Chapter 2 The First Family Mission

Amelia was sitting beside her father's hospital bed when her phone suddenly vibrated. She looked down. [Beginner Family Mission unlocked.] Her eyes widened. She opened the notification. [Mission: Family Care] [Objective: Do something meaningful for an eligible family member.] Amelia waited for more instructions. Nothing appeared. "That's it?" The screen remained unchanged. She frowned. "Who am I supposed to help?" No answer. "What am I supposed to buy?" Nothing. "How much am I supposed to spend?" Silence. Amelia stared at the phone. "So you give me a mission and don't tell me what to do?" [The Host is expected to make her own decision.] She blinked. Then she smiled faintly. "Fine." She slipped the phone into her pocket. If the system wanted her to decide for herself, she would. Amelia looked around the hospital room. Her father was asleep. Her mother sat beside him, quietly scrolling through her old phone. Amelia watched her for a moment. The phone was old. Very old. The edges were worn, the screen had a thin crack running across one corner, and the battery percentage seemed to drop every few minutes. Her mother had been using it for years. Amelia remembered how many times she'd heard her complain about it. "One day this thing will just stop working." And every time, her mother had laughed and said the same thing. "It's still working. There's no need to waste money on another one." Amelia looked at the balance in her bank account. $224,347. She thought about the mission. Do something meaningful for an eligible family member. She looked at her mother again. "Mum." Her mother looked up. "Yes?" "How long have you had that phone?" Her mother glanced at it. "This?" She laughed. "I don't even remember." "That's not an answer." "Maybe 4 years." "4 years?" "Perhaps more." Amelia shook her head. "Why haven't you replaced it?" Her mother shrugged. "It works." "It barely works." "It still calls people." "Mum." Her mother smiled. "You should worry about yourself." Amelia looked at her father sleeping peacefully. Then back at her mother. "Let me worry about you too." Her mother didn't understand what she meant. Amelia stood. "I'll be back." "Where are you going?" "Nowhere far." An hour later, Amelia returned to the hospital carrying a small shopping bag. Her mother looked at it suspiciously. "What did you buy?" Amelia smiled. "Something for you." "For me?" Her mother looked confused. Amelia pulled out the box. Her mother's eyes widened. "Amelia." "It's just a phone." "You bought me a phone?" "Yes." Her mother immediately shook her head. "No." Amelia laughed. "Mum." "No, Amelia. Take it back." "Why?" "Because you don't need to be spending money on me." "I wanted to." "You have your father's hospital bills." "Those are already paid." Her mother went quiet. Amelia placed the box in her hands. "It only cost $25,000." Her mother's eyes widened. "Twenty-five thousand?" "It's a good phone." "You shouldn't have spent that much." Amelia smiled. "Your phone has served this family long enough." Her mother laughed despite herself. Amelia opened the box and handed the phone to her. "Besides, it's not like I bought you a car." Her mother shook her head, smiling. "You're unbelievable." "Open it." Her mother slowly removed the phone from its packaging. For several seconds, she simply stared at it. Then her eyes became glossy. "You really bought this for me?" "Yes." "You didn't have to." "I know." "Then why?" Amelia shrugged. "Because I wanted to." Her mother looked at her daughter. There was something different in her expression now. Not suspicion. Not worry. Just warmth. She pulled Amelia into a hug. "Thank you." Amelia smiled against her shoulder. Then- Ding. Amelia froze. She slowly pulled away and looked at her phone. [Family Cashback Evaluation in progress.] Her heart began beating faster. Another notification appeared. [Eligible family expenditure detected.] [Recipient: Mother.] [Eligible expenditure: $25,000.] Amelia swallowed. Then: [Genuine emotional response confirmed.] [Family trust has increased.] [Current Cashback Multiplier: 3×.] Amelia's eyes widened. 3 times. The system had increased her multiplier. Another notification appeared. [Cashback Reward: $75,000.] [$75,000 has been credited to your account.] Amelia stared at the screen. She immediately opened her banking application. Her balance had changed. $299,347. Her breath caught. She had spent $25,000. And received $75,000. She quickly locked her phone. Her mother was still looking at the new phone. Amelia couldn't help smiling. Maybe the system really was real. Then the hospital-room door opened. Arya stepped inside. She was still wearing her school uniform. Her hair was slightly messy, as though she'd hurried all the way there. Her eyes immediately searched the room. "Where's Dad?" Their mother turned. "Sweetheart." Arya rushed over. "Is he okay?" "He's sleeping." Arya exhaled in relief. She had clearly been frightened. Then she noticed something in her mother's hands. Her eyes narrowed. "Is that a new phone?" Their mother smiled. "Your sister bought it for me." Arya's eyes moved toward Amelia. "You bought that?" Amelia nodded. "Yeah." Arya's expression changed. "Now?" Amelia frowned. "What do you mean?" She looked from Amelia to their mother. "Dad is in the hospital." "I know." "We're still trying to figure everything out, and you're buying Mum a new phone?" Amelia stared at her. Arya continued, frustration creeping into her voice. "Seriously, Amelia? Was that really necessary?" The words stung. Amelia opened her mouth. But their mother spoke first. "Enough." Arya looked at her. "Mum, I'm just saying-" "You don't know what you're talking about." Arya frowned. "What?" Her mother placed the phone down. "Your sister already paid for your father's surgery." Silence. Arya's face went blank. "What?" "She paid the entire amount." Arya slowly turned toward Amelia. "How much?" Her mother looked at her. "$112,000." Arya's eyes widened. "$112,000?" Amelia looked away. "It's done." Arya stared at her. "But..." Her voice became quieter. "You paid for it?" Amelia nodded. She suddenly felt uncomfortable. "It wasn't a big deal." Arya's expression changed. Shock. Then disbelief. Then guilt. She remembered what she had just said. Was that really necessary? Her eyes lowered. "I thought..." She stopped. Amelia looked at her. "You didn't know." Arya's eyes became wet. "I thought you were wasting money." Amelia shook her head gently. "It's okay." "No." She wiped her eyes. "It's not." She looked at Amelia again. "You paid for Dad's surgery and I still thought you were-" Her voice broke. Amelia walked over and hugged her. "It's okay." Arya hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry." "You don't have to apologize." "I do." Their mother watched them quietly. For a moment, the three of them simply stood there. Then a knock came from the hospital-room door. Everyone turned. A doctor stepped inside. He smiled. "I have some good news." Amelia immediately stood. Her mother rushed toward him. "Doctor?" The doctor glanced at her father's sleeping figure. "The surgery was successful." For a moment, nobody moved. Then Amelia's mother covered her mouth. "Really?" "Yes. He's stable. The procedure went well." Her shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank God." "He'll need plenty of rest," the doctor continued. "We'll keep monitoring him, but everything looks good so far." Her mother nodded repeatedly. "Thank you, Doctor." The doctor smiled. "Let him sleep for now. He needs it." After he left, the room became quiet again. Arya wiped her tears. "Can I see Dad?" "Of course," Mum said softly. She moved toward the bed. Their father was still asleep. But his breathing was steady. Arya smiled. "He's really okay." "Yes," Amelia said. Arya nodded. Then suddenly her expression changed. "Wait." She looked around. "Where's Ace?" Amelia frowned. Their youngest brother. She had completely forgotten. He was still at kindergarten. "I'll go get him," Arya said. Their mother looked at her. "Are you sure?" "Yes." She grabbed her bag. "He'll be wondering why nobody came." Amelia nodded. "Call me when you get there." "I will." Arya pulled out her phone. "I'll also call Adrian." Meanwhile, at the university, Adrian was barely keeping himself together. The moment he heard that their father had been hospitalized, he had started calling everyone he could think of. His closest friend. A course mate. An older student he knew. Even a relative he hadn't spoken to in months. "Please, I just need to borrow some money. I'll pay you back." But nobody could give him enough. He sat with his phone in his hand, staring at the contact list. He was already thinking about who else he could call when Arya's call came through. He answered immediately. "Hello?" "How's Dad?" His voice was tense. Arya hesitated. "The surgery..." "What about it?" He sat up straighter. "Did they do it?" "The surgery was successful." Silence. He frowned. "What?" "The doctor said Dad is stable. The surgery went well." His expression changed from panic to confusion. "But how?" "What do you mean?" "How did they pay for it?" He looked down at the messages from people who had refused his requests for money. "Mum didn't have that much. Dad didn't either." Arya was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Amelia paid for it." He froze. "Amelia?" "Yes." "How much?" "$112,000." He stared blankly at the wall. "$112,000?" "Yes." He slowly leaned back. Relief washed over him. His father was okay. The surgery had been paid for. For the first time in hours, he could breathe. "Thank God." He closed his eyes. Then another thought entered his mind. Where did Amelia get $112,000? He knew roughly how much she earned. He knew she wasn't exactly swimming in money. Arya continued. "She even bought Mum a new phone." His eyes opened. "She what?" "A new phone." He rubbed his forehead. None of it made sense. But he wasn't going to start interrogating Arya over the phone. "Okay." "What?" "I'll ask Amelia myself." "When?" "Tomorrow." He looked at the unfinished work on his desk. "I have something important to finish tonight. Since Dad is stable now, I'll come first thing tomorrow morning." "Okay." "And take care of Mum and Dad until I get there." "We will." The call ended. He stared at his phone for a moment. His father was safe. That was what mattered. But there was one question he couldn't shake. Where had Amelia gotten that money? He would ask her himself tomorrow. Back at the hospital, Arya slipped her phone into her bag. "I'll go get him." Amelia nodded. "Be careful." "I will." She walked toward the door, then turned. "Amelia?" "Yeah?" Arya smiled weakly. "Thank you." Amelia smiled back. "Go get Ace." Arya nodded and left. Amelia watched the door close behind her. Her mother returned to her husband's bedside. The hospital room became quiet again. Amelia looked down at her phone. $299,347. She stared at the number. Yesterday, she had barely been able to imagine having this much money. Now she had more than she'd ever had in her account before. And the system had only just begun. Amelia looked at her sleeping father. Then at her mother, who was carefully examining her new phone. Then toward the door Arya had just walked through. For the first time, Amelia understood something. The system wasn't asking her to become rich. It was giving her the ability to take care of the people she loved. And Amelia had no intention of wasting that opportunity.