Future Me Exposes Dad's Secret Daughter

My mother makes three million dollars a month overseas, yet my monthly allowance is only ten dollars. When my father confronts her about it, they nearly get a divorce. My brother, Peter Thorne, takes pity on me and secretly gives me some money. However, he is punished for his actions. Hence, every time I get so hungry that my stomach feels like it's digesting itself, sheer resentment wells in me toward my mother. I hate her for being so ruthless and cruel, for giving birth to me yet being unwilling to take care of me. And then, one day, I receive a video call from myself ten years into the future. I eagerly ask, "How is life for me ten years from now? Did I finally cut off all ties with that wicked and terrible woman I call my mother?" However, my future self's eyes immediately redden as she yells at me furiously, "Just so you know, that 'wicked and terrible woman' you speak of donated her kidney to you without any hesitation when your precious father and brother caused you to get kidney failure! "Not just that either! She spent her entire fortune on paying them off so that they would leave you alone and cut off all ties with you! Due to that, she didn't even have enough money to afford anti-inflammatory drugs after the operation and died from the pain on the hospital bed!" As my future self takes in the disbelieving look in my eyes, her lips curl into a smile that is even uglier than a grimace. "Your monthly allowance is actually supposed to be 100,000 dollars, but they skimmed off 99,000 dollars of it and gave it to Dad's illegitimate daughter. If you still don't believe me, just head over to Botanic Villas on the east side of the city." Chapter 1 I hurried over to Botanic Villas on the east side of the city, disregarding the blazing sun beating down on my head, but was stopped by the security guard at the guardhouse. There was a wary look in his eyes as he asked, "Outsiders aren't allowed to come in as they please. Who are you looking for?" Clinging to the tiny bit of hope in my heart, I replied cautiously, "I'm looking for Samuel Thorne. I'm his daughter." The security guard burst into laughter at my words. "What nonsense. Mr. Thorne only has one son and one daughter, whose name is Melissa Thorne. He even brought Ms. Thorne out to the designer showroom yesterday to pick out a gown from the latest collection. Where the hell did you come from, you country bumpkin? How dare you try to impersonate her?" With that said, he showed me a photo. Upon getting a good look at it, I felt like I had plunged into icy waters, and my heart sank to the bottom of my feet. In the photo, my father, Samuel Thorne, and my older brother, Peter Thorne, were standing beside a young woman, affectionate smiles on their faces. I recognized the young woman, for she was none other than the class belle, Melissa Thorne. Two months ago, she had gloated to the entire class about how her family had bought her a small villa and paid for it in full. When asked about the price, she had smiled smugly. "It's not much, just a little over three million." My monthly allowance of only ten dollars started when I was in high school. If my future self was right, I was supposed to receive 100,000 dollars a month, but Dad had skimmed off 99,000 dollars. That totaled up to roughly one million dollars a year, so multiplied by my three years of high school, that amounted to just about three million. At that realization, my hands trembled violently, even as I tightened my grip on the photo. … When I returned home, Dad and Peter were in the living room—neither noticed my unnaturally pale face. Dad walked over and handed me a few bills. "Christy, here's your monthly allowance. Your mother just transferred it over. Spend it frugally, okay?" For a moment, I stared at the bills, then I raised my head to scan his face. He wore the same loving and sympathetic expression as always. Eyes reddening, I forced myself to smile wryly. "Just 30 dollars a month… That eager to see me starve to death, huh?" Dad sensed something off with my tone and frowned. "You know how your mother is. If I were to confront her about your monthly allowance again, she's probably going to send me a divorce agreement." I quirked a brow and spoke, not even realizing that my voice had gone shrill. "Is that so? Then the next time she calls, I'll ask her about it." Immediately, Peter came over to me and patted my head soothingly while stuffing 30 dollars into my hand. "I'll make the decision this time. Worst case, we just won't turn on the air-conditioning in your room this month." Then, he winked at me and deliberately lowered his voice. "It's okay. You can still sneakily turn it on. Dad and I will just pretend not to know." Ever since Mom headed overseas, a new rule had been enforced in our house. I was allowed access to all the household appliances and electronics, including a mobile phone, but I had to pay to use them. Naturally, I didn't have the money for that, so I could only use them twice a month, on the first day and the last. I'd already lost count of how many nights I had to struggle to finish my homework while sitting in the dark. Sometimes, when my period came during the summers, I would almost be driven mad with the heat and could only attempt to lower my temperature by taking a cold shower, all while crying. Now, I stared at the 30 dollars Peter had given me. If this had been my past self, I would've been elated at receiving this extra money. Now, however, I suddenly recalled something that Melissa had once said. She had said that she'd always been of frail health since she was young, so her family had specifically hired a professional to install a climate control system in the house. So the system worked year-round to keep the temperature and humidity as comfortable as possible. Thinking back on it now, I realized that her smile then had been incredibly grating to see. I returned the money Peter gave me, keeping only the ten dollars Dad had handed me. "There's no need for this." I practically growled the words. "I only want what originally belongs to me." After that, I headed to my bedroom, dug out the documents needed to prove my identity, and went to the bank closest to our house. Handing my ID over to the bank teller, I said, "Hello, I would like to check the transaction records of all bank accounts under my name for the past three years." Chapter 2 The transaction records spanned over a few hundred pages. I looked through the whole stack right there in the bank, taking extra care to be thorough. Starting from my first year in high school, Mom would transfer 100,000 dollars to my account immediately after midnight, on the first of each month. Sometimes, there would even be a few hundred thousand extra, and when she did send more, there would always be a short message attached. "My dear daughter, happy birthday." "My dear daughter, exams are coming soon. Eat some more nourishing food." "It's Children's Day today. My dear daughter, you'll always be a child to me." Every time, the money didn't stay in my account for more than five minutes before most of it was transferred away, leaving only ten dollars. By the end of the stack, I was so enraged that even my breaths were shaky. Dad had married into Mom's wealthy family and lived with them. They gave birth to a son and a daughter, with Peter taking on his surname while I took Mom's. Even so, Dad had always favored me more and insisted that Peter had to let me have my way in all matters. I still remembered how, once, when I was six, I had fallen seriously ill. Dad spent seven days praying at the local church for my recovery, while Peter tearfully pestered the doctor, saying that he was even willing to donate his healthy organs to me as long as that would help me get better. That was the reason I had trusted them unwaveringly, no matter what they had said. Huge drops of tears splattered onto the papers, and I bit down on my lip to stop myself from sobbing out loud. With trembling hands, I carefully tucked away the transaction records. … The next day, I arrived at school, only to see all of our classmates surrounding Melissa. A wide smile painted her face as she showed off the haute couture bracelet she wore. "It's a limited edition. All I did was say that I wanted it, and my dad immediately bought it for me, saying that he had received 99,000 dollars from a project just yesterday." A wave of envious murmurs broke out. Meanwhile, I chewed away at the dry piece of toast I held. With only ten dollars every month as my allowance, the only full meal I could have each day was breakfast. At that moment, Melissa deliberately shoved her arm into my sight, a beatific smile curving her lips. "Do you think it looks good, Christina?" I didn't fail to notice the challenging and smug look in her eyes. With a chuckle, I responded, "Of course it would look good, considering that it wasn't bought with your own money." Some of our classmates grew annoyed at that and spoke up condescendingly. "Ignore her, Melissa. With how poor she is, she's just jealous that your parents are willing to spend so much on you." "That's right! So what if that money isn't Melissa's? Her family certainly doesn't mind spoiling her." Instead of getting angry, Melissa laughed graciously. "It's fine, guys. I heard that Christina's monthly allowance is only ten dollars, so I can understand if she's envious of our stark difference in financial power." A wave of raucous laughter exploded through the air. "Ten dollars? Even my cat's food costs 100 dollars each month!" "She must be some stray her family took home!" I didn't let their mockery provoke me. Swallowing my last bite of dry toast, I stood up to pin Melissa with a calm gaze. "Did you know? Yesterday just so happened to be the day my mom transferred my monthly allowance to me." Melissa was bewildered at my sudden response. Curling my lips into a meaningful smile, I added, "Your dad receives funds from his project on the same day that my mom sends me my allowance. What a huge coincidence, huh?" I watched, satisfied, as the smile on her face froze, and only then did I walk out of the classroom. Outside, I bumped into our homeroom advisor, who looked conflicted as she said hesitantly, "Christina, the results for the scholarship you applied for are out." Her expression made my heart sink. I headed to the principal's office with her, where I learned that the scholarship candidate had been changed from me to Melissa. The principal tried to explain, saying my mom had specifically called the school and requested it. I didn't bother exposing his pathetic lie. Instead, I stared blankly at the scholarship amount displayed on the wall. One thousand dollars. To Melissa, that was merely enough to buy a dress for her. However, when I applied for this scholarship one month ago, I had been fantasizing about using it to treat myself to a full meal, about booking a night in a hotel so I could enjoy an air-conditioned room for once. Still not speaking a word, I turned to my homeroom advisor and asked to borrow her phone. The principal stared at me in confusion. "Christina, what are you doing?" A relatively calm smile appeared on my face as I dialled a number. "Calling the police. Even if it's my family, they have no right to decide whether I accept the scholarship or not." Chapter 3 All the color drained from the principal's face. He hastily took out his phone, almost like he was in a hurry to contact someone. Soon after, the police arrived. Right on their heels were Dad and Peter, both sweating profusely and with anxious expressions. Dad immediately reached out to grab my arm. "Christy, stop this nonsense. Let's talk it over after we go back home." With a turn of my body, I avoided his hand and looked toward the police officers. In a clear, calm voice, I said, "Officers, my family has been abusing me for the past three years by giving me only ten dollars for my monthly allowance. Now, they've even gone behind my back and offered up my scholarship to someone else." The police officers' faces darkened before they turned to look at Dad and Peter. "You're her family members? Is what she said true?" Peter immediately tried to explain, but I purposely spoke up first, not giving him that chance. "Officers, please don't misunderstand. My father and brother said that the one who insisted on this decision being carried out was my mother." The team leader instantly ordered his colleague, "Contact the child's mother immediately and verify if this is true." Dad and Peter paled further at those words before Dad shot the principal a pointed look. The principal swiftly stepped forward with an ingratiating smile. "Officers, we must have made a mistake. We'll immediately return the scholarship to Christina and announce it officially! This is all just a small misunderstanding!" Peter took my hand in his, saying gently, "Christy, Mom's education methods were indeed a little extreme, but at the end of the day, we're family. If you have any problems, we should just settle it in private." Dad wasted no time agreeing. "That's right! I promise that your monthly allowance will go back to being normal from now on." With that, he transferred me 500 dollars on the spot, his hands shaking the whole time. Only then did the police officers' tense demeanor ease up. Nonetheless, they berated Dad and Peter for their actions, then reminded them not to abuse me before they left. On the ride home, a deathly silence suffused the car. Dad had a grim scowl on his face as he kept quiet the entire journey. However, the moment we were in our neighborhood, he slammed his foot down on the brakes before whipping his head around to stare at me, a dark look I had never seen before in his eyes. "You already know everything." It wasn't a question, but a statement. With a scoff, Peter took out a stack of papers from his bag and tossed it at me. Upon getting a closer look at the contents, I curled my fingers into tight fists. It was the stack of bank transaction records I had hidden away. Peter sneered at me, the gentle adoration that used to be in his eyes nowhere to be seen. "Christina Warren, did you think that you were being real sneaky and that nobody would realize what you were doing?" Gritting my teeth, I remained silent, though my slightly pale face gave me away. Despite the truth being exposed, they didn't show the panic or helplessness that I had expected. On the contrary, Dad even lit up a cigarette before saying disdainfully, "It's true that the money your mother sends you each month is way more than this, but we were just worried that you would spend it all on unnecessary things due to your young age. That's why we decided to hold on to it for you for now. "Besides, she's all the way overseas and clearly doesn't care about you. All these years, only your brother and I have been willing to treat you like family." Peter leaned back in the side passenger seat, his eyes gleaming with smug confidence. "If you really think that we aren't treating you well, you can always go to Mom." A crushing sense of absurdity and bitter irony washed over me, stinging my eyes till they burned with unshed tears. My future self had already told me about how they had slowly cut off contact between Mom and me years ago. Swallowing my resentment, I said in a soft, shaky voice, "I'm sorry, Dad, Peter. I was wrong." Their harsh demeanor eased a little at my submissive response. The first thing I did after returning home was to lock myself in my bedroom. I felt around under my bed, pulling out a cracked wooden bracelet from the deepest corner. This was the one and only thing Mom had gifted me before she had gone overseas. My future self had reminded me that there was a hidden alarm in the bracelet. The instant it was damaged, it would send a distress signal to Mom. I had chosen to break the bracelet the same day I had gotten that phone call from my future self. Now, a green light was blinking, signifying that Mom had received my distress signal. Chapter 4 The next morning, I had only just stepped downstairs to head for the dining room when I spotted two glaring figures on the living room couch. It was Melissa and a middle-aged woman who looked very similar to her. They were sitting on the couch normally reserved for the owner of the house, and with Mom's shawl wrapped around the older woman's shoulders, she was giving off the air of the mistress of the house. Upon spotting me, she scanned me with a scornful look before instructing the housekeepers, "Move all her things out." She then shot me a polite smile that dripped with disdain. "My daughter loves sunlight, so your room will be hers from now on. You can choose to stay at the school's dormitory or the storeroom. It's up to you." I squeezed the railing tightly, so furious that I couldn't help but laugh. "I distinctly remember this house belonging to my mother." The woman didn't panic at all upon hearing that, a challenging look even appearing in her eyes. "Your father said that I get to decide everything in this house from now on. Go confront him about it if you have any objections." At that moment, Dad and Peter also arrived downstairs. They instantly made their way over to the woman, with Dad wrapping an affectionate arm around her shoulders while Peter addressed her familiarly as "Felicia". Dad suddenly turned to me, a pretentious smile crossing his face. "Felicia doesn't mean anything else by that. It's just that you've grown up now, so you should be a little more independent. Speaking of, today is your birthday, and I've prepared a gift for you." With that, he glanced pointedly at Peter, who came over to hand me a document. I quickly browsed the contents, my face instantly going pale. The "gift" Dad had given me was none other than a nine-million-dollar bill. Gnashing my teeth, I asked with reddened eyes, "Why should I pay you?" "This is the total amount of money spent on raising you all these years." The smile on Peter's face was coldly indifferent. "You're a Warren, not a Thorne, so it's only natural that we ask you to pay us back." Melissa leaned over to take a look at the number before her eyes lit up. Following that, she threw herself into Dad's arms and asked excitedly, "Dad, is that the nine-million-dollar fund you promised to set up for me as a guarantee for my future?" Patting her head, Dad smiled gently. "Yes, that's the one. You're so smart, Mel." Then, he turned to say to me in a tone as though he were doing charity. "I know that you can't pay me back in full right now, so you can pay in installments instead, with interest calculated using the minimum rate." A delighted smile bloomed on Melissa's face, and she stuck her nose in the air, declaring arrogantly, "Christina, you got one thing right. Something bought without using my money is always great." I finally snapped out of my daze at the utter absurdity of the situation. With a dark scowl, I ripped the bill to shreds. "I refuse." Immediately, the atmosphere in the living room turned tense. The first to react was Felicia Ewing, who was cuddled up to Dad. She let out a scoff before patting Melissa's wrist meaningfully. Melissa instantly understood what her mother wanted and pretended to scream, "Ah! My haute couture bracelet is missing!" Jabbing a finger at me, she continued with tears in her eyes, "Dad, she must have stolen my bracelet out of jealousy!" Dad went along with the act and pulled out his phone and called a number. In less than ten minutes, a group of people from a reform school had arrived. The leader of the group eyed me with less than noble intentions before turning to grin at Dad. "Don't you worry, sir. We know exactly how to deal with stubborn people like her." Dad hummed in response and looked at me in the cold way one would look at an object. "From now on, she'll be staying with you there. I don't care what methods you use to torment her, as long as she remains alive." I stared at him with red-rimmed eyes, my entire body trembling with sheer rage. The group of people from the reform school approached me and grabbed me by the hair before roughly dragging me toward the front door. As we went past Dad and Peter, I glared hatefully at them. In a hoarse voice, I cried out, "Since this is how you want to treat me, you'd better not come to regret your actions!" Just as I was about to be hauled away, the front door to the villa was forcefully kicked open from the outside. A sharp, icy female voice rang out. "Samuel Thorne, just what gave you the courage to send my daughter to a reform school!"