Chapter 1

After Mom finished laying down those three rules, she wrapped her arms around my younger brother and little sister.

"Mom…" my sister, Chelsea Cage, cooed, dragging out the word and resting her head on Mom's shoulder. Her eyes, though, flicked toward me for just a moment.

"Don't get yourself too worked up. Cass is a busy woman—she's making millions every hour! Unlike Cam and me, who are free enough to stick around and take care of you every day. She only sees business. Of course, she doesn't think about you."

Chelsea's words sounded like she was defending me, but really, she just labeled me an ungrateful child.

My younger brother, Cameron Cage, put down his cutlery, puffed up his chest like the man of the house, and scolded me with a frown.

"Cass, I'm just saying, what good is it if a woman makes more money than a man? All the money in the world won't mean a thing if you can't take care of your mom!"

I sneered inside. None of the watches he wore or the bags Chelsea carried came from their own pockets. They were all my money.

Mom listened to them and wore a look that was partly touched, partly hurt.

"Well, it's not about what I want from you guys. I'm just old and like a little company. Just the other day, I went to the garden to exercise and heard Mrs. Simpson's daughter had married a rich husband.

"First thing she did was buy her brother a luxury car, unlike Mr. Lowe's daughter, who went to a top university and vanished afterward. She got ambitious and didn't even come home once."

Hearing that, I suddenly understood.

All this talk about spending time together, going shopping, and handing out allowances was just a roundabout way to condemn me.

She made these rules to punish me for not giving Cameron money for a house yesterday. She wanted me to hand over three million dollars for him and his girlfriend to buy their wedding home, but I hadn't agreed.

It wasn't that I didn't want to. Mom had just had heart bypass surgery recently and was still weak. I had already spent the money to buy her a retirement home with a garden in a convalescent area so she could recover in peace.

As for Cameron, he was only 24. His job wasn't even stable, and he had only just started dating his girlfriend. Marriage wasn't even on the horizon yet.

So, I figured there was no rush. We could wait until Mom was stronger. Apparently, though, that didn't sit well with her.

I slowly stood. "I'm not home much, so I don't have time for shopping. And yes, I don't give out allowances as often as I should. Since I'm not worthy to sit at the table, I'm leaving."

I dropped my cutlery, grabbed my bag, and turned to leave.

Cameron shouted in a panic, "What's with your attitude, Cassidy? Mom's still here, and you're throwing a fit in her face?"

Mom's sharp voice pierced through my ears. "Let her go! She makes a little money and thinks she can act all haughty in front of her mother!"

I didn't slow down. If anything, I walked faster.

Outside the house, the winter wind cut like knives. I slid into the car, pulled out my phone, and dialed the bank.

"Hello, Ms. Cage. Happy New Year. How can I help you today?" the clerk asked.

"I want to cancel all the supplementary cards under my name," I said.

Since they wanted to accuse me of being a heartless daughter who only cared about money, I would have no choice but to shut down their cash flow.