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.

Laughter quickly returned to the private dining hall after I left. When it was time to begin the meal, Mom stepped out to receive wishes from the guests.

Just as the atmosphere of the party reached its peak, Liam entered the hall with several staff members.

“Mrs. Radley, happy birthday on behalf of the hotel. This bottle of champagne is a gift from our hotel.”

Mom’s aged face bloomed with a smile. “Thank you. This looks wonderful!”

Before she could enjoy it, the bill was placed in front of her. “The total for this party comes to eighty thousand dollars. Would you like to pay by card or cash?”

The dining hall was noisy, yet his words cut cleanly through the chatter, landing in everyone’s ears.

Mom’s smile froze. “How much did you say?”

“Eighty thousand dollars. Since this was a familiar booking, no deposit was collected beforehand. The full amount is due now.”

Mom did not even have eight thousand dollars, let alone eighty thousand. It was impossible.

She rummaged through her belongings for a long time but found nothing. After a moment, she seemed to recall something and hurriedly said, “This party was booked by Mary Radley. Go ask Mary for the payment. Why are you asking me?”

Liam maintained a polite smile. “We don’t know anyone named Mary Radley. You’re the host of this party, so naturally, we’re collecting payment from you.”

Mom looked around the hall in panic. She finally realized that I was nowhere to be seen.

“Mary! Mary! Where did you go? Get out here, now!”

She no longer cared about saving face. She shouted several times, but no one answered. She pulled out her phone and made call after call, but none were picked up.

“Madam, how do you plan to pay? If payment cannot be made, we may have to involve the police,” Liam said as he placed the card reader in front of her.

“Wait, wait. There is no need to call the police over something so small.” Mom hurriedly stopped him.

She lowered her voice in front of our numerous relatives and friends and pulled Jessie aside.

“Didn’t you say you knew the hotel owner? Go talk to him. See if we can delay the payment for a couple of days. Your sister’s not here, and I can’t come up with this much money right now.”

At a loss of words, Jessie let out a startled sound.

“What are you standing there for?” Mom urged. “Go. Everyone is watching.”

Left with no choice, Jessie walked up to Liam and said stiffly, “Mary was the one who booked the party. You should be asking her for the money. Besides, we’re still eating. Why are you collecting payment now? Couldn’t we settle this after the meal?”

She hoped to stall for as long as possible. But Liam, following my instructions, did not budge.

“Where is your sister? If you can bring her here, she can pay. Since no deposit was collected, if you leave without paying after you finish your meal, who would I look for then?”

“We’re not going to run. I’ll find Mary and make her pay.”

Liam remained unmoved. Mom finally lost her patience and stepped forward. “Jessie knows the hotel owner. We’re all acquaintances. Can’t you make an exception?”

“Madam, do you truly know our owner?”

Jessie did not dare answer. She did not know the hotel owner at all. She had only ever met him because I once brought her here for a buffet and happened to exchange greetings with him. I had briefly introduced her in passing. He had likely forgotten her long ago. There was no reason for him to give her any special consideration.

“I’m very sorry. I suspect you’re attempting to skip payment. We’ll proceed with calling the police.”

At that, Mom panicked and immediately pulled out a bank card. “I’ll pay. I’ll pay, all right?”

I recognized that card immediately. It was the one I had given her. Every month, I transferred her living expenses into it. So it was still my money.

It would not be enough to pay up. Mom and Jessie emptied their pockets, scraping together just over twenty thousand.

Liam’s mention of the police had only been meant to frighten them. He simply told them to make up the remaining payment in a few days and then left.

Watching them humiliate themselves through the CCTV lifted my mood considerably. I left the hotel without a second thought and no longer concerned myself with them.

That night, Mom sent me a message asking me to transfer money to her immediately. Otherwise, she would disown me.

I did not even read it. I deleted the message outright.

I finally understood it all. No matter what I did, in her heart, I would never measure up to Jessie’s hair.

Since that was the case, why should I exhaust myself trying to please her? I might as well give up the pretense and do whatever I pleased.

I went to work as usual the next day. While I was in a meeting, I suddenly received a call from the police.

They told me that the lock on my apartment door had been forced open and thieves had broken in.

Fortunately, the security guards had noticed in time. The intruders were swiftly restrained before they could do anything more.

I frowned. I lived in a high-end residential complex. The idea that thieves would pry open doors there made no sense.

With that thought, I quickly pulled up the CCTV footage.

The moment I saw the true faces of the intruders, everything clicked into place.