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Semua Bab Raised to be Broke: Bab 1 - Bab 8

8 Bab

Chapter 1 A Lie Called Family

I stood frozen where I was, thinking my phone had glitched. But the message box did not disappear.The excitement I had been holding onto slowly faded. I gripped my phone tightly, staring at the shocking lines of text scrolling across the screen.My name was Roxanna James, and I did have an older brother. Three years ago, after graduating from college, he had gone to Mariner's Bay to work.I had always thought he was struggling. Every time my scholarship money came in, my parents would sigh heavily at home. It was only when I suggested giving the money to my brother that they would finally smile.So what was all this?Meanwhile, more messages flooded the screen, one after another.'Your brother is just coasting as the hands-off boss of your family's subsidiary! He doesn't have to do anything and still gets paid. Look up the legal representative of Heritage Holdings. That's your father, the one who cries poverty every day!''They only stay in that rundown house when you're back f

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Chapter 2 A Future Torn in Half

Back in my room, I pulled out my phone.That strange chat box was still there, and new messages kept popping up.'Honestly, this family is disgusting. They clearly have money, but they won't even buy their daughter a decent pair of shoes. They buy the son a house and a car, yet in eighteen years, the daughter hasn't even spent half a month of his allowance. My heart aches for her.''If this girl had any sense, she'd have figured it out by now. That house is practically empty. Every time she goes back to the dorms, her parents move back into their luxury apartment. Her mom's bracelet is gold-plated silver, and her dad even has a chauffeur driving him to work.''Exactly. If they're going to pretend to be poor, they should at least make it convincing. Only this clueless girl believes it and hands over all her money.''You say it as if they're desperate for her pocket change. They just don't want her to have any money of her own at all!'I stared at the screen, my fingers turning col

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Chapter 3 Every Cent Stolen

Only after the noise outside had completely quieted down did I crouch beside the bed and pull out the metal box from underneath. Inside was all the money I had saved over the past three years—just over 20 thousand.I remembered every single bit of it clearly: prize money, part-time wages, Christmas gift money.My living expenses had never been something I could save from. For three years, I had scrimped on food and clothing just to save this much.And this money might have been all I had left.My hands trembled as I opened the lid, but the box was empty. Not even a single coin remained.I shot to my feet and flipped the box over onto the bed, shaking it hard. I turned it back over and searched every corner.Nothing.Twenty thousand. Gone without a trace.I rushed out of my room. The living room lights were still on. My mother was sitting on the sofa, a sheet mask on her face."Where's my money?" My voice was dry, like sandpaper.She did not even look up. "Used it to buy your

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Chapter 4 Eight Hours to Escape

His eyes widened, and he pointed at me, unable to get a word out.My mother panicked beside him, her sheet mask slipping off. "That's enough! Stop arguing. Your brother has it hard—""Hard? He gets 300 thousand a month, lives in a luxury apartment, drives sports cars, and he has it hard?"My mother's lips trembled, her gaze starting to dart away.Just then, my father walked out of the bedroom, his face cold as he took in the scene in the living room. "What are you all yelling about in the middle of the night?""Dad!" Colin immediately found his backing. "Look at her—""Enough." My father raised a hand to cut him off, then looked at me. "I told them to take the money. You have a problem with that?""I do.""Keep it to yourself." His tone was flat. "What does a girl need with so much education? Pack your things tomorrow and go back to the countryside to your grandmother's place. Stay there. Don't go to school anymore."I stared at him. The scab at the corner of my lips split aga

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Chapter 5 Three Hours to Freedom

At six in the morning, the door lock clicked.My father pushed open the door. The room was empty. The wardrobe door hung open, and more than half the clothes inside were gone.He froze at the doorway for two seconds before whipping around and shouting, "Where is she?"My mother rushed over in her robe and peeked inside. Her face went pale instantly. "When did she leave? Last night, I clearly—"She ran in, yanked the blanket aside, then dropped to her knees to look under the bed. When she got back up, her hands were trembling. "The money… Where did she get the money for a ticket?"My father had already finished a call, his phone clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. "She ran last night.""Ran?" Colin poked half his body out from his room, hair a mess as he rubbed his eyes. "Where did she go?""Shut up!" my father barked, and Colin immediately shrank back inside.My mother stood at the doorway, one hand covering her mouth. "She's just a girl… Where could she possibly g

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Chapter 6 The Story They Told

While I was asleep, chaos had already erupted outside.The next morning, after drills ended, the instructor called me into his office. His expression was serious.He unlocked his phone and handed it to me. On the screen was a local news headline—'Top SAT Scorer Locked at Home? NDIT Freshman Blocked by Parents at School Gate, Tearful Plea.'There was a video attached, already past two million views.I tapped it open.My mother was crouched at the school gate, her eyes swollen as she spoke to the camera. "My daughter ranked in the top ten in the entire state. Her grades are so good. We were overjoyed. Why would we ever stop her from going to school? She ran away without telling us. It took us two days to find her here, and the school won't let us go in to see her…"My father stood beside her, his eyes red, his voice low. "We're just an ordinary family. We've scrimped and saved all these years to support her education. Her brother even works outside to help with the household. We un

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Chapter 7 The Truth on Display

I leaned closer to the camera. "She tore it with her own hands. First vertically. Then horizontally. After that came a third tear. A fourth. The scraps were scattered all over the coffee table. I rushed forward to grab it back, but she shoved me away."My dad walked over and ground the pieces under his foot. He stepped on them and swore I did it on purpose, that I refuse to provide a single cent to my family. My mom said she provided me with everything I had. She said I had lived under her roof for eighteen years, so nothing I owned was truly mine."I turned 18 just last month. Does that mean, before that, even the admission notice I earned didn't belong to me?"The comments started flooding in.'Show proof!''Where are the photos?''Anyone can say anything!'"Proof?" I gave a small laugh, pulling out the torn paper scraps from my bag—along with the evidence underfoot. Then I took out my phone and opened my gallery."This is the pair of sneakers my brother got last month—over 3

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Chapter 8 I Have Myself

I ended the livestream.My phone kept vibrating, but I did not look at it.I stood up and walked to the window. The Bentley at the school gate was gone. Only an empty stretch of road remained.That night, Heritage Holdings' official website crashed. People dug up old records of tax evasion, and the tax authorities moved in overnight.By early the next morning, the top trending topic was "Lincoln James Under Investigation." Right behind it were "Colin James' Endless Supercar Posts Deleted from Social Media" and "The Bracelet on Roxanna James' Mother's Wrist Is Worth an Apartment."The school held an emergency meeting and released an official notice the next day. 'All of Roxanna James' tuition and fees would be waived. She would receive a special hardship grant, and all eligibility for awards and honors would be fully retained.'When the instructor handed me the document, he gave my shoulder a firm pat. "Focus on training. Don't think about anything else."…Three years later, I

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