On International Women's Day, I spent twelve hours straight in a live stream, selling $5 million worth of product.

When it came time to settle my commission, my aunt and boss, Sandra Holt, quietly transferred my $400,000 cut into her own account and handed me $500, labeled as a meal stipend.

She took my hand with a warm, motherly smile. "Sweetheart, you're still an intern. Taking that much money at your age would hurt your career development. Let me hold onto it for you. Put it toward a car someday."

I looked at the sharp calculation behind her kind eyes. I didn't argue. I took the money without a word.

That night, I deleted my account and vanished, taking my entire product-sourcing system with me.

The next morning, Aunt Sandra stared at a live stream with ten viewers and finally started blowing up my phone.

I was jolted awake by someone hammering on my door.

"Lexi Harmon, who do you think you are? You had your phone off?" Sandra Holt shoved her way in and got right in my face. "Why didn't you go live last night? Do you have any idea how much money you cost us? 500 pre-orders—all refunded! And now the platform is docking our credibility score and downgrading our ranking!"

I leaned against the doorframe and yawned. "Aunt Sandra, didn't you say I was useless? If I'm so useless, what does it matter whether I go live or not? You're so capable. You do it."

Wade Holt shoved forward and grabbed me by the collar. "Shut up and get back to the office! My mom went on by herself last night for four hours. Screamed herself hoarse and moved $200 worth of stuff. All your followers were asking where you were. Get on and explain yourself."

I knocked his hand away hard, my expression flat. "Explain what? That I busted my ass moving product while Aunt Sandra took my commission to buy you a house and a car?"

Aunt Sandra's face stiffened. Her eyes shifted. "That's nonsense. That was normal cash flow for Vivid Stream Media. I'm telling you as your employer, you're coming with me right now.

"If you can make up last night's losses today, I'll think about giving you $10,000 at the end of the year as a bonus. Out of the forty."

I actually laughed. "$10,000? Aunt Sandra, how generous. What is that, a tip? Doesn't matter though. I already quit."

Aunt Sandra went still. Then she smiled, cold and thin. "Quit? And your internship report, you're just throwing that away? Without my signature and stamp, you won't get your degree. Good luck finding a job after that."

I reached into my bag, pulled out a second document that was already stamped, and threw it at her.

"Sorry. I transferred to a new internship placement. The university already approved it. As for your little company, leave it for your son to run into the ground."

Aunt Sandra tore the document apart. Her jaw was tight, her whole face twisted. "Fine. You've got nerve. We're done. We'll rename the account and find someone else to host. I'd like to see the channel die without you."

After they left, I unlocked my phone.

The Vivid Stream Media group chat had already exploded. Aunt Sandra was tagging me over and over, flooding the thread with venom.

[Lexi Harmon is exactly the kind of ungrateful snake everyone needs to watch out for. Stealing core company assets, going AWOL without notice… I've already called my lawyer.]

I didn't respond. I left the group.

I swapped in a new SIM and started calling my key suppliers, the ones I'd built real relationships with over the past few years.

I figured that history counted for something and that they'd flip to my side without much convincing.

The reality hit me like ice water.

"Hey, it's Lexi, Lexi Harmon. I left Vivid Stream Media. I'm going out on my own, and I still have the full sourcing system—"

On the other end of the line, the supplier laughed it off, his tone breezy and dismissive.

"Lexi, sweetheart, Sandra actually just called me. She prepaid the full order for next quarter and threw in an extra 2% on the rebate.

"We're all just trying to do business here, you know how it is. You're fresh out of school. Going solo is a big risk. My inventory's tight right now, I can't really supply you at the moment."

Three calls. Three polite rejections.

I gripped my phone and took a slow breath.

Aunt Sandra was shrewder than I'd given her credit for. She knew I had the supplier relationships, so she'd moved fast. She threw money at every one of them and cut off my lifeline before I could even get started.

That afternoon, Aunt Sandra posted on social media.

It was a photo of Wade sitting in the streaming setup, surrounded by a pile of products she'd selected. The caption read: [New face, big potential. We let our results do the talking.]

I clicked into the stream.

There were fewer than fifty viewers. The comment section was brutal.

[What happened to that girl who always picked the best stuff? Why is there some creepy guy now?]

[What is this garbage he's selling? Prices are higher than at the supermarket. Does he think we're idiots?]

[I'm out. This stream lost its soul. Unfollowing.]

Wade was sweating through his shirt, practically screaming at the camera, "Don't leave, guys! I'll do a talent show! Place an order, and I'll call you 'Daddy'!"

He started doing some cringeworthy, vaguely suggestive dance moves in front of the lens.

I closed the stream without a second thought.

Stunts like that would only accelerate the account's death, but it still wasn't enough. I wanted them to cough up everything they'd taken from me, with interest.

Sure enough, less than an hour later, Aunt Sandra called again. Her tone had softened considerably this time and was sickeningly warm.

"Lexi, honey, I was just panicking this morning. I said some things I didn't mean. Don't take it to heart.

"Wade really isn't cut out for this. He's hopeless on camera. The channel needs you. You're the only one who can hold it together.

"We can talk about the commission. I'll transfer $2,000 to you right now to tide you over. Just come back and go live, please. I'm begging you."

I laughed, short and cold. "$2,000? Aunt Sandra, save it. Buy Wade some brain supplements. His dancing looked like something was genuinely wrong with him."

"Lexi! Don't push your luck!" Aunt Sandra dropped the act instantly, her voice turning vicious. "You just wait. I'm going to your house right now. I'll let your mom and your grandmother sort this out. We'll see how long you can keep up this attitude."

Sure enough, Aunt Sandra went to my house. When Mum called me, her voice was shaking, close to tears.

"Lexi, come home now. Your aunt is putting on a whole show in front of Grandma, sobbing like she's dying, talking about throwing herself off something. She's saying you stole money from the company and wiped all the stream data.

"Grandma's blood pressure is through the roof. She can't even keep her medication down. She's demanding you come home and apologize on your knees."

I squeezed the phone so hard my knuckles went white. "Mum, don't believe a word she says. Keep Grandma calm. I'm on my way."

By the time I got there, Aunt Sandra was parked in the middle of the sofa, tears streaming, nose running, giving the performance of her life.

"Lynn, look at the daughter you raised! I took her in out of the goodness of my heart, gave her an internship, put food on her plate, and on her way out, she stabs me in the back and deletes every single client contact we had!

"The company's drowning in penalties now. I can't go on like this. I don't want to live anymore!"

Grandma pressed a hand to her chest, her finger trembling as she pointed at me.

"Get on your knees! Apologize to your Aunt Sandra! Do you think she has it easy, making money? You're going to be the death of her!"

I looked at Aunt Sandra's face—that smug, wronged-party expression she'd perfected—and felt nothing but contempt.

"I stole money? Aunt Sandra, you want to put the books on the table and go through them together? I pulled an all-nighter on International Women's Day and sold $5 million worth of product. $400,000 in commission, and you handed me $500. And I'm the thief?"

Mum froze, her face going pale. "How much? $400,000?"

Aunt Sandra's eyes darted around the room. She raised her voice, covering for herself. "What $400,000! That was gross revenue! After costs, labor, venue fees, and promotions, there was barely anything left! Lexi, since when do you lie to your elders?"

I pulled out my phone, brought up the settlement screenshot from the backend, and held it right in her face.

"This is the settlement statement. Net profit, in black and white. Want me to put it on speaker and call platform support to verify?"

Aunt Sandra lunged to her feet and grabbed for my phone. "You little brat, who do you think you are!"

I stepped back, my eyes sharp. "Who do I think I am? You used my money for a down payment and a car. Where's the house? Where's the car parked? Take Grandma to see them. Let her see what a great son she raised."

Grandma went still and looked at Aunt Sandra. "Sandra, where did that money come from?"

Sandra stuttered, sweat breaking out on her forehead. "Mum, that… that was money I'd saved up."

I pressed forward, not letting up. "You were borrowing money from Mum last year just to cover your insurance payments. Now you've suddenly got a six-figure down payment? Did you win the lottery?

"Grandma, she took the money I broke my back to earn and used it to bail Wade out. And now she wants me on my knees apologizing?"

Grandma had always favored Sandra's side of the family, but she wasn't stupid. She looked at Sandra, and her voice turned icy. "Sandra. Is what Lexi saying true? You kept the child's earnings?"

Aunt Sandra could see she had no way out. She dropped all pretense and went full ugly. "So what if it's true! We're family. Why does everything have to be so calculated? Lexi's going to get married and take it all to some other family anyway. I did this for our bloodline!"

Mum shook with fury. She crossed the room and shoved Aunt Sandra back. "Sandra, how can you say something like that? Lexi worked for every cent of that money. What gives you the right to hand it to your son? Get out of my house!"

Sandra planted her hands on her hips, absolutely brazen. "Lynn, I'm telling you, Lexi is coming back to Vivid Stream Media today, and she's selling out the rest of that inventory.

"If she doesn't, I'll take her to court for misappropriation. She'll have a record hanging over her for the rest of her life. Good luck finding a real job after that."

I looked at her and spoke slowly, each word deliberate, my voice completely flat, "Go ahead. File the suit. And bring that eight-percent commission contract with you.

"Let the judge decide whether I owe you money, or whether you owe me back wages and damages."

Aunt Sandra snapped. She grabbed a glass off the table and hurled it at my head. "Go to hell, you little witch!"

Mum yanked me aside. The glass shattered on the floor, shards scattering everywhere.

"Get out! Sandra, get out of my house!" Mum grabbed a broom—the first time I'd ever seen her that fierce—and drove them toward the door.

Aunt Sandra dragged Wade out with her. At the threshold, she turned back and spat on the floor.