To surprise my adopted daughter on her birthday, I pretended to reject her request for a luxury car as a gift.

Jokingly, I told her that my company had gone bankrupt, and she would no longer be able to live the life of a rich lady.

I expected her to reassure me, to say we'd face difficulties together.

But instead, her expression changed the moment she realized I wasn’t joking.

"Are you crazy? Why did you have to go bankrupt on my birthday?

If you were going to fail anyway, couldn’t you have picked another day?"

"My biological parents were right. A woman like you was never meant to stay rich forever."

Before I could even react, she pulled out a termination agreement she had prepared in advance.

Looking at her flushed, angry face, I felt my heart grow cold.

Without a word, I signed the papers.

Once the formalities were done, I turned around and bought a luxury car worth tens of millions—right in front of her.

As she stood there, stunned and confused, I simply smiled.

"Do you like it? This was supposed to be your gift."

——

The moment I got home, exhausted and barely able to catch my breath, my adopted daughter, Brooke Stone, ran up to me, grinning and holding a tablet.

"Mom! You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for hours. I’m so sleepy."

Despite my fatigue, I forced a smile. "Why are you still up so late?"

Ignoring my question, she eagerly showed me the tablet.

"Mom, you know my birthday is in a week. You’re always busy, so I figured you’d forget to buy me a gift.

I picked it out myself—now you just have to pay!

Aren’t I considerate?"

I followed her gaze to the screen.

A pink Maserati.

Three million. Not expensive for me.

Before, I would have agreed without hesitation. But this time, I paused.

"You already have a sports car and a sedan. Why do you need another one?"

For the first time, I refused her request.

Her expression darkened immediately.

"Why are you being so stingy? It’s only three million! That’s nothing for you!"

"You’re right," she scoffed. "You bought me two cars. But I already gave them to my dad and brother ages ago.

I don’t have a car anymore."

I had always known she stayed in touch with her biological father and brother, but I never imagined she would give away the gifts I bought her.

My expression turned cold.

But Brooke acted as if she didn’t notice and continued, "My dad is a man—he can’t just take taxis everywhere, right?"

"And my brother became an adult last year.

Like his sister, it was my duty to get him a coming-of-age gift.

Wouldn’t I be heartless if I didn’t?"

"You just don’t understand how the world works.

Sure, you adopted me, but my dad and brother are my real family—

my blood ties. And yet, despite all your wealth,

you didn’t give them anything.

So, of course, I had to step up."

Her voice trembled, as if she was the one being wronged.

I didn’t comfort her. Instead, I asked coldly, "So, adopting you means I have to support your entire family?

Your lazy, gambling father and your unemployed brother—am I supposed to provide for them, too?"

Brooke flinched, guilt flashing across her face.

But then, she turned defiant.

"Mom, what are you even saying?" she snapped.

"That’s my dad. My real dad.

Blood is thicker than water.

You expect me to be like you?

Alone, without family or friends, just because you’re an orphan?

You’ve never been married.

You don’t have children of your own.

You wouldn’t understand."

I was furious.

Before I could say another word, she turned away.

Brooke snapped angrily, "Mom, I’m a sentimental person, so I’ve always remembered my father and my brother. But isn’t that what you taught me? You said we should never forget where we come from, and that gratitude is the root of one’s character. Do you really want me to become an ungrateful person?"

"If I forget my father and brother, won’t I eventually forget the kindness you’ve shown me for raising me all these years? The way I treat them now only proves how loyal and filial I’ll be to you in the future!"

I sighed deeply. Brooke had a point—I had taught her those values. Maybe it wasn’t entirely wrong for her to cherish family ties. With that thought, my expression softened.

Sensing her advantage, Brooke pressed on eagerly, "Then hurry up and buy it for me!"

But I still shook my head. "I can’t buy this car for you, sweetheart."

What Brooke didn’t know was that I had already ordered a limited edition Ferrari for her at the start of the year. Based on the timeline, it should arrive in just two days. Since a better car was on the way, there was no need to buy this one.

Brooke’s face fell instantly, her frustration spilling over. She kept asking why, over and over.

After a long, exhausting day, her persistent nagging grated on my already aching head. Annoyed and desperate to end the conversation quickly, I blurted out, "Because… because I don’t have any money. I’m… I’m bankrupt!"

The room fell into an eerie silence. Brooke’s expression froze as if she’d been struck by lightning, and I had to fight the urge to laugh.

After what felt like an eternity, she stammered, "Mom… are you serious? You’re joking, right? That’s not funny. Just tell me the truth."

Determined to keep up the surprise, I stayed in character. "I’m not joking. The economy’s been bad these past couple of years. You’ve seen how I’ve been working non-stop, coming home late, leaving early."

"I’m serious. The company’s bankrupt. The house and the cars… all mortgaged."

Decades in the business world had sharpened my acting skills, and Brooke’s disbelief quickly melted into reluctant acceptance. I expected her, someone who valued family bonds, to encourage me, comfort me, or even promise to stand by my side through tough times.

But I was wrong.

Brooke shoved me aside, her face flushing with rage. "Are you insane? You went bankrupt now—on my birthday? Couldn’t you have gone bankrupt earlier?"

"I’ve already told all my friends and classmates about the grand birthday party I’m throwing. I even bragged about showing up in a luxury car! And now you’re telling me this? Do you have any idea how humiliating this is for me?"

"You’ve ruined everything! How did I end up with a foster mother like you?"

Her words hit me like a slap. I was stunned, completely blindsided. My heart sank. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tried to reason with her gently, "Brooke, don’t be so upset. I can still recover. Over the years, I’ve given you plenty of private savings. If you could just help me out, I—"

Before I could finish, Brooke cut me off sharply. "My money? What money? I already used it to buy a house for my father and brother. Do you think supporting two men is easy?"

Maybe it was my audacity to even ask for money that finally pushed Brooke over the edge. She began pacing back and forth, fuming.

"Of course! My dad and my brother were right all along," she snapped bitterly. "A woman can’t stay rich forever—especially one without a man. It’s only a matter of time before she loses everything."

"If I’d known you’d go bankrupt this soon, I wouldn’t have held back. I should’ve squeezed more money out of you while I still had the chance."

"It's all so sudden. I don’t even have a total of one million left. What am I supposed to do in the future?"

I sneered inwardly but kept my tone calm. "If you still have one million, we could—"

Brooke cut me off again. "Dream on! That money is for me, my father, and my brother. Why would you get a share? If you weren’t so useless and had planned ahead, I wouldn’t be stuck with a pauper like you!"

"Someone like you should’ve never adopted me. If you hadn’t, maybe a real rich family would’ve taken me in, and I’d be living a perfect life. You ruined everything for me. Do you even realize that?"

"Useless. Women are useless! My dad was right all along!"

I never expected that a simple joke would make Brooke blurt out her true feelings.

She must’ve lived in comfort for so long that she’d forgotten how she once collapsed from hunger after being beaten bloody by her biological father—for daring to eat a steamed bun.

I still remember how she knelt in front of me, sobbing, her forehead pressed to the cold ground as she begged me to save her.

I’ve never been fond of children, but there was something in her desperate, hollow eyes that pierced through me. So, I helped her. I didn’t just save her—I adopted her.

If it weren’t for my kindness back then, there would probably be weeds growing taller than her grave by now.

Yet, all the love and care I gave her only nurtured ingratitude.

The memories of the past ten years played out in my mind like scenes from an old film. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even react to Brooke’s rant. Noticing my silence, she suddenly stopped talking.

She shoved me impatiently. "I forgot to ask—people say even a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. So, tell me the truth—how much money do you really have left?"

"I remember you own several houses. What’s your plan for those?"

Seeing the greedy glint in her eyes, I knew exactly what she wanted—to squeeze out whatever value she could still get from me.

My voice was hoarse. "Why do you want to know that?"

Deep down, even though I’d already told myself she was ungrateful, I still hoped—hoped she’d suddenly take it back, say she didn’t mean it, that she was just upset, and she really did care.

But Brooke rolled her eyes. "Why bother asking? You already know."

"You adopted me and promised to give me a good life. But that ‘good life’ only lasted a little over ten years. What about the decades ahead?"

"Besides, it’s easy to get used to luxury, but going back to living frugally? That’s torture. I’ll need money to adjust, obviously. So, give it to me."

"Think about it—giving me the money makes the most sense. You’ve already lost your fortune once, so what’s the point of holding onto the rest? You’ll just waste it. But me? I might not get rich, but I’ll never go bankrupt."

I kept my face expressionless. "And what about me? What do you expect me to do?"

"What do you do? What’s that got to do with me?" Brooke blurted out, then quickly backpedaled. "No, wait—I mean, you’re still young. You can get a job, you don’t need money to survive. You’ll manage. I’m the one who really needs support."

Although I wasn’t actually bankrupt, I couldn’t hold back a cold laugh.

"Too bad for you—I’m not just bankrupt. Every house and car under my name has been mortgaged, including the one under your name."

Her face froze.

"And since you’re legally my daughter, the court will repossess that car too. They’ll probably come for it next week. So don’t even think about buying a new one—you won’t even be able to keep the old one."