On my mother’s seventieth birthday party, I ran around handling various matters, paying out of pocket and putting in all the work. I did not even have the time to sit down and drink a sip of water.

When I finally found the time to surprise her, I prepared eighty-eight grams of gold jewelry as her gift. Just as I was about to give it to her, I heard her talking to the other relatives. “See that? My daughter is truly my sweetheart. She woke up so early this morning to bake me this cake. I wouldn’t trade this cake for gold.”

Our relatives immediately began praising my younger sister, Jessie Radley, for being so devoted. Only a couple of them pushed back. “Why aren’t you praising your eldest daughter, Mary? I heard she handled the entire birthday party.”

“Tch. She only knows how to muddle through things. None of it had been done to my liking. Jessie is the good one. She got up at seven in the morning just to bake me this cake.”

I turned around and walked away from the doorway.

Since she loved Jessie so much, she could pay for this birthday party, worth eighty thousand dollars.

I stood outside the private dining hall. Laughter and cheerful chatter drifted out from inside, but I felt chills spreading through my body.

The gold in my hands felt heavy. I imagined it mocking my own foolish love.

“That’s not quite fair. A party this big couldn’t have been cheap. Both of your daughters work hard to earn money, and one stays close to keep you company. You really are blessed.”

Mom’s expression immediately soured. “Yeah? Who knows what she does out there, or where her money comes from? All she does is embarrass me.

“Thankfully, Jessie knows the hotel owner. Mary could never have booked such a high-end venue.”

The crowd’s attention shifted instantly to Jessie, who was sitting right beside Mom. She smiled faintly, “Mom, you worked so hard raising us. This is nothing. As long as you are happy, that’s all that matters.”

“As for Mary, I saw her a few days ago getting out of an old man’s car. Maybe her work really is that busy.”

The room fell into an awkward silence. Their expressions suggested that they were beginning to believe I was doing something shady outside.

In truth, that “old man” was my boss. That day, we had gone together to meet a business partner, and he had simply given me a ride afterward.

Just like that, I, the real organizer of the party, was completely forgotten. The praise shifted entirely to Jessie.

I looked at the jewelry in my hand: a gold necklace, a gold bracelet, and a pair of gold earrings.

Mom often used to talk about how she sold off her wedding jewelry in order to raise Jessie and me.

Guilt had gnawed at me every time she said it. I went through old photographs, bought gold bars, and commissioned a craftsman to recreate the exact same pieces of jewelry, hoping to make her happy.

It seemed pointless at that moment.

I placed the jewelry back into my bag and pushed the door open. “Since when did Jessie know the owner of this hotel, too?”

Since they had trampled on my sincerity, there was no reason for me to spare them any dignity.

The room fell completely silent. Mom’s gaze flickered before she frowned sharply. “You’re so rude! You didn’t even knock. Is this how I taught you? Did you just leave all the guests outside like that? Hurry up and get out.”

I smiled wordlessly, walked over, found an empty seat, and picked up a glass of water from the table. I chugged it all in one go.

I had been up since five in the morning. After hours of nonstop working and hosting guests, I had not had a single sip of water. My throat had long since gone dry.

“It’s not my birthday today. You’re the star of the day, yet you’re not greeting your guests out there. Why should I go instead?” I smiled and asked after setting the glass down.

“Besides, didn’t you say that all I ever do is embarrass you? In that case, I really shouldn’t show my face, so I don’t ruin your mood.”

The moment those words left my mouth, everyone realized that I had overheard their conversation. Their expressions turned uneasy.

Mom, on the other hand, seemed to realize there was no point hiding it anymore. “Why are you so petty? I’m your mother. I was just saying a few words for your own good.”

I laughed coldly. “For my own good? I’ve never seen a mother spread such filthy rumors about her own daughter. Every single day, I work from dawn to dusk. Somehow, in your eyes, that equates to shameful activities.”

I met her gaze without the slightest fear. I was trying to pick her thoughts.

Sensing the tension, Jessie stood up and tried to smooth things over. “Mary, Mom was just joking. It’s her birthday today. Let’s not ruin the mood.”

She reached out for me, but I avoided her hand.

I had not even gotten to her yet. Since she insisted on intervening, I did not hold back.

“Why are you pretending to be a good person? Who’s that tattooed guy on your Instagram? Did you think I wouldn’t recognize him?”

“What tattooed guy? What are you talking about?!” Jessie immediately shrieked in denial.

Mom rushed over and shoved me. “What nonsense are you spouting? Stop accusing Jessie.”

“She knows perfectly well what I’m talking about. Jessie, do you dare to show us your Instagram right now?”

Jessie hesitated. She did not even dare to take her phone out.

Mom, oblivious to that hesitation, answered for her, “Of course she would. I can see Jessie’s Instagram, too. What’s there to be afraid of?”

I burst out laughing. “Are you really that foolish? You only see what she wants you to see. So much is being hidden from you. Your precious daughter is a heavy smoker and drinker.”

Jessie was a full decade younger than me. Rather than a sister, she was more like half a daughter to me.

When she started university, I had already been working for several years.

I fully covered her university tuition and living expenses. She often complained that she never had enough money, yet those complaints coincided with a sharp rise in nightclub visits. She could spend one or two thousand dollars in a single night.

I told her to stop going to those places and put more effort into her studies. She did not listen at all and even accused me of being old-fashioned and meddlesome. She said she was already an adult and asked what was wrong with having a drink or two.

She was not entirely wrong. Having some fun was part of adulthood, so I did not press the issue further. I only reminded her to protect herself and avoid questionable characters.

The problem was her good-girl pretenses in front of Mom. She hid all her crazy nightlife from Mom on Instagram.

“Jessie, take out your phone and show it to everyone. My daughter would never do something like that!” Mom shot me a glare and demanded that Jessie hand over her phone.

Jessie did not respond after a long wait. Mom finally noticed something off.

To my surprise, Mom still did not blame Jessie. Instead, she turned all her anger toward me.

“You really have to ruin my day, do you? Do you even respect me as your mother anymore? Look, Jessie got up at seven this morning just to make me a birthday cake. And you? What have you done?”

The baseless accusations ignited my rage. Even though I had known since childhood that Mom favored Jessie because she was younger, and that taking more care of her was to be expected, this was no longer mere favoritism. This was emotional abuse.

“I got up at five. For the entire month, I’ve been working while also organizing your birthday party. Who do you think invited all these guests?”

“Stop claiming all the credit. You only made a few phone calls. What else did you actually do? You didn’t go into the kitchen to cook, did you? Why would you be tired?”

So in her eyes, all my effort to please her had amounted to nothing more than a few phone calls.

“If Jessie hadn’t known the hotel owner, you wouldn’t even have been able to book this place,” Mom added smugly. Pride was plain on her face.

I stood right across them and felt chills run down my spine. I had been reduced to an outsider.

Since that was the case, there was no point continuing the conversation. I turned around and walked out.

Mom scoffed behind me. She assumed I had retreated in fear.

But no, I was not afraid at all. I was already working out new plans in my mind.

After leaving the private dining hall, I went straight to the manager’s office. The hotel manager, Liam Kennedy, immediately stood up when he saw me.

“Miss Radley, is there anything wrong with the party?”

My company had worked with this hotel many times. Our business dinners were often held there. Initially, the venue had been fully booked, but Liam had rearranged things and freed up a hall as a favor for me.

I shook my head. “No. Everything’s fine.”

I sat down and calmly instructed him to handle a few matters.