My mother called me, crying, "Are you not going to care about this family anymore?" "Your brother is bewitched by some vixen and is insisting on breaking his engagement." "Your father went to take care of your grandmother, and ended up in bed with her caretaker." "Your grandmother is taking your father's side, supporting his cheating, and kicked me out of the house." "Should I just die so you can all be happy?" Hanging up the phone, I instructed my executive assistant, "Push my schedule back. I have a personal matter to handle." My assistant replied, "Understood, boss. How many days should I clear for you?" "Three days will be plenty," I said. Any longer and it would mean my methods weren't ruthless enough! 01 After a three-hour flight home, only my mother was there. The moment she saw me, her face dropped, and the first thing out of her mouth was, "So you finally decided to come back?" I glanced at her, ignoring the remark, and spoke directly to Mrs. Foster, our housekeeper, who came to greet me. "Have someone take my luggage to my room. When my brother gets back, tell him to wait. I'll see him after I sleep." Mrs. Foster was respectful. "Yes, ma'am." "Victoria, am I talking to you or are you deaf?" Unwilling to be ignored, my mother stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Fine, both of you are completely ignoring me now!" "That deadbeat father of yours, and you! You're all plotting a rebellion!" Forced to stop, I looked at my hysterical mother and told her, "To make time to come back and handle family matters, I pulled an all-nighter working. Unless you have something of critical importance, do not waste my sleeping time." "What kind of attitude is that?" she shrieked. "I am your mother! Not your subordinate! Are you speaking to me with a tone of command?" She was very loud. I frowned, suppressing the irritation rising within me. "Alright, Mother. I'll give you two choices right now. One, you can continue to hound me and discuss my 'attitude problem.' I guarantee I will turn right around and go back to work, washing my hands of all family matters completely. Two, please stay quiet, and whatever you have to say, wait until I wake up." "Did you understand?" "If you understood, can you step aside?" "You, you!" My mother pointed her finger at my nose, stammering over the word "you." The word rolled around in her mouth several times but never quite made it out. Instead, it morphed into pitiful, stammering sobs. "Ugh... what sin did I commit in a past life? How did I raise such an ungrateful wolf!" Despite her cursing, she hadn't forgotten my temper and that I always do what I say. Afraid I would actually walk away, she obediently sat back down on the sofa, not daring to block me again. I headed upstairs to my bedroom. I needed a shower, and then, a good sleep. I had been up all night. I was exhausted! 02 Two hours later, my alarm woke me up. Mrs. Foster told me, "Young master has been waiting for half an hour." I freshened up a bit and went downstairs to see my brother. "Sis, why did you come back? You're just in time, I want to break my engagement with Claire." My brother was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, playing a video game. The coffee table in front of him was covered with cut fruit and unopened snacks. My mother was attentively peeling an orange, feeding him segment by segment. "Why do you want to break the engagement?" I sat down, cutting straight to the point. "Why else?" My brother ate the orange while intensely focused on his game, too busy to even look at me. "Claire and I are not on the same path. We have nothing in common." "Alex," I called his name calmly, without much inflection, but giving him a clear warning, "I'll give you two seconds to put away your phone and talk to me properly." My brother stole a glance at me. I raised my eyelids, shooting him a cold stare. He shivered, turned off his phone, shoved it in his pocket, and muttered unhappily, "Fine, I won't play then." "But seriously, Sis, I'm not joking. Since you're back, hurry up and break the engagement for me, so my girlfriend doesn't get jealous." "Your girlfriend?" I prompted. He immediately perked up. Without waiting for me to ask more, he eagerly continued, "That's right, Sis. My new girlfriend is Mia. She's gentle, considerate, and caters to my every whim." "Claire just has a better family background than Mia. She always has a cold face and expects me to coax her, acting like she's some kind of princess. I'm not putting up with that." "Sis, I'm saying this upfront: I have someone I like. If you all force me to marry Claire, don't blame me for running away from home." "Don't say such things!" My mother patted him lightly, soothing him anxiously, "Your sister didn't say she wouldn't support you, right, Vicky?" She started right off the bat by forcing an awkward nickname on me, which sounded incredibly uncomfortable. I swallowed my disgust and instructed my brother, "Bring your girlfriend home tomorrow so I can meet her." He was stunned, thinking he had misheard. Once he realized what I said, he jumped three feet in the air with joy. "Okay! Sis, I'll bring Mia home tomorrow. Don't worry, I bet you'll definitely like her." Overjoyed, my brother went to find his girlfriend. Mrs. Foster asked if I wanted to dine now. I replied, "Yes." The dishes were brought to the table one by one. As I moved to the dining room, my mother followed. "That Mia girl went behind your brother's back straight to Claire, sowing discord between them while urging your brother to break the engagement." "Your brother is just naive and can't see her tricks. That woman is definitely not to be underestimated." Speaking of Mia, my mother glared fiercely, with nothing good to say. I found it amusing and asked her, "Then why didn't you say that in front of Alex just now?" My mother choked, her eyes darting away. I slowly scooped a spoonful of porridge, put it in my mouth, and bluntly pierced her little scheme. "So, you wanted to play the good guy in front of Alex and push me out to be the bad guy?" Her expression stiffened, and she stubbornly argued, "I was afraid you didn't understand the situation, so I specifically reminded you!" "Well, thank you very much," I said sarcastically. "I don't like beating around the bush. You might as well just tell me what you're thinking directly. That way, I won't get the wrong idea and get your hopes up for nothing." Hearing this, my mother immediately forgot her awkwardness and started issuing commands: "The engagement cannot be broken. You cannot let your brother be foolish." "The Miller family is small potatoes; they can't compare to the Davis family." "That Mia doesn't know her place, thinking she can be my daughter-in-law. Does she think she's worthy?!" "Your brother is just excited right now. We'll humor him and let him play around for a couple of years, as long as he doesn't marry her." "As for the Davis family, you find a way to placate them." "Tell Claire to change her attitude. She shouldn't think that just because she's a Davis, she can look down on her fiancé. Besides her family background, how is she worthy of my son?" "For a family of our standing, what's the big deal if your brother has a girlfriend or two on the outside?" "Family harmony is the most important thing. If Claire knows what's good for her, she should turn a blind eye and not be petty and small-minded." I asked her, "Are you done?" My mother was dissatisfied with my interruption, but since she had said her piece, she generously didn't argue with me, only adding, "That's about it. As his sister, you should be more involved in your brother's affairs. Did you listen to what I just said?" I stretched my lips into a fake smile. "Of course." "Good," my mother said, issuing her final directive with satisfaction. "When Mia comes tomorrow, there's no need to be polite. Otherwise, she'll really think our family is easy to marry into!" 03 Early the next morning, Mia came visiting with two boxes of tea leaves. She said the tea was specially picked and gifted to her by the villagers when she was doing volunteer teaching in a rural area, representing a heart of gold. "Auntie, Victoria, the old tea trees in the mountains are over a hundred years old. Although the tea isn't famous, the taste is definitely good." Accepting the gift, we expressed our thanks. My mother, who had sworn not to be polite to Mia, received the gift she despised and politely said, "That's very thoughtful." Only when she buried her head to drink her own expensive tea did the undisguised disgust spill from the corner of her eyes. "Auntie, you take such good care of yourself!" Mia familiarly sat next to my mother, her eyes curving in a warm smile. "If I saw you and Alex shopping together, I would definitely misunderstand and think he was secretly dating a new girlfriend. You look so young!" "Really?" my mother said nonchalantly. "Just good genes. I don't need any special care." "Come on, Mom, you really know how to pretend," my brother said, holding up a hand to show a number. "You spend at least this much on skincare every year." With the lie exposed on the spot, my mother couldn't save face. She glared at my brother, preparing to scold him. Mia beat her to it, raising her voice, putting on a stern face, and seriously reprimanding him: "Alex! Watch how you speak! Apologize to Auntie right now!" In front of my mother, my brother always had to assert his dominance. He was used to acting entitled; how could he possibly apologize? Seeing him refuse to apologize, Mia put her hands on her hips and glared. "You're not even listening to me now, are you? Fine! Let's see if I ever pay attention to you again!" My brother pouted, helplessly conceding, "Yes, yes, yes. The Queen has ordered, how dare I not listen? I apologize to Mom. Mom, I'm sorrrry~~" My mother's face turned green then pale. She wanted to lose her temper but was afraid of upsetting my brother. She wanted to keep up her fake smile, but she was so angry inside she couldn't actually smile. Consequently, her expression was fractured and quite spectacular. Seeing my brother yield, a hint of smugness flashed across Mia's face. She hugged my mother's arm, saying affectionately, "Auntie, if Alex ever makes you unhappy, just tell me. I'll teach him a lesson for you." Killing someone's spirit—that's what this was. My mother was so angry her hair was practically standing on end, yet she had to force herself to remain composed. Mia brazenly showed off how love-struck my brother was over her, feeling very pleased with herself. Drinking my coffee, I thought this little drama deserved a return gift. I took her to the walk-in closet, pointed to a wall of unopened designer bags, and said, "I only got back yesterday and was tight on time, so I didn't prepare a gift for you. See if you like any of these bags. Pick whatever you want as a welcome gift." Looking at the wall of bags, Mia's eyes went wide. She feigned politeness: "Thank you, Victoria, but these bags are too expensive. I couldn't possibly." She probably thought I would exchange pleasantries, go back and forth, and finally insist on giving her a bag. Instead, I said cleanly, "You're right. I wasn't being thoughtful enough. Never mind then." Mia's expression almost cracked. She forced a dry laugh, "T-thank you, Victoria." I smiled, waved my hand, and generously said, "You're welcome." 04 I don't judge people based on hearsay. My judgment of a person comes only from my own observation and understanding. If my brother hadn't developed feelings for Claire and wanted to break the engagement, I accepted that. If the girlfriend he was seeing had a background lesser than the Davis family, as long as her character was fine, I could accept that too. However, after meeting Mia, I didn't intend to support his decision. Mia's outfit was clearly carefully chosen, yet her style exuded a certain cheapness that I disliked. When she spoke to people, her eyes were busy evaluating, her mind busy scheming, and her face couldn't hide her manipulation. I disliked that. She tried to befriend people through flattery and fawning. I disliked that. She was used to using physical contact to close the distance and eliminate unfamiliarity. I disliked that. She tried to elevate her own status by showing off her control over my brother, faintly displaying a sense of provocation. I disliked that. When she refused the bag I offered, and I immediately agreed to take it back, I clearly saw the disappointment she couldn't hide. I disliked that. But I didn't show my dislike on my face. Instead, right as Mia was leaving, in front of her, I instructed my brother, "Come with me to see the Davis family tomorrow." At the mention of the Davis family, my brother's face darkened, and he asked irritably, "For what?" I said, "To break the engagement." My brother and Mia both looked at me, their surprise and joy evident. Having just met Mia and immediately proposing to break the engagement with the Davis family, anyone would think I was very satisfied with her. At least my brother, Mia, and my mother all thought so. My brother couldn't contain his excitement, "Okay! Sis, I'll go with you tomorrow to make things clear to the Davis family!" Mia also looked incredibly flattered, "Thank you, Victoria~" Behind them, my mother's gaze was like a poisoned knife, stabbing at me. As soon as my brother walked Mia out the door, my mother exploded. "Victoria! Are you crazy? What did I tell you yesterday?" "Break the engagement? How could you even think of that!" "No, this engagement cannot be broken. You cannot take your brother to see the Davis family tomorrow!" "Who does Mia think she is? Your brother absolutely cannot miss out on the Davis family connection because of her." My mother was pacing like an ant on a hot pan, yelling and screaming at me. From her stance, it seemed like if I dared to refuse her demands, she would keep hounding me until I compromised. I had no intention of dealing with her unreasonable behavior. I calmly took out my phone and waved it in front of her. She stared at my actions, bewildered. Right in front of her, I dialed my brother's number. It had barely rung when my brother picked up, "Hello? Sis." I put it on speaker, turned my head, smiled slowly at my mother, and said to my brother, "Your mother doesn't agree to you breaking the engagement. See if you can persuade her. If you can't, there's no need to see the Davis family tomorrow." "Is she crazy?!" my brother raged into the phone. "Sis, ignore her. I'm coming right back." "Okay. I'll wait for your good news." Hanging up the phone, I looked at my mother, who was clutching her chest and gasping for air. Then I raised my wrist, pretended to check my watch, and said lightly, "Your son will be back soon, estimated twenty minutes." "You still have twenty minutes to think about how to persuade him not to break the engagement." "Good luck." My mother pointed a trembling finger at me. "Victoria, you, you're something else!" I smiled innocently. "I'm alright. It's not like you just met me. I've always been 'something else.'"
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