"I just got pregnant with my second child, so my health is extremely fragile right now. Why did you push Tyler to the ground? Who's going to take care of me? I'll kill you if anything happens to the baby!" Alison threatened.

Seeing the disastrous state of the room, my mother, Elaine Rowe, froze for a moment, then frowned. She quickly walked over to help Tyler up.

"Oh dear, the floor's freezing and covered in broken glass. Come on, get up. Celeste didn't get cut, did she?"

Mom took Celeste from Tyler's arms and examined her from head to toe. Only after confirming Celeste was completely unharmed did she let out a sigh of relief.

Then, she turned to glare at me.

"Arlene, you're a grown woman. How can you still hold a grudge against a child? Celeste is only five years old—she doesn't know any better."

I pointed at the fragments on the floor.

"Those were my collectibles, worth seven figures. She might not know any better, but Tyler certainly should."

Alison let out a scornful laugh and kicked a severed figurine head aside.

"Seven figures? Arlene, if you're going to lie, at least come up with something more believable. I mean, as if this pile of plastic junk could ever be worth a million dollars. You must be out of your mind for money!"

Tyler groaned, clutching his lower back.

"Honey, my stomach hurts. Arlene is trying to scam us. She just can't stand seeing us do well and wants to swindle me out of my savings."

My father, Nate Manning, said grimly, "Enough! It's Christmas—don't be a buzzkill by bringing up all this talk about money. They're just toys. So what if they're broken? Out with the old, in with the new, I'd say."

He turned to look at me. "Clean up this room right now. There's glass everywhere. What if Celeste gets cut? Once it's clean, come down and make dinner. Tyler's had a shock, so you're cooking tonight."

With that, he waved his hand and told Alison to help Tyler downstairs.

The whole family clustered together and left.

No one gave the mess on the floor a second glance or asked if I was hurt or sad.

I stood there watching them disappear down the stairwell.

So much for family.

I crouched down, my hands trembling as I picked up Singer's head. The vinyl surface was marked with deep footprints from Celeste's shoes, dirt embedded in the figurine's eyes.

I took out my phone and photographed and recorded videos from every angle, capturing every detail of the fragments and every corner that had been destroyed, including the cabinet door that had been kicked in.

After finishing all that, I got a broom and carefully swept the fragments into a cardboard box.

Once the room was cleaned up, I was about to lock the door and head downstairs.

I took the key out of my pocket and inserted it into the lock. However, it wouldn't turn.

I froze for a moment. Then, I pulled it out and tried again. Still, it wouldn't turn.

I bent down to take a closer look at the keyhole.

The brand-new cylindrical lock gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen.

This wasn't my original door lock. They had changed it for me!

The sound of television and Celeste's laughter drifted up from downstairs.

The dining table was already covered with walnut shells and pomegranate peels.

Tyler was lying on the couch scrolling through his phone, while Alison sat beside him peeling grapes for him.

Mom was busy in the kitchen, the range hood rumbling loudly.

I tossed the useless key onto the living room coffee table with a clatter.

Alison flinched, and a grape fell to the ground.

She shot me a glare and asked, "What is wrong with you?"

"Who changed the lock on my room?"

Alison picked up the grape and blew on it before popping it into her mouth.

"I did. What about it?" She even had the nerve to sound justified. "The previous fingerprint lock broke, so I had the locksmith install a new one. Tyler has the key. Go ask him for it."

Tyler never took his eyes off his phone as he typed away rapidly.

"Oh, the key? Celeste took it to play with. I've no idea where she tossed it. Anyway, you're hardly ever home, so there's no need to lock the door. We're family—it's not like anyone's going to steal from you."

"Besides, there's nothing of value left in your room anyway. After all, it's all been smashed to pieces, isn't it?" Tyler added.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to flip over the coffee table.

"That was a fingerprint lock. If it ran out of battery, all it needed was a recharge. So, how could it be broken? Moreover, that's my room. What gives you the right to change the lock without my consent?"

Alison shot to her feet. "Arlene, you'd better get this straight—this is Dad and Mom's house, and I'm the eldest daughter of this family! Since when do I need to report to you just to change a lock?

"You live in another city and barely come home twice a year. This room is just going to waste sitting empty. After Christmas, I'm turning your room into Celeste's study.

"From now on, when you come back, you can sleep on the couch and rough it for a couple of days."

Just then, Mom came out of the kitchen with a plate of hot food.

"What's all the shouting about? Go wash your hands for dinner. Arlene, don't just stand there—bring the soup from the kitchen!"

"Mom, did you know Alison is going to turn my room into Celeste's study?" I asked.

Mom set the dish down on the table.

"Of course I know. Celeste is about to start elementary school. She needs a quiet place to do her homework. Your room gets good light, so it's perfect for her. You'll get married and move out eventually. Once you're gone, you're not our problem anymore. So, why would I hold onto a room for you?"

I had not only paid the down payment for this house, but I also covered the monthly mortgage.

Back when we bought the place, Dad and Mom said to put it in their names so that when Alison got married, she wouldn't have to bring anything to the marriage.

And now, I was the one getting tossed out like yesterday's news.

"Eat!" Dad sat at the head of the table and rapped his knuckles against it.

Tyler made a point of having Celeste sit right next to me.

No sooner had we sat down than Celeste grabbed a drumstick, took a bite, and then flung it away. The drumstick came flying over and smacked right into my white puffer jacket. A huge grease stain instantly bloomed across the fabric.

Celeste laughed, slapping the table. "Aunt Arlene is a dirty pig!"

Tyler half-heartedly pulled two tissues from the dispenser and handed them to me.

"Oh, Celeste, you're such a little troublemaker. Arlene, you got that jacket from a thrift store right? Don't worry. I'll give you a couple of my jackets from last season that I don't wear anymore."

Alison looked on with adoring eyes and placed a piece of grilled rib onto Celeste's plate.

"Celeste, what a great throw! You could be a basketball player when you grow up."

Suddenly, I laughed.

"What are you laughing at, freak?" Alison muttered.

I picked up my fork and speared a piece of broccoli, putting it in my mouth.

"Nothing. I just think this meal is pretty expensive."

Tyler curled his lip. "Pfft. How much could home cooking possibly cost?"

Late that night, I lay on the living room couch with a thin blanket over me.

My room was locked, and the key had conveniently gone missing. The guest room was so crammed with Tyler's flipped sneaker boxes that I couldn't even step inside.

Dad and Mom said, "The living room has good heating. Just make do for the night."

At 2:00 am, I woke up thirsty.

I got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. As I passed by the door of the master bedroom, I heard voices from inside.

Alison's voice was barely a whisper. "Honey, Arlene took pictures of the smashed figurines just now. She's not really going to call the cops, is she? I looked online, and those stupid figurines of hers might actually be worth a lot of money."

Tyler let out a dismissive snort.

"Call the cops? Over what? This is our house, and Celeste is only five years old. What are the cops going to do, arrest a kid? At worst, it's a family mediation. We'd just have to pay a few hundred dollars, and that's it.

"Besides, Mom and Dad are right here. If Arlene dares to call the cops on Celeste, Mom and Dad will break her legs."

Alison giggled. "True. Oh, and seeing the look on her face today was so satisfying. She walks around acting like some big shot city professional, but the moment she comes home, she still has to wait on me hand and foot."

Tyler continued, "And this is just the beginning. Tomorrow, we'll make her take us Christmas shopping, and we'll only grab the expensive stuff. Didn't she just get her year-end bonus? I heard it's over 100 thousand dollars.

"Once we bleed her dry, she won't be able to afford a place in the city. Then, she'll have no choice but to crawl back here and get married. I've already got someone in mind—that crippled guy, Andy Goff, from the east side of the village.

"He's willing to pay 100 thousand dollars to the bride's family—any woman would do. After Arlene marries him, that 100 thousand dollars can go straight into savings for Celeste to buy a house in the future.

"We should also transfer this house into Celeste's name as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more things could go wrong."

Alison said excitedly, "Honey, you're a genius! This is what they call robbing someone blind, right? We'll squeeze her dry until not a cent is left!"

"Shh, keep it down. Don't let her hear you!"

"So what if she did? This is our turf. What's she going to do about it?"

I stood in the shadows, the glass in my hand ice-cold.

They didn't just want my room. No, they wanted to bleed me dry like a human cash cow, and sell me off to a cripple after they'd sucked out every last drop.

I pulled out my phone and opened the voice recording app.

"Oh, and honey, when we go to the mall tomorrow, I want that gold bracelet. You know, the one that costs 20 thousand dollars? Make Arlene pay for it."

"Sure. You can buy whatever you want. It's not like she's married or has kids. If she hangs onto her money, it'll just end up with some stranger. So, she might as well spend it on us."

The recording hit the five-minute mark. I pressed stop and saved it. Then, I opened the home security app.

Back then, I installed surveillance cameras in the living room and hallway so I could keep an eye on my parents, who were living alone.

They'd probably long forgotten those two cameras were even there.

I pulled up the playback from earlier that day.

The footage clearly showed Tyler using my spare key to open the door, then instructing Celeste to go inside.

"Celeste, go on in and smash all those ugly figurines into pieces! When you're done, I'll buy you a Barbie doll."

Alison stood by with a cold smirk.

"Smash it good. Don't leave anything for your Aunt Arlene."

The evidence was conclusive.

The charge would be instructing a minor to destroy property, with the value involved being extraordinarily high.

Since they wanted to bleed me dry, I decided that I'd turn the tables around and make sure they didn't get a single penny out of me.

I backed up the recordings and videos to the cloud. Then, I sent a WhatsApp message to my friend, Marsha Hurst, who worked at a law firm.

"Do you want to take on a big case? The minimum settlement is seven figures, and it includes both criminal and civil charges."

She replied instantly, "I'm in. Whose case is it?"

I answered, "Mine. I'm sending my sister and her family to jail."

In the early morning, I was woken up by Celeste's shouting.

She was riding me like a horse and whipping my blanket with a plastic stick.

"Giddyup! Giddyup! Get up, you lazy pig! I want to go buy a Barbie doll!"

Leaning against the doorframe, Tyler said, "Arlene, get up now. It's Christmas, and we promised to take Celeste to the mall to buy gifts."

I threw off my blanket and lifted Celeste aside.

Just as she was about to throw a tantrum, I pulled out a stack of 100-dollar bills from my bag.

"Be good, Celeste. I'll take you to buy the most expensive Barbie doll later, okay?"

Celeste's eyes instantly went wide, and she reached out to snatch the money.

I put the money back and beamed at Tyler and Alison.

"Alison, Tyler, I thought it through last night. At the end of the day, we're family. It's just a few plastic toys. So what if they're broken? I shouldn't have given Celeste a hard time about it."

Alison was putting on her shoes. Hearing this, she paused for a moment, then her face lit up with a smug look.

"That's more like it. I knew you had a good head on your shoulders. As the aunt, you need to act like the adult in the room."

Tyler eyed the cash in my bag.

"Since you've come around, let's get going. I heard Atrium Mall in the city center has an event today. Let's go check it out."

I nodded and said, "Sure, I'll cover all the expenses today. Consider it my apology to you and a Christmas present for Celeste."

And with that, the three of them headed out happily.

I drove them straight to the most upscale mall in the city. Along the way, Alison and Tyler kept whispering to each other in the back seat.

When we arrived at the mall, they descended on the stores greedily.

Our first stop was the jewelry store.

Alison tried on a solid gold bracelet worth over 20 thousand dollars. She loved it so much that she refused to take it off.

"Arlene, what do you think of this one? Doesn't it just make my skin glow?"

I stood to the side, nodding and smiling.

"It looks gorgeous on you. You deserve something expensive for working so hard. Excuse me, miss? Can you bring out that 50-thousand-dollar antique gold bracelet for my sister to try on?"

Tyler's eyes lit up.

"50 thousand dollars? Isn't that too expensive?"

All that talk about how expensive it was, and he still reached for it before anyone else.

Alison watched from the side.

"Arlene, Tyler's been wearing that watch for five years now. Don't you think it's time for an upgrade?"

Without missing a beat, I took him to the Rolex counter.

"Tyler, you're the backbone of the family, so you need something that commands respect. This 25-thousand-dollar Submariner Hulk is perfect for you."

Alison was grinning from ear to ear.

Celeste raided Toys "R" Us, grabbing an entire cart full of plush toys and Barbie dolls worth over two thousand dollars.

I didn't forget about Mom and Dad either. I picked out a mink coat for each of them, totaling 30 thousand dollars.

In just two hours, their wrists, necks, and bodies were decked out in designer brands. Everyone was loaded down with shopping bags, their faces beaming with pure joy.

At checkout, I just handed over my credit card and signed.

Dad patted me on the shoulder and said, "Arlene, you're the one who's really made something of yourself."

Tyler, stroking the watch on his wrist, chimed in, "That's right. Arlene's a big shot now. What's a little money like this to her?"

After we'd worn ourselves out shopping, I suggested when it was time to eat, "I heard the three-Michelin-star restaurant on the top floor is amazing. How about we give it a try? I already booked a private room in advance."

Alison swallowed hard. "Michelin? That's going to cost a few thousand dollars, right?"

I waved and said, "It's Christmas, so why not treat ourselves to a nice meal? Let's go."

We entered the restaurant, and the waiter led us to the largest private room. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city stretched out in all its vibrant glory.

Tyler and Alison were like kids in a candy store, touching and looking at everything around them.

I grabbed the menu and ordered the most expensive items—lobster, oysters, steak, and a 50-thousand-dollar bottle of red wine.

The waiter kept asking me, "Ma'am, are you sure you want all of these?"

"Yes, all of it. I've got plenty of money."

I tossed the menu back to the waiter like I owned the place.

Soon the food and wine arrived, filling up the entire huge table.

Tyler eagerly grabbed a lobster and tore into it. Alison held up her glass of red wine, taking selfies to post on Instagram. Celeste jabbed at her steak with her knife and fork, shredding it to pieces and tossing bits everywhere.

A few drinks in, Tyler was flushed and slurring his words as he said, "Arlene, you should just stay here with us. I'll set you up with that cripp—I mean, Mr. Goff. Sure, his leg's no good, but he's loaded."

Alison chimed in, "Yeah, Arlene. Look at how you throw money around. Finding a rich guy to marry should be your top priority."

I put down my glass and stood up.

"You guys go ahead and eat. I'm going to the restroom, and while I'm at it, I'll pop downstairs and buy that Hermès bag Alison had her eye on earlier. It's a surprise present for her."

Alison nearly jumped out of her seat with excitement when she heard she was getting a Hermès bag.

"Oh, Arlene, you're too kind! Go on, we'll wait for you."

I smiled and picked up my clutch. Then, I walked out of the private room.

As I left the restaurant, I didn't go for the bag. Instead, I headed straight for the elevator and pressed the button for B2.

Once I was in my car, I pulled out my phone and opened the banking app.

The card I just used to pay for everything? It was actually Alison's supplementary card.

I got that card for her back in the day to make it easier for her to take care of Mom and Dad, and it only got a five-thousand-dollar limit.

But earlier, I had temporarily raised the limit to 300 thousand dollars using my primary card.

Now, I dropped the limit back down to one dollar and reported the primary card as lost.

After doing all that, I started the car and hit the gas, speeding out of the mall's underground garage. I set the navigation destination to the train station.

Then, I blocked Alison, Tyler, Dad, and Mom's phone numbers before calling the restaurant.

"Hello, I was a guest in Room 8 just now. My family is still inside dining. Please take the bill to a Mr. Atwood. He said he'll be paying."