On my eighteenth birthday, my parents gifted me an estate. My paternal grandparents transferred all the shares under their name to me. My maternal grandparents also prepared a cool hundred million dollars as a present. But my sister’s fiancé anxiously blurted out, “Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, I know you’re incredibly well-off, but you can’t just let Lily spend so recklessly.” “Besides, Chloe and I are getting married soon. Shouldn’t we get a share too? Otherwise, it’s just not fair.” Before I could even speak, my sister kicked him right out of the house. “Who the hell do you think you are, coveting my sister’s fortune?!” My parents had always spoiled me rotten. For my eighteenth birthday, they threw a lavish party. Spotlights converged on the stage as I slowly walked to the center, listening to everyone’s heartfelt wishes. My parents joined me on stage, a property deed in my mother’s hand. “Sweetheart, when you were sixteen, you said you wanted to live in an estate that looked like a castle. Now, this estate is complete just in time for your birthday.” “And now, it’s yours.” I gazed at the photos in my mother’s hand, utterly stunned. The entire estate was designed exactly to my liking. I was so touched. I couldn’t believe that a casual comment from me, a passing wish, could become a reality for my parents. A lump formed in my throat, and I hugged them tight. “Thank you, Dad, thank you, Mom. I absolutely adore it.” Grandpa and Grandma Hayes also stepped onto the stage, their faces beaming with affection as they pulled out a contract. “Darling, guess what this is?” Curious, I took it. But when I opened it, I was shocked. “Shares!” Grandpa chuckled. “That’s right! Now our family business is yours to inherit. You’ll have to study hard from now on. Don’t you dare let the company go bust, or your old grandparents will be broke!” I was incredibly surprised by this, but I confidently promised. “Don’t worry, Grandpa and Grandma, I’ll work hard and manage the company well.” Just then, my maternal grandfather, who’d just arrived, gave a theatrical huff. He walked up to me and slipped a bank card right into my hand. “Running the company? That sounds like it’ll make my dear Lily too busy and too tired.” Grandma Davies chimed in, “This card has a hundred million dollars on it, sweetheart. Keep it safe, and if you ever run out, you know who to call!” I’d always known our family was wealthy, but today, this endless showering of money was making my head spin. I playfully whined, leaning against Grandma, “It’s too much, too much! How will I ever spend it all?!” Grandma pinched my nose, about to speak, but she was cut off by my sister’s boyfriend, who hadn’t said a word until now. “Honestly, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, giving all this money to Lily, who’s just turned eighteen, seems a bit… inappropriate, doesn’t it?” At his words, everyone in the room turned to look at him. Leo Carter, my sister Chloe’s boyfriend, was her college classmate. He’d pursued my sister for three years before she finally agreed to be with him. They’d just gotten engaged last month. My parents and other relatives had always disapproved of him, feeling Chloe should marry someone from a family with similar wealth and standing. But because Chloe loved him, they hadn’t forced them apart. Dad was already fuming at Leo’s comment. He instinctively pulled me behind him, glaring sternly at Leo. “How much we want to give our daughter, do you really think it needs your approval?” “What’s more, today is our daughter’s eighteenth birthday. Of course, we’ll give her something precious on such an important day.” Leo felt Dad’s fury, but jealousy had clearly hijacked his reason. He stubbornly pressed on, ignoring the hostile atmosphere. “If that’s the case, then why didn’t Chloe and I receive anything from you on our engagement, which was also a very important day?”
Dad’s face completely darkened. He eyed Leo with cold disdain. “Every single thing used for your engagement with Chloe, wasn’t it bought with our family’s money? And now you dare to be jealous of my daughter!” “If Chloe hadn’t loved you, do you honestly think you’d even have the right to stand here and speak to us?” Leo struggled to counter Dad’s words. His face flushed a sickly green, and I even caught a flash of something cold and ruthless in his eyes. “I know your family has never approved of me, but Chloe and I genuinely love each other. You can’t break us up!” He paused, then his attitude softened slightly. “I’m not jealous of Lily. I’m just trying to stand up for Chloe. After all, Chloe is also your daughter. It’s not fair that the two daughters are treated so differently.” “And Chloe has sacrificed so much for this family, practically running the company, yet she gets less than this kid who does absolutely nothing.” I pressed my lips together. I used to respect him, after all, Leo was going to marry my sister and become part of our family. But now, how could he speak such hateful words? I looked at him, utterly bewildered. “Mom and Dad have always been fair to both Chloe and me. And Chloe has never held these things against me.” Leo was on a roll now. He swept his gaze over me, up and down. “Really? Do you honestly think your sister doesn’t care about any of this?” “What if she cares a lot? She often tells me how tired she is. She even complains that you constantly rely on the family and refuse to grow up.” The disdain on Leo’s face grew. He completely ignored me and looked at Grandpa Hayes. “Grandpa, if you ask me, the shares in your hands should go to Chloe. Only she can make the company better and stronger.” “Handing the family fortune over to this pampered, incapable young lady? I’m afraid our entire family will suffer.” I finally couldn’t contain my anger and pointed at him. “Don’t you dare go too far!” “Grandpa!” My mother’s shocked cry echoed behind me before I could finish my sentence. Grandpa Hayes’ face had turned ashen with rage. He clutched his chest and collapsed backward. Thankfully, Dad was quick and caught him. The family doctor directed everyone to carry Grandpa back into the house. After clearing everyone out, he began to examine Grandpa. Leo knew he had gone too far. He hid in a corner, not daring to utter a sound. But I simply couldn’t stand for it. Grandpa doted on me the most, and now he had fainted because of this man, because of me. I walked straight up to Leo, glaring at him furiously. Leo jutted out his chin, still defiant, clearly annoyed it was just me. “What? Are you going to hit me now?” Without hesitation, I slapped him hard across the face. “You bet I am!” Leo hadn’t expected me to actually hit him. He widened his eyes, clutching his face, and began to wail. “You actually hit me!! I’m going to tell your sister! I’ll tell Chloe you disrespected me, your future brother-in-law, and she’ll teach you a lesson!” My voice trembled with rage, my eyes burning red. “Leo Carter, you better pray Grandpa is okay. Otherwise, even if Chloe disowns me, I won’t let you get away with this!” Just then, Chloe, who had received the news of Grandpa’s collapse, rushed back home. Before she could even ask what happened, Leo lunged at her. He whined like a little kid, pointing at his reddened cheek. “Chloe, I just said a few honest words, and your sister actually laid her hands on me!”
Chloe Hayes’s brows immediately furrowed. “What happened?” Chloe looked at me, her gaze full of quiet scrutiny. Before I could open my mouth, Leo cut me off again. He pointed at me, as if I had subjected him to countless injustices, exaggerating the truth several times over. “Chloe, I know your family looks down on me, but they really bullied me today.” “Since you and I are engaged, I’m her brother-in-law. How could she lay a hand on me?!” I was so angry I couldn’t speak, my chest heaved with fury as I pointed at him. How could someone be so good at twisting the facts?! I never would have guessed Leo was like this before. If I had known this would happen, I would have been the first one to object to his marriage with Chloe! Leo smirked at me triumphantly, then put on a pitiful act as he spoke to Chloe. “Chloe, you wouldn’t believe how awful they were today.” “Your parents gave your sister a huge estate, your grandparents gave her all the company shares, and your maternal grandparents gave her a staggering hundred million dollars.” “Chloe, you’ve worked so hard managing all the company’s affairs, yet you’re valued less than this kid who knows nothing. I feel it’s so unfair to you.” Chloe’s furrowed brow finally smoothed out. She glanced at me, then looked at Leo. “Is that so?” “And what exactly did *you* do?” Leo thought Chloe wanted to hear how he had defended her. He suddenly perked up, his head held high with excitement. “Chloe, of course I spoke up for you!” “These people, I don’t think they even see you as family. They completely spoil your sister.” “She just turned eighteen and gets all these things, while you and I got nothing for our engagement!” Chloe’s eyes narrowed slightly. She stared at Leo, her gaze turning cold. “So, you’re the one who angered Grandpa to the point of collapse?” Leo felt a flicker of danger but still tried to explain himself. “How could that be, Chloe? I would never scold Grandpa. I just said a few things about your sister.” “Said she was childish, didn’t know how to help you, and only knew how to spend money.” “Maybe Grandpa thought I was right, and that’s why he fainted!” “You’re lying!” I finally couldn’t help but shout, my anger completely overriding my reason. I stepped forward, reaching out to hit him! “You’re a complete liar! You disrespected Grandpa, and that’s what caused his blood pressure to spike and him to faint!” “I’ll tear your mouth off!” But Chloe stopped me with a firm hand. She looked at me, her face grave. “Stop it!” A prickle of tears burned my nose. I looked at my sister, feeling utterly wronged. “Chloe, you’re stopping me for *him*?!” Chloe ignored me and turned back to Leo. “So, you said bad things about Lily, which made Grandpa angry and caused him to faint, right?!” Seeing Chloe protect him, Leo mistakenly thought Chloe felt the same way he did—that our family’s kindness to me was favoritism. He became even bolder. “Chloe, I was just speaking the truth.” “Lily just turned eighteen, what right does she have to own so many things?” “These gifts are more than ten times what we received for our engagement!” “I think your family doesn’t see you as true kin! *I’m* the one who loves you most in this world!”
Leo was supremely confident. Since he started dating Chloe, he’d heard her complain countless times about how exhausting work was, and how annoying all the social obligations were. Meanwhile, I could just relax at home and have everything, and she was green with envy. That’s when the seeds of jealousy first sprouted in Leo’s heart. And today, the gifts from my family were a stark contrast to what he and Chloe received for their engagement. This fueled his envy even more. Why should two daughters of the same family have such vastly different treatment? And why should he, as Chloe’s future husband, miss out on so much? He had to stop this. He had to get his share! Chloe remained silent, so he continued to exaggerate the facts, adding some fabricated details. “Chloe, only I know how much pain you’ve been through these past few years.” “Did your family ever truly care about you? Only I was by your side, helping you through difficult times!” “Even if I spoke a bit harshly today, every word was true. It’s just that your family is unfair to you!” I didn’t know what words to use to describe this man’s shamelessness. But Chloe kept holding me back, preventing me from rushing forward to tear his mouth off. The doctor emerged from the resting room. Seeing Chloe and me, he walked over. I gritted my teeth, ignoring Leo for a moment. “Doctor, how is Grandpa?” “Miss Hayes, Miss Lily, your grandfather isn’t in critical danger, but fainting from anger isn’t good for anyone…” He glanced at Leo, who was standing to the side, then spoke, almost as a warning, “Your grandfather’s health was good before, but a shock like this could significantly weaken him.” “We absolutely must not let the person who caused your grandfather to faint get away with it.” I clenched my fists. Ignoring my sister’s restraints, I walked up to Leo. Without a word, I waved my hand, and the household security guards immediately grabbed Leo. He was pinned to the spot, unable to move. “Lily, what are you doing?!” “Your sister’s right here! Are you still going to hit me? I’m your brother-in-law!” I glared at him through gritted teeth. “Brother-in-law? Who the hell do you think you are?!” “You only have a place in this family because of my sister, and today you angered Grandpa to the point of collapse! I’m going to beat you to death!” I raised my hand, my palm just about to connect with Leo’s face, when Chloe stopped me again. I looked at her, bewildered. “Chloe!” “Why do you keep stopping me, again and again?! What are you doing?!” “He’s the one who made Grandpa like this! Are you really going to keep protecting this culprit?!” “We’re family! Do you trust this man so much that you’d hurt your own family?!” Leo, however, glared at me defiantly. As he struggled against the security guards, he shouted loudly. “Chloe, don’t listen to her nonsense!” “Everything I did was for you! I was trying to help you get what you deserved!” “Without me, they wouldn’t even see your contributions. They don’t see how much you’ve sacrificed. *I’m* the one who loves you most!” “Slap!” Chloe raised her hand and slapped Leo hard across the face. “Who the hell do you think you are?!” That slap not only felt incredibly satisfying to me, but it also left Leo completely stunned. His eyes filled with confusion and a pitiful sense of betrayal. “Chloe, how could you hit me?! Everything I did was for you!” But Chloe felt no sympathy for Leo. She raised an eyebrow and spoke in a cold voice. “Leo Carter, do you take me for a fool?” “Can’t you hear that everything you say is just thinly veiled jealousy of Lily, a desperate attempt to get your hands on the gifts she received?!” “What kind of creep are you, daring to covet my sister’s things?” A prickle of tears burned my nose, and I finally let a flicker of my hurt show. I knew it! How could Chloe ever believe Leo’s lies?! But Leo couldn’t believe it. “How can you say that? I did all of this for you!” “Chloe, why don’t you believe me?!” “You even stopped Lily from hitting me for *my* sake! How can you not believe me?!” Chloe let out a scoff. “I stopped my sister not because I was protecting you, but because I didn’t want her hand to touch your face. It’s dirty!” She grabbed Leo’s face. “You just think Mom and Dad are unfair to me, don’t you? You believe they don’t want to leave their fortune to you.” “You weren’t speaking for my sake at all. You’re just a selfish jerk who pushed all his excuses onto me.” Leo’s true intentions were laid bare, but he still refused to admit it. “That’s not true! Chloe, I love you so much! Do even *you* think I’m that kind of person?!” Chloe gave a cold laugh. “Love me? If you loved me, you wouldn’t have badmouthed my sister in front of everyone.” “And you wouldn’t have angered my grandfather to the point he collapsed.” “Since you’re so obsessed with money, I’ll make sure you get absolutely nothing.” As Chloe spoke, she pulled out her phone and called her lawyer. “Mr. Miller, I need you to transfer all assets currently under my name to Lily’s. Immediately.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “299172”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply