Daphne looked deeply wronged.

Her voice was trembling as she spoke between sobs, “Lina, I know you’re upset with me. But the house was Mom and Dad’s idea. I tried to stop them.”

I laughed coldly.

“Did you think about how I’d feel when you posted that on Instagram? You knew I was looking at that same complex.”

Unable to bear seeing his favorite daughter upset, my father instinctively started berating me again.

“Daphne is younger than you. What of it, if we look out for her a little more? Isn’t it your job as the older sister to give her a break?”

Tsk, tsk, tsk. There it was again.

“I’ve given enough. From now on, I’m done. My paycheck, my time, and my life all belong to me.”

My mother’s voice trembled as she asked, “So that’s it? You’re just walking out on us?”

“I’ll do my basic duty as a daughter. Beyond that, I’m done with this family,” I said calmly.

My father shot up from his seat.

“You ungrateful child!”

I met his gaze without flinching.

“Ungrateful? After everything I’ve sacrificed? I gave so much I almost lost myself along the way.”

Daphne grabbed my arm and put on that pleading tone she had used countless times before.

“Lina, please don’t be like this. I was wrong, okay? I’ll give the house back if you want.”

But her pleading no longer worked on me.

I gently pulled my arm free and said in a cold and detached voice, “Keep it. That house is your safety net. I’ll just build my own.”

The office fell silent as I studied their faces.

An angry father. A weeping mother. A panicked younger sister.

Strangely, there was no longer any pain in my heart, only a lightness of relief.

...

My father refused to back down and kept trying to guilt-trip me.

‘“Just build my own’? Easy for you to say. If we hadn’t paid for your education, where would you even be?

“Now that you’ve got some money and power, do you think you can just walk out? Let me tell you this: that’s not happening.”

My mother lunged forward and grabbed my wrist.

“Lina, you can’t be this cruel! What are we supposed to do without you? We need your money to keep this household running!”

I pried her fingers off and said coldly, “That’s not my problem anymore. Daphne got a house, didn’t she? Let her sell it and solve the problem.”

“Lina, when did you turn into such a cold-hearted monster?!”

Daphne’s face went pale with anger.

I could not be bothered to waste any more words on them. I turned to leave.

“Stop.” My father’s voice shifted. Something about it made my stomach drop.

“If you walk out that door, don’t call me ruthless.”

My heart sank. I turned back, wary.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He pulled out his phone and waved it casually.

“Before you got here, I had a little chat with Mr. Jenkins.

“I told him you’ve been embezzling company funds, and that we’re trying to fix this mess for you.”

I could not believe my ears.

“Are you out of your mind? That’s libel!”

Seeing me finally start to panic, my mother smoothly chimed in.

“Is it? But you do send money home every month. If we all testify that the funds came from questionable sources, do you think the company will still trust you?”

A chill ran through my entire body. I finally understood why they had chosen to cause a scene at my company.

It had not been a spur-of-the-moment outburst. It was a meticulously planned setup.

“Mr. Jenkins won’t buy such a pathetic lie.”

I forced myself to stay calm.

My father let out a cold laugh.

“He doesn’t have to believe it completely.

“All he needs is a shred of doubt. You really think he’ll risk sending someone with a tarnished reputation on a major overseas project?”

Daphne added, “Lina, if you just stay, we’ll tell everyone it was all a misunderstanding.”