Valerie held back her frustration and reminded Ruth, "Mom, we can't afford that."

"Can't afford it? I checked the housing prices in your area—it's like $280 per square foot. Even if the mortgage isn't paid off yet, the down payment alone must have been sixty to eighty thousand dollars. If he's really broke, just sell the damn house!" Ruth blurted out.

Valerie's anger surged as Ruth brought up selling the house again. "If we sell the house, where are we supposed to live? On the streets?"

Ruth snapped, "I don't care where you live. You chose to marry that broke loser, so being homeless is on you. If you'd listened to me and married that guy from the next village—sure, he's got a kid, but at least their family has a big house. You're just blind and stupid."

Valerie couldn't believe her mother still harbored schemes to marry her off to some village guy, even now. Her voice turned icy. "Mom, quit it. If you keep pushing this, I'll quit my job, get a divorce, and move back home. Then I will be the knocked-up and divorced woman. That shame will be all on you and Dad."

A minute of silence followed before Ruth exploded. "You ungrateful brat! Are you trying to kill your father and—"

Valerie calmly ended the call, knowing her mother's bark was worse than her bite. Once she hinted at quitting her job, her mother would back off. That was because Ruth cared more about money than anything else, especially since she'd been taking nearly half of Valerie's income for years.

Valerie was relieved she hadn't shared Matthew's company details with Ashley. Otherwise, her mother might have caused a scene there. Despite their domestic troubles, she couldn't avoid her mother's influence. However, she was determined not to involve Matthew in the mess. After all, they were in a marriage of convenience, and he was a good man.

Despite the morning call dampening her spirits, Valerie smiled, patted her cheeks, and zoomed off to the company on her scooter. With her new job at Noria Group starting next week, she needed to tie up loose ends at Arcton Cars this week.

As Valerie had time to spare that day, she drove cautiously. While waiting at a traffic light, she suddenly heard someone calling, "Hey there, girl, wait up!"

Valerie wasn't sure if the call was for her, so she hesitated, looking back to see an elderly woman with a floral purse and a velvet dress hurrying toward her.

Valerie recognized her—it was the same elderly woman she'd rescued from the pedestrian crossing earlier that morning.

Concerned for her safety, Valerie maneuvered her scooter over and offered a hand. "Granny, it's you. Take a moment to catch your breath; no need to rush."

The old lady took a couple of breaths, then tightly gripped Valerie's hand, as if fearing she might vanish. Then, she grinned. "Miss, I've been coming out here bright and early these past couple of days, waiting to run into you again."