Chapter 1

I got a hundred-thousand-dollar year-end bonus. Thrilled, I shared the news with my parents and asked what New Year gifts they wanted.

The very next second, my mom posted in the family group on SnapChat.

[Chloe just got a hundred-thousand-dollar bonus! She’s taking everyone out for dinner at a luxury five-star hotel!]

The chat instantly blew up. Everyone showered me with praise, calling me the most generous, dutiful daughter ever.

Staring at the screen, I was completely stunned. I looked up at my mom, utterly incredulous.

A smug smile played across her lips. "Didn't you love showing off? Go on, keep bragging!"

Messages kept flooding the SnapChat group. Relatives who hadn't spoken in years started tagging me left and right.

Cousin Sarah: [Chloe, you're amazing! That's so much money! Does that mean we can order whatever we want?]

Mom: [Of course! King crab, caviar—order whatever your heart desires!]

Cousin Mike: [Chloe, that bonus is more than my salary for the past three years combined!]

Uncle David: [A luxury hotel! That’s easily hundreds of dollars per person! Never thought I’d eat there in my lifetime!]

[We’re so lucky to have Chloe!]

Uncle Robert: [I’ve never tasted vintage Château Lafite. Can I get a bottle?]

Mom: [Order whatever you want to drink! Chloe has a hundred grand now, she’s loaded!]

[We have to make sure every penny of that bonus is spent!]

My fingers trembled as I stared at the screen, tears pricking my eyes.

My mom knew perfectly well that I had been planning to buy a car.

My plan had been simple: buy a few nice holiday gifts for my family, and combine the rest with my savings from the past few years to get a reliable little car. That way, driving to see clients or coming home for the holidays would be so much easier.

I never imagined she would turn around and announce to the entire extended family that I was throwing an extravagant feast.

At a Michelin-level luxury hotel, no less.

With over twenty or thirty relatives demanding king crab, caviar, and vintage French wine, a hundred grand wouldn’t even cover the bill.

Fury surged through me. I looked up, meeting my mom’s mocking glare.

"What's with that face? Your sister only got a thousand-dollar bonus, yet she bought us luxury fruit baskets," she sneered.

"You made so much money. What, asking you to treat the family hurts your feelings?"

"Weren't you gloating just a minute ago? Now that it's time to actually open your wallet, you're backing out?"

"Or did you only bring it up to rub it in your sister's face? To show off how capable you are and make her look completely worthless?!"

Her voice escalated until she was standing over me, shouting.

"You've been sneaky and manipulative since you were a kid!"

"Now that you've worked in the big city for a few years, you're even worse!"

"You knew she only got a grand, so you deliberately announced your hundred grand right in front of her!"

"Did you want us to praise you while calling your sister a failure?!"

"Why do you have to be so calculating?!"