"You've been ripped off again and again, with your so-called acquaintance, friend, or whatever."

"I told you all along that not a single one of them is unreliable!"

I was truly furious and frustrated.

From when I was a child to a teenager now, Patrick had been deceived countless times by his so-called acquaintance, friend, or whatever to handle in almost everything.

And I had argued countless times with him about it, but he still insisted on.

Patrick wasn't satiesfied.

"You know nothing, Patricia. If it weren't for my wide social network to find someone picking you back home, you might be kidnapped to be raped or even killed on the way by stranger!"

"And your laptop isn't good enough. If it weren't for my kindness, no one else would offer you this price!"

Here we went again.

Every time I argued with him, he always managed to argue with excuses.

Undenieable, his so-called acquaintance, friend, or whatever had led things more complicated and disadvantageous.

Yet he still didn't get my points and chose to trust his connection to handle things better.

"I can take the train back by myself. The chances of what you're saying happening are very small ...."

Patrick interrupted me. "It's because I found someone so it didn't happen."

I was tongue-tied. I felt dizzy and almost breathless.

My older brother, Luigi Dempster, happened to be passing by and overheard our argument, a bit gloating.

"He's so kind to bring you home, how could you not treat him to a meal? You've been hanging around books so much that you don't even know your manners."

My father, seeing someone agree with him, grew even more confident.

"You brat, you just don't get the principle of using acquaintances to get things done, a society, you get it?"

He nudged my forehead hard.

I returned to my room, annoyed and dissapointed, clutching my empty bag.

It was normal for me to have kinds of reaction.

Three years ago, after taking the college entrance exam, I had already chosen a local university based on my scores.

But Patrick asked me to change my first choice to Queensland University.

He promised me, "I have a friend who will help get you into Queensland Unniversity."

I wasn't a fool. I knew my family's financial situation. I didn't even want to mention my father's so-called friend.

Choosing a university was a major life decision and I didn't want to rely on outsiders.

"Did your friend explain the specific process? Do I have to change my choice? Even if he's so capable, can he just help get me into that university?" asked me to Patrick.

Speechless, he went to make a phone call and came back in a hurry.

"My friend works at Directorate of Education. He said, it's confidential and can't be leaked, so you can rest assured."

The more he convinced me, the less I believed him.

Just pretend to change it to Queensland University and then change it back as soon as he left.

I thought the problem would just end there.

However, I had yet my admission letter.

My father leisurely crossed his legs and said, "Don't worry, I've got someone to take care of it. Just wait for the admission letter from Queensland University."

I only then learned that he got my account and password from my mother, Lucia Dempster, then changed it back.

He had only chosen Queensland University.

Patrick continued. "What are you afraid of? If you're going to a university, you'll go to the best!"

I was so angry that I didn't talk to him for a month.

I just watched him go from being so confident at the beginning to making phone calls multiples times later.

After confirming I had been rejected, I tearfully questioned him, "Can't you just see me doing well? I told you he wasn't reliable, so why didn't you believe me, why?"

Three years of hard work had been utterly shattered and the culprits were my family. Devastated, frustrated, I wished I could jump off the top floor.

What I got in return was a slap from my father, who was furious and embarrassed.

"If your grades weren't so low, how could my friend have failed to accomplish this!"

My grandmother, Eleanor Dempster, and Luigi also told me I didn't understand my father's deep love for me. They both blamed me for not getting a higher score on the test.

I had to repeat a grade before I could get into college.

Thinking about the volunteer work, I didn't sleep well the whole night.

When I woke in the morning, I felt my breast hurt and even nodule. I thought it might be breast hyperplasia, so I decided to go to the hospital for a check-up.

I acted as if nothing had happened, but when I bumped into the table, the sharp pain made me cry out.

Eleanor sensed something was wrong.

"Patricia, do you have chest pain? Your dad knows a doctor, right? So, ask him to help you. Don't waste your money."

Patrick looked up at me.

I immediately sounded the alarm, shook my head repeatedly in denial.

"I don't, I just bumped into it."

But he didn't think so. He came knock on my door after dinner.

"Patricia, don't be afraid. I have a lot of friends, some of them are medical experts. If you get sick, I'll take you to see them."

"Patricia, open the door!"

He banged on the wooden door, eager to take me to the doctor immediately.

I stared at the trembling door in fear. I wished I could hide from his friends now.

I pretended not to hear and he calmed down for a moment. But soon, he started making a phone call outside.

"Dr. Leander, yes, it's me Patrick. My daughter has chest pain. Aren't you an expert in this field? Please, prescribe some medicine for her."

Soon, I heard Patrick leave. I made up my mind not to open the door today.

During lunch break, another knock was heard again on my door.

"Patricia, open the door quickly! I asked someone to get some oral medicine. Come out and drink it."

He shouted and banged on the door at the same time.

Who would dare to take medicine from a doctor who prescribed medicine without checking the patient's condition?

"Patricia, I won't harm you and neither will my friends. So, come out and drink it!"

The locked door opened and Eleanor stood there, with the key in hand. She looked at me with disapproval.

"Your dad spent a lot of money on this medicine, hurry up and drink it."

Patrick handed me a bowl of black-syrup medicine as if it were a treasure.

I felt as if I had seen poison.

"You're so ungrateful girl! It's hard to believe that your dad had to resort to so many favors to get this medicine."

Eleanor wiped away her tears.

As a mother, she had a layer of filters for her children. She thought her son was a capable person, so she thought everyone her son knew was also capable.

She had been doing well in the village these past few years.

Everyone knows my father and was willing to treat him with kindness. She truly cherished him.

Patrick's expression was grim.

Seeing him was about to pour the oral medicine into my mouth. In a hurry, I pulled my grandmother up to the front.

"Dad, I don't have chest pain, but breast pain. I need to see a surgeon. The oral medicine can't treat the root cause."

To avoid taking the medicine, I had to tell him what was wrong.

He frowned.

"Then this medicine...."

My grandmother's eyes lit up.

"That's perfect for me. I've been experiencing chest discomfort for years. I'm getting old, so I'd love to have some to replenish my body."

She was my own grandmother, anyway, I thought for a moment and advised her.

"Grandma, if you have chest discomfort, it's better to go to a hospital for treatment and also to get the medicine there. It's safer."

"Are you just jealous of me? You can't bear to see me get better? You can't bear to see me take the medicine?"

She pinched me angrily.

I almost jumped, my hand numb from the pain.

"That's right. With your dad's connections, how could he have gotten fake medicine?"

Afraid I would snatch it from her, she drank it all in one gulp.

"Patrick, I feel so full of energy."

That was truly a miracle medicine.

Since they didn't appreciate my kindness, I left them alone. I sneaked out of the house.

These past few days at home, my breast pain had gotten worse, to the point where I couldn't even touch it.

I went to the county hospital to register while avoiding my father, only one male doctor on duty today.

I hesitated for a moment, but still walked in. I was afraid if I had no confidence, my father's network would come into play soon.

The doctor, Felix Young, was about my father's age. He pulled up the curtain and did a check up on me, but I sensed something was amiss.

I didn't remember this happening during previous gynecological examination. And he was pressing on for a bit too long.

When I reached my limit, he stopped. He prescribed some medicine and I took it and left.

On the way home, the more I thought about it, the more it sensed amiss.

I felt like I was being taken advantage of.

I ran into a middle-aged woman from the village, Kate Sauer, and she started yelling at me the moment she saw me.

"Patricia, did you go to the hospital to check on your breasts today?"

I was startled and instinctively denied it.

"No, I didn't."

She approached me, whispering.

"The doctor you saw today is a friend of your dad's. He was on the loud speaker when he answered the phone outside."

"He said your breasts are soft to the touch and never been touched by another man. There's even a red mole on them."

"However, his reputation is not good. I heard everyone who go to see him have complaints and grievances against him, but since he is senior, the hospital tolerates it."

I couldn't hear anything now.

My father's friend?

Kate was a gossip. If she knew something, the whole village would know too.

Was it okay to talk about something like this in public?

I didn't know how I got home.

Patrick sat on the sofa, looking at me smugly.

"It's still me, had the foresight to have someone keep an eye on you at the hospital a long time ago."

"How was it? Did Dr. Young check on you thoroughly? If I hadn't warned him, he would have just prescribed you some medicine."

"He even knew if any man had touched your breasts. He's truly an expert."

Patrick didn't think he had done anything wrong. It drove me crazy.

He was my father, why did he always hurt my feelings? Harm me?

I pointed to my breast and said, "Don't you know his reputation? He's clearly taking advantage of me!"

I hadn't remembered it before, but after Kate told me, I remembered it.

Felix had exploited his position to harass female patients. Since his family had some money, the matter was left unresolved, but it was quite a big deal at the time and I heard about it.

I wondered how a routine examination made me feel uncomfortable, even his handprint still remained.

"No way. He's a man of well manner. You must have misunderstood," he said firmly.

Luigi looked at me impatiently.

"What's worth touching you? With such small breasts, you don't even look like a normal woman. Stop being so rude. You've already made a scene since you came back."

"So what if others find out? We're all family and they won't tell anyone."

No one believed me, no one understood me.

Because my father's friends had actually helped the family a few times before, they assumed they were all reliable.

In a fit of rage, I smashed everything in sight.

"I told you I can see a doctor myself, I don't need your connections. Why don't you understand? Why?"

I had been so careful, but still why should I go through such a thing?

Patrick looked at me, at a loss.

"My friends are so nice! They even waived my registration fee when I went to the doctor. Why so sentimental? Sooner or later, you're going to get touched by a man."

Eleanor stood up for her son.

Luigi slapped me and kicked me. I knelt on the ground in pain, sweating profusely.

"Stop screaming! You know how hard it is to have connections in the hospital? If you give up, I'll beat you to death."

Luigi glanced at me a few times.

"Dr. Young, why are you here?"

My father's flattering voice echoed.

"I still have some doubts about your daughter's illness, I need to check on her again. It's better to take her naked. Where's she?"

"Get her out!" urged Luigi.

I struggled violently.

With a quick reaction, Luigi pinned me down, while Eleanor lifted up my shirt.

"Dr. Young, thank you for your help. You must get her treated properly before it becomes a serious illness," as she spoke, my bra buttons came unbuttoned.