My Wallet Closed, My Stepdaughter's World Opens

Synopsis

To reward my stepdaughter for her grade bump, I copped the Chanel dress she'd been drooling over. It cost $4,000, but I didn't even blink. That night, as I was walking it to her room, another mom dropped a screenshot in our WhatsApp group. It came from the big "223-Fun-Study" chat. [How ridiculous! My stepmom's such a clueless ATM. She actually thinks throwing a few thousand at tutoring makes me grateful.] The avatar and handle were blurred, but I recognized Vivian Lane, my "sweet" stepdaughter, instantly. She kept going: [That's literally all she's good for—paying for peace and quiet.] [Always flexing how much she "spoils" me so she can play the saint in public. So gross.] [Once I bleed her dry, I'll have Dad kick her to the curb. What upscale family wants a wife who's basically just a nanny stuck between the stove and the car-pool line?] I stood there clutching the dress, blood pounding in my ears. That was when it hit me: every second I'd poured in was just "rich-and-dumb" ammo and a punchline about being the "upscale family's nanny." In her eyes, I was tacky and only threw cash around to play the saint. So I decided from that day on, not one more dime of mine was going toward her.