Chapter 1

When my younger brother, Leo Miller, got into college, my parents made a deal.

Dad would transfer his $10,000 monthly allowance directly to me.

My job was simple, send every last cent straight to Leo’s campus card account.

I did it every single month, right on schedule. Not a single penny short.

I was sitting at the coffee table, grinding through project files, when the front door flew open.

Leo slammed his way inside. He hurled his backpack onto the floor, his face twisted in raw fury.

"I'm so sick of this!" he yelled. "$1,000 a month is a joke! I'm starving at school. I can't even buy snacks, and my roommates are making fun of me!"

I looked up from my laptop, completely baffled.

I sent him $10,000 every month.

Why on earth was he claiming he only got a thousand?

Seeing me focused on work, Leo stomped over and crouched beside me.

"Chloe Miller, my phone is completely trashed," he said. "Give me a few grand so I can get a new one."

I frowned.

"It's only the seventh of the month. I literally just sent you $10,000. You have more than enough to buy a phone."

Leo snapped. He stood up instantly, glaring down at me.

"Bullshit! I only get $1,000 every month! You keep saying you send ten grand, are you secretly stealing my money?!"

I was already stressed over work and had zero energy for his drama.

"I don't have time for this nonsense," I said, turning back to my screen. "I sent you the money. Period."

His eyes darted across my desk, stopping dead on my laptop.

"You bought a new computer?"

"My old one couldn't handle these files," I said flatly. "I had to replace it."

Leo’s face darkened instantly.

"You have money for a new laptop? Then you're paying for my new phone!"

"No," I said directly. "I don't have extra cash. Your allowance is already transferred, and you're not getting a dime of mine."

Refused, Leo lost control. The rage in his eyes boiled over.

He swung his arm with brutal force.

Crash!

My laptop smashed onto the hard floor. The screen went pitch black.

"How the hell can you afford a laptop this expensive?!" he screamed. "You stole my allowance! You're living large on my money!"

I froze. My heart dropped like a stone.

I hadn't saved the file.

I’d stayed up for two straight weeks working on this urgent project. It was due Monday morning.

Panicking, I dropped to my knees to pick it up, my hands trembling violently. "Are you out of your mind, Leo?! That file was crucial!"

Mom rushed out of her bedroom, startled by the noise.

Without asking a single question, she pointed a finger at me and unleashed.

"What is your problem, Chloe?! Your brother finally comes home for a break, and you start a fight? What is wrong with you?!"

She was always like this.

Never asking for facts. Always blaming me first.

Fuming with anger and hurt, I pointed at the shattered laptop on the floor.

"Your son just destroyed my computer and wiped out my work! And somehow this is still my fault?!"

Mom knew how important that work was. Her expression faltered slightly as she turned to Leo.

"Why are you messing with her stuff? You know how much she needs that laptop."

Leo showed zero regret. Instead, he yelled back, completely unhinged.

"I only get $1,000 a month! She pocketed the rest! She bought that damn laptop with my money!"

"I did not!" I yelled back.

Mom hesitated.

"Chloe really does send you $10,000 every month... and I was with her when she bought that computer. She paid cash. She didn't use your money."

That single moment of fairness completely set Leo off.

"Right, sure! It's always my fault!" he shrieked. "I survive on one meal a day at school! I can't even afford my lab fees! Everyone laughs at me!

"You think she didn't use my money?! I bet my life she stole it!"

He turned on his heel, stormed into his bedroom, and slammed the door shut.

"I bought this laptop with my own hard-earned money! I didn't touch a cent of yours!" I yelled at his closed door.

A second later, loud crashing sounds echoed from inside his room as Leo started smashing his own things in a frenzy.

Behind me, Mom’s sarcastic voice immediately chimed in.

"Leo never lies. Did you really steal his allowance? Have you no shame at all?"

"I said I didn't!"

Mom didn't listen to a single word. She pulled out her phone and dialed Dad right on the spot to file a complaint.

My chest felt suffocatingly tight.

Swallowing the bitterness, I bent down and started gathering the scattered papers from the floor.

Not even two minutes later, Dad’s call came through.

The moment I hit answer, a barrage of furious screaming blasted through the speaker.