Chapter 1

My stepdaughter won first place in the state science competition, so I bought her the latest iPhone 15 Pro Max she had been begging for as a reward.

That night, she happily took the phone. But the second she turned her back, she was on Snapchat complaining to her bestie:

"Ugh, the old hag is so desperate to take credit!"

"She’s literally handing me a gift my dad prepared for me ages ago and claiming she bought it."

"She does absolutely nothing all day except blow my dad's money!"

"Thank god I slip hormone-disrupting birth control pills into her water tumbler every day. If the stepmonster actually gets pregnant and has a kid, she’ll ruin my inheritance."

"My dad's money and this house are mine! She’s not getting a single cent!"

Reading this, I felt like I had been plunged into a frozen lake. Lily had no idea. To take care of her properly, I had gotten a tubal ligation years ago.

And her supposedly wealthy father? His company went bankrupt four years ago, and he’s been living off my charity ever since.

Since that's how they feel, they won't get another dime from me.