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Karma's a Yacht: My Stepmother Ruined Her Own Son

NovelMaster Completed

Werewolf Reborn Romance 现实主义-Realistic励志-Inspiring惊悚-Thriller

My stepbrother, Julian, went illegal street racing with his friends behind his mother’s back. He got into a horrific car crash. The surgeon told me we needed $300,000 immediately to save his legs. Panic-stricken, I called my stepmother, Victoria, begging for the surgery money. But she only snapped at me over the phone, her voice dripping with impatience. "It’s just a pair of legs. He won't die without them, will he?" "You and your brother just want to drain my money, don't you? Let me tell you, Chloe—I’m not giving you a single penny!" With that, she hung up on me. That very night, she spent millions hosting a wild Christmas party on a mega-yacht in international waters. In the end, because we couldn’t gather the deposit, the doctors had to amputate Julian’s legs. A text from my twin brother, Ethan, popped up on my phone: "Chloe, Victoria blocked my number." At that moment, the puzzle pieces fell into place. Victoria didn't refuse the money because she was heartless to her own son. She refused because she thought the one who needed the amputation was Ethan—my biological brother, her stepson. 1 I stood frozen in the hospital hallway. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the ICU. "Why?! Why did you cut off my legs?! My mom has millions! Give them back to me!" Julian was losing his mind. He grabbed his pillows and hurled them at the nurses, punching frantically at the empty space beneath his hospital gown. The long, athletic legs he used to brag about were gone. Now, there were only two thick, heavily bandaged stumps. I rushed into the room. The moment Julian saw me, he burst into tears. "Chloe, please! Give me your phone. I need to call my mom." "I need to ask her why she wouldn't give you the $300,000 to save my legs! That money isn't even enough for her weekly shopping spree! How can she do this to her own son?!" I looked at his own phone sitting on the nightstand, completely smashed from the crash. With a heavy sigh, I handed him mine. Julian’s hands shook so violently he could barely hold the phone. But no matter how many times he dialed, the call wouldn't go through. Victoria had turned off her phone. Julian let out a guttural roar of frustration. He couldn't comprehend why his mother was being so heartless. But I knew the truth. Victoria thought the person on the operating table was Ethan, her stepson with whom she shared no blood. Julian grabbed my sleeve, his eyes begging. "Chloe, please go find her. Ask her for the money for my rehab. Please..." I looked down at him with pity and patted his hand. "Don't worry. I'll go find her right now. Wait for me." I sent a quick Snapchat to Ethan, asking him to come to the hospital to watch Julian. Then, I drove straight to the marina and boarded the mega-yacht. The Christmas party was incredibly lavish. Victoria was surrounded by high-society sycophants. She was wearing a custom white Dior gown that made her look like royalty. She raised her glass of expensive champagne. But the moment she spotted me, her smile instantly vanished. Victoria frowned in disgust and turned to the crowd. "Look, everyone. Just because I refused to give her $300,000 earlier, this little leech has chased me all the way here." Hearing this, the guests began to sneer and whisper. "Oh, is this the stray Arthur left behind with his ex-wife?" "Gosh, how does she have the nerve to ask Victoria for money? Victoria was kind enough to raise her deceased husband’s kids. If I were her, I would have thrown them out long ago." "I heard she and her brother haven’t visited Victoria once since they graduated high school. What ungrateful wolves." The sharp whispers pierced through me. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. My biological mother died in a car accident when I was ten. The next year, my dad married Victoria, claiming he wanted a mother to take care of Ethan and me. Back then, I smiled and told Ethan, "We have a new mom now. She’s going to love us." But three years after marrying Victoria, my dad passed away from illness. He left Victoria a massive inheritance, but his will was clear: Victoria had to fund our education and living expenses until we graduated. He also left a trust fund for Ethan, Julian, and me—shares of the Miller Group that we could only inherit once we turned eighteen. A sudden flame of rage ignited in my chest. No wonder Victoria refused to pay for the surgery when she thought it was Ethan. She wanted to make sure Ethan became a cripple so she could steal his shares for her own son. After all, a disabled heir would face immense opposition from the board. I couldn’t help but wonder: how would she react when she found out the boy without legs was her own beloved son? 2 I took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said coldly, "Every single dollar you spend right now was left by my father." "That inheritance included a trust fund for Ethan and me. I’m only asking for $300,000 of our own money. What right do you have to refuse?" Ever since we were kids, Victoria hadn’t spent even $30,000 on us, let alone $300,000. Ethan and I often had to drink tap water at school because we had no lunch money. Guilt flashed in Victoria’s eyes for a split second, but she quickly masked it with rage. "What nonsense are you talking about, you worthless brat?!" "You just want money to save your useless brother's legs, right? Fine. See these bottles of tequila on the table? Drink them. Ten thousand dollars a bottle. Let’s see how much you can handle." I stared at the rows of high-proof alcohol on the table, my heart turning ice-cold. Victoria had frozen Ethan’s and my accounts. But in her ignorance, she had also accidentally frozen Julian’s secondary card, leaving her own son with no money to pay for his emergency surgery. The crowd around us began to cheer and laugh, eager to watch the humiliation. I thought of Julian. Although he was born on the same day as us and used to play cruel pranks on Ethan and me, he wasn’t entirely evil. In high school, he had secretly stolen money from Victoria to buy us food when we were starving. Besides, amputation was a major surgery. Without proper post-op care, infection could kill him. My heart softened. I grabbed a bottle of tequila, tilted my head, and chugged it. Cheers erupted around me. Through the haze, I saw Victoria smirking triumphantly. Suddenly, my phone buzzed violently in my pocket. I quickly answered it. Ethan’s panicked voice came through the speaker. "Chloe! The hospital says the ICU fees are too high. If we don’t pay the deposit in an hour, they’re going to kick Julian out!" My heart squeezed. Before I could speak, Victoria snatched the phone from my hand and hung up. "What are you doing?!" I yelled, glaring at her. "He’ll die if they kick him out of the hospital!" "Good," Victoria sneered, her voice high and mocking. "In two days, it’s my son’s and your brother's eighteenth birthday gala. The board will announce the heir of the Miller Group. I’d love to see how your crippled brother is going to compete with my Julian." I stared at her, horrified by her sheer stupidity. "But Victoria," I said, my voice deadpan and serious, "the one who got amputated isn't Ethan. It’s Julian. Your own son." 3 Victoria’s face twisted in rage. "You shameless liar! How dare you curse my son?! Julian is currently at his elite prep boarding school. If you say one more word about him, I’ll ruin you!" *Slap!* Victoria’s hand struck my face, hard. My cheek burned with pain. I stared at her crazed, distorted face. A deep, dark hatred began to bloom in my heart. The guests immediately took Victoria’s side, mocking me. "How malicious. She’s so young, yet her mind is so twisted." "Everyone knows Julian is Victoria's golden boy. This girl has no shame." "Exactly. If you’re begging for money, have some respect. Cursing her own stepbrother like that? If I were Victoria, I wouldn't give her a dime." "I always heard the Miller twins were manipulative. Seeing is believing." My hand trembled as I touched my swollen cheek. I looked at Victoria, suppressing my rage. "Believe what you want. I drank one bottle. Give me the ten thousand dollars." Ten thousand dollars was enough to keep Julian in the ICU for two more nights. In two days, at the Miller Group’s heir announcement gala, the truth would come out anyway. I held out my hand, staring at her. But Victoria only looked down at me with disdain and let out a cold laugh. "You still want money? You cursed my son, and you expect me to pay you?" "What... what do you mean?" My voice shook. "Are you going back on your word? You're not even going to give me ten thousand?" "Security, throw her out!" Victoria barked, waving her hand. Before I could struggle, two massive security guards grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the deck. I lost all control and screamed at the top of my lungs, "You evil witch! Karma is coming for you!" "The gala in two days will be your reckoning! Remember my words, you monster!" They threw me off the yacht. Nursing a severe stomach cramp from the alcohol, I rushed back to the hospital. When Julian saw me, a flicker of hope lit up in his eyes. But when he saw I was alone, his face fell. "Chloe... where's my mom? Did she not have time to come? Did she just give you the money?" I shook my head. Silently, I pulled out my phone and played the video I had secretly recorded—Victoria laughing and drinking at her multi-million dollar yacht party. Julian stared at the screen, his eyes wide with disbelief. "No... no, this is a lie. How could she? She’s my mother!" Julian roared in agony, punching the bed. "My legs are gone because of her! And she’s out there throwing a party on a yacht?! How can she be my mother?!" "She didn’t even give you a single dollar for my treatment! Ahhhh!" Julian screamed, hitting his chest frantically. Ethan and I had to hold him down to stop him from ripping his stitches open. Under the immense emotional trauma, Julian fainted. Victoria stayed on the yacht, partying for a whole day and night. Because Julian had no money for proper post-op care, his wounds began to fester. He woke up in the middle of the night, screaming from the excruciating pain. Seeing that the hospital was indeed preparing to discharge him, I rushed back to the Miller mansion to steal some of Victoria’s expensive jewelry to sell. But Thomas, the butler, blocked me at the gates. "Miss Chloe, Madam Victoria has ordered that you are banned from the estate." "Thomas, let me in!" I cried out in desperation. "I need to get some jewelry to sell for Julian's pain meds! He had an amputation! He’s in agony!" But Thomas remained completely unmoved. "Miss Chloe, I have already called Julian’s boarding school. His advisor said Julian is currently in class. Please stop lying." Cold sweat poured down my forehead. Julian had always used his wealth to bribe his teachers to cover up his skipping. The school was used to lying for him. No matter what I said, Thomas refused to let me pass. Running out of options, I pulled out my phone and sent the video of Julian screaming in agony directly to Victoria’s Snapchat. In the video, Julian’s legs were cut off up to his thighs, his body thrashing in pain. On the other end of the screen, Victoria opened the video. The moment she saw the boy’s face on the hospital bed, her eyes widened in shock. She took a step back, her hands shaking. "No... this can't be!" But a second later, her face hardened, and her manicured nails dug into her palms. "That little bitch Chloe! She thinks she can use a deepfake AI video to fool me?!" "She wants to trick me into paying for her brother's legs? I won't let her have her way!" With a sneer, Victoria blocked my Snapchat account. Her temples throbbed. She instinctively wanted to call Julian’s phone, but she remembered how annoyed he always sounded when she called him during his video games. She sighed and tried to comfort herself. "Calling him now will only annoy him. Besides, Thomas just texted me saying Julian is at school." "Chloe, you little brat. How dare you use my son’s face for your sick deepfakes. I will make you pay at the gala tomorrow." A malicious smirk appeared on Victoria’s face. Meanwhile, I had no choice but to return to the hospital empty-handed. When I arrived, Ethan was already waiting for me at the entrance, pushing Julian in a wheelchair. Julian had fainted again from the pain. We had no choice but to take him to our cheap, rented room in the slums. Ever since Victoria kicked us out after high school, Ethan and I had been living in a cramped, moldy studio apartment that cost us $300 a month. If I hadn’t run into Julian’s car crash on my way to my part-time job, he probably would have died on the street. I looked at Ethan and said seriously, "Tomorrow is the Miller Group gala. I will go there first and expose everything to the media. You stay here and look after Julian." "Don't worry. I will take back everything that belongs to us." "Okay," Ethan nodded, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Chapters (4)

第1章

第2章

I stood frozen in the hospital hallway. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the ICU. "Why?! Why did you cut off my legs?! My mom has millions! Give them back to me!" Julian was losing his mind. He grabbed his pillows and hurled them at the nurses, punching frantically at the empty space beneath his hospital gown. The long, athletic legs he used to brag about were gone. Now, there were only two thick, heavily bandaged stumps. I rushed into the room. The moment Julian saw me, he burst into tears. "Chloe, please! Give me your phone. I need to call my mom." "I need to ask her why she wouldn't give you the $300,000 to save my legs! That money isn't even enough for her weekly shopping spree! How can she do this to her own son?!" I looked at his own phone sitting on the nightstand, completely smashed from the crash. With a heavy sigh, I handed him mine. Julian’s hands shook so violently he could barely hold the phone. But no matter how many times he dialed, the call wouldn't go through. Victoria had turned off her phone. Julian let out a guttural roar of frustration. He couldn't comprehend why his mother was being so heartless. But I knew the truth. Victoria thought the person on the operating table was Ethan, her stepson with whom she shared no blood. Julian grabbed my sleeve, his eyes begging. "Chloe, please go find her. Ask her for the money for my rehab. Please..." I looked down at him with pity and patted his hand. "Don't worry. I'll go find her right now. Wait for me." I sent a quick Snapchat to Ethan, asking him to come to the hospital to watch Julian. Then, I drove straight to the marina and boarded the mega-yacht. The Christmas party was incredibly lavish. Victoria was surrounded by high-society sycophants. She was wearing a custom white Dior gown that made her look like royalty. She raised her glass of expensive champagne. But the moment she spotted me, her smile instantly vanished. Victoria frowned in disgust and turned to the crowd. "Look, everyone. Just because I refused to give her $300,000 earlier, this little leech has chased me all the way here." Hearing this, the guests began to sneer and whisper. "Oh, is this the stray Arthur left behind with his ex-wife?" "Gosh, how does she have the nerve to ask Victoria for money? Victoria was kind enough to raise her deceased husband’s kids. If I were her, I would have thrown them out long ago." "I heard she and her brother haven’t visited Victoria once since they graduated high school. What ungrateful wolves." The sharp whispers pierced through me. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. My biological mother died in a car accident when I was ten. The next year, my dad married Victoria, claiming he wanted a mother to take care of Ethan and me. Back then, I smiled and told Ethan, "We have a new mom now. She’s going to love us." But three years after marrying Victoria, my dad passed away from illness. He left Victoria a massive inheritance, but his will was clear: Victoria had to fund our education and living expenses until we graduated. He also left a trust fund for Ethan, Julian, and me—shares of the Miller Group that we could only inherit once we turned eighteen. A sudden flame of rage ignited in my chest. No wonder Victoria refused to pay for the surgery when she thought it was Ethan. She wanted to make sure Ethan became a cripple so she could steal his shares for her own son. After all, a disabled heir would face immense opposition from the board. I couldn’t help but wonder: how would she react when she found out the boy without legs was her own beloved son?

第3章

I took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said coldly, "Every single dollar you spend right now was left by my father." "That inheritance included a trust fund for Ethan and me. I’m only asking for $300,000 of our own money. What right do you have to refuse?" Ever since we were kids, Victoria hadn’t spent even $30,000 on us, let alone $300,000. Ethan and I often had to drink tap water at school because we had no lunch money. Guilt flashed in Victoria’s eyes for a split second, but she quickly masked it with rage. "What nonsense are you talking about, you worthless brat?!" "You just want money to save your useless brother's legs, right? Fine. See these bottles of tequila on the table? Drink them. Ten thousand dollars a bottle. Let’s see how much you can handle." I stared at the rows of high-proof alcohol on the table, my heart turning ice-cold. Victoria had frozen Ethan’s and my accounts. But in her ignorance, she had also accidentally frozen Julian’s secondary card, leaving her own son with no money to pay for his emergency surgery. The crowd around us began to cheer and laugh, eager to watch the humiliation. I thought of Julian. Although he was born on the same day as us and used to play cruel pranks on Ethan and me, he wasn’t entirely evil. In high school, he had secretly stolen money from Victoria to buy us food when we were starving. Besides, amputation was a major surgery. Without proper post-op care, infection could kill him. My heart softened. I grabbed a bottle of tequila, tilted my head, and chugged it. Cheers erupted around me. Through the haze, I saw Victoria smirking triumphantly. Suddenly, my phone buzzed violently in my pocket. I quickly answered it. Ethan’s panicked voice came through the speaker. "Chloe! The hospital says the ICU fees are too high. If we don’t pay the deposit in an hour, they’re going to kick Julian out!" My heart squeezed. Before I could speak, Victoria snatched the phone from my hand and hung up. "What are you doing?!" I yelled, glaring at her. "He’ll die if they kick him out of the hospital!" "Good," Victoria sneered, her voice high and mocking. "In two days, it’s my son’s and your brother's eighteenth birthday gala. The board will announce the heir of the Miller Group. I’d love to see how your crippled brother is going to compete with my Julian." I stared at her, horrified by her sheer stupidity. "But Victoria," I said, my voice deadpan and serious, "the one who got amputated isn't Ethan. It’s Julian. Your own son."

第4章

Victoria’s face twisted in rage. "You shameless liar! How dare you curse my son?! Julian is currently at his elite prep boarding school. If you say one more word about him, I’ll ruin you!" *Slap!* Victoria’s hand struck my face, hard. My cheek burned with pain. I stared at her crazed, distorted face. A deep, dark hatred began to bloom in my heart. The guests immediately took Victoria’s side, mocking me. "How malicious. She’s so young, yet her mind is so twisted." "Everyone knows Julian is Victoria's golden boy. This girl has no shame." "Exactly. If you’re begging for money, have some respect. Cursing her own stepbrother like that? If I were Victoria, I wouldn't give her a dime." "I always heard the Miller twins were manipulative. Seeing is believing." My hand trembled as I touched my swollen cheek. I looked at Victoria, suppressing my rage. "Believe what you want. I drank one bottle. Give me the ten thousand dollars." Ten thousand dollars was enough to keep Julian in the ICU for two more nights. In two days, at the Miller Group’s heir announcement gala, the truth would come out anyway. I held out my hand, staring at her. But Victoria only looked down at me with disdain and let out a cold laugh. "You still want money? You cursed my son, and you expect me to pay you?" "What... what do you mean?" My voice shook. "Are you going back on your word? You're not even going to give me ten thousand?" "Security, throw her out!" Victoria barked, waving her hand. Before I could struggle, two massive security guards grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the deck. I lost all control and screamed at the top of my lungs, "You evil witch! Karma is coming for you!" "The gala in two days will be your reckoning! Remember my words, you monster!" They threw me off the yacht. Nursing a severe stomach cramp from the alcohol, I rushed back to the hospital. When Julian saw me, a flicker of hope lit up in his eyes. But when he saw I was alone, his face fell. "Chloe... where's my mom? Did she not have time to come? Did she just give you the money?" I shook my head. Silently, I pulled out my phone and played the video I had secretly recorded—Victoria laughing and drinking at her multi-million dollar yacht party. Julian stared at the screen, his eyes wide with disbelief. "No... no, this is a lie. How could she? She’s my mother!" Julian roared in agony, punching the bed. "My legs are gone because of her! And she’s out there throwing a party on a yacht?! How can she be my mother?!" "She didn’t even give you a single dollar for my treatment! Ahhhh!" Julian screamed, hitting his chest frantically. Ethan and I had to hold him down to stop him from ripping his stitches open. Under the immense emotional trauma, Julian fainted. Victoria stayed on the yacht, partying for a whole day and night. Because Julian had no money for proper post-op care, his wounds began to fester. He woke up in the middle of the night, screaming from the excruciating pain. Seeing that the hospital was indeed preparing to discharge him, I rushed back to the Miller mansion to steal some of Victoria’s expensive jewelry to sell. But Thomas, the butler, blocked me at the gates. "Miss Chloe, Madam Victoria has ordered that you are banned from the estate." "Thomas, let me in!" I cried out in desperation. "I need to get some jewelry to sell for Julian's pain meds! He had an amputation! He’s in agony!" But Thomas remained completely unmoved. "Miss Chloe, I have already called Julian’s boarding school. His advisor said Julian is currently in class. Please stop lying." Cold sweat poured down my forehead. Julian had always used his wealth to bribe his teachers to cover up his skipping. The school was used to lying for him. No matter what I said, Thomas refused to let me pass. Running out of options, I pulled out my phone and sent the video of Julian screaming in agony directly to Victoria’s Snapchat. In the video, Julian’s legs were cut off up to his thighs, his body thrashing in pain. On the other end of the screen, Victoria opened the video. The moment she saw the boy’s face on the hospital bed, her eyes widened in shock. She took a step back, her hands shaking. "No... this can't be!" But a second later, her face hardened, and her manicured nails dug into her palms. "That little bitch Chloe! She thinks she can use a deepfake AI video to fool me?!" "She wants to trick me into paying for her brother's legs? I won't let her have her way!" With a sneer, Victoria blocked my Snapchat account. Her temples throbbed. She instinctively wanted to call Julian’s phone, but she remembered how annoyed he always sounded when she called him during his video games. She sighed and tried to comfort herself. "Calling him now will only annoy him. Besides, Thomas just texted me saying Julian is at school." "Chloe, you little brat. How dare you use my son’s face for your sick deepfakes. I will make you pay at the gala tomorrow." A malicious smirk appeared on Victoria’s face. Meanwhile, I had no choice but to return to the hospital empty-handed. When I arrived, Ethan was already waiting for me at the entrance, pushing Julian in a wheelchair. Julian had fainted again from the pain. We had no choice but to take him to our cheap, rented room in the slums. Ever since Victoria kicked us out after high school, Ethan and I had been living in a cramped, moldy studio apartment that cost us $300 a month. If I hadn’t run into Julian’s car crash on my way to my part-time job, he probably would have died on the street. I looked at Ethan and said seriously, "Tomorrow is the Miller Group gala. I will go there first and expose everything to the media. You stay here and look after Julian." "Don't worry. I will take back everything that belongs to us." "Okay," Ethan nodded, his eyes filled with complex emotions.