Chapter 4

In the early morning, I was woken up by Celeste's shouting.

She was riding me like a horse and whipping my blanket with a plastic stick.

"Giddyup! Giddyup! Get up, you lazy pig! I want to go buy a Barbie doll!"

Leaning against the doorframe, Tyler said, "Arlene, get up now. It's Christmas, and we promised to take Celeste to the mall to buy gifts."

I threw off my blanket and lifted Celeste aside.

Just as she was about to throw a tantrum, I pulled out a stack of 100-dollar bills from my bag.

"Be good, Celeste. I'll take you to buy the most expensive Barbie doll later, okay?"

Celeste's eyes instantly went wide, and she reached out to snatch the money.

I put the money back and beamed at Tyler and Alison.

"Alison, Tyler, I thought it through last night. At the end of the day, we're family. It's just a few plastic toys. So what if they're broken? I shouldn't have given Celeste a hard time about it."

Alison was putting on her shoes. Hearing this, she paused for a moment, then her face lit up with a smug look.

"That's more like it. I knew you had a good head on your shoulders. As the aunt, you need to act like the adult in the room."

Tyler eyed the cash in my bag.

"Since you've come around, let's get going. I heard Atrium Mall in the city center has an event today. Let's go check it out."

I nodded and said, "Sure, I'll cover all the expenses today. Consider it my apology to you and a Christmas present for Celeste."

And with that, the three of them headed out happily.

I drove them straight to the most upscale mall in the city. Along the way, Alison and Tyler kept whispering to each other in the back seat.

When we arrived at the mall, they descended on the stores greedily.

Our first stop was the jewelry store.

Alison tried on a solid gold bracelet worth over 20 thousand dollars. She loved it so much that she refused to take it off.

"Arlene, what do you think of this one? Doesn't it just make my skin glow?"

I stood to the side, nodding and smiling.

"It looks gorgeous on you. You deserve something expensive for working so hard. Excuse me, miss? Can you bring out that 50-thousand-dollar antique gold bracelet for my sister to try on?"

Tyler's eyes lit up.

"50 thousand dollars? Isn't that too expensive?"

All that talk about how expensive it was, and he still reached for it before anyone else.

Alison watched from the side.

"Arlene, Tyler's been wearing that watch for five years now. Don't you think it's time for an upgrade?"

Without missing a beat, I took him to the Rolex counter.

"Tyler, you're the backbone of the family, so you need something that commands respect. This 25-thousand-dollar Submariner Hulk is perfect for you."

Alison was grinning from ear to ear.

Celeste raided Toys "R" Us, grabbing an entire cart full of plush toys and Barbie dolls worth over two thousand dollars.

I didn't forget about Mom and Dad either. I picked out a mink coat for each of them, totaling 30 thousand dollars.

In just two hours, their wrists, necks, and bodies were decked out in designer brands. Everyone was loaded down with shopping bags, their faces beaming with pure joy.

At checkout, I just handed over my credit card and signed.

Dad patted me on the shoulder and said, "Arlene, you're the one who's really made something of yourself."

Tyler, stroking the watch on his wrist, chimed in, "That's right. Arlene's a big shot now. What's a little money like this to her?"

After we'd worn ourselves out shopping, I suggested when it was time to eat, "I heard the three-Michelin-star restaurant on the top floor is amazing. How about we give it a try? I already booked a private room in advance."

Alison swallowed hard. "Michelin? That's going to cost a few thousand dollars, right?"

I waved and said, "It's Christmas, so why not treat ourselves to a nice meal? Let's go."

We entered the restaurant, and the waiter led us to the largest private room. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city stretched out in all its vibrant glory.

Tyler and Alison were like kids in a candy store, touching and looking at everything around them.

I grabbed the menu and ordered the most expensive items—lobster, oysters, steak, and a 50-thousand-dollar bottle of red wine.

The waiter kept asking me, "Ma'am, are you sure you want all of these?"

"Yes, all of it. I've got plenty of money."

I tossed the menu back to the waiter like I owned the place.

Soon the food and wine arrived, filling up the entire huge table.

Tyler eagerly grabbed a lobster and tore into it. Alison held up her glass of red wine, taking selfies to post on Instagram. Celeste jabbed at her steak with her knife and fork, shredding it to pieces and tossing bits everywhere.

A few drinks in, Tyler was flushed and slurring his words as he said, "Arlene, you should just stay here with us. I'll set you up with that cripp—I mean, Mr. Goff. Sure, his leg's no good, but he's loaded."

Alison chimed in, "Yeah, Arlene. Look at how you throw money around. Finding a rich guy to marry should be your top priority."

I put down my glass and stood up.

"You guys go ahead and eat. I'm going to the restroom, and while I'm at it, I'll pop downstairs and buy that Hermès bag Alison had her eye on earlier. It's a surprise present for her."

Alison nearly jumped out of her seat with excitement when she heard she was getting a Hermès bag.

"Oh, Arlene, you're too kind! Go on, we'll wait for you."

I smiled and picked up my clutch. Then, I walked out of the private room.

As I left the restaurant, I didn't go for the bag. Instead, I headed straight for the elevator and pressed the button for B2.

Once I was in my car, I pulled out my phone and opened the banking app.

The card I just used to pay for everything? It was actually Alison's supplementary card.

I got that card for her back in the day to make it easier for her to take care of Mom and Dad, and it only got a five-thousand-dollar limit.

But earlier, I had temporarily raised the limit to 300 thousand dollars using my primary card.

Now, I dropped the limit back down to one dollar and reported the primary card as lost.

After doing all that, I started the car and hit the gas, speeding out of the mall's underground garage. I set the navigation destination to the train station.

Then, I blocked Alison, Tyler, Dad, and Mom's phone numbers before calling the restaurant.

"Hello, I was a guest in Room 8 just now. My family is still inside dining. Please take the bill to a Mr. Atwood. He said he'll be paying."