Chapter 35
The design drafts originally secured by the company couldn’t be completed on time, even with overtime, resulting in penalty payments for breach of
contract.
After compensating for the breaches, we lost a significant portion of our clients due to credibility issues, and most of those clients shifted to Sophia’s competing company.
When I arrived downstairs at the company, 1 received a call from my mother.
The last time I asked her when she would visit me in the hospital, she dismissed the idea, saying it wouldn’t make a difference, and hung up to continue playing blackjack.
Before that, she had called to borrow money for an investment. So what was it about this time?
When I slid my finger across the screen to answer, chaotic noise filled the call.
I frowned deeply. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Joshua, you have to save me this time! 1-
Before she could finish, a commotion erupted on the other end, followed by a man’s voice, arrogant and coarse.
“Are you Ferlyn Mosher’s son?”
As he spoke, I could hear my mother panicking in the background “G–Give me my phone back! Let me talk to my son. My son has money!” Hearing this, my frown deepened, and I gripped the phone tighter.
“What’s going on?
The man sneered “Ferlyn gambled and owes us
us 230 t
My mind went blank, buzzing es my vision darkened.
thousand dollars. It’s been a month. She will die here if the money isn’t paid today.”
My mother gambled and racked up a 230 thousand dollar debt. It’s been a whole month?
So, during the time she wasn’t visiting me at the hospital, she was gambling?
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, and spoke in a low voice. “Give the phone to my mother. I’ll speak with her.”
“Sure!” the man responded readily. After another bout of noise, my mother’s trembling voice came through.
“Joshua, I didn’t mean to gamble so much. I thought it was just one last bet. so I borrowed some money. But who knew I would lose again, and the previous losses couldn’t be recouped either.
“You have to help me this time! I’m only in my sos–I don’t want to die!”
I clenched the steering wheel tightly and growled, “Didn’t I tell you to stay away from gambling dens? Why didn’t you listen to me?”
“I was wrong! I know I was wrong!” Her voice broke into sobs as if she was truly remorseful. “You’re always away from home, and I was lonely. I just wanted to pass the time with some friends.
“I didn’t play much at first, and my luck was good. But then my luck turned, and I kept losing saying my neighbors and I had all been scammed by some offshore gambling platform.
more and more. Later, the police even came to the door,
“I.. I don’t even know how it turned out this way. And besides, if those people hadn’t set up those scams, I wouldn’t have lost so much!
I pressed my temples forcefully, unable to suppress my anger. “230 thousand! Where do you expect me to find that kind of money for you?” Joshus, Sophia has money! She’s given me money before. Ask her for it. She won’t t
turn you down to save my life!”
Ferlyn seemed to grasp at her last lifeline, desperately saying these words. But her words only made my frown deepen. “When did the give you money?!”
Chapter 36
