She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 991

Martha and Carl Carter lingered on the edge of the gathering crowd, entirely swept up in the spectacle.

As the throng of onlookers multiplied, Martha shuffled closer, trying to get a better look. Around her, people were holding up their phones to record, whispering and exchanging judgmental glances.

She overheard a young woman in a camel coat muttering to her friend, "It's this family again. They show up every few weeks to extort money from her. This time they brought protest signs. They have absolutely no shame."

"The parents are completely toxic," the friend replied. "They're obsessed with their golden-boy son. They want to buy him a house and pay for his wedding, and they expect the sister to foot the entire bill."

Martha leaned toward the woman in the coat. "Excuse me, sweetheart, what exactly is going on here?"

The woman glanced at Martha, taking in her tourist-like, out-of-town demeanor, and lowered her voice. "The couple making a scene? Their daughter works at this music studio—Lonsdale Music Atelier. She's an arranger, makes a really good living. But her family has a sick obsession with the son. They constantly show up to block the entrance and demand money to fund her brother's life. If she doesn't pay up, they riot. Everyone in the studio knows about it. They have to call the cops every single time."

"But since it's technically a domestic issue and not a felony, the cops just give them a slap on the wrist for disturbing the peace, and then they're back on the streets a few days later," another bystander chimed in. "Those parents are like leeches. Anyone who gets involved with that family is cursed."

Martha gasped softly. "I can't believe things like this still happen. That poor girl."

As they gossiped, the raging couple began tossing cheap flyers into the crowd.

Carl shook his head. "I never expected a high-end place like Swain's girlfriend's office to have this kind of trashy drama."

"Let's just go," Martha murmured, tugging his sleeve. "We'll ask Swain about it tonight. He probably knows the full story."

But just as they turned to leave, a taxi screeched to a halt across the street.

A familiar figure stepped out, immediately catching Martha's eye. Her feet rooted to the spot, and she frantically grabbed her husband's arm. "Wait, wait! That's her! That's Swain's girlfriend! Let's go say hi!"

The older couple instinctively moved to greet her, but Helena didn't even notice them in the crowd. Her face was set in a mask of grim determination as she marched straight toward the rioting couple.

Her father stood on the steps, hands on his hips, screaming at the onlookers. "Look at this! Look at the daughter I broke my back to raise! She pulls in a massive salary every month, but won't give a single dime to help her own brother buy a house! Is she even human?! What was the point of raising her?!"

Her mother simply threw herself onto the concrete, throwing a full-blown tantrum. "I'm not leaving until I get my money! If you don't pay up, I'll destroy your career! I'll make sure this entire company goes up in flames!"

The flashing lights of a cruiser turned the corner. Two officers stepped out, quickly assessed the situation, ran their IDs, and hauled Helena's parents into the back of the squad car.

Before the door slammed shut, her father screamed out the window, "You're gonna pay for this, you ungrateful bitch!"

Helena stood alone on the steps. She bent down, picking up one of the printed flyers her father had thrown. It read in bold letters: *HELENA IS A TRAITOR TO HER FAMILY.*

She folded it neatly and dropped it into the trash can by the door. Then, she stood up and dusted off her hands.

When she lifted her head, her eyes met two familiar faces across the street.

Martha and Carl were staring at her. The warmth and affection they had shown her when they first met were entirely gone. In their place was the cold, hard look of people who had just realized they were looking at a walking disaster.