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My Toxic Family Tried to Sell Me, So I Exposed Them Live on TikTok

NovelMaster Completed

Romance 现实主义-Realistic惊悚-Thriller重生-Reborn魔幻-Magic校园-School励志-Inspiring

Married for ten years, I completely cut ties with my family. Recently, a TikTok video titled "Mother begs on her knees for estranged daughter to return to dying father's bedside" blew up on the trending page. Netizens quickly branded me as an ungrateful monster. They doxxed my personal information, trying to drag me out from behind the screen. Later, my mother tracked me down to my company. In front of all my coworkers, she tried to morally hijack me. In the next second, I threw myself to my knees right in front of her. "Mom! I got scammed! I'm drowning in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. I was too ashamed to go home and ruin your lives, so I've been working day and night to pay it off. I wanted to come home after I cleared my name, but I never expected you to find me first!" "It’s all my fault. I was greedy, wanting to make quick cash to support you and Dad. I never thought I’d fall for a scam." On Friday afternoon, I was gossiping with my coworkers. Brenda, who had been glued to her phone, suddenly sighed loudly. "They say once a daughter leaves, she’s dead to the family. It’s so true. She hasn't visited her parents in ten years. How cold-hearted!" "If I had a daughter like that, I’d break her legs." Her sudden outburst caught everyone’s attention. We all leaned in to look at her screen. In the video, a woman sobbed, claiming her husband was terminally ill and that their daughter had cut contact and vanished for ten years after she left home. Curious, I peeked over too. The moment I saw the face on the screen, my mind went completely blank. Ten years ago, that very same face had screamed at me. "Your older brother needs to get married, and your younger brother needs private school! Is a fifty-thousand-dollar dowry all you're worth?" "Tell him if he doesn't bring a hundred thousand, he can forget about marrying you." My hands shook as I tapped on the video, which already had nearly a million views. [Father Terminally Ill, Mother Begs Estranged Daughter of Ten Years to Come Home] The words "Estranged Daughter of Ten Years" were highlighted in bold, bright red, as if she had committed an unpardonable sin that needed to be broadcasted to the entire world. Ten years had passed, and she had aged significantly. Wrinkles lined her face, and her eyelids sagged. In the video, she painted me as an ungrateful, heartless girl who abandoned her aging parents for a man, completely ignoring them for a decade. "Her father and I worked ourselves to the bone, saving penny by penny to put her through college. We didn’t expect her to become rich and famous, just to be sensible and decent. But she threw her life away for a man, ran off, and cut us off completely. We didn't even know if she was dead or alive." "Now, her father has terminal cancer. He doesn't have much time left. He just wants to see his daughter one last time before he dies. I had no choice but to turn to social media. Please, everyone, help us find her. Her name is Chloe Miller, born May 12, 1993, originally from..." My mother sobbed, wiping away fake tears. The live comments section was flying by. The outraged internet mob slammed me as a parasitic monster. [The poor mother! This daughter is absolute trash!] [Cutting contact for ten years? She's a monster. Why even look for her?] [So heartless. Her father is literally on his deathbed, and she won't even visit. No conscience whatsoever.] [Chloe Miller, your parents are looking for you. Go home!] [Hey, I think I saw this girl around the West End in Austin. Her height and face look identical. Not sure if it's actually her.] ... Once my coworkers understood the story, they joined the chorus of condemnation. "That is incredibly cruel. No matter how bad the grudge, they are still her parents. How could she just ignore them?" "Let's not jump to conclusions without knowing the whole story," someone else muttered. Since internet dramas always have twists, most of them just made a few comments and were ready to move on. But Brenda wasn’t having it. "I’ve always said daughters are useless! She ran off right after college. Completely worthless. An ungrateful brat." "If you're going to have kids, have sons. Only sons are reliable." The office fell silent. The atmosphere shifted instantly. Our company specialized in women’s wellness products. Aside from a few roles, almost the entire staff was female. Brenda constantly bragged about her son and preached about how superior boys were, which made her incredibly unpopular. Olivia, who always spoke her mind, snapped back. "Brenda, you’re a woman too. Are you saying you're useless?" "Ugh, please! How could you compare me to that girl in the video? I live literally five minutes away from my mother. I visit her every single day." Olivia wouldn't back down. "Then why do you sound like having a daughter is a curse? Honestly, since you had a son, it feels like you've completely taken his side against women." "Besides, if someone is willing to cut ties for ten years, her parents must have done something horrific to her. You can't trust just one side of a story on the internet. There's always a twist." Brenda was furious, but she couldn't find a good comeback, so she shut up. Trying to deflect, she turned her eyes toward me. "Hazel, the daughter in this video actually looks a lot like you."I gave her a tight, fake smile. "Oh? Really?" Olivia chimed in. "How does she look like Hazel? The girl in the photo looks like she was abused, starved, and skinny as a stick. Hazel looks nothing like that." I stared at Olivia. A wave of emotion surged in my chest. Finally, someone noticed. How could a child raised in a happy, loving home look so skeletal and malnourished? It was a glaringly obvious detail, yet a complete stranger saw it clearer than the online judge-and-jury mob. Brenda argued, "She was probably just a picky eater! Her parents said they gave her everything she wanted and treated her like a princess." "My niece is the same way. She refuses to eat this and that, so she's skinny." Olivia smirked. "During puberty, I ate two bowls of salad per meal and still needed midnight snacks. A teenage girl wouldn't end up looking like skin and bones just from being 'picky'." "That's just one rare case. Not every girl in the world is like your niece." "Fine, fine, I can't argue with you." With Olivia firing on all cylinders, Brenda finally backed down. I gave Olivia a silent thumbs-up. She scoffed playfully. "She actually tried to set me up with her two-hundred-pound son. With a mother-in-law like her, I'd lose ten years of my life." I thought that would be the end of it. After all, I had legally changed my name and moved my registration years ago. No matter how hard they searched, they shouldn't have been able to link Chloe Miller to Hazel Adams. But just two days later, trouble knocked on my door. The moment I arrived at the office entrance, I heard a massive commotion inside. A very familiar voice sent a jolt of panic through my chest. I turned around, preparing to bolt. "Look, she's here! I told you she looks exactly like Hazel!" "Hazel! Or should I say, Chloe? Come here, your mother is waiting!"It was Brenda. Her voice was already loud, but she raised it on purpose, drawing the attention of the entire office. I frowned, freezing in my tracks. I couldn't run, but staying felt like stepping into a trap. I quickly racked my brain. I had never offended Brenda. Why was she doing this to me? In the next second, a woman dressed in faded, worn-out clothes and carrying a face full of sorrow stepped out. My younger brother, Leo, walked right behind her. He had his phone shoved right in my face. He looked like a cat that had finally caught a mouse—shaking with pure, sadistic excitement. Olivia was standing in the crowd, frantically winking at me. I instantly understood. They were livestreaming. What a beautiful trap of a family reunion. Well, if they wanted to put on a show, I was going to give them an Oscar-winning performance. The viewer count in the livestream instantly surged to over a hundred thousand. Countless users flooded in to witness this "touching" family reunion. The comments section went wild. [Finally found her! This is so emotional, as a mother, I'm tearing up.] [OMG, the sequel is live! Sitting here with popcorn!] [Look at her outfit. She clearly makes good money working here, yet she abandoned her parents. So cold-blooded.] The livestream was clearly performing well, judging by the smug grin Leo couldn't quite hide. My mother took trembling steps toward me, whispering dramatically, "My baby... my Chloe..." As she walked, she wiped her dry eyes. Leo zoomed in, trying to capture the tears that didn't exist on her face. If there were any tears, they would be tears of joy—joy of finally finding their cash cow. Hearing her call me "Chloe" made my stomach turn. In my entire life, my mother had never called me anything so sweet. Usually, she called me by my full name, or, when she was angry, slammed me with verbal abuse: useless leech, curse, parasite, bitch... To hear such affection for the first time in my life under these circumstances made me want to vomit. But in the next second, I threw myself to my knees right in front of her. My face was a perfect mix of shock and overwhelmed joy. "Mom! How did you find me?!" I didn't want to play along with her sick game, but since they had backed me into a corner, I had to beat them at their own game. If I acted cold in front of all these people, it would ruin my reputation within three minutes. Being gossiped about was one thing, but harming the company's image and losing my job was a real threat. And as for acting? I was the lead in my college drama club. My mother froze. She absolutely did not expect me to drop to my knees and start crying. It completely derailed her rehearsed script. She stammered for a few seconds before slowly getting back into character. "Where have you been all these years? I’ve been worried sick! Your father is dying in the hospital. Please, come see him. He misses you so much." I grabbed her hands, tears streaming down my face. "Mom! I got scammed! I'm drowning in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. I was too ashamed to go home and ruin your lives, so I've been working day and night to pay it off. I wanted to come home after I cleared my name, but I never expected you to find me first!" "It’s all my fault. I was greedy, wanting to make quick cash to support you and Dad. I never thought I’d fall for a scam." To make my crying look realistic, I pinched the skin on my thigh as hard as I could. The sudden plot twist caught everyone off guard. The live comments went dead silent for a second before exploding again. [Wait, didn't the mother say the daughter ran off with some guy? Why is she saying she got scammed? Is this whole thing a setup?] [I told you, never trust the first video! Plot twists upon plot twists!] [Maybe the mother knew she was in debt and kicked her out, and now she's playing the victim.]The crowd surrounding us wasn’t just from our office anymore. People from other companies on the floor had gathered to watch. "I knew there had to be a reason. No one would just cut off their parents for ten years for no reason." "Oh, sweetheart, don't carry this alone. How much do you owe? Let your parents help you pay it off so you can go back to being a family." "Exactly! Family is your safe harbor." The tide of public opinion shifted instantly. My mother had never expected me to be a better actress than her. Trapped by her own public persona, she could only grit her teeth and ask, "How much... do you owe?" I hesitantly raised one finger. "Ten thousand?" she asked, instantly looking relieved. I kept quiet, keeping my face buried in my hands, looking utterly devastated. "How much? A hundred thousand?" I still didn't say a word. This time, she went completely silent. I reached out, desperately grabbing her sleeve, begging, "Mom, you have to save me. The collection agency is coming this week. My salary only covers what I borrowed from Olivia. I don't want to go to jail. Please help me." She had come here to morally blackmail me, but now I had turned the tables and blackmailed her instead. Seeing this, Brenda couldn't sit still. "Come on, Hazel. You buy designer bags and shoes all the time, don't you? If you're so deep in debt, why do you still buy such expensive things?" "And didn't you borrow money from Olivia just to buy the latest iPhone?" Immediately, the comments section flared up again. [Is this girl lying about the debt just to avoid paying for her dad's medical bills? How toxic! Truly ungrateful.] [Her coworker literally exposed her! Look at her clothes and accessories, they definitely aren't cheap.] [Having a daughter like this is a curse. She only cares about her own luxury lifestyle while leaving her parents to die.]

Chapters (4)

第1章

第2章

I gave her a tight, fake smile. "Oh? Really?" Olivia chimed in. "How does she look like Hazel? The girl in the photo looks like she was abused, starved, and skinny as a stick. Hazel looks nothing like that." I stared at Olivia. A wave of emotion surged in my chest. Finally, someone noticed. How could a child raised in a happy, loving home look so skeletal and malnourished? It was a glaringly obvious detail, yet a complete stranger saw it clearer than the online judge-and-jury mob. Brenda argued, "She was probably just a picky eater! Her parents said they gave her everything she wanted and treated her like a princess." "My niece is the same way. She refuses to eat this and that, so she's skinny." Olivia smirked. "During puberty, I ate two bowls of salad per meal and still needed midnight snacks. A teenage girl wouldn't end up looking like skin and bones just from being 'picky'." "That's just one rare case. Not every girl in the world is like your niece." "Fine, fine, I can't argue with you." With Olivia firing on all cylinders, Brenda finally backed down. I gave Olivia a silent thumbs-up. She scoffed playfully. "She actually tried to set me up with her two-hundred-pound son. With a mother-in-law like her, I'd lose ten years of my life." I thought that would be the end of it. After all, I had legally changed my name and moved my registration years ago. No matter how hard they searched, they shouldn't have been able to link Chloe Miller to Hazel Adams. But just two days later, trouble knocked on my door. The moment I arrived at the office entrance, I heard a massive commotion inside. A very familiar voice sent a jolt of panic through my chest. I turned around, preparing to bolt. "Look, she's here! I told you she looks exactly like Hazel!" "Hazel! Or should I say, Chloe? Come here, your mother is waiting!"

第3章

It was Brenda. Her voice was already loud, but she raised it on purpose, drawing the attention of the entire office. I frowned, freezing in my tracks. I couldn't run, but staying felt like stepping into a trap. I quickly racked my brain. I had never offended Brenda. Why was she doing this to me? In the next second, a woman dressed in faded, worn-out clothes and carrying a face full of sorrow stepped out. My younger brother, Leo, walked right behind her. He had his phone shoved right in my face. He looked like a cat that had finally caught a mouse—shaking with pure, sadistic excitement. Olivia was standing in the crowd, frantically winking at me. I instantly understood. They were livestreaming. What a beautiful trap of a family reunion. Well, if they wanted to put on a show, I was going to give them an Oscar-winning performance. The viewer count in the livestream instantly surged to over a hundred thousand. Countless users flooded in to witness this "touching" family reunion. The comments section went wild. [Finally found her! This is so emotional, as a mother, I'm tearing up.] [OMG, the sequel is live! Sitting here with popcorn!] [Look at her outfit. She clearly makes good money working here, yet she abandoned her parents. So cold-blooded.] The livestream was clearly performing well, judging by the smug grin Leo couldn't quite hide. My mother took trembling steps toward me, whispering dramatically, "My baby... my Chloe..." As she walked, she wiped her dry eyes. Leo zoomed in, trying to capture the tears that didn't exist on her face. If there were any tears, they would be tears of joy—joy of finally finding their cash cow. Hearing her call me "Chloe" made my stomach turn. In my entire life, my mother had never called me anything so sweet. Usually, she called me by my full name, or, when she was angry, slammed me with verbal abuse: useless leech, curse, parasite, bitch... To hear such affection for the first time in my life under these circumstances made me want to vomit. But in the next second, I threw myself to my knees right in front of her. My face was a perfect mix of shock and overwhelmed joy. "Mom! How did you find me?!" I didn't want to play along with her sick game, but since they had backed me into a corner, I had to beat them at their own game. If I acted cold in front of all these people, it would ruin my reputation within three minutes. Being gossiped about was one thing, but harming the company's image and losing my job was a real threat. And as for acting? I was the lead in my college drama club. My mother froze. She absolutely did not expect me to drop to my knees and start crying. It completely derailed her rehearsed script. She stammered for a few seconds before slowly getting back into character. "Where have you been all these years? I’ve been worried sick! Your father is dying in the hospital. Please, come see him. He misses you so much." I grabbed her hands, tears streaming down my face. "Mom! I got scammed! I'm drowning in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. I was too ashamed to go home and ruin your lives, so I've been working day and night to pay it off. I wanted to come home after I cleared my name, but I never expected you to find me first!" "It’s all my fault. I was greedy, wanting to make quick cash to support you and Dad. I never thought I’d fall for a scam." To make my crying look realistic, I pinched the skin on my thigh as hard as I could. The sudden plot twist caught everyone off guard. The live comments went dead silent for a second before exploding again. [Wait, didn't the mother say the daughter ran off with some guy? Why is she saying she got scammed? Is this whole thing a setup?] [I told you, never trust the first video! Plot twists upon plot twists!] [Maybe the mother knew she was in debt and kicked her out, and now she's playing the victim.]

第4章

The crowd surrounding us wasn’t just from our office anymore. People from other companies on the floor had gathered to watch. "I knew there had to be a reason. No one would just cut off their parents for ten years for no reason." "Oh, sweetheart, don't carry this alone. How much do you owe? Let your parents help you pay it off so you can go back to being a family." "Exactly! Family is your safe harbor." The tide of public opinion shifted instantly. My mother had never expected me to be a better actress than her. Trapped by her own public persona, she could only grit her teeth and ask, "How much... do you owe?" I hesitantly raised one finger. "Ten thousand?" she asked, instantly looking relieved. I kept quiet, keeping my face buried in my hands, looking utterly devastated. "How much? A hundred thousand?" I still didn't say a word. This time, she went completely silent. I reached out, desperately grabbing her sleeve, begging, "Mom, you have to save me. The collection agency is coming this week. My salary only covers what I borrowed from Olivia. I don't want to go to jail. Please help me." She had come here to morally blackmail me, but now I had turned the tables and blackmailed her instead. Seeing this, Brenda couldn't sit still. "Come on, Hazel. You buy designer bags and shoes all the time, don't you? If you're so deep in debt, why do you still buy such expensive things?" "And didn't you borrow money from Olivia just to buy the latest iPhone?" Immediately, the comments section flared up again. [Is this girl lying about the debt just to avoid paying for her dad's medical bills? How toxic! Truly ungrateful.] [Her coworker literally exposed her! Look at her clothes and accessories, they definitely aren't cheap.] [Having a daughter like this is a curse. She only cares about her own luxury lifestyle while leaving her parents to die.]