"All my classmates have the new designer bags. I'm the only one without. What's even the point of living?"
She tossed her phone onto the couch and met my eyes with a smirk.
"Unless you restore my card right now and transfer me fifty thousand for emotional damages."
"Otherwise, I'll show up at your company with a banner and let everyone know exactly what kind of person you are!"
Her shamelessness was almost impressive.
This was the "daughter" I'd raised for ten years.
When Vincent first brought her to me, she'd been wearing ill-fitting hand-me-downs, hiding shyly behind him.
I'd felt for her. Loved her like she was my own.
Took her to the best shopping centers. Enrolled her in the most elite private school.
I'd even neglected my own biological daughter, Irene, just to make Blanche feel included.
And this was the result?
I'd raised a viper waiting to sink its fangs into me.
The front door swung open.
Vincent rushed in, drenched in sweat.
The second he saw the two of us squared off, he froze.
"What's going on here? We're family—can't we talk this out?"
He wiped his forehead, shooting me a look.
"Honey, Blanche is still a kid. Teenage rebellion, you know? Don't stoop to her level."
The moment Blanche saw her dad walk in, her whole demeanor shifted.
The tears came on command. Blanche threw herself into Vincent's arms, wailing.
"Dad! She canceled my card and wants to kick me out! She said this house is hers and told me to go back to the family home!"
"I don't want to live anymore!" She sobbed dramatically.
Vincent patted her back, his face full of concern. He turned to look at me, a hint of reproach in his eyes.
"Honey, you're in the wrong here."
"Blanche is so sensitive—how could you say something like that to hurt her?"
"Hurry up and restore her card. It's embarrassing for a kid to be out there with no money."
I stared coldly at the father-daughter pair, feeling nothing but disgust.
"Vincent, let me make something clear."
"I bought this house. I started the company. I earn the money."
"I decide who gets to spend it."
"Since you two are so devoted to each other, here's what we'll do."
"Starting today, you—her biological father—are responsible for all of Blanche's expenses."
Vincent froze.
He hadn't expected me—always agreeable, always generous—to suddenly push back this hard.
His salary?
His measly paycheck couldn't even cover Blanche's snacks for a month.
"Honey, you can't be serious..."