"Moving on to third winning prize which is of 1 million$, the winning number is 69 23 57. Whichever lucky person has these numbers on their lottery ticket can go and collect the prize money".
The host exuberantly announced.
Looking at the numbers in their ticket and the numbers shown on the screen, Adrian sighed in regret.
"What's up with the long face? Did you really think we would win 1 million$ just like that from a lottery ticket. Wake up darling."
Clara playfully teased as she glanced at her husband with a haughty expression.
It wasn't that she didn't want to win; it was simply because she didn't believe they could actually have such great luck. The entire idea was just too far-fetched for her.
"What are you gloating about? The first and second prizes are still left. Who knows we might actually win one of them."
Not wanting to give up hope, Adrian countered back before diverting his attention back to the TV.
Sarina, on the other hand was looking at her parents with keen interest; watching them banter around over small things was definitely a sight to admire.
She had no interest in the lottery. If they won something then it's good, but even if they didn't, she wouldn't feel much sad about it.
Gazing at the twins who had already dozed off at the couch, Sarina calmly stood up and carefully picked up Leo in her arms before making her way to his room.
Tucking Leo in his bed meticulously, Sarina gave him a last glance before returning back in the living room and similarly picked up Mila and made her way to their room.
After making sure that Mila was sound asleep, Sarina felt very tired and decided to call it a day and to sleep as well.
Looking at the empty jar of water, Sarina moved to the kitchen, peacefully filling up the jar when suddenly a very loud shout of her parents made her jolt in shock.
Panicked, Sarina hurriedly ran to the living room; her mouth open as she looked at the scene in front of her in astonishment.
"We won…We actually won." They excitedly shouted together.
Clara and Adrian were literally jumping around in the living room like a pair of five-year-old children, holding each other's hand as they went around in rounds.
"Mom, dad. What the hell is going on here? Why are you reacting like a bunch of kids who got a free candy?"
Realizing that the two might continue to ignore her if she really let them be, Sarina impatiently stepped forward and asked curiously.
Snapping back to reality, Adrian and Clara gazed at their lucky charm with stars in their eyes and excitedly pulled her in a warm hug.
"We won Sarina. We won the lottery." Adrian enthusiastically shared the good news while Clara also happily nodded in agreement.
Hearing her parents' words, Sarina froze in shock as well as amazement. She never really expected to actually win the lottery.
"Which prize? How much did we win?" Sarina asked; feeling very curious and concerned.
"We won the second prize of 2 million$. Can you even believe it?" Adrian avidly shared, his heart beating speedily as he tried to digest the surprise.
"2 mi…2 million$" Sarina whispered in bewilderment. Not even in her wildest dreams did she ever think something like this could happen.
Her luck stats really did have quite a large impact. So many pleasant surprises in just one day.
It took nearly an entire hour for the three to actually let go of their excitement and calm down.
"I will go and collect the money tomorrow itself." Adrian announced as soon as they all settled down.
Clara and Sarina also nodded in agreement.
"But what should we do with this money? Save it for children's education and marriage?" Clara asked; unsure of how to suddenly handle such a large sum of money.
Adrian also kept his mouth shut, feeling as uncertain and doubtful as his wife. To simple-minded people like them, Clara's idea was definitely the best option.
Sarina, though clearly wasn't as simple minded as them. She had successfully handled the Montclair business for more than 10 years.
Even after being reborn, she still had not lost her knowledge and skills.
She had hundreds of ideas on how to invest the money but she also knew that her innocent and always cautious parents won't agree to more than half of them.
But she also knew the massive ways of death were waiting ahead for her. And to win against them, she had to be prepared beforehand.
She not only had to protect and fight for herself but also for all the people she loved; for her family.
And the first step to do that will be changing her parents' mind set.
"Mom, dad. I have a suggestion to what we can do with this money." Taking a deep breath, Sarina finally spoke up; her words successfully attracting her parents' attention.
A deep silence resonated in the living room followed by Sarina's words.
Clara and Adrian, who were initially discussing on how to save the money for the kids went silent as they looked at their usually quiet child sharing her opinions with them.
Exchanging a glance, they really weren't very sure how to reply to their daughter. It wasn't that they didn't trust their daughter, they definitely did.
They knew how serious Sarina was in her life. She would never say something she wasn't sure of. But it also can't be ignored that she was just a 10 years old girl who hardly left her house.
But what they didn't know that the Sarina in front of them was no longer their sweet and innocent daughter whose entire world revolved around them.
She had experienced a life worse than they could ever imagine. She had experienced hell and was ready to burn others with the same fire as well.
Thankfully, Adrian and Clara were not such parents who didn't listen or acknowledged their children's opinion. Instead, they would not only listen but even accept them when they feel like they are right.
To people like them who belonged to small village and hadn't even got a chance to go to school, they truly believed that knowledge was the key to success.
To them, even if Sarina was just in grade 4, her opinion and thoughts were still far more advanced than them.
Besides, they believed that as parents, they were the one who could build their children's confidence; in themselves and their lives.
Therefore, they had always motivated their children to speak out loud, to share their ideas and point of view without any hesitation as they were always there to listen to them.
And same goes for today.
"Really! What do you have in mind?" Clara inquisitively asked as she and Adrian faced Sarina with their entire attention.
"How about investing this money and starting your own business. If we really managed to make it work, you both will have a clearer and more successful career path."
Sarina seriously shared her idea with them.
"I anyway plan to skip grades and take the High school national entrance examination next year. With my results, I will definitely got admission in the best high school in the country."
Sarina continued to explain her thoughts in detail.
"If we invest this money properly now, then by the time I start my high school, not only would we have a secure source of income but we all can move to the capital city as well."
Sarina's words worked like magic as both Adrian and Clara fell into deep thoughts as the ponder over what to do.
Gazing at her parents who were almost convinced by her words, Sarina continued to persuade them.
"The twins can also transfer to a better school with better facilities. We can even buy our own house in the capital city." Sarina said, attempting to persuade them even further.
And sure enough, she succeeded in doing so.
Both Adrian and Clara had huge smiles on their face as they thought of the possibilities of everything Sarina said come true.
That was until reality crashed back into their minds. They may be inexperienced and ignorant but they definitely weren't stupid.
They knew how hard it was to start their own business and even harder to sustain it. They weren't going to just their hard-earned money into a fire pit just like that.
Sarina also obviously understood that but didn't give up.
"Mom, dad. Don't overthink. If invested correctly, we can even multiply our investment multiple times." Sarina solemnly advised.
Though still a little uncertain, they still choose to believe in their daughter and nodded in agreement; making Sarina smile in delight.
"But what should we invest in?" Clara doubtfully wondered.
"You don't have to worry about that. I have the perfect plan on what to do. Wait here, I will be right back."
Sarina excitedly said before running to her room, leaving Adrian and Clara behind with their minds full of uncertainties and possibilities.
"Honey, what do think we should do?" Clara glanced at her husband who was lost in his thought and asked vigilantly.
"I seriously don't know. But I do have an absolute trust in my daughter judgment and capability. If she has an idea, then it definitely would be worth it."
Adrian said as he placed his arms around Clara's shoulder, making her lean comfortably in his arms.
"I also believe in her. Especially since her changes in the last month made me feel more relaxed in letting her take charge of things at home."
Nestling in her husband's arms, Clara shared her genuine feelings and trust in Sarina.
As soon as Clara finished speaking, Sarina also ran back in the living room with the laptop they had won in the lucky draw.
Turning it on, Sarina hurriedly typed something on the board before eagerly showing them to her parents.
"This is my great idea….."