The Heir And The Servent Started From A Bet novel Chapter 77

Chapter 77

They stood outside their building, a family of four with nothing but a few bags hastily packed with the little they could

carry.

Their mother paced a few feet away, phone pressed to her ear, desperation evident in the way she clutched at the device like it was her last lifeline.

Mia crossed her arms, watching as her mother’s voice rose and fell, bargaining, pleading-trying to secure them a place to stay. They looked like refugees, stranded in the street with nowhere to go, nothing to fall back on. She knew the neighbors were watching. They always watched.

Lily was distracted, still fussing over her dress like they weren’t homeless at the moment. Ann, on the other hand, just stood there, arms wrapped around herself, looking as if she was waiting for the earth to split open and swallow them whole.

Mia didn’t blame her.

Their mother suddenly let out a relieved breath. “We just need a place to stay for a week or two… yes… Ahhh, Johnny, thank you!” she said, voice lighter now, dropping the call with a satisfied smile.

She turned to them. “Good news! Johnny is lending us one of his apartments. We can stay as long as we want.”

Lily finally looked up from her dress, frowning. “Who is Johnny?”

Ann’s head snapped up at the name, and before their mother could answer, she spoke, voice loud in the quiet street. “Mama, isn’t that the guy that gave you STD that time?”

Mia cringed. Lily froze.

Their mother glared at Ann like she could set her on fire with a look alone. “Why don’t you take a microphone and announce it to the whole damn town?” she hissed.

Ann grinned, though there was a flicker of guilt in her expression. “Sorry.”

“That was John,” their mother corrected sharply. “He was my boyfriend, remember? Johnny is one of my good clients.”

Lily tilted her head, unimpressed. “Why do they have the same name, though?”

“Stop asking me stupid questions,” their mother snapped, rubbing her temple.

Mia sighed, shifting the weight of her bag on her shoulder. She wasn’t even surprised by this conversation. It was just another reminder of who their mother was, of the life she had built for them-one filled with lies, desperate choices, and borrowed time.

They waited in silence, the minutes stretching unbearably long.

Lily groaned. “Mom, can’t we just take a cab and go there?”

“No,” their mother said, eyes glued to her phone. “He’s coming to pick us up.”

Lily let out an exaggerated sigh. “Of course he is.”

Mia’s phone buzzed in her hand. She glanced at the screen-Emily.

She hesitated for a second before answering. “Hey, Emily.”

“Mia! How are you?”

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Chapter 77

Mia swallowed, glancing around at her sisters before stepping a little to the side. “I’m okay,” she lied.

Emily asked about work, and Mia assured her that she would still come in today. It wasn’t like she had a choice. She can’t lose that job.

As she hung up, she noticed Ann staring at her, a strange expression on her face.

Mia raised a brow. “What?”

Ann blinked, then tilted her head. “Your friend?”

The question made Lily turn, their mother even glancing up briefly from her phone.

Mia shrugged. “Kinda. Plus, my co-worker.”

Ann scoffed, shaking her head. “You’re so weird.”

Lily crossed her arms. “I think Mama is still yet to tell us the truth.”

Their mother didn’t even bother looking up this time. “About what?”

“About Mia’s adoption,” Lily said.

Mia rolled her eyes, but their mother finally turned, fixing Lily with a tired glare. “I’m pretty sure you saw me when I was pregnant with your sister. Stop saying nonsense.”

Lily wasn’t convinced. “Maybe she got switched at birth.”

Mia let out a dry laugh. “Here we go again.”

Lily ignored her, turning to Ann instead. “She’s so different from us. No friends, no boyfriend, no boys, no sex life, nothing. No ambition to be spoiled. I mean, with all the rich men in Willowcrest, all she thinks about is how to go to school and suffer.” She turned back to Mia. “Not even about hooking a rich heir and getting spoiled. Get married, divorce later, and walk away like a princess.”

Mia had heard this a million times before.

She turned to Lily, unfazed. “And with all the men you’ve been sleeping with, I’m surprised you still haven’t hooked a rich heir yet.”

Lily’s face darkened. “Bitch.”

“Wait till after the Unicorn Party,” Lily said, lifting her chin. “I’ll probably employ you as one of my maids in my mansion.”

Mia smirked. “Yeah, dreaming is free.”

Lily bristled, eyes flashing with anger. “You bet-”

“Enough, both of you!” their mother cut in sharply, though her attention never left her phone. She was used to their fights.

Silence fell again, heavy and thick.

Mia glanced at Ann, who was staring at the ground, lost in thought. Lily was back to adjusting her dress, acting as if none of this mattered. Their mother typed away on her phone, her face unreadable.

This was their life.

A broken family waiting for another one of their mother’s “clients” to take them in.

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Mia clenched her jaw, shoving her hands into her pockets.

She wanted out.

She wanted to leave this town, this life, this never-ending cycle of desperation and bad choices.

She just didn’t know how.

Their mother suddenly straightened. “He’s almost here,” she announced.

The vehicle itself wasn’t anything special-an old, black sedan with rust eating at the edges-but the man inside was what caught Mia’s attention.

Johnny.

He stepped out, his beard was thick and uneven, his clothes slightly wrinkled, and his eyes… his eyes lingered too long.

Mia wasn’t surprised. The people her mother associated with always had a certain look-either sleazy, desperate, or just outright strange. Johnny fit right in.

Their mother’s face lit up like a Christmas tree as she walked up to him, her voice turning sickly sweet. “Johnny, you’re a lifesaver!”

Johnny grinned, the kind of grin that made Mia’s stomach twist, then pulled her mother into a kiss.

Mia turned away. She’d seen her mother do things she wished she could erase from her memory. This was nothing new. But still, the sight of it, the sound of it-it made her stomach tighten with discomfort.

When she glanced back, Johnny’s eyes were on her.

He looked at her longer than necessary.

Mia’s body went stiff. She didn’t move, didn’t blink. Just held his gaze for a second before quickly looking away, pretending she hadn’t noticed. But she had.

And so had Lily.

Her older sister smirked at her, as if she found amusement in Mia’s discomfort.

“Get in,” Johnny said, gesturing to his car.

Mia hesitated for only a second before slipping into the backseat beside Ann. Lily slid in next, and their mother took the passenger seat beside Johnny, acting like she belonged there.

The drive was suffocating.

Their mother filled the silence with words Mia didn’t care to hear, her voice a mixture of flirtation and forced gratitude. Every now and then, she reached over, running her hand along Johnny’s thigh, laughing at something he said.

Mia clenched her fists.

Lily, who had been watching her, smirked again, her eyes glinting with mischief. She knew Mia was uncomfortable, and she enjoyed it.

Ann sat with her arms wrapped around herself, staring out the window, completely checked out from everything happening in the car. Mia envied her ability to disconnect.

Mia tried to do the same-tried to ignore the way their mother giggled like a schoolgirl, tried to ignore the way Johnny’s hand occasionally landed on her mother’s thigh, gripping it like he owned it.

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