Chapter 1

My son was getting married soon, so I bought him a $3 million luxury condo as their wedding gift.

To my face, his fiancée cried tears of gratitude. But behind my back, she posted a venomous rant on her burner Twitter account:

"That stingy old hag bought us this pathetic shoebox and actually had the nerve to claim she’s 'giving us a massive head start'!"

"Bragging about a three-million-dollar place? How utterly embarrassing!"

Looking at the exact address on the deed she leaked in her screenshot, I ripped her executive promotion recommendation letter to shreds.

If she looked down on my generosity that much, she wouldn't be getting a single penny from me.

They had been dating for four years, and Ethan always insisted she was the sweetest girl.

If I hadn’t accidentally stumbled upon her secret account today, I would have never guessed Fiona’s gentle, obedient persona was purely an act.

Terrified that my eyes were playing tricks on me, I scrolled through all her posts.

Ivy League CS grad, twenty-eight years old—every single detail matched.

Her profile picture was a silhouette of her and my son, and the watch on her wrist was the exact luxury timepiece Ethan had given her for her birthday.

Outraged internet users had already commented beneath her post:

"That 'old hag' just dropped three million dollars in cold hard cash on you. How much did your own parents pitch in? A couple of nickels?"

"The groom's family buys a multi-million-dollar condo, and what did your family bring to the table? Go ahead, enlighten the rest of us!"

Fiona deleted that comment almost instantly.

It must have hit a raw nerve.

It took me a long time to steady my breathing. Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from Ethan on SnapChat.

"Mom, did you get the recommendation letter Fiona needs for her promotion?"

"Competition at her firm is brutal right now. With this letter, she’ll become the youngest director in the entire company!"

Even through the screen, I could feel how deeply my son loved her.

They were college sweethearts. Four years of dating had finally brought them to the altar.

Fiona didn't come from money, but Ethan had fallen for her humble, hard-working attitude and constantly praised her in front of me.

After graduation, neither of them wanted to do long-distance. Ethan easily landed a great job, while Fiona was rejected at every turn.

Seeing my son's desperate pleas, I couldn't bear to watch him suffer. I called an old classmate of mine and pulled strings to get her a spot at a prestigious Fortune 500 partner firm.

It offered top-tier benefits and endless room for growth. In my classmate’s words, thousands of people fought tooth and nail every year just to get an interview.

Fiona’s resume wasn't the most impressive, and her capabilities were mediocre at best, but I figured she could be mentored.

To her credit, she seemed ambitious.

Yet without my husband and me pulling strings behind the scenes, she wouldn't have closed a single one of her major accounts.

In this industry, connections are everything.

Ethan hated corporate networking, so we poured our resources into grooming Fiona instead. As it turned out, some people simply don't deserve the hand that feeds them.

I stared at Ethan's message and texted back coldly:

"Ethan, Fiona needs to stand on her own two feet. We can't keep clearing her path forever."

"I don't have that recommendation letter, nor will I get it. Tell her to prove that she can succeed without our backing."

"Also, I purchased that condo under my name before the wedding. Come over today and sign a formal promissory note for the down payment."

Ethan immediately called me on FaceTime.

"Mom, what happened? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Did Fiona do something to upset you?"

My son was perceptive; he sensed something was wrong right away.

I hesitated for a second before telling him, "Just come over."

Hanging up, I wondered how I was going to break the news to him.

To my complete surprise, half an hour later, Ethan showed up at my doorstep—with Fiona right behind him!

The moment the door opened, Fiona gave me her trademark humble smile. My eyes flicked to her wrist. The watch was right there. It was undeniably her.

"Mom, Ethan mentioned there was an issue with my recommendation letter," she said sweetly. "I came over to see what’s going on. Oh, and I brought you some organic fruit."

I glanced at the gift basket she carried inside, my expression entirely blank.

Ethan followed close behind, looking frantic.

"Mom, you were so vague on the phone. I panicked and brought Fiona along. What is really going on?"

The poor boy was utterly blinded by love.

Since they were both here, I decided to lay my cards on the table.