Chapter 3

3

Moments later, the bedroom door opened.

Valerie couldn't hide the urgency in her eyes.

"Babe, how did it go with support? Can we get the refund?"

I let out a heavy sigh and pulled up the policy page regarding minors right in front of her.

"I reached out to them."

"They said because I'm an adult and made the purchase willingly, it doesn't qualify for a refund."

"What?!"

Valerie's face instantly went pale. "How can they do that?! That's a hundred and fifty grand! They can't just keep it!"

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Well..." I hesitated intentionally. "There might be another way."

Valerie snapped her head up. "What way? Tell me!"

I pointed to the keywords on the screen: "Minor," "Unauthorized transaction," "Guardian dispute."

"Look, regulations are extremely strict when it comes to protecting underage kids."

"If the money was spent by a minor, the odds of getting a full refund through a guardian dispute are nearly a hundred percent."

Valerie blinked, not catching on right away.

I looked at her and said slowly, "What if we say I wasn't the one who made the purchase?"

"Isn't your brother Holden still a minor in high school?"

Valerie's breath hitched.

"We can claim he snuck onto my computer, took my payment info, and made those reckless purchases without our knowledge."

"As his sister and legal guardian, you can file a formal dispute with the gaming company to demand a full refund."

Watching the greed flicker across her face, I decided to pour more fuel on the fire.

"Plus, I heard from our corporate legal team that when an underage kid gets lured into spending massive sums like this, creating some noise―like going to consumer media outlets..."

"The gaming company often pays extra settlement money just to protect their public reputation and hush things up."

"Extra settlement?" Valerie's breathing grew ragged.

"Exactly," I nodded with absolute certainty. "With minors involved, the PR pressure is intense. We might walk away with way more than just the original sum."

Valerie's eyes lit up brightly as sheer greed instantly overpowered any lingering hesitation.

"You're totally right!" She whipped out her phone. "I'm calling Holden right now!"

"That little brat has gone too far! How dare he sneak around and spend all that money!"

Muttering her fake indignation, she dialed the number and walked out onto the balcony, making sure to shut the glass door behind her.

Through the glass, I listened closely to her conversation.

"Holden, it's me."

"Listen, that idiot brother-in-law of yours blew a hundred and fifty grand on a game! We have a way to get it back, plus a huge bonus payout!"

She paused briefly. "Yeah, you just have to swear you're the one who stole his info and spent it... What are you scared of? I've got your back. That idiot husband of mine won't suspect a thing."

"Hmph, the money he makes should belong to our family anyway!"

"Once we get the payout, you'll have more than enough for a house down payment, and I'll chip in extra for you..."

"Don't worry about your brother-in-law. He's completely clueless. He's been drinking my special tonic for so long that his brain is practically turning to mush..."

She even let out a smug chuckle.

I sat in front of the computer, the glow of the monitor reflecting off my face.

A cold, ruthless smirk slowly curled on my lips.

Just as I thought.

She didn't even bother keeping up the act behind my back.

The bait was taken.

The plan had officially begun.