Chapter 11

In the evening, Abigail sat cross-legged on a chair, grinning from ear to ear as she counted the day's earnings. The rest of the Parker family had their heads stacked together, peeking through the kitchen door crack to spy on her in the living room. "Abby's incredible," Owen said with pride. Jayden chimed in, "She's indeed my sister. She has perfectly inherited my genius brain." "Jayden, if you're a genius, this world would be full of geniuses," Adrian retorted mercilessly. Yvonne couldn't actually see anything, but she was happy nonetheless. "At least she's not like Gianna, who's all about money and status. She's a good kid!" Xavier sat in his wheelchair in the farthest corner, his expression dark and cold. "That's just dumb luck." "Who are you calling dumb?" Yvonne asked, confused. Why did that sound like he was insulting her? Xavier was speechless. "Mom, Dad, all my dearest brothers—it's time to split the money!" Abigail called out. The rest of the Parkers were huddled together in the kitchen, whispering nervously in case she caught them. Abigail had just finished counting the money with a satisfied grin when she suddenly let out a loud shout that startled everyone. "We sold 350 servings today! Each portion earned a net profit of ten dollars, totaling 3,500 dollars. Add five thousand dollars from the fifty photos of Jayden flashing his abs and another five hundred from the massages I did, our total earnings for today is nine thousand dollars!" The Parker family, excluding Abigail, were struck by the same thought. So, this was what it was like for an ordinary family to break their backs all day, just to earn nine thousand dollars? Samuel felt a wave of regret crash over him. He should've insisted Abigail keep that one million dollars. Although it was a small sum, it could've saved her all this hard work. Abigail looked around and noticed everyone staring at her with a strange, complicated expression. She let out a long sigh. They were probably used to being broke. Earning nearly ten thousand dollars in a single day had probably scared them. "Don't worry, everyone. I'm here now. I'll lead the Parker family to become millionaires in no time! This is just a tiny start, but it's a big step toward victory." "Millionaire?" Jayden burst out laughing. Abigail nodded solemnly. "Just the thought of it makes you wanna laugh out loud, doesn't it?" Jayden remained silent. He just found it amusing. A million dollars, and she called that being rich? His casual small accessories usually cost hundreds of thousands, with some high-end custom pieces costing millions. If having a million dollars made one rich, then what should their Parker family be called? Looking at his naive sister, Jayden couldn't help but shake his head. Poor thing. She was still kept in the dark and was overjoyed by merely nine thousand dollars. "Jayden, didn't you say you were tired? Go get washed up," Samuel cut in quickly. He knew his brothers too well. If Jayden stayed any longer, he might expose their secret. Abigail tugged at Jayden's sleeve. "No, no. Don't go yet. We still need to split the money! It's a thousand dollars for each of us. The remaining two thousand will be our operating costs. Starting next week, I'll give everyone dividends. How's that sound?" "Sounds good." Everyone agreed without a fuss. Just before bed, Owen knocked on Abigail's door. "What's up, Dad?" Abigail stood in the doorway in an ill-fitting pajama set. Owen was momentarily flustered and rubbed the back of his neck. "Abby, I…" She looked up at him with those big, round eyes. "Yes?" "I'll get up early with you tomorrow to help pick herbs," he finally said. He couldn't bear to let Abigail shoulder so much on her own. But she shook her head in response. Owen felt a pang of disappointment. It seemed Abigail hadn't truly accepted him. "There's enough herbs to last half a month. Just help me prepare the ingredients in the morning. I noticed today that everyone really likes your cooking." Abigail tilted her head and smiled. "I like it too." Owen's mood immediately brightened. A little too excited, he fumbled through his pocket and handed her a card. "Abby, you have to take this. You'll need it for supplies. There's some savings in it." She looked down, and it was a Supreme Elite Black Card. Abigail fell silent. It was similar to the one last time. Where on earth did Owen get so many strange cards? She accepted it with an awkward smile. "Thanks, Dad." When Abigail returned to her room, her phone lit up with a message from Anita. "If you mess with Gianna again, I'm not going to hold back." She was utterly confused and immediately blocked Anita's number. … "Gianna, this is the tattoo parlor I told you about. They'll replicate exactly what you want." After everyone had gone to bed, Gianna snuck out in the dead of night to meet her friend. Her friend clutched the Chanel bag Gianna had given her, visibly smitten. "You really didn't need to get me a gift. I was just helping you out." "Keep it. Just wait for me at the entrance." Gianna saw the fawning, flattering smile on her friend's face and felt immensely pleased. Money really could buy anything. Wearing a mask, she strode into the tattoo parlor and tossed a thousand dollars on the counter. "Where's the owner?" "Hello, gorgeous. What do you have in mind? I guarantee you life-like results." The owner scooped up the money without hesitation. Gianna gave him a once-over. He looked just like your typical artsy young man. She handed over a photo and said, "I want a scar tattooed in this exact spot. It must be identical." The owner took the photo and examined it closely, thinking that Gianna had to be crazy to get a scar tattooed in the middle of the night. The person in the photo was indeed beautiful. Was she trying to imitate that person? If so, there were better features to imitate. "This is right on the joint. It'll be quite tricky to work with…" he started muttering. Gianna grew impatient. "How much? Just give me a number. As long as it's identical, I'll pay anything." "Anything?" The owner secretly rejoiced. Today, he had encountered someone rich and foolish. "Ten thousand dollars, and it's a discounted price for a beauty like you." Back then, Gianna would've never dared to spend this much. After all, the Parker family was dirt poor. Saving up ten thousand dollars would've taken forever. "Can we start now?" Gianna felt the owner talked way too much. "If it's even slightly different, you can forget about keeping this shop open." Although the Newman family wasn't as wealthy as the Dawson family, dealing with a small tattoo parlor like this was effortless for them. The owner silently rolled his eyes at her melodramatic lines but continued to flatter her, saying, "Don't worry—I guarantee it'll be exactly the same. Please follow me this way, and watch your step." Gianna's eyes turned sharp. Just thinking about Abigail filled her with rage. She clenched her fists and made a silent vow. "Abigail, only I can be Mrs. Dawson!"