Marlene saw me quietly sneer and got even more cocky.

“Back when we went to Sinapor, you put us up in ocean-view rooms and treated us to fancy seafood feasts. When we went to Gapan, we soaked in hot springs and went on shopping sprees.

“I always wondered how Mom’s tiny pension could cover all that cost. You’ve been draining her savings this whole time, haven’t you? Whatever you said it cost, Mom just paid up. How could you be so greedy?

“Did Mom give you too much money this time? Did your greed get the better of you? Did you pocket the whole thing?”

Shaun, who had been standing by and watching the show, could no longer hold back.

Instead of enjoying the free Eropean trip he had been looking forward to, he had to face chicken waste and mud all over the ground.

His disappointment made him vent all his anger on me.

“Noelle, this is wrong!”

He clasped his hands behind his back and put on the air of an elder lecturing a young person.

“Mabel trusted you when she handed you that money. How could you abuse that trust to line your own pocket? If this gets out, where does that leave the Grath family’s reputation?”

Faced with the barrage of accusations, I did not rush to defend myself. Instead, I turned and looked at my husband, Camden Grath, who had been silent the whole time.

Whenever Mabel and Marlene attacked me, he always stayed silent.

“Cam, do you also think I pocketed Mom’s money?”

Camden stiffened when I called him out.

He looked up, then quickly looked away. He put on a helpless expression.

“Noelle, just drop it already.”

He sighed. His tone was full of reproach.

“Mom’s getting old, and she’s not in great health. How could you upset her like this? Even if… even if the money she gave you wasn’t enough, you still shouldn’t have handled things this way.

“It’s not like we’re strapped for cash. Aren’t you usually on top of things? Why do you have to make such a big, ugly scene this time?”

I figured this would happen. But it still hurt to hear him say it out loud.

“Do you think I’m a fool? Am I supposed to use my own money to fill the bottomless pit of your mom and your sister’s whims? On top of that, I get blamed for lining my pocket!”

Camden waved his hand impatiently.

“We’re a family. You make more money. What does it matter if you have to chip in a little extra? All those other trips we took, I never heard you complain about money. Why are you suddenly making such a big deal over $400 this time?

“Look how upset you’ve made Mom! Apologize to her right now. Then, go book a decent hotel. Don’t let Shaun and Karen see this train wreck.”

His words killed off whatever feelings I had left for him.

Previously, when I covered the costs, he played dumb.

He enjoyed the illusion of a harmonious family and the reputation of being a devoted son.

Since I stopped covering the costs, he blamed me for being unreasonable.

He had taken me and my contribution for granted.

Meanwhile, his complaint against me was that I was being petty.

When Mabel saw that Camden was on her side, she became bolder.

She sobbed and said, “Cam, look at Noelle. She doesn’t even respect you anymore! What did I do to deserve a spendthrift daughter-in-law in this family?”

Marlene chimed in, “Cam, you can’t protect her this time! You have to make her give back all the money she pocketed!”

Seeing the whole family putting up a show, I laughed.

“Fine! Since you’re so determined to drag this out…”

I pulled out the document folder from my bag and held it out.

“Then, let’s hash it out properly!”

As soon as Mabel saw the brown paper document folder, she panicked.

She suddenly did not seem so tough anymore.

She knew all too well what was inside it.

“Alright, that’s enough! We’re a family trying to enjoy a trip. Why’re you waving some ragged bag around in public? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Mabel interrupted me. “We’ll settle the accounts when we get home. Everyone’s tired right now. Just take us to our rooms so we can rest.

“Sure, we didn’t make it to Erope. But the money I gave you should at least be enough to book a presidential suite in this rundown farm stay, right?”

Seeing her act so tough while clearly panicking, I sneered to myself.

“Fine. Let’s go see the rooms then.”

I led the group across the courtyard to a row of red brick and tile houses.

“We’re here!”

I pushed open one of the doors.

It was a standard farm stay room.

There were two single beds. The floor was bare cement to keep that natural, rustic feel.

Though simple, it was clean and tidy. It met the standard for a farm stay.

Marlene covered her nose and shrieked.

“You actually expect us to stay in a place like this?! There’s not even a carpet! My suitcase is going to get ruined!”

Karen also looked disgusted.

“Oh gosh, Mabel! So, this is your idea of a luxury trip? The stench in here is so bad. I’m afraid I’ll catch some disease! This is worse than the company dorms I lived in back in the day!”

Mabel’s face darkened when Karen made a snide remark about her.

Camden also frowned and walked inside to take a look around. When he came out, he looked displeased.

“Noelle, this really is pretty bad.

“Mom’s getting older. Her back isn’t good. How’s she supposed to sleep on a mattress this hard? And Marlene was spoiled rotten growing up. She’s never stayed anywhere like this. Go and ask if they have any upgraded suites or maybe a private cabin or something.”

After pausing for a while, he added matter-of-factly, “Mom already said the money she gave you was enough for a presidential suite. Don’t be cheap. The whole point of a trip is to have fun. Stop pinching pennies.”

“No can do.”

I leaned against the doorframe and said calmly, “This is the best room here. There are six of us, so we need three rooms. There are also transport services to consider. The budget’s already tapped out.”

“Nonsense!”

Marlene yelled, “Mom gave you several thousand dollars! How could it only cover this much? You definitely pocketed it!”

Mabel’s eyes darted around. She did not dare admit she had only given me $400. But she also did not want to stay in this rundown place.

She could only harden her resolve and guilt-trip me.

“Noelle, I know it’s not easy for you to manage the household. But I did send you the money. Did you use it to help out your own family instead?”

Marlene lost it when she heard that.

“Help out your family?! Noelle, once you married Camden, you became part of the Grath family. Your money is our money! How could you take our money and give it away? You’re robbing from your own family to help outsiders!”

I shot her a cold glare.

“You’ve been married for three years, too. So by your logic, you’re not part of this family anymore. How do you still have the nerve to come back and bleed your mom’s retirement dry? How can you still make her buy you a car and pay off your husband’s gambling debts?”

“That’s nonsense!”

Marlene’s face turned bright red from embarrassment, but her gaze wavered.

“That’s just Mom being good to me! Mom’s money is my money. I can do whatever I want with it!”

I laughed. Then, I turned to look at Mabel, who had been pretending to be clueless.

“Mabel, your monthly $800 pension fund all went to Marlene’s husband’s bar tab, didn’t it?”

I counted on my fingers.

“Two years ago, Marlene’s husband hit someone while drunk-driving. The settlement was $10,000. You paid it, didn’t you? Last year, he said he was going to bid on a construction project and scammed you out of $12,000. Then, he gambled it all away. You bailed him out again, didn’t you?”

I had never exposed these things before for the sake of keeping the family together. But since we had dropped all pretense today, I was going to make sure no one was having a good time.

Upon hearing that, Camden looked at his mother in disbelief.

“Mom, is Noelle telling the truth? You gave all your retirement money to Marlene?!”