Hannah grabbed the tissue, wiping away a few tears.
Pandora noticed she hadn’t gotten them all and passed her a couple more tissues to finish the job. "Come on, you're alive and kicking, aren't you? No need to bawl your eyes out."
Hannah hugged Pandora. "Mom..."
Pandora pulled away, gently tapping Hannah's forehead with her finger. She looked disappointed. "I don't need a crybaby for a daughter. Don't call me Mom. Hey kiddo's dad, keep your daughter company, I've got to deal with Steven's mess."
With that, Pandora turned and walked away. Stepping out of the room, Pandora glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then ducked into a corner to wipe her own tears. Now Hannah was a big-shot star, raking in the dough, but that didn’t mean Jeo and Pandora had to live off her.
Hannah chucked them some cash every month, which they didn’t blow but stashed away in a special account. They also ran a small shop that didn’t make a fortune, but it was enough to cover their bills and leave a little extra. Any surplus cash, Pandora also squirreled away in that account.
They both know an actor's income is high but as steady as a rollercoaster. Especially now that Hannah had lost Steven's backing, she could get hit by others and lose her wealth.
Pandora knew the money they'd saved wouldn’t be a silver bullet for Hannah, but it was better than zilch, offering her a safety net.
All this, she kept under wraps, quietly getting things ready for her daughter.
This morning, just as they had opened shop, Steven's goons showed up, saying Hannah had had a car crash and they needed to head to Harbor City. Hearing about Hannah's accident, and that Steven had even sent people to fetch them, Jeo nearly keeled over in fright.
Pandora also got the heebie-jeebies, but she was the rock of the family, and needed to keep her cool. She asked, "Is my Hannah alright?"
The guy responded, "Rest assured. Mrs. Dixon has regained consciousness."
Pandora caught the drift from his words. "Regained consciousness? How long was she knocked out for?"
Since Steven hadn't forbidden him from spilling the beans about the accident, the man spilled the whole story. Hearing how her daughter had nearly lost her life, Jeo was so scared he clammed up, stuck in his chair.
Despite the heartache, Pandora remained strong. "You good-for-nothing, just a little scare and you're frozen with fear. If anything really happened to our daughter, could you even go on living?"
She then turned to the two men. "Let's hit the road, and head to Harbor City ASAP."
They didn't pack a thing and made a beeline for the airport to catch the next flight to Harbor City.
After a whole day of hassle, by the time they reached Harbor City, it was already pitch black. The closer they got to Hannah, the more Pandora felt the jitters. She was afraid Hannah's injuries were worse than they thought, afraid she wouldn't be able to bounce back, afraid she wouldn't be able to act ever again.
She was scared out of her wits about a million things, but she stayed tough, refusing to give in. Only when no one was around would she sneak off to a corner to quietly dab her eyes.
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