Twisted Ties of Love

Myra, cradling her grandson, let her usual harsh exterior fade into a grandmotherly glow. "There, there, sweetie, don't cry. Once we reach the big city, Granny will take you to live in a mansion, ride in airplanes, eat steak, and drink sparkling cider."

The child, however, was not appeased by her words. The train carriage was packed with people, a cacophony of noises, and a medley of strong odors. The kid, unable to sleep amidst such chaos, cried even harder.

Some passengers, unable to bear the noise, suggested, "Ma'am, your grandson is probably hungry. Feed him something to pacify him. We all need to get some rest here."

"Crying is a sign of vitality. After all, we were all children once, weren't we? There's nothing wrong with crying. It's not against the law," retorted Myra, her eyes filled with adoration for her grandson. "Well, I was just trying to help."

"I don't need your help. He might need to pee," said Myra, unabashedly removing the child's diaper and encouraging him to relieve himself right there in the carriage.

This act instantly caused an uproar among the other passengers.

"This is a public space! Do you have no manners? Can't you take the child to the restroom? This is absolutely disgusting."

"Ma'am, the restroom is just down the carriage."

"If you continue like this, we'll have to report you. The carriage is already stuffy and now it smells like urine. It's not your own home."

Myra wanted to lash out, but she knew she was outnumbered. She glanced at her husband and son, both of whom were sprawled out on their bunks, snoring. Suppressing her rage, she woke them up. "Make some milk power for Gary. Fredric, go buy some sandwiches."

After taking her grandson to pee in the restroom - a task that took a good five to six minutes - she returned to find that her husband and son still hadn't returned. She sat down, holding her grandson, and failed to notice that her bag had been tampered with.

The train journey to J City took a whole day. After a night's rest, they were informed that they had reached their destination.

Myra was busy with her grandchild, while her husband Ron haphazardly gathered their belongings. Fredric couldn't hide his excitement at the thought of soon meeting his wealthy sister.

This was their first time in a big city, and they were awestruck by the towering skyscrapers. Fredric suggested, "Mom, Dad, let's find a place to stay first before we start looking for Bella."

"Sounds good. You take the lead, son," they agreed, relying on Fredric's ability to read and navigate the city's streets.

Luckily, Fredric was adept at using the internet and reading maps. However, navigating the sprawling J City train station proved to be a challenge. After they circled the station several times without finding their way, their stomachs began to grumble. They decided to stop at a nearby diner for some food.

"Mom, where did you put the money?" Fredric asked, rummaging through their bags.

"Isn't it in the bag? I wrapped it in several layers of bags. Look again."

Despite his best efforts, Fredric couldn't find the bag of money. "Mom, I can't find it. Are you sure you didn't put it somewhere else?"

Myra's heart skipped a beat. "Hold Gary for me. I'll look for it."

Despite emptying all their bags, Myra couldn't find the money. She was certain she had brought the money with them and never unwrapped it - it was all the savings they had, a total of five thousand dollars. The money was supposed to facilitate their search for Bella in the city. Now, they didn't even have enough money for even a train ride back home.

"Mom, when was the last time you saw the money?"

"I kept it in the bag and never touched it. I was busy taking care of the baby after getting in the train. Weren't you and Dad watching the bags?"

The realization hit them all at once. There was a period when none of them were watching their belongings. That must have been when the thief struck.

Myra sat on the ground, looking at the bag, desolate, and broke into tears. "Damn thief! How dare they steal an old woman's hard-earned money! There's no justice in this world."

Fredric felt a pang of anger, but his mother's public display of grief was more embarrassing to him.

It was not until they got off the train that they realized someone stole the money. They couldn't find it, and reporting it to the police would be futile. They could only chalk it up to bad luck. "It's just five thousand dollars. It's gone, so be it. Remember, we're about to find Bella, who's worth millions."

Thinking of that huge sum, they became careless about taking care of their five thousand. The loss of the money was like a punch to the gut.

"But what do we do now? As you said, we won't find Bella right away, and now that the money is gone, where do we stay?"

"What if we report to the police and wait for them to notify Bella?" suggested Ron.

Fredric felt a pang of unease. Bella had changed her name and appearance, and she was now a superstar worth millions. Would anyone believe their claim? They had approved of cutting ties with her, and since Bella was neglected as a child, they didn't have any photos of her. In other words, they had no evidence.

The loss of the money had turned their situation into a tangled mess.

Just then, a man approached them. "Seems like you folks are in some trouble."

The man appeared to be in his forties, with a broad build and a thick gold chain around his neck. To Fredric, he looked like a big shot, possibly someone with enough influence to help them out. "We're here to find our sister, but our money was stolen on the train."

"Looking for your sister? What's her name? Maybe I can help you find her."Content © NôvelDrama.Org.

The three of them exchanged glances, and Fredric made a decision. "Sir, you might not believe this, but my sister is Izabella, the famous actress. Once we find her and prove our relationship, we'll reward you handsomely."

"Izabella? The one who's in that TV show? I know who you're talking about," said the man, studying their faces. "She does look like you."

"Of course. She's our blood, after all."

"But it's a bit strange. How did she become a big star while you?"

Myra interjected angrily, "She's an ungrateful brat. We raised her, sent her to school, and she dropped out to become an actress. She didn't listen to us anymore. Now that she has money, she's abandoned us. She's living the high life while we're struggling here. She's probably ashamed of us!"

"Since when does a daughter abandon her parents? Look, ma'am, you've lost your money and have nowhere to live. Why don't you stay at my place for a couple of nights while we look for your daughter? Are you sure she's in J City?"

Fredric said, "Isn't that what it says in her profile? In J City?"

"As long as you're sure, that's all that matters. Your sister is a big star now, after all. Lucky for you guys, you ran into me. Otherwise, you might have a hard time convincing anyone."

The prospect of someplace to stay brightened everyone's spirits. Myra quickly took the man's arm. "You're a real good Samaritan, young man."

"Just call me lan, ma'am. Like they say, 'friends are the family you choose.' We all stumble upon hard times, right?" he clapped Fredric on the shoulder.

"lan, we're buddy from now on. Blood couldn't make us any closer. My name's Fredric, call me whatever you like."

lan didn't hesitate and started calling his name. He pulled out his wallet and handed them five hundred-dollar bills. "You've lost your money. Use this for the time being. You'll need some money around here." "We couldn't possibly." Myra started to protest, but she readily accepted the money, tucking it into her jacket like a treasure. However, she was slightly disappointed that he had only given them five hundred. How far could that go?

Despite lan's imposing figure, he was incredibly hospitable. He settled the family in a rundown little room.

Myra, trailing behind the others, muttered to Ron, "We're staying here? Our place back home was better than this."

"Be grateful. We lost all our money. It's better than sleeping on the streets."

Still, Myra wasn't satisfied. She eyed the expensive gold chain around lan's neck. With such a pricey accessory, why would he put them up in such a dump? Even though they seemed to be in abject situation, there were 600 milion waiting for them. It was not a wise move to treat them like this.

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lan casually ordered takeout, which the family devoured eagerly, having not eaten since their train ride. After a satisfying meal, Ron went to nap, Myra took care of her grandson, and Fredric, with nothing else to do, was taken by lan to familiarize himself with the neighborhood.

Unbeknownst to them, they had been watched since they got off the train. They were in over their heads and didn't even know it.

lan led Fredric further into the city. Fredric got amazed by the big city where he was able to buy or enjoy anything as he wanted.

"What do you usually do for fun back home?"

"Oh, I sometimes get together with some friends for a game of cards."

"Cards, huh? I love a good game of cards. I know a place. I'll take you there. What do you think?"

"But I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it. I've got you covered. Consider it a treat from me."

Easily persuaded, Fredric agreed and they headed to a gambling den.

While exchanging the chips, Fredric became a bit hesitated for he had never gambled with such huge sum, plus he didn't have money, so he had to restrain himself.

lan comforted, "You have a sister who is a big star. What are you scared of? Besides, we won't lose all the time, check people around."

Fredric looked around, and got affected by how thrilling the atmosphere was. Ian was right. He would be rich soon and there was no need to worry. And he wouldn't possibly lose.

He exchanged 10 grand. He won at first, but unfortunately, Fredric was out of his league and lost all his money quickly. In a desperate attempt to win it back, he borrowed more and more until he found himself five hundred thousand dollars in debt in less than three hours.

He couldn't pay back the debt, rubbing his hand, and pleaded, "Can I sign an IOU? I don't have that kind of money right now."

The casino manager approached him, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips. "You come here to gamble with no money? You think this is a charity? You can't just come and go as you please."

Fredric had never been in a situation

like this before and was scared out of his wits. In a desperate attempt to save himself, he blurted out, abasing himself, Sir, I was out of control that moment and didn't realize the sum of money I would lose, but I promise I'll pay you back. My sister is Izabella, the famous actress. She's made 600 million at the box office. I promise, as soon as I find her, I'll pay back everything with interest."

The room fell into an eerie silence before erupting into laughter. The casino manager laughed the hardest. "Did you hear that, folks? This bumpkin claims the hotshot actress is his sister. Who's he trying

to fool? You're the worst com artist

I've seen this year. Even the artist

eighty-year-old grannies on the street are more convincing than you."

Fredric was sweating bullets, trying to explain. "I'm telling the truth. My sister really is Izabella. Her real name is Bell."

"And I could say the richest man in J City is my little brother. You need proof."