I angrily shoved the money back at Margaret, putting on an innocent, wounded act as I scolded Chloe.

“Mom, I know Grandma loves me, but I care about her too. She’s already so old—how could I take so much money from her? I have to return it. I want Grandma to stay healthy and happy.”

Chloe’s face darkened in fury, forced to watch the fortune slip away.

“Oh, my precious grandson is truly thoughtful. So different from that Lily. Every time Lily says she cares about me, I feel like she’s only after my money. But you—you’re not that kind of child.”

Is that so?

Just wait.

Later, Margaret tried a few more times to press the money into my hands. I refused every time, and she left delighted, hugging the cash as she carried it away.

That night after dinner, Chloe dragged me into the bedroom, jabbing my forehead in rage.

“Ethan Brooks, did the car accident scramble your brain? How could you give that money back to that old hag? Don’t you know she’s notoriously stingy? Today was a once-in-a-lifetime chance—she’ll never give you that much again! You’re an idiot!”

“Mom, we’re not short of money. Why would we need so much?”

“Are you joking? Who doesn’t want more money? Who says no to it? Don’t you forget—if I hadn’t taken you in, fed you, clothed you, treated you like a little prince, you’d still be on the streets begging!”

Two sentences—and the truth slipped out.

Ethan wasn’t Chloe and Daniel’s biological son.

But hadn’t Margaret once claimed that Ethan and Daniel had taken a DNA test, proving the boy was his? She had been overjoyed, hiding it like a treasure until I accidentally discovered it.

Now, hearing the truth, joy surged inside me. I realized there was a punishment far crueler than death for them.

After Chloe’s scolding, Daniel came out to smooth things over, shielding me with a smile as he transferred money to her on his phone.

“Come on, darling. I’m proud of our son’s character. Aren’t you? He’s thoughtful and kind. But I also know how hard you’ve worked all these years, so I’ll make it up to you. I just sent $380,000 to your account.”

Ding.

So that’s what money sounds like.

Back when I begged him for cash, he had countless excuses—losses in the stock market, no returns on patents.

But now, $380,000 was nothing—just a click away.

Chloe’s face lit up as the deposit arrived. She practically jumped with joy, clinging to Daniel’s arm.

“Darling, I didn’t mean anything else. I was praising how good Ethan is, just worried he might get arrogant. That’s why I wanted to teach him to manage his rewards better.”

“Yes, yes, you did well. You gave me a wonderful son. Half of his character comes from your teaching. Thank you, sweetheart.”

“So… don’t I deserve a little reward too?”

They exchanged knowing glances and promptly shoved me out to sleep with Margaret.

I obediently pretended to fall asleep, but from the next room, I heard their shameless passion shaking the walls.

Margaret Brooks had always struggled with sleep and sometimes sleepwalked, so she relied on sedatives at night. Once she swallowed the pill, she was out cold, oblivious to the shameless noises coming from the next room.

I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, until I quietly took Margaret’s phone. While they were distracted, I opened the door, recorded their scandalous scene, and uploaded it to Facebook with a few cutting words:

“This woman is shameless—throwing herself at my son. Now he doesn’t even talk to me at night, all because she has him wrapped around her finger. The bed is about to collapse from their antics. Disgraceful!”

After posting, I finally slept soundly.

At dawn, I was jolted awake by the sound of Margaret and Chloe Miller fighting. Before I could rub my eyes, Chloe yanked me up roughly.

“Mom, you’ve gone too far! How could you post Daniel and me on Facebook like that? You might not care about your face, but we do. What kind of person does that?”

Margaret was stunned. She opened Facebook, saw the post, and stomped her foot in panic.

“I don’t know! I never posted this! I never got up last night.”

I quickly added fuel to the fire. “I saw Grandma up last night. I called her, but she didn’t answer. I was too sleepy and fell back asleep.”

“That’s impossible! I don’t remember anything. I took my sleeping pills and went straight to bed.”

Daniel Brooks ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Mom, it must have been you. Ethan’s just a kid—he wouldn’t lie. If he says he saw you, then maybe your sleepwalking has come back.”

“No! I’ve been taking my medicine, following treatment. The doctor even said I was stable last time.”

Daniel wasn’t convinced. Chloe tugged on his hand, and within a minute, he had a plan.

“Mom, let’s send you to a nursing home or hospital for treatment. Ethan is back home now, and it’s inconvenient for you to cause trouble like this.”

“What?!”

Margaret refused, but Chloe knew how to manipulate Daniel. A little pout, a mention of Ethan’s name, and Daniel always caved.

And so, Margaret was sent away to a nursing home.

With her gone, I began my second plan.

Using Ethan’s innocent, childlike appearance, I gained advantages. I scattered strands of women’s hair around the house, planted a lipstick in the passenger seat, and swiped sample perfumes from counters—all to create the illusion that another woman was around Daniel.

Chloe fell for it quickly. Within a month, she was suspicious and hysterical.

“Daniel, you’d better explain! What have you been doing behind my back? Are you that much of a playboy, chasing after every woman you see? How could you do this to me?!”

Daniel’s veins bulged as he snapped.

“Chloe, I don’t know what you’re talking about! Stop making a scene! Last night you accused my client and attacked her, leaving her bruised. Now she’s suing me. Do you realize how much that deal was worth? Millions of dollars!”

“I hit her because her hair matched the hair I found here—exactly the same as that tramp’s!”