"Alright, you foul-mouthed degenerate. Today, I must give you a few slaps!" My mother tried to slap me, but a few of my security guards stopped her. "Fine, you think you're above everyone just because you have some lackeys? Starting tomorrow, our whole family will be dining here for all three meals daily. You figure it out!"
They threatened that they would come for breakfast the next morning, demanding all sorts of food: buns, noodles, steamed bread, soy milk, rolls, fried dough sticks, milk, eggs, egg pancakes, pumpkin pancakes-essentially a full feast. Their greed and shamelessness were astonishing.
"Well then, let's talk about it tomorrow," I said angrily, too exhausted to argue further. "We'll be here first thing in the morning. You better have everything ready," Daphne said with a fierce and supervisory look before leaving.
Watching them leave like demons, I couldn't hold back my tears. "Boss, don't cry. Don't be afraid. We'll expose their disgusting behavior on social media!" one of my security guards suggested. I was skeptical.
To my surprise, the power of the internet was immense. Within just an hour, my reputation had dramatically improved. Diners who came to eat at my restaurant learned about my plight-that I was merely a tool and a scapegoat for my family. I had even served time in prison to cover for Daphne and had endured endless torment.
People were shocked to discover that such parents existed. Realizing they had misunderstood me, diners came the next day to apologize and acknowledged that the real villains were my parents and sister.
"Ms. Gregory, we misunderstood you. You're a good person. It's always the good people who suffer," one diner said.
"Ms. Gregory, we support you now. Whenever we see your parents or that wretched sister of yours again, we'll curse them out," another diner added.
"Curse them? We should drive them away!" someone else exclaimed.
I had to thank the power of the internet; many things could be clarified online. I was truly grateful for this power. Overnight, my reputation turned around completely.
People said I lived in a suffocatingly perverse family and had endured years of torment without losing my sanity-I was indeed a strong woman. Seeing their plan fail, my parents and sister were furious and smashed things at home.
I knew they wouldn't give up easily; they would find other ways to deal with me. To them, my restaurant was a treasure trove they wanted to seize at any cost.
Three days later, Harlan, an apprentice from a repair shop I knew, hurriedly warned me to be careful while driving. When I asked him why he seemed so worried, he honestly told me he saw Daphne secretly tampering with my car's brakes. "Ms. Gregory, you should get it checked out; what if something happens when you drive?"
His words sent chills down my spine. Could my parents and sister really be so unscrupulous as to plot against me? They wanted to kill their own daughter and sister?
No-they had nothing to do with me anymore. They wanted me dead! I quickly found a professional mechanic to inspect my car.
The mechanic responsibly checked it over and told me, "Your car indeed has a problem; the brakes have been tampered with. Initially, you wouldn't notice anything wrong until it was too late to control the car. This method leaves no evidence."
His words made my hair stand on end. The mechanic suggested I report it to the police because there was no guarantee similar incidents wouldn't happen again-it was impossible to guard against every threat.
I nodded and called the police immediately; letting them handle it was the most straightforward solution.
The truth quickly came out: Daphne had orchestrated it with help from my parents as accomplices. Faced with irrefutable evidence, they had nothing to say and were taken away by the police.
Before leaving, my parents furiously shouted at me: "Valentina! You'll pay for framing your parents! Heaven will not tolerate you; you'll be struck by lightning!"
They could say whatever they wanted-who really deserved divine retribution? I didn't care anymore.
Daphne didn't make a scene this time; she was dragged into the police car like a dead dog. The rich playboy she dated had already dumped her.
They all ended up in jail.
My grandmother came begging me pitifully for help-but I showed her no kindness. Unexpectedly, unable to accept that her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter were all imprisoned, she secretly poisoned my tea while I went to the bathroom. If not for my cat drinking it first and dying, it would have been me.
Looking at my dead cat, I was filled with sorrow-my grandmother also wished for my death.
A few days later, an old neighbor told me that my grandmother had suffered a stroke and couldn't take care of herself anymore; she hoped I'd return to care for her. The neighbor said how pitiful she had become and how she constantly longed for me, calling me her best granddaughter.
I ignored her plea.
Later on, I heard that without anyone to care for her needs in that shabby room she lived in now, she soon starved to death.
I didn't shed a single tear.
Without family ties holding me back anymore, life became more peaceful.
While building up my business again, I met a man who truly loved me, and we fell in love deeply.
We got married and had an adorable daughter together.
Looking at her smiling face every day, I vowed never to let her suffer any injustice. I would make sure she felt loved always, compensating for all that I had lost myself by pouring out all the love I could give.