"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?”

Without waiting for my response, Brooke snapped impatiently, “Dad, stop with the pointless talk. She’s broke. If I don’t finalize the paperwork, she’ll cling to me forever.”

Nette gave a regretful sigh. “Well, if there’s no money, there’s still her. She’s got some charm left. After she’s bankrupt, no one else will want her. Might as well come to my house—do the laundry, cook during the day, and keep me company at night.”

His words made my teeth clench with rage, but I swallowed my anger. After all, Brooke was still legally my daughter. “Are we doing this or not? If not, I’m leaving. I’m not the one desperate here.”

Brooke didn’t dare argue with Nette, so she shot me a glare. “You seduced my dad without any decency. Just get inside and handle the paperwork.”

The process was quick and straightforward. Soon enough, Brooke and I were no longer connected in any legal sense. With that, Nette dropped all pretenses.

“So, what do you think? My offer still stands. I told you years ago to marry me, but you refused. If you’d listened, you’d be home now, taking care of your husband and kids, not going bankrupt.”

He reached out to grab me, but before he could lay a finger on me, my bodyguard stepped in. “Ms. Stone, the car is ready,” he said coolly.

I didn’t bother wasting words on this pathetic bunch. I simply turned and got into the luxury car—a million-dollar beauty I’d originally planned as a gift for Brooke.

Seeing me in the car, Brooke rushed over and yanked the door open without thinking. “Wait, aren’t you bankrupt? How can you afford a new car?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I smiled. “Do you like it? It was supposed to be your birthday present. But, well, seems like you missed out. Guess I’ll enjoy it myself.”

“My gift?” Brooke stared at the car, disbelief etched on her face. “No way. This car costs at least ten million. You’re bankrupt—where’d you get that kind of money?”

I chuckled and replied with a question of my own. “Who said I was really bankrupt?”

Brooke blinked, dumbfounded. “You did. You said it yourself.”

Nette chimed in, nodding smugly. “Yeah, right after Brooke came home, I went to check out your company. The place was a wreck, just scavengers picking through junk. If that’s not bankruptcy, what is?”

“Do you really think I’d let Brooke terminate the adoption without knowing exactly what I’m doing?” I said calmly. “I know my situation better than anyone. Too bad I’m not a man—it’s still easier for men to make money in this world.”

Brooke’s confidence returned. “Exactly! My dad’s a man—he can see right through women like you.”

Dwight snickered. “Sis, can’t you tell? She rented that car. All your schooling, and you still can’t spot the obvious.”

But Brooke didn’t get angry. She smirked. “I didn’t realize it at first, but you’re right, Dwight. If you were a girl, you’d be as naive as she is. Women are so predictable.”

She turned back to me, her smile dripping with condescension. “I thought you were a smart, successful woman. But here you are, pulling cheap tricks. You rented this car to make me think you’re not bankrupt, hoping I’d regret cutting ties. Pathetic.”

Nette ran his hand over the car’s sleek surface, laughing. “This thing must cost a fortune to rent. You’re not young anymore. Can you even afford it? Or are you planning to pay it off the old-fashioned way—selling yourself? Hahaha!”