“Do you usually skip class just to play video games?” Anna cut in.
“Sometimes, but not always.”
“Do you mean most of the time?” Anna asked.
“I only take a leave when I have a game to compete in.” Tammy’s voice became huskier as she continued to explain.
“Really? I spoke with your teacher today, and she told me that you have taken five days off this month. Besides, your test results are getting worse. I doubt you’ll be accepted by a college in the future.”
“I don’t like studying, Mom. I just want to do what I want.”
“What? All you have to do now is study hard and catch up on the classes you missed before. You can’t skip class or take any days off anymore. Seriously, you can’t play games for the rest of your life.” Anna became increasingly enraged as she spoke.
“Tammy has always been a good kid, honey. I can assure you that she will have a bright future,” Wayne patted Anna’s shoulder, attempting to calm her down.
“Did you know she was going to be the game streamer?” Anna looked at Wayne, then at Matthew, who had remained silent.
“I had no idea about that. I would have stopped her if I had known she was doing something like this,” Wayne said.
“Matthew, how about you? You already know about this, right? You would not have allowed her to do that ad otherwise.” Anna fixed her gaze on Matthew.
“Yes, Mommy. I knew this a long time ago,” said Matthew.
Anna became even more agitated. “I knew you were a good boy, Matthew, so I asked you to keep an eye on Tammy before I went to Fleosil. I didn’t expect you to spoil her like that. how could you help her skip school so that she can play video games?!”
“Mom, Matthew is always working. He has no time for me. You can’t blame him,” Tammy said, and it took a lot of guts for her to say so.
“So, you realize how busy your brother is? Then can’t you just stop making trouble for him? You’re not only ignoring me, but you’re also keeping this from me. You don’t need me anymore, do you?” Anna asked, her eyes welling up with tears.
Hearing that, both Tammy and Matthew were surprised.
“You know that’s not true, honey.” Wayne stood up and approached Anna. He took her hand in his and said, ” They will always need you, and they will always love you. You can’t say that in front of the kids anymore. Otherwise, they’ll be sad.”
“Dad’s right! Even if I’m 30, I’ll still stick with you, Mom!” Tammy said. Anna hadn’t cried in front of her in a long time, which made Tammy nervous. Tammy remembered that Anna had never cried even when the two of them lived alone.
Matthew, who was next to Wayne, thought with a frown. Mom, I actually quite understood your feelings. On the one hand, the hospital has been pressuring you to return to Fleosil to help the patients there and you indeed want to help save the people there. On the other hand, however, you can’t bear to leave us because you’re worried about us and you want to stay with us a while longer.
Mom, I know you always feel that you owed us too much, especially Tammy and me. But, to be frank, I don’t blame you for it cause I know you’ve tried your best to be a good mom while balancing your life and your work. Also, I took over the company at such a young age for various reasons. And one of the major reasons is that I believe that Dad will have enough time to accompany you that way. And in this way, we will have more time to stay together as a family.
With that in mind, Matthew said to Tammy, “Why don’t you go to your room, Tammy? I’ll speak with Mom.”
“Really?” Tammy mouthed at him.
Matthew nodded. Tammy trusted Matthew, but she was worried that Anna would be even more upset with her because she had left. She glanced at Anna, then at Wayne. At that moment, Wayne and Anna were whispering. They both didn’t even notice her. Then Tammy quickly returned to her room and locked the door.
After that, Matthew walked to his parents and sat on the carpet. “Mom, don’t you think that we put a lot of pressure on Tammy?” he said thoughtfully, taking Anna’s hand.
“Did we?” Anna looked at her son before turning her head to Wayne, puzzled. Wayne shrugged, seemingly didn’t think it that way either.
“We expect too much from her because we’re all too talented. Tammy is the most ordinary member of the family in comparison to the rest of us. That idea got into her subconscious, so I guess she just wanted to be different from us.”
“Did you study psychology, son?” Wayne asked.
“Let Matthew finish, okay?” Anna expressed her displeasure to Wayne.
“Tammy just has different hobbies from the rest of us. She hates studying and prefers to do things she enjoys, such as playing video games. I watched a few of her live streamings and discovered that she is quite skilled at that. Do you know what her fans say about her? They said she was an excellent player. She’s only been a game streamer for a few months, but she’s already the youngest and most successful game streamer. Isn’t she wonderful? She’s just a beginner, but she’s acting like a pro. If she has professional training, she will be unstoppable.”
“Yes. All of us in our family are very talented! ” Wayne exclaimed proudly.
“Is she really that good at playing games?” Anna asked with doubt.
“Without a doubt. If we prove her abilities to those well-known teams, they will want her to join them.”
“Do you think we should let her do that?”
“We need to respect her opinion. Mom, you said you wanted us to be happy, didn’t you?”
“That’s right. But…”
“She will be unhappy if we force her to study, and she’s only happy when she is playing games. I know Tammy gets thrilled every time she breaks her record, so I encourage her to participate in games and become a live streamer. Like you, I also want her to be happy.”
Anna bowed her head and considered Matthew’s words carefully.
“You always think I’m taking on too much responsibility for running a business at such a young age, Mom. You always wondered if I was really happy, didn’t you?” Matthew knew what Anna was thinking. He had never discussed it with his parents before, but he was willing to do it for Tammy.
“I’m sorry, Matthew,” Anna said.
“It’s fine. Since I was a child, I’ve learned a lot about business and management from Dad. To be honest, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I don’t feel like I’m taking on too much. I do so much because I want Tammy to have the chance to do what she wants. I don’t want her to be unhappy because she is forced to do something she dislikes. Mom, you understand what I’m saying, right?”
Emotional as Anna was, she still found it hard to accept the fact that Tammy would be a dropout. And Anna said worriedly, “But Tammy’s not good at studying, and she probably won’t even get into college.”
“What’s the problem with that? A college degree isn’t all that matters. Tammy’s smart. If she is truly gifted in e-sports and can achieve success, I’ll set up a company for her. I can put her in charge of a professional team and train her to be the best international e-sports player.”
“Matthew is right, honey. You should listen to him,” Wayne said to Anna, “I love Tammy, so I don’t mind if she pursues a different career. I just want her to be happy and healthy at all times. It doesn’t matter if she can’t get into college or find a job because we have plenty of money to support her. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t work a day in her life.”
“Well, Peace once told me the exact same thing,” With a wry smile, Anna replied.
“But you didn’t to her, did you?” Wayne said with a smile, “I’ll give her some shares of our group and enough money.”
“And I’m confident that Tammy will be successful because her abilities are exceptional. She’s only 16 years old, and she has much potential. What we need to do now is help her figure it out on her own. She should know what she wants to do and what she intends to do in the future. She’s nice and smart, but she just has hobbies different than us. You, too, should have faith in Tammy, Mom.” Matthew echoed.
“So, are you saying that we should stop caring about her academic performance?”
“No. I’ll hire more tutors for her to make up for the classes she’s missed. We should try to get her into college.” Matthew had been tutored at home as a child, so he had never experienced college life. That was one of his regrets, and he didn’t want Tammy to experience the same.
“All right, you have a point, Matthew.”
“Just leave this to me. I got this, Mom” Matthew gave a confident smile.
Tammy ran out of the bedroom after Anna and Wayne had left. She heard their entire conversation just now. She hugged Matthew tightly and appeared to be about to cry. She said, “Matthew, I’m not going to let you worry about me anymore. You have my word!”
“Okay, I believe you. Also, Mom’s going back to Fleosil,” Matthew stroked Tammy’s head and said.
Two days later, Anna and Wayne went to Fleosil together. Anna went to the medical team station, while Wayne established a medical company there, specializing in producing hospital supplies such as masks and protective suits. Wayne did this because he genuinely wanted to help Anna’s career.
The international airport in Fleosil was small and run-down, and the road outside was not even paved with concrete. As Anna and Wayne stepped out of the airport, they noticed a broken Jeep car approaching them. The car appeared to be on its last legs, and it was a miracle it was still running. It then stopped in front of Anna after a slight drift.
The back of the car generated a massive cloud of dust. When the dust them vanished, Anna and Wayne finally realized who was sitting in the driver’s seat: Patrick. And Patrick was smiling brightly at Anna.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.