A Ruling Passion: Mr Tremont's Priceless Little Bride novel Chapter 307

She had gone slightly overboard with her words. The mother and daughter may bicker most of the time, but this time, Arianne sensed it, the atmosphere was different than usual. It was more sombre, nothing like the explosions that usually happened after a huge suppression.

Tiffany did not yell at Lillian, but replied to her in a very calm voice instead, “Yes, I give you $2,000 a month. My pay is $12,000 a month. Once I exclude your $2,000, I have $6,000 to pay for rent. The remaining $4,000 has to be used for water, electricity and a month’s worth of living expenses. Your $2,000 isn’t calculated in the living expenses, and I’ve been paying for your takeout too. Sometimes, you ask me for extra allowance for mahjong games. Have you ever considered how I’ve been surviving?”

Lillian did not seem guilty at all. The expression on her face was of fury and disdain.

Arianne finally understood why Tiffany’s financial situation was so dire. Actually, when Tiffany and Lillian were the only ones living together, a one-room apartment would have been more than enough, and it would have been much more affordable. However, in order to pander to Lillian’s lifestyle, Tiffany had tried her best to give Lillian a slightly better living situation and had even given her two thousand dollars as allowance. However, after using the remaining four thousand for water, electricity and living expenses, Tiffany had nothing left to spend on herself.

At this point, Tiffany could no longer stop, “If you were a fair and reasonable mother, we could have chosen to stay in a slightly more inferior home in the suburban district. The rent would have been cut into half. If you didn’t waste so much money, we’d have some left. You make me feel as if my future is indefinite. If I didn’t have you around, I could live on my own in my company’s hostel. My daily expenses would be limited to one breakfast and one dinner a day. I’d have some money left, and I could save. Was your purpose in having a daughter just so that she could earn money and support your lifestyle? So I’m supposed to work myself to the bone and struggle, just because you’ve given birth to me? You have brought me into this world, and my job is to send you away when your time comes, to look after you in your old age and arrange a proper burial when you die. You’re only in your early forties. Is that considered old age? Am I supposed to start looking after you then? Do you want to force me into suicide?”

Lillian was completely unperturbed. “What’s the use in having such a meager salary then? It’s your fault for being so useless, why are you blaming me? I’ve never worked a day in my life, and I cannot be servile in front of other people. If I’m not working, you’ll have to support me. Don’t even mention an apartment. Our rent is already cut in half now, we don’t have to move into a squalor apartment in the suburbs. Isn’t Arianne living with us now? You’ve agreed to split the rent, don’t you have $3,000 more now? You talk as if you’re so pathetic. Find some other way to earn more money if you don’t want to be pathetic. I’m definitely not going to work.”

Tiffany was so furious that she was close to tears. “She’s only staying temporarily, and you have the audacity to ask her to pay for half of our rent? There’s two of us and one of her, yet she’s having to share a room with me and doesn’t even have a bathroom of her own. How could you have the gall to ask her to pay for half of our water and electricity bills? So what if she isn’t calculative and is willing to pay anyway? We can’t save much of the extra $3,000 anyway. It’s only slightly better than our poverty-stricken circumstances. Where do you think this is? It’s not that easy to survive in this city. I’ve only just started working. How much money do you expect me to earn each month?”