Chapter 1

After hearing that I had bought a house, my uncle's family came to visit, and my cousin's girlfriend immediately demanded a $30,000 wedding gift. She also insisted I give them my house as a wedding present.

I refused, but then my uncle pulled out a DNA test, claiming I was actually his biological daughter, so the house must go to my cousin and not be given to an outsider.

Ha! Let’s not even discuss whether or not I’m really his biological daughter. Since they’re so eager for a free house, I’ll give them one—a lifetime stay in a fully accommodated place... in prison.

Right after the New Year, my uncle Jimmy Lawson and his family came to visit, but this time they brought someone new—a girl.

Jimmy introduced her, saying, "This is Tyler’s girlfriend, Kaylee Darnell."

Since my aunt Patricia passed away during childbirth, it’s usually just Jimmy and Tyler. They showed up unannounced, catching my parents off guard, but my dad, Roger, and mom, Nancy, still welcomed them warmly into our home.

As soon as we sat down at the dinner table, Kaylee suddenly stood up.

“Uncle Roger, Aunt Nancy, and Alexa, Happy New Year! I’m Tyler’s girlfriend,” she announced.

It wasn’t New Year’s anymore, but my parents, being polite, smiled and said, “Oh, thank you, thank you.”

But Kaylee remained standing, not moving an inch.

Tyler grinned, “My girlfriend came all the way here to wish you a Happy New Year, and you don’t have anything to show for it? Or do you just not like her?”

My mom, Nancy, snapped out of her confusion and hurriedly stood up, “Oh, my goodness, I completely forgot! Let me grab a red envelope for Kaylee.”

She rushed to the bedroom and came back with an envelope, handing it over to Kaylee.

Kaylee smiled as she accepted it, but then she opened it right in front of us and started counting the cash inside—$500 in total.

Kaylee’s face immediately dropped. “Aunt Nancy, where we come from, it’s customary to give at least $5,000 when the girl comes to visit. But since I didn’t let you know in advance today, it’s understandable. I’ll just expect it next time I come by.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud in disbelief.

Setting aside the fact that they came unannounced, who in the world asks for money the second they walk through the door, and then has the nerve to complain that it’s not enough? How could she even say that with a straight face?

I dropped my smile and was just about to speak when Kaylee beat me to it.

“I heard you work for a big company in Washington D.C., Alexa, with a salary in the millions. You’ve even just bought a house. So, my red envelope should at least be $30,000, right? Otherwise, it’ll look like you’re being stingy or that you don’t like me.”

I let out a cold laugh. “Didn’t my mom already give you a red envelope? If not giving you $30,000 means I don’t like you, then, yeah, I don’t like you.”

It’s amazing how some people have no shame. Just because I have money doesn’t mean I’m handing it out to everyone.

I stood up. “Mom, I have work to get back to. I’ll be in my room.”

I didn’t bother looking at their reactions, and I left for my room.

But barely half an hour later, Kaylee barged in without knocking.

I already didn’t like her—she was a gold-digger through and through. And I can’t stand it when people walk into my room without permission.

Suppressing my anger, I frowned and said, “Can you leave, please?”

She ignored me, casually picking up my handbag and trying on my jewelry.

“Wow, Alexa, this jade bracelet is beautiful! Consider it my gift from you. I’ll forget about the whole red envelope situation since you weren’t prepared.”

I nearly exploded.

That jade bracelet was a gift from my late boyfriend, the one thing I treasured most. It was his final gift to me before he passed away, something I kept hidden deep in my drawer.

I immediately rushed over, “Give it back.”

Kaylee smirked. “How petty, it’s just a bracelet. Consider it my compensation for your lack of hospitality today.”

She started slipping it on her wrist.

I grabbed for it, and in the scuffle, Kaylee deliberately smashed the bracelet onto the table.

In an instant, the bracelet shattered into pieces.

I stared at the fragments, tears welling up uncontrollably.

Kaylee grinned smugly. “Alexa, this is your fault. If you hadn’t tried to grab it, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Her fault? She did it on purpose!

My hands trembled with rage as I slammed them down on the table. “You touched my belongings without permission, and the damage you’ve done is extensive. I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison for this.”

For a moment, Kaylee looked panicked but quickly regained her composure. “It’s just a bracelet. How valuable could it be? Do you think I’m some kind of idiot?”

I glared at her. “That bracelet was worth over $50,000. It’s more than enough to send you to jail.”

Kaylee stared at me, wide-eyed, before suddenly clutching her stomach and crying out, “Oh no, my stomach!”

I was confused. I hadn’t even touched her—how could her stomach hurt?

Hearing the commotion, Jimmy, Tyler, and my parents rushed into the room.

Jimmy took one look at Kaylee, clutching her stomach, and without hesitation, slapped me across the face.

“You little brat! What did you do? Don’t you know Kaylee’s pregnant with our family’s son? If anything happens to my grandson, I’ll make sure your entire family pays!”

The slap stung, but I was too focused on the shattered bracelet. Kneeling, I gently picked up the broken pieces. My mom rushed over and hugged me, trying to comfort me.

Looking at her, tears streamed down my face. “The one thing he left me... it’s gone.”

My mom held me tighter and turned to my uncle, furious. “How could you break Alexa’s bracelet? Don’t you know how much it means to her?”

Jimmy didn’t even flinch. “It’s just a stupid bracelet. If she had given it to Kaylee in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Kaylee chimed in, feigning innocence, “It’s not my fault. Alexa scared me when she tried to grab it. I got flustered and it slipped. If anyone’s to blame, it’s her.”

I raised my head, glaring at Kaylee with so much hatred I wished I could tear her apart.

“There’s a camera in my room. The footage will make it clear whether it was intentional or not. You’d better think about how to reduce your sentence because I’m not letting this go.”

I walked over to the vanity, where a hidden camera had been recording the whole time.

Kaylee’s face turned white as a sheet, clearly shocked that I had cameras installed in my room.

Then, as if on cue, she started clutching her stomach again, moaning, “My stomach! Alexa, when you slammed your hand on the table, it startled me, and now the baby’s in danger. I feel terrible!”

With that, Kaylee collapsed, completely unresponsive.

My parents, sensing something was wrong, immediately called for an ambulance, and we all rushed to Georgetown University Hospital.

In the hospital, the doctor was furious. “If you had gotten here any later, we wouldn’t have been able to save the baby. Make sure she stays calm for the next few days—no emotional stress, or both mother and child could be at risk!”

Hearing that, I was shocked.

I had only slammed my hand on the table—how could it possibly have endangered the baby? Had I really been that upset and forceful?

Jimmy’s eyes were full of rage as he turned to me. “I swear, if anything happens to my grandson, I’ll make you pay, Alexa!”

Tyler sneered from the side. “Sis, I know you don’t like Kaylee, but to take it out on an innocent baby? You should give her $30,000 as compensation.”

My anger flared up again. Glaring at Tyler, I spat, “You still think you can get $30,000 out of me? After what happened with the bracelet, now you want more? Absolutely not.”

Tyler replied smugly, “If you don’t, I’ll have my parents come to your house every day. Let’s see if Aunt Nancy and Uncle Roger can handle that.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.”

Seeing the reckless, shameless look on his face, I knew he would. Tyler had always been a troublemaker, and harassing my parents would be nothing new to him.

I didn’t want my parents to suffer because of me, and besides, Kaylee had almost lost the baby…

Sighing, I pulled out a bank card. “There’s $5,000 on this card.”

Kaylee turned her head away. “Sis, I nearly lost my baby, and you think $5,000 is enough to make up for that?”

Clenching my fists, I asked, “Then what do you want?”

Kaylee lay back on the bed, staring at me with disdain. “I heard you recently bought a new house. You’re single, so you don’t really need it. Eventually, it’ll just go to someone else, so why not give it to me? Then I’ll consider forgiving you for today.”

Her demand made me laugh in disbelief.

She really thought she could just take my million-dollar house?

“You want my house? Do you even deserve to look at the key? The $5,000 is for the baby’s sake. If you don’t want it, that’s fine by me.”

Kaylee immediately cried out, “Oh, my stomach hurts!”

Jimmy glared at me. “It’s just a house. Hand it over to your brother. All your stuff belongs to him anyway!”

“This house is something I worked hard for! If Tyler wants a house, he can buy his own. Why should I give mine?”

That’s when Jimmy pulled out a document.

“Because you’re my biological daughter, and Tyler’s your brother. Everything you have belongs to him.”