Anna lounged on the bed, scrolling aimlessly through her phone. Her stepmother, Zina, stormed into the bedroom, her steps sharply.

"Anna, I've had enough of this laziness!" Zina's voice was firm, her gaze piercing. "You promised me you'd start taking responsibility, and yet, here you are again."

Anna groaned, curling further into the cushions. "Why does it even matter? I'll figure it out eventually."

"Eventually isn't good enough," Zina snapped. "You're adult, and it's high time you learned discipline."

Zina pulled Anna to sit upright, her patience at its end...

Anna lounged on the bed, scrolling aimlessly through her phone. Her stepmother, Zina, stormed into the bedroom, her steps sharply.

"Anna, I've had enough of this laziness!" Zina's voice was firm, her gaze piercing. "You promised me you'd start taking responsibility, and yet, here you are again."

Anna groaned, curling further into the cushions. "Why does it even matter? I'll figure it out eventually."

"Eventually isn't good enough," Zina snapped. "You're adult, and it's high time you learned discipline."

Zina pulled Anna to sit upright, her patience at its end. She directed Anna to sit straight and placed a ruler against her feet, tapping lightly to get her attention. "If you're not going to walk toward your goals, maybe this will remind you of the steps you need to take," she said pointedly.

Anna winced, realizing Zina's determined approach was unavoidable.