kind. I know she’s kind. She’s been letting me handle the house for years. How could she suddenly change weeks before her birthday?” Her eyes widened. “I believe there’s something in her grandfather’s will, something that made her–or forced her–to stay away from me and Monica.”
“You think… is it one of the conditions of the will?” he asked.
“Yes!” Amalia nodded. “That’s the only explanation I can find. However, once she receives everything, then… perhaps… perhaps I can convince her to come back.” Six months. All she needs is six months to convince Izzy, then all of her problems will be solved.
Hearing this, Rob stared at her for a few seconds before he nodded. “Fine. I’ll help you. However… tell me everything about that lawyer.”
Amalia lifted an eyebrow. Then she nodded and smiled. “Alright
SEND GIFT
