Chapter 240: Payback Time
Liora knew Elias far too well.
The moment she heard his voice through the call, she understood exactly what he was doing.
Borrowing a tiger’s power and might.
He had no need to say anything cruel himself when the person on the other end of the line had enough influence to make Marlene panic before a threat was even spoken.
Liora covered her mouth and gave a quiet laugh.
"I understand," she said, her tone turning cool. "Put Marlene on the phone."
It sounded like she intended to deal with Marlene personally.
Elias did not reply.
He held the phone out toward Marlene and lifted his chin, indicating that she should come take it.
Marlene did not move.
Her face had already been flushed from anger. Now the color drained so quickly that she looked strange, red still clinging to her cheeks while the rest of her went pale. Her lips worked soundlessly. She seemed to want to argue, explain, beg, anything that might keep her from having to put the phone to her ear.
Nothing came out.
Her eyes fixed on Elias.
Then she shook her head.
Not violently. Not bravely.
A small, frightened motion.
"She’s not taking it?" Liora asked.
It was as if she could see the room from the other end of the line.
Marlene’s fear sharpened. She stared at the phone with widening eyes, all the color draining from her face now.
Elias decided she had suffered enough.
He drew the phone back, his mouth curving in a light smile. "That’s fine. Nothing else is needed."
Liora did not sound offended.
"Okay," she said softly. "I’ll hang up, then."
The call ended.
The room stayed quiet for a second.
Then Elias looked at Marlene and spoke one word.
"Money."
Marlene reacted at once.
She fumbled through her pockets and pulled out a wrinkled handful of bills. The amount was not impressive, but she held it out with both hands toward Arthur as though she were offering tribute.
"Is this enough?" she asked.
Arthur had watched the exchange without saying much. He had seen Marlene go from angry to terrified in less than a minute. He did not understand every detail, but he understood enough to know that Elias had changed.
Not in the simple way a son changed after growing up.
Something in Elias’s eyes had become too steady. Too certain.
Arthur took the money anyway.
"It’s enough," he said.
Then he looked at Elias with an uneasy, overly careful smile. "Eli, I’ll go get groceries. I’ll make those slow-braised ribs you like. You remember? Your favorite."
Elias’s eyes curved.
"Thanks, Dad."
Arthur’s smile widened immediately.
He turned and left the room, the few wrinkled bills still in his hand.
Elias watched him go, then looked at Marlene again.
"You’re coming too," he said.
Marlene blinked. "What?"
"Go with him. What are you standing around for?" Elias asked. "Carrying grocery bags won’t kill you."
The command was casual.
That made it worse.
Marlene had spent years telling Elias what to do. She had ordered him to run errands, clean the house, cover for her, stay quiet, and make himself useful. Now he lay across the bed like some spoiled heir, speaking to her as though the old hierarchy had been erased overnight.
The threat of Liora’s call still hung in the room.
Marlene’s thoughts were a mess. She did not know whether Elias had changed, whether Serena had changed him, or whether this was some new punishment waiting to happen if she disobeyed.
In the end, she nodded.
"Fine," she muttered.
Then she followed Arthur out.
The closest grocery store was only a few blocks away. It did not take long for them to return.
Arthur came through the front door first.
Marlene followed behind him, carrying the grocery bags.
By the time she reached Elias’s bedroom, she had adjusted her expression. The fear had not vanished, but she had found another strategy. If Elias wanted to act important, then she could act sweet. She could make him feel like she was trying. She could remind him, gently, that she was still his mother.
Marlene lifted the bags for him to see.
"Look, sweetheart," she said. "Your mom got everything you wanted. Your dad will make it for you right away."
Elias was lying on his side on the bed, one arm supporting his head. His long legs were folded loosely together beneath the blanket, and he looked entirely too relaxed for someone who had supposedly gone through an emotional collapse only hours ago.
He lifted his eyes to Marlene.
A foxlike smile appeared on his face.
"You carried those home?"
Marlene nodded quickly. "Of course. You told me to go help."
Elias shifted his gaze toward Arthur, who was taking off his shoes near the entrance.
"Dad," Elias called. "Is that true?"
Arthur paused.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he smiled with visible effort. "Yeah. Your mom carried them home."
"Oh."
Elias drew out the word slowly.
"Good. I was worried Marlene might get lazy."
Marlene kept smiling.
She did not know that System Theta had already told Elias what happened outside the building. Arthur had carried the bags from the grocery store. Only when they reached the front door had Marlene ordered him to hand them over so she could walk inside looking useful.
A neat little trick.
Elias knew.
He simply did not care enough to expose her over something so small.
He looked back at Arthur. "Dad, can you start cooking now? I’m hungry."
"Sure," Arthur said. "I’ll get it done."
This time, Elias did not order Marlene into the kitchen with him.
He could tell at a glance that Marlene ran this household. She had been the one giving orders, deciding where money went, and making everyone else adjust around her moods. A woman like that might know how to gamble, lie, and start a fight, but she probably did not know how to cook anything that did not come from a package or a takeout bag.
Sending her into the kitchen would not help.
She might burn the food.
She might burn the kitchen.
Marlene misunderstood his silence.
A quiet satisfaction spread through her.
She assumed Elias had noticed her good behavior. He was not making her work. He was letting Arthur cook while she rested. It had to be a reward.
For a few seconds, she felt absurdly pleased.
Then she caught herself.
Why was she happy because this little brat seemed to care about her?
The thought irritated her so much that anger started growing again, hot and familiar.
Before she could let it show, Elias walked out of the bedroom.
Marlene immediately pushed the feeling down.
"Sweetheart," she said awkwardly. "You’re up?"
Elias ignored her.
Arthur came out of the kitchen a few minutes later with a plate of ribs. The sauce was dark and glossy, the meat tender enough to pull apart at the bone. The smell filled the cramped house at once, rich and savory enough to make Elias’s stomach tighten.
Arthur placed the plate on the small dining table.
"Done," he said. "Sit down, Eli. I’ll get you some rice. You can see whether Dad’s cooking got worse."
Elias stopped him.
"Dad, sit down too," he said. "Have her get the food."
Marlene froze.
Then, because Liora’s voice was still fresh in her mind, she forced a smile.
"Sure," she said. "Mom will serve her good son."
She went to the kitchen and returned with two steaming bowls of rice.
One went in front of Elias.
One went in front of Arthur.
Then she picked up a third bowl and turned to serve herself.
"What are you doing?"
Marlene stopped.
She looked back at Elias, confused. "Getting food."
"You’re planning to eat?"
His tone was gentle.
The words were not.
"Put it down," Elias said. "You don’t get food. Who said you could eat?"
The warmth from the meal vanished.
The kitchen smelled really good. Steam rose from the ribs. Arthur sat stiffly in his chair, unsure where to put his hands.
Marlene’s face changed quickly.
Shock came first.
Then humiliation.
Then came anger.
The muscles in her jaw tightened. Her fingers closed around the bowl. For a moment, it looked as though she might slam it onto the table, overturn the food, and finally let out everything she had been holding in since Elias made that call.
Elias did not flinch at all.
He rested his chin in both hands and smiled at her.
"People who work get to eat," he said. "Is that wrong?"
The words hit their mark.
Marlene remembered the grocery bags.
She remembered the phone screen.
She remembered Liora’s voice asking for her.
Her anger died as if cold water had been poured over it.
Slowly, she set the bowl down.
Elias picked up his fork.
"Dad," he said. "Eat."
Arthur startled slightly.
Then he nodded. "Right. Okay."
He reached for his food.