Chapter 528 Can't Afford to Gamble
Mia never had any extravagant desires for money or status. For her, being with me, going to work on time every day, earning a few thousand dollars in salary, living in a thousand-square-foot affordable house, occasionally buying discounted vegetables and meat at the market, and then going home together to make a simple yet delicious meal, was happiness.
She said the happiness she wanted was always me, not the Davis Family.
But I was born into the Davis Family, and from childhood, I carried my parents' hopes on my shoulders.
As a member of the Davis Family, I didn't have the right to live the life I wanted.
Reading, hobbies, future, dreams, all of these had nothing to do with me.
The Davis Family was too big, with so many relatives, and my grandfather doted on my younger uncle, who was born when he was old, making my father's position seem unimportant.
The family business was so large, and my parents were unwilling to hand it over to my younger uncle, whose mother was unknown. They knew they weren't favored by my grandfather, so they had to pin their hopes on me, wanting me to engage in a silent struggle and fight with my younger uncle.
My younger uncle was only five years older than me, he was good-looking and had a great personality. Over the years, whenever I was confused, he would guide me and encourage me to keep my spirits up, waiting for my counterattack. He said I could definitely do it beautifully.
Once, when I was drunk, I told him about Mia and me. He was silent for a long time, then patted my shoulder and told me that life is short, and to get one thing, you have to give up another. You can't have it both ways.
As for what I wanted, he told me to ask my own heart.
I had thought about living a simple yet happy life with Mia for the rest of my life, but I couldn't let go of my parents.
My parents threatened me with Mia's safety. Maeve knew about my feelings for Mia and secretly caused her a lot of trouble.
I understood that the best way to ensure Mia's safety was to end everything between us.
But after being together for so many years, how could I bear to let her go? I love her, deeply and profoundly.
My father was too eager to win, made wrong decisions, and caused significant financial losses to the company. My grandfather was furious and wanted to strip my father of his power.
In a panic, my parents forced me to marry Maeve to maintain their current status.
How could that be possible? Marriage was something I reserved for Mia; I couldn't marry anyone else.
I refused my parents' proposal, and for the first time, they hit me.
I couldn't understand their motives and angrily and unfilially asked them, "Money, money, money, all you care about is money. If you want money, find a way yourselves. I won't sell out my love and marriage for money."
My parents looked at me in disappointment, saying I wasn't fit to be a descendant of the Davis Family, that I only cared about romance and didn't care about my own parents' well-being. They said if I couldn't become the new head of the Davis Family, they would have to live in poverty with me.
Then my mother kept crying, and my father sat on the sofa, sighing, as if all the consequences were my fault, as if I was the mastermind behind their downfall.
They made the house feel like hell, dark, cold, and suffocating.
I stubbornly remained indifferent and started staying at a hotel.
My father quickly thought of a new way. He always knew how to manipulate me. His methods were so cold and cruel that I couldn't understand them, yet he couldn't come up with a way to deal with my younger uncle.
My mother was even harsher than my father. She found me and, without a word, knelt on the ground, begging me to consider that they had raised me and not let them feel abandoned in their old age.
In summary, they were forcing me to give up everything, for money, for power, for them, to fight for the position of the head of the family. To firmly grasp the Davis Family in our hands, ensuring their luxurious and high-status lifestyle.
As for me, whether I was happy or whether I wanted those things as much as they did, it didn't matter to them.
Sometimes I felt that in their hearts, I was nothing more than a tool for them to achieve their goals.
My father told me that if I didn't do as he said, he would go after Mia. He said, "You're right, I'm incompetent. I can't beat your uncle. But no matter how incompetent I am, it's still easy for me to make Mia unable to stay in Eldoria City."
Honestly, in my twenty-something years of life, that day was the most disappointing.
And the ones who gave me this disappointment were my biological parents.
After that day, I never went back to the home Mia and I shared because I was afraid.
Whenever I saw Mia's clear eyes, I felt my shamelessness was exposed.
When I was drinking with friends, they were all outraged after hearing my story. They said, "Benjamin, if I were you, I would drop everything and run away with Mia. So what if we have no money? The world is so big, I don't believe I can't find a job to support my wife and kids."
"Exactly, Benjamin, your girlfriend is so gentle and treats you so well. If I were you, I would leave Eldoria City with her. People are greedy. If you meet your parents' demands for an arranged marriage today, tomorrow they will ask for more. After all, if you can give up Mia, the person you love the most, what else in life is more important than the one you love? Nothing, right?"
I knew they were right, and I impulsively wanted to pack my bags and take Mia on a spontaneous trip. We would live wherever we liked. Even if I worked on a construction site, I could still feed and clothe Mia.
But no one knew my pain.
My parents only cared about benefits and nothing else.
Mia's parents were ordinary employees, not wealthy but very stable. Mia grew up in such an environment and pursued a simple life.
To make me compromise, my parents even found Mia's parent's workplace and clearly told me that if I didn't comply, they would find ways to ruin Mia's parents' dignity at work.
Mia was the only child in her family, and her parents valued her greatly. To be with me, Mia had a falling out with her parents and left with just a few clothes.
Over the years, she never complained, but countless mornings, she faced me with swollen eyes and forced a smile.
She missed her parents, I knew.
She valued her parents greatly, I knew even more.
So how could I let my parents do anything to tarnish her parents?
I could live like a dog, but I wanted Mia to be happy and for her parents to at least not be too disappointed in me.
I told my parents I needed to think about it, and they didn't refuse. Or maybe they knew I would eventually agree to their demands because I couldn't afford to gamble.
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