Last time around, my dad's mistress showed up at our door, pregnant. Mom, furious, took me and walked out with nothing. We were dirt poor, and later, when Mom got really sick, we couldn't even afford to keep her in the hospital. I begged my dad for help. He and the mistress schemed to marry me off to some creepy, fifty-year-old business associate. For Mom's medical bills, I agreed. In the end, I bled out on the delivery table. They chose to save the baby. I died in agony. The same day, Mom, heartbroken by the news, died on the operating table too. This time, I didn't hesitate. I chose my dad. Mom looked at me in despair, cursing herself for raising a viper. "Mom, just you watch," I vowed. "This time, I'm going to make Dad's life a living hell." 1 Becky, Dad's secretary, showed up at our house, belly bulging. She came right out and demanded a legitimate name for the kid inside her. It was family dinner night, so everyone was there. Grandma and Grandpa were screaming at Becky, calling her shameless. She didn't flinch. She slapped a sonogram photo on the table. "It's a boy. You don't want him, I'll just get rid of it." Everyone turned to Mom. Because of me, Mom couldn't have any more kids. It was a sore spot she never wanted to talk about. "Well? Does the Lin family want this baby or not?" Grandma and Grandpa switched sides on the spot. "Oh, Tiffany, sweetie, I know my son messed up, but Becky's carrying an innocent child. You should be generous and let her stay." "Yeah, you haven't been able to give us another grandchild all these years. Becky just wants a name for her baby. Let her have it, and we'll raise the kid as yours." "The hell with that! What is this, the 1950s? You want to raise some love child? Either she goes, or I do! It's your choice, Tom!" Dad was silent. Grandma and Grandpa stirred the pot. Becky just got bolder, pulling out years of evidence of their affair. Mom flipped the table, screaming about divorce. Dad refused, threatening to leave her with nothing if she tried. Mom, who had been raised on Jane Austen, had pride ingrained in her bones. She packed a suitcase and walked out with me. She thought she could make Dad respect her by being strong. But the truth was, she'd been a stay-at-home mom for fifteen years, with no job experience. All she could find was dishwashing and cleaning. Even though life was tough, she wouldn't ask Dad for a dime. She wouldn't even take the child support she was owed. She still told me stories about Elizabeth Bennet. "You have to have pride. Be independent." She delivered milk in the morning and washed dishes at night, never taking a break. During my senior year of high school, she ended up in the hospital. We couldn't even afford the three-hundred-dollar-a-day hospital bill. I went to Dad. At first, he wouldn't help. But then Becky saw my face. She whispered something in Dad's ear. Suddenly, Dad changed his tune. He'd give me the money, but I had to marry one of his business partners. For Mom, I agreed. What I didn't know was that the partner was some gross, fifty-something creep. He tortured me, desperate for a son. My life was hell. His daughters looked at me like I was some zoo animal. Soon, I got pregnant. I should have been starting college, but instead, I was in the delivery room. I died there. Mom had an operation, but she didn't last long. When she heard about me, she was devastated. She died soon after. Maybe God felt sorry for me. He gave me another chance. I opened my eyes and saw Becky, pregnant, and Mom, flipping out. "You Lin men, is it because I can't have kids that you treat me like this? Whose fault is it that I had to have a hysterectomy? You swore to take care of me forever! Is this how you do it? I want a divorce!" Mom sobbed about all the hardships she'd endured. It overlapped with my memories of the last life. "Enough, Tiffany!" Dad went to Becky and wrapped his arm around her waist. He didn't care that I was there, or Grandma and Grandpa. "I have a big company to run. I need a son! It's not up to you!" "Tiffany! I'm not divorcing you. I want Becky's baby, and I want this family!" Becky, wanting to provoke Mom, added fuel to the fire. "Tiffany, successful men have affairs. All I did was get pregnant. Why are you so upset? Or are you just trying to get a bigger piece of the pie in the divorce settlement?" That hit Mom's pride. She smashed a vase. "The hell with that! I'm not that kind of woman! Tom, it's her or me! Otherwise, we're getting divorced! I'm taking Ashley with me!" "Fine! If you want a divorce, you can leave with nothing! You're not getting a dime of my money!" Grandma and Grandpa chimed in, saying useless things like, "Family is everything." I stood up. "Mom, I want to stay with Dad." Dad smiled. Mom stared at me in disbelief. "Ashley? You don't love me anymore?" I grabbed Dad's arm. "I want to stay with Dad. I don't want to be poor." "See? Even a little kid has more sense than you do!" Like last time, she packed her suitcase, looking even more defeated than before. Her small suitcase could only fit a few clothes. I secretly stuffed some diamonds and gold jewelry inside. "Don't touch my things! You ungrateful brat! Go with your dad!" I knew arguing wouldn't do any good. I just hoped she could use the jewelry to get by if she needed it. After all, Becky moved into our house later and became our stepmom. It would all go to her otherwise. 2 Soon, the headlines were full of it. "Lin Corporation CEO Cheats on Wife, Leaves Her with Nothing." It also included "Becky's Raunchy Photos," "Becky: The Ultimate Mistress," and "The CEO's Wild Love Life." The public was outraged. Shareholders called to find out what was going on. Even worse, the stock price plummeted. Dad was losing it. "I don't care who leaked the information. We have to save the stock!" The lawyer suggested, "The big problem is that your ex-wife was left with nothing. The best PR move is to give her some of your assets." Dad, under pressure from the shareholders, gave her five million dollars. He also gave Mom the house they lived in. But Mom refused the money. She turned down the settlement, telling the media that she was a proud and independent woman. "I don't want your money. I want society to judge this cheater!" Suddenly, Mom was a feminist icon. Dad was almost kicked out of his own company. "Put the settlement in Ashley's name," I emailed the lawyer privately. "That will make you look better. People are focused on Becky's affair. Focus on that. Make sure her baby is actually his. You can't let a woman like that into the family." Dad agreed. The house and the money went to me. It was all notarized. Even the jewelry and clothes Mom didn't take ended up in my closet. It saved Dad's job and kept Becky out of our house longer. Mom called me later, asking, "Ashley, was it you or your dad who did all that?" "Me." I knew Mom still thought she had some kind of connection with Dad. But I had to wake her up. Last time, she had nothing. She struggled to make ends meet, working the hardest jobs for the least amount of money. This time, at least she wouldn't have to worry about survival. She could do whatever she wanted. To kill off any hope she had for Dad, I said, "Mom, Dad has a lot of mistresses. Becky won't be the last. You need to start a new life. Better yourself. Do what you want. I'll always love you." Mom was silent for a long time. Then, she said, "Okay." 3 Becky finally married Dad. There wasn't a fancy wedding like last time. They just had a small ceremony and bought a new house away from Grandma and Grandpa. Becky was in her early thirties. Dad was forty-five. Becky quit her job and became a housewife. She was good at acting. She pretended to be a loving mother to me. "I treat Ashley like my own daughter. Whatever my son has, she has too." But in private, she never gave me anything. She also liked to undermine me. I was mature enough not to let it get to me. Even if Dad saw it, he wouldn't stand up for me. He didn't really care about me as a daughter. Even if I got straight As, he thought it was my duty. He was too busy having affairs. Over the years, Becky realized what Dad was really like. She didn't say anything, but she put all her energy into looking good. She didn't have time for the kids. So even though I was in middle school, I had to take care of Lincoln every day after school. "Becky, I have homework to do." "What's the point of girls studying? You should just watch Lincoln. You can freeload off your dad and your brother." "But we have a nanny!" "The nanny isn't as good as you. You're his big sister! And I heard you get good grades. You can help him with his homework. Anyway, I have to go out." What did she have to do? Probably go clubbing or play mahjong. She dumped Lincoln on me so I'd take the blame if anything happened. "What's the point of reading so many books? You'll end up like your mom, too dumb to enjoy the good life. Don't be like her. When Lincoln is successful and inherits the company, he'll find you a good husband!" I remembered how she talked me into marrying that old man last time. I couldn't help but smirk. "You're right. I'll take care of my brother." Becky, hearing that, left in her mini-skirt. The nanny dragged Lincoln into my room, closing the door behind her. This house was supposed to be mine, but I had no freedom. Lincoln threw his homework at me and grabbed a snow globe from my shelf. Before I could say anything, he started yelling. "This is all mine! You're going to get married and leave anyway! You have to pay me if you take a sip of my water! You have to listen to me, or I'll cry to Dad and say you hurt me!" He was acting like he was older than he was. "Did your mom teach you that?" I asked. "Mom and Dad said it! It's all mine! I'm in charge here! I want this snow globe!" Looks like Dad spoiled him too. He played with the snow globe for a while. Then, he got bored and took out his phone to play video games. He told me not to bother him. I put on my headphones and started studying. I wanted to "guide" him, but he was already on the wrong path. Lincoln slapped me. "Do my homework for me! My mom will check it later." I frowned. "If I do it for you, what will you do on the test? Mom wants me to tutor you." "I don't need your help!" "Do you want to get every question right and get a good grade on the test?" Lincoln's eyes lit up. "What?" "Cheat!" Lincoln went to a fancy private school. There were kids who cheated there. I helped him make connections. The first time he took a test, he got the highest grade in his class. Dad was thrilled. Becky didn't mention me "tutoring" him. She just said, "Tom, our son is so smart. He'll be successful one day." "That's my Lin family. We're not stupid!" Dad glanced at me, the one who got the highest grade in the entire grade. I said humbly, "Lincoln will be even better than me." "He has to be. He's going to inherit the Lin family." Ever since I "tutored" Lincoln, Becky had been completely hands-off. She left early and came home late, ordering me to take care of Lincoln's school and personal life. I even drove him around. Dad, happy that the family was getting along, came home more often. He even praised Becky for being so capable. He even promised that when Lincoln got into a good middle school, he'd transfer shares of the company to Lincoln. Becky would take care of it until he was old enough. Mom never got shares, or even the house. They wanted shares? No way!
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