LOGINMy dad has died in a car crash when I'm seven years old. So, my mom marries her first love, Robert Hayes, and integrates me into his family. During the first meal with my new family, Robert announces a newly instated family rule. "From now on, we have to split the bills in this family." Once I eat a piece of steak, Robert tells me to pay him 300 dollars for the meal. I just look at my stepsister, Harper Hayes, who's digging into her meal happily. "Harper ate steak as well. Why didn't you ask her to pay you back, Dad?" "That's because Harper's my biological daughter. I love her, and she has the bloodline privileges," Robert answers. Then, I glance at Mom. So, Robert adds, "Your mom is my wife. I love her, which means she has privileges as well. But in your case, we're not related by blood, nor do we have any ties of affection with each other. I'm not obligated to raise you at all, Maddie."
View MoreRobert clutched his chest and pointed at me. "You… You…"With a sharp gasp, his breath caught, and he passed out cold on the spot.He was then rushed to the ICU. The doctors diagnosed him with an acute brain hemorrhage and warned that his situation was critical. He needed immediate surgery and a stay in the ICU.The deposit was ten thousand dollars, while the surgery and subsequent treatment costs would be at least 30 thousand dollars.Harper dropped her phone in horror when she heard the figure. She turned on her heel and ran, claiming that she was going back to get his health insurance card, only to disappear for three days.Bennett was just a child in preschool. All he could do was cry and demand fried chicken.Only Mom was left in the hospital hallway. Completely helpless, she grabbed my sleeve, dropped to her knees, and groveled before me."I beg you, Maddie! You have money, so please save your dad! He was my first love and a father figure to you. He's the pillar of the fam
Mom rambled on about the family's miserable state before finally cutting to the chase."I know I haven't been a good mom to you in the past, but at the end of the day, we parents are just human."Now that you're making money, c-could you lend me ten thousand dollars? I'll write you an IOU and even pay interest!"Hearing the word "IOU", I couldn't help but laugh out loud."Mom, did you forget? Our family runs on bill splits.""What?""Since we split everything, we should follow market rules."I smiled at my polished, professional reflection in the glass window and started calculating every last penny."I am now a high-net-worth individual, and my money only goes toward quality assets. As for you guys…" I paused, then continued in a loud, clear voice, "You're negative assets. I'm not investing in anything with risks that are too high."With that, I hung up and blocked her number. The phone screen went black and reflected my cold expression.…When the gentle approach didn't wo
When I walked past Mom, her tears fell."Maddie…"She reached out and tried to grab the hem of my shirt. "Don't go. What am I supposed to do if you leave? I'm still pregnant with your brother…"I stopped in my tracks but didn't look back at her."Mom," I said softly. "This is the last time I'm calling you that."With that, I gently brushed her hand away and slammed the door shut with a heavy thud.In an instant, I heard the sound of items being smashed in a fit of rage behind me, but I didn't turn back.The sunlight was so blinding that it made my eyes water, and I knew that those were the last tears I would ever shed for this family.From now on, every dollar I earned and every bit of effort I made would only belong to me.…Throughout my four years of college, I had to earn money to support myself. I lived like a money-making machine that never rested.After breaking free from being bled dry by my family, I realized that making money wasn't that difficult at all.In my fr
I calmly nodded. "Understood."After that, neither Dad nor I had anything left to say.As I turned around and walked out the door, I touched the examination admission slip in my pocket.…Two weeks later, the SAT scores were released.I scored a 1560 and ranked in the top 50 statewide, while Harper scored a 720 and failed to meet the bare minimum requirements for a local community college.On the day the results came out, the tense silence in the house was suffocating.Dad stared at Harper's glaringly low score on the computer screen, his expression growing darker by the second."This is impossible! The graders must have made a mistake!"Mom reacted even more aggressively than he did and shrieked, "My sweet Harper is so smart, so how could she possibly have scored this low?"And Maddie… Maddie barely says a single word at home, so how could she possibly get such a high score? D-Did she cheat on the exams?"She shot me a deeply suspicious look.Dad and Mom… No one in the fam


















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