Chapter 2

"Chloe, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Dad roared into the receiver. "You're earning your own income, and you're still stealing your brother's allowance? Have you no damn shame?!

"I'm warning you, give every cent back to him right now. If I hear you haven't transferred it by tomorrow, I'm coming home, and I'll teach you a lesson myself!"

"Dad, I swear I didn't…"

Click.

He hung up before I could finish.

Desperate to explain, I was about to dial back when Grandma's call flashed on my screen.

I picked up, my hand shaking.

Grandma's voice was ice-cold, sharp with disgust.

"Leo told me you stole his money. Pay him back right now, or don't bother calling me your grandmother ever again."

"Grandma…"

Beep.

Disconnected.

A wave of suffocating injustice crushed my chest. Tears instantly blurred my vision.

I had done nothing wrong, yet not a single person was willing to listen to a word I said.

"Pfft. Nice act."

Leo was leaning against his doorframe, sneering at me.

"Where was all this drama when you were spending my money? Serves you right!"

Mom walked out of the kitchen, glaring at me. "I raised you all these years, only to raise an ungrateful leech!"

Their relentless, baseless accusations snapped the last string of my self-control.

I stopped trying to defend myself. I gathered my shattered laptop, grabbed my bag, and stormed straight out the front door.

Nothing else mattered right now. I had to fix this computer and save my job.

Repairing the laptop wiped out a huge chunk of my savings. By the time I finally made it back, the house was pitch-black and silent.

Everyone had eaten and retired to their rooms. Not a single bite of dinner was saved for me.

I quietly made myself a bowl of instant noodles to stop the gnawing ache in my stomach, then immediately sat down to rebuild my lost files.

I worked straight through the night, finishing right around 3:00 AM. I sent the file to my manager the second it was done.

As the heavy tension finally left my shoulders, I unlocked my phone. My blood instantly ran cold.

Dad had flooded my chat with messages.

He claimed I was stubbornly refusing to refund Leo and said he’d handle me when he got home.

Attached to his rants was a screenshot Leo had sent him.

It was a bank ledger, plain as day.

Leo’s monthly incoming transfers were only $1,000.

I typed back immediately.

[I didn't steal his allowance, and I'm not giving him a single cent.]

The moment I hit send, a bright red exclamation mark popped up.

He had blocked me.

I sat there, completely stunned.

I had transferred $10,000 every single month. Yet Leo’s account genuinely showed only $1,000 coming in.

Where on earth did the other $9,000 vanish to?

The more I thought about it, the less sense it made.

Was the screenshot doctored?

After back-and-forth hesitation, I found Mr. Davis, Leo's college advisor, online and sent a private message.

[Hello, Mr. Davis. I'm Leo's older sister. I wanted to ask, is it true that he barely has enough to eat at school?]

He replied almost instantly, his tone full of disapproval.

[To be frank, Leo is living under severe financial stress. He often eats only one meal a day. Sometimes, after paying for course materials, he can't even afford that.]

[He's a growing young man, and college expenses add up quickly. Your family really should consider giving him a proper allowance.]

Leo hadn't been lying.

He really was surviving on just $1,000 a month.

Yet my monthly bank statements proved I sent $10,000 without fail.

The contradiction ate away at me. My mind spun in circles trying to make sense of the missing money.

Numbly, I opened a short video app and mindlessly scrolled through clips.

Suddenly, a video popped onto my feed.

My pupils dilated in shock.

Finally... I knew why $9,000 was vanishing every month.