Chapter 2

The next morning, I woke up to a barrage of bank notifications.

The Family Sharing Card I had set up for them ten years ago had been subjected to three failed attempts to change the linked phone number in the middle of the night.

I had stopped putting money into that card three years ago, leaving it as an empty account.

I didn't expect them to still be trying to hack into it to steal my money.

Without a moment's hesitation, I logged into my mobile banking app, cancelled the card, and revoked all authorization.

My moves were swift and clean, shutting down their last avenue of theft.

Before I could even put my phone down, the family group chat on WhatsApp exploded.

My mom sent over a dozen crying voice messages, accusing me of being a monster.

My aunts and uncles, always eager for drama, quickly chimed in.

"Chloe, apologize to your mother right now! No matter how angry you are, how could you accuse her of cheating? If your father gets worse because of this stress, can you live with yourself?"

"We are family. Leo’s marriage is a huge deal. How can you just watch him stay single forever?"

"If word gets out about how you treat your parents, who would ever want to work with you?"

I calmly typed a single message in the group:

"Mom, you said Dad is in the hospital. Which hospital? Which ward? I’ll call them right now to verify. Falsifying medical emergencies and wasting emergency resources is a crime."

The second I sent that, my mom fired back with three angry voice notes.

"Chloe, you heartless bitch! Your conscience has been eaten by dogs! Your father is literally on his deathbed, and you're talking about legal liability? You just want him to die!"

"Look at this, everyone! This is the daughter I raised with my own blood and sweat. Just to keep her money from her brother, she doesn't even care if her father lives or dies!"

The more she threw a tantrum, the calmer I became.

Since she wanted to expose our family drama to everyone, I didn't need to hold back anymore.

I uploaded the screenshot of Arthur’s infertility report directly into the chat.

"Dear relatives, my mother knows best whether my father can have kids and whose blood Leo actually carries. You are all forcing me to pay $150,000 for a bastard child. You slander me when I refuse. Who is the one without a conscience here?"

The moment the screenshot appeared, the group went dead silent.

The relatives who had been preaching to me a second ago were now completely mute. Not a single person dared to speak.

A few seconds later, I was removed from the group chat.

I immediately blocked all of them. What a bunch of hypocritical parasites.

After dealing with the family mess, I threw myself back into work.

While I was focused on editing a proposal, there was a knock on my office door.

My boss, Robert, walked in with a look of concern.

"Chloe, your mother called me earlier. She said your family is going through a rough patch, and you've been pushing them away. She asked me to talk to you. After all, family is family."

My heart sank. Of course. She didn't even spare my boss.

She used to kiss his ass just to spy on my salary, and now she was trying to use him to pressure me.

I looked up at Robert. "Thank you for caring, Robert. I can handle my family issues, and it won't affect my work. The truth is, my mother only contacts you to track my income so she can demand more money. My finances are perfectly fine, and this bid will be submitted on time and flawlessly."

Robert blinked, then nodded in understanding.

"I see. I trust you, Chloe. If you need any support from the company, just let me know."

Right after Robert left, as I sent the final draft of the bid to the review department, the front desk called.

"Chloe! Your parents are making a huge scene in the lobby! They're screaming that you're an ungrateful daughter, that you took all their money and left your father to die. Your mother is lying on the floor, refusing to get up. Half the office is watching, and even our client's representatives are looking!"

I hung up, grabbed my purse, and headed straight to the lobby.

The lobby was packed. My mom was rolling on the floor, wailing about her ungrateful daughter.

My dad sat in a chair nearby, sighing deeply, playing the perfect victim.

And Leo stood right next to them, fueling the fire, shouting to the crowd of onlookers.

"Look at this, everyone! My sister makes millions in the city, buys a huge house, but she won't even help our sick parents! She won't even help pay for my wedding house! Is she even human?"

The onlookers murmured. Some looked sympathetic; others whispered and pointed.

The client's representatives stood not far away, their brows furrowed in distaste.

I didn't panic. I pulled out my phone, started recording, and walked right up to them.

"First, about my father being 'gravely ill'—I just checked. No hospital in our hometown has any record of him being admitted. This is a complete lie."

"Second, Leo is not my father’s biological son. Here is the DNA and medical report. You can all see it clearly."

"Third, over the past ten years, I have transferred a total of $400,000 to this family. Every cent was spent by Leo on his gambling habits. Right now, he owes $30,000 to loan sharks. You didn't come here today for Dad. You came here to blackmail me into paying off his gambling debts!"

That last sentence hit them like a physical blow.

Leo’s face turned instantly pale. He shifted his gaze, not daring to look at me.

My mom scrambled up from the floor, trying to grab my arm, but I stepped aside.

She stumbled and fell back down, crying even harder.

"You're lying! Leo doesn't gamble! You're trying to ruin him!"

"Do you want me to play the voicemails and show everyone the threat texts from his loan sharks?"