Chapter 1A Masterpiece of Revenge

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, my thirty-year-old cousin stomped on my limited edition figurine, crushing a $5,000 collectible into pieces.

My Aunt Clara immediately shielded him behind her back, screeching at me with righteous indignation.

"If you didn't put your things away, they belong to Tyler now! Besides, aren't you too old to be playing with toys?"

My mother was shaking with anger.

"How does something my daughter spent five grand on suddenly become yours?"

Aunt Clara instantly sat on the floor, slapping her thighs and wailing.

"God help me! I come with good intentions to visit my own brother for the holidays, and my sister-in-law tries to extort five thousand dollars from me!"

I pulled back my mom, who was on the verge of tears, and smiled at them.

"It's fine, Mom. It's just a pile of plastic."

"It's rare for Aunt Clara and Tyler to visit. We should treat them to something better."

Aunt Clara's wailing stopped abruptly. She scrambled up, suspicious at first, then sneered.

"Now that sounds like human speech. A girl like you can't compare to my precious Tyler."

An hour later, Aunt Clara was handed a $500,000 compensation bill by the police.

I smiled even brighter.

"That's right. My cousin is precious indeed."

* * *

"See? That's what I call sensible."

Aunt Clara's heavy hand slapped my shoulder.

"You can tell she's been in the big city. She knows her place."

After saying that, she turned and rolled her eyes at my mother.

"Unlike some people who've never left this village their whole lives. Long hair, short wit. Only knows how to protect a money-losing daughter."

My mother's lips trembled, unable to say a word.

Her precious thirty-year-old son, Tyler, was picking his teeth on the sofa, mumbling in agreement.

"Making a fuss over a broken toy."

Aunt Clara pointed at the shattered remains of the figurine on the floor and ordered me around.

"Sophie, sweep up those broken plastics. Tyler can take them home."

I paused.

"Take them home for what?"

"They're broken anyway. We can sell them for scrap and get a few bucks. Can't waste them."

She spoke as if she was disposing of her own property.

Tyler grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

He climbed off the sofa, walked over to the pile of fragments, and lifted his foot.

Crunch. Crunch.

He stomped down hard, grinding the figurine into dust.

"Mom's right. It's trash anyway. Stomping it a few more times doesn't matter."

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms.

Aunt Clara's gaze had already been drawn to the holiday gifts and red envelopes on the coffee table.

She picked up the thickest envelope and tore it open right in front of us.

Pulling out the cash, she licked her finger and counted the bills one by one.

"One, two, three... only two thousand?"

Her voice suddenly rose, sharp and piercing.

"David! You're dismissing your own sister with this little money?"

My father, David, an honest man his whole life, rubbed his hands together, looking troubled.

"Sis, the factory hasn't been doing well this year, and Sophie's mom's medical bills were high..."

"I don't care about that!"

Aunt Clara violently threw the money in her hand at my mother's face.

"If you don't have money, don't pretend to be fat! What's the use of raising a daughter? In the end, she's just a losing investment!"

The red bills scattered, the sharp edge of one slicing across my mother's cheek, leaving a thin red line.

My mother gasped, tears bursting from her eyes.

She didn't dare make a sound, just silently crouched down to pick up the money one by one.

Tyler swaggered over and stepped on my mother's hand.

"Oops, Auntie, sorry. Didn't see you."

He apologized with his mouth, but his foot ground down hard.

My mother sucked in a breath of cold air, her hand instantly swelling red.

The fire in my chest reached its peak.

I calmly pushed Tyler aside and forced a bright smile onto my face.

"Aunt Clara, Tyler, it's the New Year. No need to get angry over small things."

"I'll take you somewhere nice to open your eyes. The new Grand Era Gallery downtown. I heard it's full of treasures."

Aunt Clara looked me up and down suspiciously.

"A place like that? Can a working girl like you even get in?"

Her eyes were full of contempt.

"You're not working there as a cleaner, are you?"

I didn't deny it. I just took out my phone, tapped a few times, and sent a message.

[Prepare for guests.]

Then I looked up, my smile unchanged.

"You'll know when we get there, won't you?"

Seeing my confidence, the greed in Aunt Clara's eyes overpowered her suspicion, and she finally nodded.

On the way to the garage, she lectured my parents, demanding dinner be even more lavish than lunch.

Once in my car, she showed her true colors, spitting a glob of phlegm onto the floor mat.

Tyler, meanwhile, stuffed his tangerine peels one by one into the crevices of the leather seats.

I watched the ugly behavior of this mother and son, the smile on my lips growing wider.

The car stopped in front of the magnificent main entrance of the Grand Era Gallery.

Aunt Clara and Tyler stared at the building, eyes wide.

"My god, Sophie, this place is so grand!"

Greed and calculation shone unhidden in Aunt Clara's eyes.

I knew.

The fish had taken the bait.