Novel - Drama Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Isabel Watson’s expression seemed to be getting colder, but her words made Oliver Eastwood freeze all over.
“Oliver, don’t waste your time on me. I know I’ve let you down. You’re a good person, but kindness doesn’t put food on the table. I want to eat well and dress well. I want to live in a big mansion and drive a luxury car. I don’t think you’ll ever be able to give me those in this lifetime!”
Oliver’s lips twitched, but he was still unable to utter a word.
Isabel’s words, again, sliced through him like a knife. “I know you’ll say that you’ll work hard to make me happy, but happiness can’t be achieved with just a few words. I’ll tell you the truth. I have a new boyfriend. He bought me a BMW worth 100 thousand dollars. I’m about to get married, so please don’t ruin my happiness. That’s all I have to say. I’m leaving.”
Isabel walked out of sight, and Oliver remained standing there, dumbfounded.
He was heartbroken.
Isabel was his high school classmate, and they were in a relationship for five years. He had given her everything, but in the end, she chose money over their relationship.
After standing there rooted to his spot for a while, he felt as though his legs were as heavy as lead.
Oliver was lost, his mind completely blank. He couldn’t even remember where he was supposed to go.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Taking out his phone, Oliver saw his mother’s name on the screen and quickly answered.
His mother’s anxious and panicked cries immediately sounded on the phone. “Oliver, your father… What am I going to do?”
Oliver shuddered and immediately asked, “Mom, calm down. What happened to Dad?”
His mother burst into tears. “Oliver, your father couldn’t urinate this morning, and there was blood in his urine as well, so we went to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor just gave us the results and said that it’s… it’s uremia. Your father needs immediate surgery, or else… Oliver, if anything happens to your father, I don’t want to live anymore!”
“Nothing is going to happen to Dad,” Oliver comforted his mother, not knowing what else to say. “Mom, don’t worry. Medical technology is so advanced now. He can definitely be treated.”
His mother added, “Oliver, the doctor said your father’s condition was discovered relatively early, so there’s still hope for him as long as he receives treatment early. However… the medical expenses are very high. We don’t have that sort of money.”
She cried again as she spoke.
Oliver immediately said, “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll handle the money. Dad’s surgery must not be delayed. You go ahead and arrange for his admission into the hospital first. I’ll find a way to get the money. Don’t worry!”
With that, the call ended.
The cost of treatment for uremia was high and was at least tens of millions of dollars.
Oliver was an unskilled employee in a luxury second-hand upcycling store. The store manager earned 20,000 dollars monthly. However, Oliver only made 900 dollars each month due to his lack of skills.
“How can a loser who only earns 900 dollars each month raise millions for medical expenses?” Oliver mused.
Oliver’s heart sank as if plunging into a dark, bottomless abyss.
“Why does all the misfortune seem to happen to me?” he continued to wonder.
He stared blankly ahead. The Navarre River flowed under the bridge he was standing on. If he jumped down, he would disappear in a blink of an eye.
“But I don’t even deserve to die! If I die, who’s going to care about Dad?” he thought.
His parents were honest and simple folks, but no one loved him more than them in the whole world.
After much thought, Oliver decided to borrow money from his aunt, Eloise Sherman, and his uncles, Frederick Langdon and Jason Eastwood.
Oliver’s father, Jason Eastwood, only had one brother, Kenneth Eastwood, who was the vice principal of Wusteria High School and whose wife, Riley Eastwood, was a teacher.
Oliver’s mother had two siblings. His mother was the eldest, and she had a younger sister and brother.
In such a situation, Oliver could only turn to his relatives to borrow some money first, then slowly repay them. Oliver called Eloise first. When she picked up the call, he went straight to the point, saying, “Aunt Eloise, my dad’s in hospital. He’s been diagnosed with uremia. I only have more than 4,000 dollars now. Could I borrow some money?”
“We’re tight on money too. Your cousin’s university expenses are high, and we don’t earn much either. How about this? I’ll transfer some pin money to you-”
Before the conversation could continue, Eloise hung up the phone. Of course, she didn’t transfer any money.
Oliver called Frederick next. When the call connected, he repeated, “Uncle Frederick, my father has been diagnosed with uremia. We urgently need money for treatment. Could I borrow some money from you?”
“You want to borrow money? I don’t have any!”
Oliver huffed, feeling a little annoyed. “Uncle Frederick, my father needs the money to save his life. If you don’t want to lend us money, that’s fine. But you borrowed 3,000 dollars from us several years ago. Please return it to us!”
Frederick raised his voice immediately. “You’re asking me to return the money? Are you kidding me? My sister gave me that money, yet you’re asking me to return it? What nonsense! I’m hanging up. I’m busy!”
With that, a familiar beep sounded, signaling the end of the call.
Oliver wanted to smash his phone. “How could someone be such a jerk?” he thought.
Oliver decided not to call Kenneth, but instead went directly to Kenneth’s house near Wusteria High School.
It was a weekend, so Kenneth and Riley happened to be home. Riley heard the doorbell and opened the door to see Oliver. Her expression soured as soon as she noticed that he had come empty-handed.
Kenneth was sitting on the couch, holding a tablet and reading the news.
Oliver remained silent for a moment before speaking, “Uncle Kenneth, my father has been hospitalized. He’s been diagnosed with uremia, and the cost of the treatment is… huge. I only have more than 4,000
dollars now, so I wanted to ask if I could borrow some money from you. I’ll repay you in the future.”
Kenneth was shocked. “Uremia?”
Oliver’s eyes instantly reddened. He nodded and said, “Yes, my father needs money to save his life.”
Kenneth thought silently for a moment. Meanwhile, Riley, who stood beside him, said with a sullen face, “I heard that uremia is a terminal disease. It’s incurable. You’ll be spending that money for nothing. Further, William is taking the university entrance exam and going to university early next year. We have many expenses to cover. We don’t have any money to lend you. Even if we do lend you the money, will you be able to pay it back when we need it next year?”
Kenneth hesitated, then took out a bulging wallet from his briefcase by the couch. He pulled it open, and Oliver saw it was filled with cash.
Kenneth took out several bills and shoved them to Oliver, saying, “Take this first. We’re indeed tight on money.”
Tears welled up in Oliver’s eyes, but he didn’t let them fall.
He put the 100 dollars on the coffee table in front of Kenneth and said coldly, “Uncle Kenneth, my father once said you were the pride of the Eastwood family. He said you were smart, so he gave up his chance to study and worked hard as a laborer to support your education. When you got married, he even gave you all the savings that he had, 6,000 dollars in total, so that you could buy a house. Now, he’s lying on a cold hospital bed, waiting for money to save his life. You are his biological brother. He won’t be able to accept this 100 dollars of yours!”
After saying that, Oliver got up and left without looking back.
Their kinship with Eloise was only worth some pin money, Frederick was simply ungrateful, and his father’s relationship with Kenneth was only worth 100 dollars.
This was how Oliver’s relatives valued family.
After leaving Kenneth’s residential area, when he was far away from anyone else, Oliver couldn’t help but burst into tears. “If I become rich in the future, I’ll get my revenge!” Oliver vowed through gritted teeth and then plodded home. His house was on the fifth floor of Block 19 in Romdale Community.
Romdale Community consisted of what was probably the oldest residential buildings in the city. Oliver’s building had no elevators and was around 20 years old, so it wasn’t worth much. It was a two-bedroom apartment of about 450 square feet. Moreover, Oliver’s house was a resettlement housing unit, owned by the old factory where his parents worked, so it could not be mortgaged or sold. novelbin
Oliver climbed up to the fifth floor expressionlessly. He took out his keys, but before he opened the door, he saw someone squatting at the entrance, sobbing.
Joanna? What’s wrong?”
The person at the door turned out to be his younger sister, Joanna Eastwood. She had several wounds on her face, and her right eye was swollen. As soon as she saw Oliver, she couldn’t help but rush forward to hug him, wailing uncontrollably
Oliver, the Clark family kicked me out. They said that they want to file for divorce since I didn’t have a baby. They even said that if I went back, they’d beat me to death!”.
Oliver was both furious and heartbroken.