"And how can you do that?" Amelia stopped and looked toward her son.
"Qualification, Mother," he answered almost immediately.
Amelia nodded. "Exactly. And how does one achieve that qualification, son?"
"By performing better in school, getting into a good college, and performing well there as well."
"Well said. Though not truly but that's the only way for us middle-class people to rise above, son. Now that's enough about education. Go to your room and rest. I'll prepare some snacks for you."
"Yes, Mom," Anthony nodded, then stood and left. Moments later, the sound of a door opening and closing echoed faintly through the apartment.
Only then did Amelia turn to Marcus, her husband, and in a low voice she spoke to him, making sure her words weren't heard by their son.
"Do you really have to be that harsh with him? Can't you see the effort he's put into his studies this past month? He's already working hard, and you speak to him like that in a way that only makes him feel worse. He's just sixteen. If at this age we start talking to him like that, don't you think it will cause him distress and make it harder for him to focus? He'll keep thinking about it. Don't put pressure on him. Give him time and space. As parents, our job is to remind and guide him, not to pressurize him."
Even though her voice was low, it struck Marcus like a sharp sword, the kind that cut straight through the air.
Marcus rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and spoke with a sigh. "It's not like that, honey… I just lost my temper for a moment. But hey, my words weren't that harsh, right?"
His attempt at defense was feeble, and he knew it. Anyone could see it from his body language. His shoulders hunched, his head lowered, and he resembled more of a turtle ready to retreat into its shell than the strict father from a moment ago.
"What do you mean not harsh? They were very harsh. And what was the need to bring up your cousin Gupta and his son? What was the need for comparison? Comparison only makes things worse for one's own self," she said, constantly suppressing her voice so she wouldn't lash out and let Anthony hear.
"I said it so he would get motivated. Do you take our son for someone weak-hearted who can't even bear a few words? How will he survive if he's like that? Though I know he isn't," Marcus refuted, still keeping his tone low.
"You…" Amelia inhaled sharply but kept herself in control. "I know how my son, our son, is, Marcus. He isn't one to back down from a challenge, at least not from mere words. That isn't how I, how we, have raised him. I can see how resilient he is. But that doesn't mean you can say whatever comes to your mind. Comparison is one thing that should never happen in my house again. If you do that again, then be ready to bear the consequences of it. I know your intentions were good when you talked with Anthony, but your words weren't good, at least not the way you articulated them."
And so, a small argument broke out—though it was less of a battle and more of Marcus being utterly crushed beneath Amelia's commanding presence, like a subject before an empress… no, more like a house slave.
Meanwhile, back in his room, the sixteen-year-old Anthony—fairly handsome, with a youthful sharpness to his features—was oblivious to the small clash happening outside. Fresh from his bath and dressed in clean clothes, he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as his mind drifted back to the earlier conversation with his parents.
He let out a sigh. He felt a bit disappointed in himself for not being able to live up to his parents' expectations, because by doing so he would be securing himself from future troubles and leading a life he could be proud of.
"But I can't help myself. Whenever I make up my mind to do things right, after a couple of days I drift back to my original state, and that's solely because of laziness. Hah… If only I had some kind of system, some cheat ability like those MCs in novels. How good would that be?"
He rolled onto his side, muttering to himself.
"A login system would be the best. That way I could just log in daily and receive money, properties, shares, and all that," he said thoughtfully before smacking his lips. "No, no. An infinite money system would be even better than the login one. That way, I'd never have to worry about anything again. Bet it's talents or anything else, I could have them all if I had a system one day."
Though it's not like I worry about money or anything even now… he quickly brushed those thoughts away. While it would be nice to have those kinds of cheats that give me money and everything, that's not what my parents are asking of me, nor would I want things to come that easily—at least not for now. There's no sense of achievement in it.
"But having cheats like a system… huff, that's just my fantasy," Anthony muttered to himself. "It's not a solution to my real problem—the one that keeps disappointing Father… and even Mother."
He clenched his fists slightly. If only I had real talent, then none of this would be an issue for me, nor would it be a worry for my parents.
"Heavens, just give me something—anything—that could make me smarter. That's all I want. The rest I'll handle myself. I'll work for it. I'll do everything else." His voice was low, almost a plea, as he turned his eyes toward the window, where the sun was sinking beneath the horizon.
He knew it was nothing but wishful thinking. Call it his fantasy, call it him daydreaming, but wasn't everyone allowed to dream? It was the only way he could escape reality for a while.