My Stepmother Is My Bestie

My dad had been single since my mom passed away. But recently, I heard he was seeing a young woman.

I rushed home to check.

The moment I pushed open the master bedroom door, I saw Jennifer, my gold-digging friend, lying on my dad's bed in a camisole, taking selfies with her phone.

She saw me, casually ran a hand through her hair, and smirked.

"Truth is, your dad has already agreed to marry me."

I couldn't help but let out a scoff. "Oh really?"

She seemed surprised by my calmness, freezing for a moment before looking even more smug.

"From now on, I'm your stepmom! As long as you don't cause trouble, we can still be besties. And I won't shortchange you on your allowance."

Watching her smug face, I laughed even harder.

Had my dad not told her that my mom left all of our family's assets for me to inherit?

My dad was just a broke parasite living in my house!

I watched Jennifer's self-satisfied expression, swallowing the sarcastic retort that was on the tip of my tongue.

Spoiling the fun now would be pointless.

Since she wanted to play the clown, I'd give her a stage.

"So, you and my dad already signed the marriage certificate?" I raised an eyebrow.

Jennifer immediately pulled a marriage certificate from the drawer and slapped it onto the nightstand.

"See?" She lifted her chin, her eyes full of provocation.

"Musa went to Dubai to finalize that multi-billion dollar oil field project. He made sure to marry me before he left."

"He said he didn't want me to feel slighted, so he didn't even make me sign a prenup."

I almost lost my composure.

Musa went to Dubai? He was clearly hiding from creditors in another city.

His marketing company had imploded last week, leaving him with an eighty-million-dollar debt. The creditors were practically at our doorstep.

That old scammer actually managed to con an ignorant young woman into marriage before skipping town.

He probably just wanted to use Jennifer as a shield.

I nodded, pretending to be convinced.

"So, what's the proper way to address you now?"

Jennifer giggled, covering her mouth.

"Don't blame me. It's not my fault your dad is loaded, is it? You used to treat me like a sidekick, throwing a few designer bags my way and thinking you were superior. Well, now I'm your stepmom."

The words had barely left her mouth when a thunderous banging erupted downstairs.

Followed by the shouts of several rough voices.

"Careful with those! If you scratch this imported flooring, you won't be able to afford the repairs!"

I frowned, got up, and walked to the corridor to look down.

A dozen burly men in moving company uniforms were streaming into the living room, carrying large bags and boxes.

Leading them, barking orders, were a flamboyant middle-aged couple.

They were Jennifer's parents, Laura and Kevin.

Kevin strolled around with his hands behind his back, like a petty king surveying his domain, touching everything.

"This couch leather is no good. The color's too dark. Have someone replace it with real leather tomorrow, and change the color too!"

Laura nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly. Jennifer's a wealthy socialite now. This house needs to be redecorated to our taste."

I turned to look at Jennifer, who had followed me out. She met my gaze defiantly.

"My parents worked hard to raise me. Now that I've married into money, of course, I'm bringing them here to enjoy it."

"This villa has five floors, it's practically empty anyway."

I watched the farce downstairs with a cold gaze, saying nothing.

Jennifer mistook my silence for submission, and her arrogance grew.

She walked to the guest bedroom door, pushing it wide open.

That was my art studio, filled with many antique pieces my mom had left behind.

"This room gets great light, perfect for my parents."

She pointed to the portrait of my mom on the wall.

"Get rid of all this junk. It's bad luck to look at."

My hands, hanging at my sides, instantly clenched.

"Those are my things," I said softly.

Jennifer sneered, taking two steps closer.

"Victoria, do you even understand what's happening?

"Your dad personally said I'm in charge of this house from now on."

"Don't think just because you're Musa's ex-wife's daughter that you don't have to listen to me. I'm the lady of the house now!"

She turned and yelled downstairs, "Dad! Mom! Come up and pick your rooms!"

Her parents heard the commotion and clomped upstairs.

Laura's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the bed in my art studio.

"Oh, this bed looks so grand!"

She plopped down on it, bouncing twice with exaggerated force.

"This room is ours now," Laura declared, pointing at me. "You, hurry up and clear your stuff out."

Kevin chimed in.

"Victoria, I'm not trying to be mean. But you're old enough. Why don't you hurry up and find someone to marry and move out?"

"What kind of sense does it make to just cling to your father's house all day?"

I looked at this family of brazen intruders. These idiots were truly audacious.

I pulled out my phone and started recording.

"Fine, move whatever you want."

"But I'll warn you, if you damage even one item in this room, you won't be able to afford to replace it."

Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"Who are you trying to scare? This is Musa's house! If I break something, I'm only breaking my own stuff!"

With that, she picked up an expensive vase from the table, let go, and with a crisp "CRASH!" sound, porcelain fragments scattered across the floor.

Jennifer looked at me defiantly.

"I broke it. What are you going to do about it?"

The sound of the shattering vase echoed in the hallway.

I looked at the pink porcelain fragments on the floor, my heart giving a sudden wrench.

That was my mom's favorite piece.

I suppressed the urge to slap her, aiming my phone's camera at the mess and Jennifer's triumphant face.

Video saved, cloud synced.

It was all done in one smooth motion.

Jennifer didn't take my actions seriously at all.

She thought I was just having a fit of impotent rage.

"What? Heartbroken?" She kicked a piece of the broken vase.

"From now on, I don't want to see any of these old-fashioned things around here."

Laura clapped her hands in approval.

"Exactly! Jennifer's the lady of the house now, what's wrong with smashing a stupid vase?"

Kevin was even more outrageous, walking directly to my jewelry cabinet and violently yanking at the drawers.

"What's the password? Let's see if there's anything valuable."

I watched them coldly.

"The drawers have fingerprint locks. Forcibly prying them open will trigger the alarm automatically."

Kevin jumped in surprise, quickly pulling his hand back.

Jennifer glared at me, then turned to soothe her dad.

"Dad, what's the rush? When Musa gets back, I'll have him give you the whole cabinet."

I was tired of watching these clowns, so I turned and went back to my bedroom, planning to settle accounts with them when my dad returned.

That afternoon, the villa completely became Jennifer's family playground.

Laura invited all her friends over, playing music loudly and without restraint in the living room.

Kevin gathered his usual crew of shady friends, having a barbecue and drinking competition by the heated pool.

The place reeked of smoke and alcohol, a chaotic circus.

I put on my noise-canceling headphones and sat in my study, going through company documents.

I had always been the actual controlling shareholder of Victoria Group.

Musa was nothing more than a figurehead CEO, drawing a fixed salary every month.

Now that he'd stirred up trouble and run off, there was a pile of messes at the company waiting for me to clean up.

As I was reviewing documents, my door was suddenly pounded on with earth-shattering force.

I took off my headphones and walked over to open the door.

Jennifer, wearing a high-end designer nightgown and holding a stack of blueprints, stood aggressively outside.

Behind her was a man in a suit, wearing a badge identifying him as the director of a well-known renovation company.

"Victoria, you need to clear out those guest rooms on the first floor, immediately."

She slapped the blueprints against my chest.

"I hired a top designer. We're knocking out the walls on the first floor to build a private cinema and a wine cellar."

I didn't take the blueprints, letting them fall to the floor.

"You're renovating?"

"Duh! This old house has such a bad layout, it doesn't match my status."

The designer stepped forward at the opportune moment, a professional smile on his face.

"Ms. Victoria, I presume? Mrs. Musa has chosen our most premium full-home custom design package."

"The initial budget is around eight million dollars."

I almost burst out laughing.

Eight million dollars? Musa couldn't even scrape together eighty thousand right now.

I looked at Jennifer with amusement.

"Eight million is no small sum. Do you have enough money?"

Jennifer looked as if she'd heard the funniest joke.

She pulled a black card from her bag, held it between two fingers, and waved it in front of my face.

"Open your eyes and look closely. This is a supplementary card Musa gave me before he left."

"Forget eight million, I can swipe eighty million with this!"

I was all too familiar with that card.

Musa had specifically gotten it from the bank to curry favor with me when I graduated college.

The main card was with me; he had always kept the supplementary card to maintain appearances.

Last month, after his investment failed, I directly set the supplementary card's limit to zero.

I took a step back and gestured.

"Since Mrs. Musa is so well-off, then go ahead and swipe it."

The designer immediately pulled out a portable POS machine and presented it to Jennifer with both hands.

"Mrs. Musa, please pay the thirty percent deposit first, which is two point four million dollars."

Jennifer confidently tapped the card against the machine.

"BeepTransaction failed."

Jennifer's smile froze.

She snatched the POS machine.

"How is that possible! Is the machine broken?"

The designer's expression shifted slightly, but he maintained his politeness.

"Mrs. Musa, our equipment is checked daily. Perhaps you'd like to try a different card?"

Jennifer grew frantic, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Why would I try another card! This is an unlimited black card!"

She tapped the card again.

"BeepTransaction failed. Insufficient funds."

This time, the machine's voice was exceptionally loud and clear.

I watched her performance.

"It seems Mr. Musa's assets aren't as substantial as you imagined."

Jennifer spun around abruptly, glaring at me fiercely.

"Shut up! This must be your doing!"

"Musa is in Dubai negotiating a multi-billion dollar project, how could he be out of money!"

She fumbled for her phone and called Musa.

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off."

The mechanical female voice became the final straw that broke her.

The designer's gaze had already shifted from respectful to suspicious.

"Mrs. Musa, if there are financial difficulties, our cooperation can be put on hold for now"

"Who says I don't have money!" Jennifer shrieked.

She would never allow herself to be humiliated in front of her rival.

She yelled downstairs, "Mom! Come up here!"

Laura, who had been swaying to the music, rushed upstairs.

"What's wrong?"

Jennifer pulled her into a corner and whispered a few words.

Laura's face changed drastically, and she waved her hands repeatedly.

"No, no, absolutely not! That's the money for your brother Gerald's house!"

Jennifer stomped her foot in exasperation.

"Mom! Think long-term! When Musa comes back, this whole villa will be mine!"

"I'll pay you back tenfold, a hundredfold!"

Under her relentless badgering, Laura gritted her teeth and pulled out a passbook.

A full two point four million dollars was transferred directly into the renovation company's account.

Watching the designer leave, satisfied with the receipt, Jennifer finally regained her composure.

She walked up to me, chin held high.

"See? That's what you call leverage."

"Tomorrow night, I'm hosting a housewarming party here, and celebrating my marriage, of course."

"I've invited all the socialites and our university classmates."

She reached out and poked my shoulder.

"You'd better behave yourself. If you dare to ruin my party, I'll cut off your allowance immediately!"

I patted the spot where she'd poked me.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to prepare a grand gift for you."

The next evening, the villa was brightly lit.

Jennifer, wearing a rented designer gown bought with the few thousand dollars Musa had left her, mingled through the crowd.

Most of the guests were our university classmates.

These people, who used to flock around me, were now all gathered around Jennifer, fawning over her.

"Jennifer, you're so low-key! I can't believe you became Mrs. Musa without a word."

"This villa must be worth hundreds of millions! I'm so jealous."

Norris, our class monitor, raised his glass, his face dripping with sycophancy.

Jennifer covered her mouth, giggling, shaking all over.

"Musa just spoils me too much. He insisted on transferring this house to my name."

As she spoke, her gaze dismissively swept towards me, sitting in the corner.

"Victoria, you don't need to be too sad."

"Even though your dad remarried, as your stepmother, I definitely won't treat you badly."

All eyes in the room instantly focused on me.

There was pity, schadenfreude, and most of all, the greedy anticipation of a good show.

Norris immediately jumped out to side with Jennifer.

"Victoria, what are you waiting for? Why aren't you coming over to toast Jennifer?"

"Exactly, it's a happy occasion, who are you sulking for?" A few other girls chimed in.

Jennifer walked up to me, holding out a glass of red wine.

"Victoria, call me 'Mom,' and this drink can be our truce."

She lowered her voice, speaking only loud enough for the two of us to hear.

"If you don't, tomorrow I'll dig up your mom's urn and throw it into the artificial lake for the fish."

My eyes instantly turned cold.

"Jennifer, do you really think that just because Musa married you, this house is your kingdom?"

Jennifer was unnerved by my glare but forced herself to maintain her aggressive demeanor.

"Isn't it? Musa is the CEO of Victoria Group!"

She pulled a document from her bag and held it high.

"Open your eyes and look! This is the prenuptial agreement Musa gave me!"

"Half of the shares under his name have all been transferred to me!"

A gasp erupted from the crowd.

I looked at the flawed agreement and finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Jennifer was infuriated by my laughter.

"What are you laughing at! You're at your wit's end and still playing dumb!"

She violently threw the agreement at my face.

I tilted my head slightly, the paper grazing my ear as it flew past and scattered on the floor.

"I'm laughing at how pathetically foolish you are."

I took a step closer to her.

"Didn't Musa tell you?"

"I am the legal representative of Victoria Group, and I am also the 100% controlling shareholder."

"He doesn't own a single cent of shares. What could he possibly transfer to you?"

At these words, the entire room erupted in an uproar.

Jennifer froze, then reacted as if she'd heard the most ridiculous joke. "Impossible! You're lying!"

Laura became frantic, rushing over and pointing a finger at me, screaming obscenities:

"Bitch, you think you can swallow our family's wealth? Over my dead body! Get her out of here!"

Kevin immediately rallied a few relatives, who aggressively surrounded me.

They pushed and shoved, and I, outnumbered, was directly dragged downstairs and unceremoniously thrown into the front yard.

I stood in the yard, looking at these brazen squatters, took a deep breath, and pulled out my phone to call the property manager.

"Bring your people over. Someone is attacking the owner at the Victoria residence."

In less than three minutes, several patrol cars pulled up to the villa.

A dozen security personnel quickly got out, encircling the entire yard.

I looked coldly at Jennifer on the steps. "Get out now, while you still can."

When the property manager walked forward, I froze it was a completely unfamiliar face.

He glanced at us, frowning.

"I'm the new property manager, Johnson. Who called the police just now?"

Jennifer, initially startled, then became ecstatic.

She scurried over on her high heels, shoving the two documents in Johnson's face.

"Mr. Johnson, is it? Open your eyes and see, I am Musa's legal wife, the owner of this villa! Here's our marriage certificate!"

She pointed at me, her face contorted with rage:

"This crazy woman is not only refusing to leave my house but is also trying to seize Musa's assets! Hurry up and have your security guards throw her out!"

Johnson carefully examined the names on the marriage certificate, immediately adopting a fawning smile.

"Ah, Mrs. Musa, my apologies. Don't worry, we will absolutely not let any unauthorized persons disturb your life."

He turned and commanded the security guards behind him: "What are you waiting for? Grab this troublemaking woman and get her out of here!"

I laughed in exasperation, pulling out my phone to call Musa, wanting him to get back here immediately and clear things up.

However, only the cold, mechanical voice came through the receiver: "I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off."

"Still trying to call Musa to complain?"

Jennifer walked over, looking smug. "Victoria, you're a pathetic stray now!"

She gave a signal, and Jennifer's aggressive relatives and the security guards immediately stepped forward, pinning my shoulders down.

Norris and his opportunistic classmates also joined in the jeering, surrounding me.

During my struggle, my arm was roughly twisted behind my back, and my knee was brutally kicked. A wave of humiliation instantly washed over me.

"Let go of me!" I gritted my teeth, glaring at her.

"Still daring to glare at me?" Jennifer sneered, turning and running into the house.

When she came back out, she was holding the portrait of my mom.

"Jennifer, I dare you to touch her!"

My eyes blazed with fury, desperately trying to break free, but I was pinned down by several burly men, unable to move.

"What do I have to be afraid of?"

Jennifer held the portrait high above her head.

"Victoria, aren't you so tough?"

"Now, kneel down and call me 'Mom'! Otherwise, I'll smash your mother's portrait to pieces right now and throw it into the grimy ditch outside!"

"Kneel! Hurry up and kneel!" The relatives and classmates around us burst into loud laughter.

Humiliation and rage surged wildly in my chest, my eyes stung with unshed tears, but I bit my lip hard, refusing to shed a single tear.

"Kneel! Not going to kneel, huh?" Jennifer exerted force with both hands, about to violently smash the portrait to the ground

Just at my most desperate, most humiliated moment.

"ScreechBANG!"

Brake sounds ripped through the air, and a black sedan skidded, slamming into the ornate iron gate outside the yard.

The car door opened, and a disheveled man was kicked out from inside.

He looked like a pathetic stray.

Jennifer recognized the person, excitedly putting the portrait aside, stumbling and rushing towards him.

"Musa, you're finally back!"