Chapter 637 - 638: Mother
Listening to Mira’s sincere words made her genuinely happy.
Not everyone possessed such gratitude.
Many people would have accepted help and considered it their right, but Mira was different.
She remembered every act of kindness. Soon, Mira finished composing herself and returned inside.
After having lunch, she immediately began searching for various part-time jobs.
Now that she was finally free from the orphanage, she felt more hopeful than ever.
As long as she worked hard for the next two years, took as many part-time jobs as possible, and prepared for scholarship examinations, she was confident she could build a future for herself.
Thinking about the scholarship she had once been offered caused a bitter expression to appear on her face.
Back then, she had desperately wanted to accept.
However, because of the orphanage director’s refusal, she had been forced to reject the opportunity.
Remembering that incident still hurts.
Still, she refused to let the past hold her back.
’I can start over. I still have time. I can do this.’
The confidence in her eyes never wavered.
Just as she finished her lunch, Aurora called out to her.
"Mira, come here for a moment. I have something to give you."
Hearing those words, Mira nodded and followed Aurora upstairs.
Soon, they arrived inside Aurora’s room. Aurora handed over several documents. After carefully looking through them, Mira froze.
Every single brochure belonged to a top architecture college.
Her eyes widened. "Aurora, there’s no need for this."
She shook her head. "I can take a two-year break and save enough money myself."
Aurora frowned. "Don’t you want to study now?"
Mira pursed her lips. "It’s not that I don’t want to. I just don’t have enough money. Don’t worry, though. I’ll be able to earn it within two years."
Her expression was completely confident.
Seeing this, Aurora chuckled. "Did you even check the emergency fund my father gave you?"
Mira immediately shook her head. "No. I wasn’t planning to."
Before she could continue, Aurora interrupted her. "No need to refuse. You should use it."
Mira remained silent.
Aurora continued patiently.
"The sooner you get into a good architecture college, the sooner you’ll become a talented architect."
She pointed toward the documents. "If that happens, you won’t need to worry about repaying anyone. After all, talented people earn much more than untalented people."
Mira felt somewhat conflicted. Eventually, under Aurora’s persistent insistence, she agreed to visit a nearby ATM.
The moment she inserted the card and checked the balance, her legs nearly gave out beneath her.
Her breathing stopped. Slowly, she counted the zeros.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Only after checking repeatedly did she finally accept reality.
There was almost ten million dollars in the account.
The number felt unreal.
That amount was more than enough to pay for her education, living expenses, books, accommodation, and daily necessities for years.
Even after graduation, she would still have money left over until she secured a stable job.
The overwhelming generosity left her speechless.
Tears immediately filled her eyes. She lowered her head and quietly sobbed.
After several minutes, she finally wiped away her tears.
When she stepped outside, she appeared calm and composed.
However, Aurora had already noticed her red-rimmed eyes.
She chose not to mention it.
Some gratitude did not need to be acknowledged aloud.
After returning home, Mira carefully reviewed all her options.
Eventually, she decided to apply to the architecture colleges she had dreamed about for years.
The only problem was that both colleges required recommendation letters.
Under normal circumstances, obtaining one would have been extremely difficult.
After all, she had never worked under any established professionals.
Fortunately, she was no longer alone.
That evening, Olivia casually asked her which colleges she wanted to attend.
After Mira revealed the names, the matter seemed to be forgotten.
The next morning, however, Olivia casually handed over two recommendation letters.
Mira stared at them in complete disbelief. Even while holding the documents in her hands, she found it difficult to believe they were real.
Her eyes widened. "Olivia..."
Olivia simply chuckled. "Don’t cry, I hate snorts!"
Mira could only stare silently.
From that moment onward, her life began moving forward at an incredible pace.
Once college started, she became significantly more confident.
Not only did she focus on her studies, but she also accepted various side jobs and freelance projects whenever she had spare time.
Her talent quickly became apparent.
As a result, the twenty thousand dollars she personally owed Aurora was repaid within only three months.
Half a year later, she had already earned over one hundred thousand dollars.
Of course, she remained unaware that Aurora had been secretly helping her from behind the scenes.
Many opportunities that seemed coincidental had actually been carefully arranged.
Because of this, Mira often felt as though her journey was progressing surprisingly smoothly.
Within six months, she had secured several loyal clients.
Those clients continuously referred additional work to her.
Soon, she began generating a passive income of nearly forty thousand dollars every month.
After repaying the fifty thousand dollars she owed Aurora, she still had another fifty thousand dollars remaining.
For someone who had once possessed almost nothing, it felt like a miracle.
More importantly, she no longer felt trapped by debt.
Although Adam had never pressured her regarding the money he had provided, she finally felt capable of standing on her own feet.
That realization brought immense relief. As time passed, her relationship with her newly found family became increasingly natural.
The awkwardness slowly disappeared.
She laughed with them. Joked with them. Shared meals with them.
Sometimes she even found herself teasing them the same way a true family member would.
The Waters family, in turn, developed an even better impression of her.
After all, Mira was hardworking, principled, and deeply grateful.
Most importantly, despite all the hardships she had endured, she had never allowed the world to corrupt her character.
Without realizing it, she had slowly become an irreplaceable part of the family.
And for the first time in her life, Mira truly felt that she belonged somewhere.
With the remaining fifty thousand dollars, Mira had originally intended to continue repaying her debts.
However, instead of keeping all the money for herself, she insisted on paying ten thousand dollars to Mary as rent for the past three months.
Mary did not refuse. She understood that the young woman possessed her own dignity and self-respect.
At the same time, Mira’s actions left an even better impression on everyone in the family.
As a result, everyone found themselves viewing her more favorably.
Eventually, when the fourth month arrived, Mira once again approached Mary with ten thousand dollars in her hand.
The moment Mary realized what she was trying to do, she immediately stopped her.
"Mira, if you continue giving me rent money, I’ll start feeling as though you don’t see me as your aunt anymore."
Hearing those words, Mira hurriedly shook her head. "How could that be possible?"
The matter of rent was hence dropped; however, Mira yearned for something else...
Deep within her heart, a yearning that she rarely allowed herself to acknowledge surfaced once more.
She desperately wanted to call Mary "Mother."
The desire had existed for a long time. However, she never dared to voice it aloud.
After all, Mary already had children of her own.
’Why would she ever accept someone like me? I’m just a girl who grew up in an orphanage. Compared to her real children, what am I?’
Even though those thoughts constantly lingered in her mind, fate had a strange way of making things happen.
One evening, while everyone was gathered around the dining table, they were chatting casually.
Without thinking, Mira turned toward Mary.
"Mother, could you pass me the..."
The moment the word left her mouth, she froze. The spoon slipped slightly from her fingers.
Mira’s face instantly turned pale.
Mary became visibly stunned.
Adriana, Adam, Aurora, and everyone else paused mid-conversation.
For a brief moment, the atmosphere completely froze.
Mira immediately panicked. "I-I’m sorry!"
She hurriedly stood up. "I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to say that!"
She wished she could disappear into the ground. Her eyes quickly became red.
However, just as she was feeling overwhelmed, a gentle laugh reached her ears.
Mira froze; she slowly looked up. Mary was smiling.
Soon, the others began chuckling softly as well.
Mira stared blankly at them. "You... you’re not angry?"
Her voice trembled slightly. Seeing the tears forming in her eyes, Mary’s heart immediately softened.
A painful ache spread through her chest. She reached out and gently patted Mira’s hand.
"How could I ever be angry at the words of my precious niece?"
Then Mary chuckled softly. "No. I should say... my daughter."
She shook her head. "You can call me Mother whenever you want. I won’t stop you."
The moment those words entered Mira’s ears, her vision became blurry.
She hurriedly wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
"Alright."
Her voice cracked slightly. "Then from now on... I’ll call you Mother."