Verity’s POV
When my second brother said that, his voice was thick with hatred.
I stood frozen at the doorway, not daring to step inside.
My mom was my dad’s second wife. She died giving birth to me.
Dad was always busy with work, so it was my brothers who held my hand to and from school, who shielded me from every storm.
Aside from my dad, they were the closest family I had in the world.
But not long after Kelsey’s mother married into the family, rumors started spreading inside the house.
They said my dad’s first wife hadn’t died by accident—that my mother had set her up to die.
They said my mom had been a mistress who clawed her way into the family by stepping on a dead woman’s life.
Those words were like poison, seeping little by little into my brothers’ ears.
I wanted to explain, but the truth was, I didn’t know much about my biological mother either. I couldn’t even tell whether those rumors were true.
All my brothers felt was anger and regret. For them, all these years of doting on me felt like a betrayal of their late mother.
Kelsey’s arrival gave them the perfect outlet. A new sister they could pour their feelings into—someone they could favor, compensate, and indulge without guilt.
Me? I became the target of their resentment. Someone to take revenge on.
Worst of all, because I had no proof to clear my mom’s name, I never had the confidence to stand my ground in front of them.
The moment they saw me walk in, the smiles on their faces vanished almost simultaneously.
Suddenly, the air turned cold.
Damon, my eldest brother frowned, clearly annoyed.
“Why are you here?”
My second brother’s gaze swept over me, paused for a split second, then turned cold.
“Verity! You’ve got some nerve showing up! Perfect timing. I was just about to ask you. Did you pocket Kelsey’s allowance for this month?”
I didn’t even understand what he was talking about.
“What?”
“Don’t play dumb!”
Damon’s voice dropped, heavy with pressure.
“Kelsey just told us she hasn’t received a single cent this month.”
His eyes locked onto me, his tone severe.
“She just moved in and you’re already trying to put her in her place, huh?!”
I felt absurdly wronged.
“I’ve never touched her money.”
“Then did it just disappear on its own?”
My second brother, Damien, let out a cold laugh.
“Hey, is this because Kelsey moved in and took the position you used to have, so now you’re targeting her?”
Right then, Kelsey’s eyes suddenly reddened.
She looked startled, hurriedly waving her hands, her voice soft and trembling with carefully measured hurt.
“Damon… Damien… Please don’t be like this…”
She glanced at me, then quickly lowered her head.
“Maybe… she just hasn’t been able to accept me yet. If our sister doesn’t like me, I can try not to appear in front of her so much in the future.”
“Kelsey, there’s no need to care whether she likes you or not. What she thinks doesn’t matter.”
Damon lowered his head, unlocked his phone, and tapped the screen decisively.
The next second, Kelsey’s phone vibrated.
She glanced down, her eyes slowly turning red, then looked up at him in disbelief.
“Damon… this is… this is too much money. I can’t take it…”
“It’s just five hundred thousand.”
His voice was calm, but cold and absolute.
“From now on, I’ll personally give you your allowance.”
After saying that, his gaze shifted back to me.
“As for you, starting today, all the bank cards under your name are frozen.”
I snapped my head up.
“Damon?!”
“Since you haven’t learned how to respect others, take some time to reflect. When you finally figure it out, we’ll talk again.”
My throat tightened. I couldn’t believe my eldest brother would do this to me.
Meanwhile, Damien was already fed up. He stepped forward, his eyes openly hostile.
“If you think this house can’t accommodate you, then leave.”
“Anyway—” He sneered. “You don’t welcome Kelsey, and we don’t welcome you either.”
When I heard that, panic and helplessness surged violently in my chest.
I couldn’t just be convicted like this. I didn’t know whether my mom had been guilty or not, but something I never did, I would not take the blame for.
I pulled out my phone, forcing myself to stay calm.
“Damon. Damien. Please listen to me. I really didn’t touch her money.”
My voice came out rushed.
“I can show you my statements. Every expense I’ve ever made is recorded. I’ve never handled her allowance—not once—”
“Why is everyone just standing around?”
A deep, familiar masculine voice came from the doorway.
Tucker walked in, his assistant following behind him. He was carrying several bags of fresh groceries—clearly just back from the supermarket.
In that instant, I almost instinctively wanted to ask him for help.
But Kelsey was faster than I was.
The moment she saw him clearly, the smile on her face became blinding.
“Bro!”
She practically ran toward him, threw her arms around him, and clung to him like a koala.
“You’re finally here!”
Tucker froze for a moment, instinctively reaching out to support her. The force even made him turn halfway around.
The tips of his ears quickly turned red. His voice carried a helpless smile.
“Get down. What does this look like? You’re not a kid anymore.”
But Kelsey refused to let go. She pressed even closer, smiling without a shred of shame.
“I don’t care. In front of you, I am a kid.”
Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, her peripheral vision swept over me.
She slowly released him, stood properly, and her expression turned awkward and cautious.
“Oh… I forgot.”
She lowered her head, her voice soft.
“My sister-in-law… Oh no, my sister is still here.”
“Verity, are you maybe… uncomfortable because I keep sticking to my brother all the time? That’s why you… didn’t really want to give me allowance?”
My head buzzed.
“That’s not—”
“I’m sorry.”
She didn’t give me a chance to finish. Tears welled up immediately.
“I really didn’t mean to. I’ll be more careful in the future. I won’t cling to my brother anymore…”
The moment those words fell, I clearly felt the air around Tucker turn cold.
He didn’t look at her. He lifted his eyes and stared at me coldly instead.
“Tucker, I didn’t—” I opened my mouth to explain.
But he cut me off, looking away first.
He reached into the inside pocket of his suit, pulled out a bank card, and handed it to Kelsey.
“If you run out of money, use this.”
His voice was calm.
“This is dividend income from shares I bought under your name. It doesn’t belong to the marital assets I share with her.”
As he said that, he looked at me again.
There was an unmistakable warning in his eyes.
“She has no right to touch that.”
