Chapter 728: Buying a House for the Younger Brother
Chapter 728: Chapter 728: Buying a House for the Younger Brother
From what Lucy Summers said, it was clear she was a very devoted daughter.
Sheryl Sawyer asked gently, "So, you couldn’t bear to see your parents working so hard on construction sites, so you gave up college and got a job to ease the family’s financial burden?"
Lucy Summers nodded gently. "Yeah."
Sheryl Sawyer pressed her lips together, unsure of what to say.
’Her Sweetie... she was so young, yet so sensible.’
’At an age when others were still going through their rebellious phase at home, she had to shoulder responsibilities far beyond her years.’
Sheryl Sawyer didn’t dare to dwell on what kind of life her Sweetie must have lived in that home.
After the plane took off, Sheryl Sawyer leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Lulu, have they treated you well all these years?"
Hearing this, Lucy Summers tilted her head to look at her, then lowered her gaze after a few seconds. "How should I put it? Compared to other abducted children, I guess you could say they’ve been pretty good to me."
Sheryl Sawyer knew she had more to say, so she remained silent.
"But compared to their own flesh and blood..." Lucy Summers recalled all the times she had been overlooked. "Maybe... it falls a little short."
Hearing this, Sheryl Sawyer suddenly found herself relating.
’In the Sawyer Family, even though she was the biological daughter, her parents’ hearts always favored their son.’
"In the future..." Sheryl Sawyer began tentatively, "if you’re willing, I’ll be good to you."
At that moment, Lucy Summers didn’t know how to respond. She pursed her lips, a note of concern in her voice. "What about you? Are your parents good to you? Will they... blame you?"
’Back then, she was playing outside with her big sister when traffickers snatched her away. Her parents probably blamed her sister for not looking after her.’
"A little, I’m sure," Sheryl Sawyer said, not elaborating. She casually changed the subject. "In Lynfell, do you live in a dorm or on your own?"
Lucy Summers replied, "I was in a dorm at first, but then I found a stray dog. The dorms don’t allow pets, so I moved out."
"I see." Sheryl Sawyer blinked, then blurted out, "Can I come visit you in Lynfell sometime?"
Lucy Summers paused for a second, then nodded. "Of course."
Sheryl Sawyer let out a quiet sigh of relief at her answer, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Okay. You’re welcome to come visit me in Zenvia whenever you’re free, too."
Lucy Summers’s lips curved into a smile as well, and she answered with a bright, "Okay."
The two-hour flight passed quickly, and the plane landed smoothly at Soridia Airport.
Lucy Summers’s home was in a county town, about an hour’s drive from Soridia Airport.
The four of them fit perfectly into one car, so they hailed a taxi at the airport and set off.
As she watched the increasingly familiar streets pass by the window, the unease in Lucy Summers’s heart, which had just begun to settle, started to churn again. Her fingers tightened instinctively.
"Lulu, when we get to your parents’ house, remember to tell them we’re your coworkers," Renee Jennings reminded her.
Sitting in the back seat, Lucy Summers nodded obediently. "Okay, Renee. I know."
The road was too narrow for the taxi to reach Lucy Summers’s doorstep, so it had to stop on the main street.
When they got out, they found themselves right next to a small supermarket.
Renee Jennings said quietly, "We should buy a small gift to bring with us."
Since they were pretending to be Lucy Summers’s coworkers, it wouldn’t be right to show up empty-handed.
Renee Jennings and Sheryl Sawyer picked out some fruit, and Lucy Summers hurried over, insisting on paying.
"Please, you don’t have to spend your money. I’ll pay."
"Lulu, don’t be so formal," Renee Jennings said, placing a hand over Lucy’s phone. She raised an eyebrow slightly. "It’s not ’spending money’ when your big sister buys you fruit."
As she spoke, Sheryl Sawyer had already paid.
Lucy Summers whispered, "Thank you."
Renee Jennings wrapped an arm around her shoulder affectionately. "You’ll get used to it," she said with a grin. "Your sister is definitely going to be buying you things all the time from now on."
Having found her little sister at long last, Sheryl Sawyer would surely do everything in her power to be good to her.
Lucy Summers’s home was a two-story house with a dark red tile facade. An electric scooter was parked by the entrance, and the main door was slightly ajar.
Lucy Summers looked back at Renee and the others. "I’ll go in first and see who’s home."
’It’s dinnertime. My brother is probably home for his meal.’
Lucy Summers gently pulled the door open. As she stood in the doorway, bending down to change her shoes, she heard a familiar voice from inside.
"Housing prices have dropped a lot. Cole comes of age next year. I was thinking... should we buy a small apartment for him as a coming-of-age present? We can always upgrade to a bigger one later when we have more money."
Lucy Summers’s movements froze as she was changing her shoes. Her pupils contracted, her face a mask of shock and disbelief.
Cole was her brother, Cameron Summers, three years her junior. He was seventeen and a junior in high school.
Lucy Summers’s brow furrowed. She must have misheard.
’The family’s finances are so tight. How could Mom possibly be thinking about buying a house for my brother?’
"Even if prices have dropped, it’s not cheap. It’s still five or six thousand per square meter," Mr. Summers said, his words muffled as he chewed his food. "A sixty-square-meter place would cost three or four hundred thousand. Our little courier station only brings in a little over ten thousand a month, and we have living expenses..."
"Don’t we have some savings?" said Mrs. Summers. "The down payment is definitely no problem. And the money Lulu sends home every month will be just enough to cover the mortgage payments."
Lucy Summers felt a sudden ringing in her head. She swayed, struggling to stay on her feet.
’They actually had savings...’
"Let me think about it." Mr. Summers didn’t seem keen on the idea. "Isn’t Cole still young? What’s the rush?"
Mrs. Summers retorted, displeased, "He’s not a kid anymore! He’s heading off to college next year. If he has an apartment to his name, people at school won’t look down on him."
Mr. Summers sounded resigned. "You’re overthinking it. He’s going there to study, not to show off and compare himself to others."
"I don’t care," Mrs. Summers said, her tone firm. "My son must have a house of his own once he comes of age."
"Aren’t you afraid of how Lulu will feel if she finds out?" Mr. Summers asked.
Mrs. Summers pursed her lips. "We’ll just keep it from her for the time being."
"But I don’t think that’s very fair to her," Mr. Summers said, his voice growing heavier.
Mrs. Summers said dismissively, "How is it not fair? I think we’ve been more than good enough to her. We even supported her through high school graduation."
"Haven’t I told you? That girl Old Man Zimmerman’s family bought from the same batch as ours? They sent her out to work right after junior high, and she’s earned a ton of money over the years to help her brother buy a house."
"Stop saying things like that," Mr. Summers said in disapproval. "Not everyone is the same."
"You’re so high and mighty," Mrs. Summers’s tone was laced with scorn. "If I hadn’t come up with the idea back then, would you be living this comfortably now?"
Mr. Summers frowned, at a loss for words.
Lucy Summers trembled, her eyes turning red as glistening tears fell onto the back of her hand.
She bit her lip hard, forcing back the sobs rising in her throat. She put her shoes back on and, with her eyes brimming with tears, walked back out in silence.
Sheryl Sawyer noticed something was wrong right away and rushed forward. "Lulu, why are you crying?" she asked anxiously.
Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller were also looking on with concern.
Lucy Summers sniffled, her low voice choked with sobs. "I just overheard some things..."