Chapter 1My long-lost biological daughter seemed to hate me.
She'd been back home for three years, but she'd never once called me Mom. She'd even blocked me everywhere.
I wanted to talk to her, but I was always too busy with work.
Then, just before I left for an overseas business trip, I suddenly heard what my daughter was thinking!
[She's leaving again... She really can't stand me.]
[My brother was right. She only took me back because she didn't want to look bad.]
[Ugh. I've only got $11.60 left. Guess I'll be stuck at the convenience store till 3 a.m. again.]
[She only gives me $300 a month. I can't even afford to eat. I'm so hungry...]
I froze.
Three hundred?
I gave her $30,000 a month!
What the hell?! Who stole my daughter's money?
Whoever did this is going down!
...
The day June came home, she looked like she'd break if you touched her.
Old sneakers. One duffel bag.
That was it. Everything she owned.
Eighteen years ago, some nurse switched the hospital wristbands. I took home the wrong baby.
My real daughter grew up in a tiny apartment two hours outside the city.
When we found her, she'd just finished her college entrance exams. Top scores.
But she was so quiet it scared me.
The first time I met her, she stood outside her grandmother's place and called me "Ms. Warren."
Not Mom.
Ms. Warren.
It cut right through me.
I wanted to hug her. Couldn't move.
I brought her home. Had her room redone—walk-in closet, study, private bath, balcony, everything.
Whatever Chloe had, June would have too.
Chloe's the girl I raised for eighteen years. The one who isn't actually mine.
I couldn't just throw her out.
So I sat them both down. "You're both my daughters. Same house, same treatment. No one gets less."
Chloe cried and hugged me. "Thank you, Mom."
June just nodded.
"Thanks for letting me stay."
My throat closed up.
I thought she'd warm up eventually.
The first month, she did. Sort of.
She came down for breakfast. Answered when I asked about school. Even said thank you when I brought her a watch and scarf from my business trip.
Then month two hit.
She shut me out completely.
Texts? She'd reply a day later. Maybe.
Dinner? "I have class."
Ride to school? "It's out of your way."
One night I skipped a donor dinner just to talk to her.
Knocked on her door.
She opened it a crack. "What?"
I kept my voice soft. "June. Give me ten minutes. Please."
She looked at the floor. "I'm tired."
"Did someone say something to you? Is someone making you uncomfortable here?"
Her eyes snapped up. Ice cold.
"Ms. Warren, no one's here. You don't have to put on a show."
I stared. "A show?"
She smiled. No warmth at all.
The door shut in my face.
When I tried texting later, every app said the same thing: You cannot send messages to this user.
She'd blocked me. Everywhere.
That night I called Ryan in.
He's my oldest. After his dad died, I basically groomed him to take over the company.
He handled most of the household stuff too—especially anything involving his sisters.
He'd volunteered. "Mom, don't worry about the small things. I'll handle the girls."
Now he listened to everything and just sighed.
"Mom, don't take it so hard. June just got here. She's bitter. Thinks the world owes her."
I frowned. "She's not like that."
He looked at me. "You've known her six months. She grew up poor. Now she's here and she doesn't know how to handle it."
"She keeps hinting her allowance isn't enough. Keeps pushing for more."
"I warned her not to go down that road. Now she hates me for it."
Something sank in my chest.
Later that night, Chloe came in carrying warm milk. Eyes all red.
"Mom. Please don't be mad at June."
"What did she say to you?"
Chloe shook her head fast. "Nothing. I just think... she wishes I wasn't here."
A tear rolled down, she whispered. "If I left, maybe she'd be happy."
I didn't know what to feel anymore.
Chapter 2
The merger had been dragging for six months. We were finally at the signing stage.
The Swiss team wouldn't stop calling. I had to go.
Next morning, my assistant was waiting by the door, reminding me about the flight.
I stood in the foyer and looked at Ryan.
"While I'm gone, watch your sisters. June's stubborn—don't push her. If she needs something, handle it."
Ryan nodded. "Don't worry."
Chloe stood beside him. "Have a safe trip, Mom. I'll take care of June."
Then I heard footsteps.
June came downstairs with that same old backpack over her shoulder.
She saw me. Stopped.
I couldn't help myself. "June, I'm flying to Switzerland today. I'll be back in about a week. If you need anything—"
She cut me off. "Why are you telling me?"
The room went dead silent.
Ryan's face darkened. "June. That's how you talk to Mom?"
Chloe jumped in. "She's probably just upset."
I kept my voice steady. "I'm just saying, if something comes up, call me."
June stared at me like I was a stranger.
"Ms. Warren, you're busy. Don't waste your time on me."
My hands were shaking.
Then, I heard her voice.
[She's leaving again. Of course. She hates me.]
I looked up fast.
June's face hadn't moved.
But the voice kept going.
[Ryan was right. She wishes I'd just disappear. She only brought me back because it'd look bad.]
[She probably wishes Chloe was her real daughter.]
I couldn't breathe. What happened?
Did I just hear what my daughter was thinking?
Then, that voice became quieter:
[Ugh. I've only got $11.60 left. Guess I'll be stuck at the convenience store till 3 a.m. again.]
[She only gives me $300 a month. I can't even afford to eat. I'm so hungry...]
Three hundred.
It hit me like a punch.
I'd set their allowances at thirty thousand each. Every month.
Tuition, housing, medical—all separate.
Why the hell did she only have three hundred?
I locked eyes with her. Voice came out tight.
"Why does your card only have eleven dollars on it?"
June blinked.
Ryan looked caught off guard.
He recovered fast. "Mom, don't let her guilt-trip you. She's bad with money. Running out by the end of the month is normal for her."
Chloe added softly, "June said the dining hall food's awful. She probably orders delivery a lot."
June's mouth twisted. "I didn't even say anything."
Her voice was sharp.
But I heard her thoughts trembling.
[Don't ask. She won't believe me. She'll just think I'm playing victim again.]
My chest felt like it was caving in.
My assistant leaned in, voice low. "Ms. Warren, if we don't leave now, you'll miss the flight."
I turned slowly.
"Tell the crew we're not flying today."
Ryan’s face went deathly pale. "Mom... The merger—"
"We'll video in."
I looked at him. My voice dropped.
"Something more important's happening in this house."
Chapter 3
I didn't ask about the three hundred yet.
I looked at June. Kept my voice low.
"Why haven't you been sleeping in your dorm?"
This was the first time in six months I'd used that tone with her.
June flinched.
Then her face went cold again. "Why do you care?"
Ryan's jaw tightened. "June. Mom just canceled a trip to Switzerland for you. This is how you act?"
Chloe tugged my sleeve gently. "Mom, don't be upset... June's just not used to anyone caring about her."
I stayed quiet.
Ryan sighed. "Enough. Mom, I can't cover for her anymore!"
June's head whipped toward him. "Cover for me? What are you even talking about?"
Ryan ignored her. Looked right at me.
"The school called me. She's missed a ton of classes this semester. Two of her courses are borderline failing."
"The dorm supervisor's filed multiple reports. She's not in her room at night."
"I tried talking to her about it. She wouldn't say where she's been. Told me to mind my own business."
Chloe looked down. Her voice barely a whisper.
"I saw June outside the campus gates once. She was with... some people. I don't know if they were students... They looked... scary."
She glanced up at June. "I wasn't trying to snitch. I was just worried."
June's face drained of color.
Her lips moved. Nothing came out.
I heard her voice inside my head, faint and breaking.
[If I tell them I wasn't out partying—if I say I was working a night shift at a convenience store—will she even believe me?]
[Wake up, June. Obviously no.]
[Ryan told her I'm a liar. That I'm vain. That I don't care about school.]
[Even if I said I was working, she'd probably think I'm embarrassing her.]
[Chloe saw me in my work uniform. She knows. Why is she saying this?]
My nails dug deeply into my palms.
Ryan kept going.
"Mom, the real problem isn't the money. It's not even her grades."
"It's that she has no respect! No boundaries."
"She thinks because she suffered for eighteen years, everyone owes her something."
"The guiltier you feel, the more she'll use it against you."
June's voice finally broke through. "I didn't."
It came out hoarse.
Ryan's gaze stayed cold. "You didn't what? Skip curfew? Miss class? Block Mom?"
One after another.
June's face went gray.
Her shoulders were shaking, but she still stood stiff, chin up.
"What I do is none of your business."
Chloe's eyes filled with tears immediately.
"June, Ryan's just trying to help you."
"Ever since you came back, Mom's been trying so hard to make things right. But you're only making her feel worse."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"If it's because I'm still here... if that's what's making you uncomfortable... I can leave."
"Chloe!" Ryan snapped. "Stop it. You're not the problem here. She is!"
