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."

I spoke nonsense, knowing Brooke didn’t understand the law anyway. But as soon as I finished, she completely lost it—furious enough to tear the roof off the house. However, her rage didn’t last long. She quickly muttered to herself, “Good thing I was prepared. Otherwise, you’d have completely ruined me.”

I frowned, confused. “Prepared? For what?”

Brooke ignored me, stomping upstairs to her bedroom. A few minutes later, she came back down, tossing a file folder onto the table in front of me. “Open it.”

Without hesitation, I did. Inside was an agreement to terminate the adoption relationship. The paper felt slightly rough, faintly dusty—it had clearly been around for years.

Brooke smiled smugly. “It’s the weekend now. As soon as you sign this, we’ll process it first thing Monday morning. That way, we’ll have nothing to do with each other, and the property under my name will be safe!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “So, you’ve been planning this for a long time?”

Brooke nodded proudly. “Of course. My father always said a woman like you—rebellious, refusing to marry or have kids—was bound to face karma someday. I’ve kept this agreement ready, just waiting for you to screw up so I could cut ties with you.”

She shoved a pen into my hand. “If you really love me as much as you claim, sign it quickly.”

I didn’t even hesitate—I signed my name right away.

Watching me sign, Brooke looked genuinely relieved. “Finally, some sense. I thought you’d cling to me like you did when you first adopted me.”

I set the pen down, feeling an unexpected sense of release. I’ve always been rational—I don’t let betrayal shake me.

In fact, I felt lucky. If I hadn’t joked around earlier, it’s easy to imagine what would’ve happened down the line—Brooke inheriting everything and tossing me out like garbage.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Cling to you? Have you forgotten? If it weren’t for me, your father would’ve beaten you to death. And even if you’d survived, you’d have been sold off for a dowry the moment you turned of age.”

Brooke rolled her eyes. “Still trying to twist things, huh? My father only beat me because I misbehaved. Whose kid doesn’t get hit? It’s normal.”

“And what’s wrong with a dowry? It’s normal for a woman to contribute to her family and support her brother after marriage. Without a brother to carry on the family name, our family would be considered childless. Don’t you get it? You don’t even have grandchildren!”

She sighed with relief, as if unburdening herself. “I’ve wanted to say this for a long time. I never really saw you as a mother. I was just waiting for you to hand over everything so I could figure out how to get rid of you.”

“You’re heartless. Cold-blooded. An orphan like you would never understand the bond between siblings! Whatever, I’m done wasting my breath. I’m going to find my real family—my father and brother.”

I didn’t stop her. I simply told her to leave the packed jewelry behind, reminding her that all those items were registered, and taking them without permission would be illegal.

Brooke glared at me, grumbling curses in her hometown dialect—words I didn’t understand. But before she left, she made sure to remind me, “Don’t forget to meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau on Monday.”

Monday arrived quickly.

When I got to the Civil Affairs Bureau, Brooke was already there, flanked by Nette Dixon and her brother, Dwight Dixon. As soon as Brooke saw me, she let out a visible sigh of relief.

Nette sized me up with a smug, condescending look. “After all these years of Brooke calling you ‘Mom,’ don’t you think you should give her a little more money?”