All Chapters of No Blood, No Love, No Obligation: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

To enforce my new stepdad, Robert Hayes' rule of a strict bill split on all household expenses, everything in our home was tagged with a price.A price sheet was taped to the refrigerator door. Apples were a dollar each, milk was two dollars a carton, and leftovers cost three dollars per serving.…Mom and my stepsister, Harper Hayes, both held special privileges, so they could open the refrigerator and take whatever they wanted, whenever they pleased.I wanted to open the refrigerator, too, but I couldn't afford to pay my share.Dad indifferently remarked, "You don't have any money, so how do you expect to eat?"When I stammered and was completely at a loss, he assumed an air of generosity."Fine. We'll put it on your tab for now, but you'll need to sign a personal loan agreement with your mom and me."The interest will be calculated at high-risk lending rates of 0.1% per day until you're an adult. Once you're all grown up and start earning money, you can pay us back."So, I

Chapter 2

I didn't have time to socialize at school.Even with the SAT looming, I spent my lunch breaks collecting recyclables every day, running errands to buy lunch for my classmates, or sitting in the corner of the sports field copying lines for students who refused to do their homework, charging them a dollar for every 1,000 words.But I never expected Harper to corner me against a wall with a group of her friends while I was in the middle of picking up plastic bottles.She pulled out a slip from the pocket of her school uniform. It was the loan agreement I had signed for Dad just two days ago.The slip read. "Cash advance for next month's tampon expenses.""See? I wasn't lying!" Harper announced. "I told you all the truth. Maddie Cooper here has to borrow money from my dad just to buy tampons."She's so young, but she's completely wasted and owes our family over 600 thousand dollars. A parasite like her is deeply in debt before she's even earned a single dime. Who knows how she's squa

Chapter 3

Dad knocked on the table and pointed at the balcony. "Your mom and I talked about it. We'll enclose that corner of the balcony and set up a folding bed for you."Balcony?It was freezing in the winter and scorching in the summer, with barely any cover or protection.Even after I cried and protested, Mom and Dad remained unyielding. Their tone left no room for negotiation, and everything they said boiled down to telling me to be sensible."We need to tighten our budget for household expenses now that a new member is joining our family. Maddie, your SAT is almost over, which means you're fully capable of working an adult job."After your SAT ends next year, we expect you to forfeit your chance at college and start working to pay back your debt to us."No! I had to further my studies! Wendy told me that studying was my only way out of this life.I desperately tried to argue my case, only to receive a furious slap from Mom, hard across the face.Then, Mom and Dad pulled out the bla

Chapter 4

I had never once defied Mom and Dad or spoken to them with such a cold, indifferent tone.In that moment, Mom looked at me like I was a stranger."I'm your mom, Maddie! I'm pregnant right now, and all I asked was that you massage my legs. What on earth did you just say to me?""Even biological moms and daughters should settle accounts," I replied. "You don't get special mom privileges with me, at least that's what you and Dad taught me."I began mimicking their behavior, nickel-and-diming every last thing and measuring everything in terms of money."Pouring a glass of water requires a ten-dollar service fee. A 15-minute leg massage starts at 50 dollars, but since this is a night shift, a 30-dollar tip applies. Your total will come to 90 dollars."Livid, Mom grabbed her pillow and hurled it at me.I simply stepped aside, nonchalantly avoided the pillow, and let it drop onto the floor. "Of course, if you would like me to retrieve that pillow for you, that would incur an addition

Chapter 5

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

Chapter 6

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

Chapter 7

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

Chapter 8

Robert 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

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