"Ryan, explain it to me. Most of that money was earned by me—what gave you the right to touch it? Where did it go?"
Mrs. Lambert sprang up, hands on her hips, all pretense gone. She jabbed a finger at my face.
"You married into this family, so you belong to the Lyons family! Every penny you earn is ours! A married daughter is water poured out—gone! Don't you dare side with outsiders!"
"And that five million? Forget about it! My son bought that liquor, so the prize belongs to us! Just try and touch it!"
"Liquor your son bought?"
I was so furious I laughed.
"Want me to remind you what was actually in those two bottles of 'Moutai'? Want me to repeat what you said at the door?"
Mrs. Lambert's face went white.
"You… you were eavesdropping? Fine, Joy! So now you've learned to spy at doorways!"
She spat on the floor, then kept right on pointing at my face and shouting like nothing had happened.
"Besides, even if what's inside isn't real Moutai, so what? My son got that bottle! This prize came from my son's luck! It has nothing to do with you, nothing to do with your broke parents—not even a cent!"
I looked at them coldly.
My voice was so calm it didn't carry a single ripple.
"Fine."
"Then guard that 'luck' properly."
I left those icy words hanging, didn't bother watching their faces cycle through their wonderfully varied expressions, turned around, went back to the bedroom, and locked the door.
I knew they wouldn't let it go. That "five million" mirage had already sunk its hooks deep into their souls.
The next morning, just as dawn broke.
I got ready for work like usual and headed down to the underground parking garage.
From a distance, I spotted it—the driver's side window of my white sedan, shattered all over the ground.
My heart dropped. I rushed over.
The inside had been ransacked. The storage compartment hung open, small odds and ends scattered across the seats and floor mats.
On the passenger seat, that dark red Moutai gift box I'd deliberately placed there yesterday had vanished.
Sure enough.
They made their move.
I just hadn't expected them to stoop this low.
Rage shot straight to my head, but I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm.
After confirming nothing else was missing, I turned around and went back upstairs.
In the living room, Ryan and Mrs. Lambert sat at the dining table eating breakfast.
My gaze swept over them coldly.
"Ryan, my car was broken into."