Jackpot Heist: Tearing Down the Thieves Who Raised Me

Dad scoffed. "100 million dollars? Are you kidding me? Even if someone won that much, it wouldn't be Mikaela!"

Vincent was still shaking, but he shouted, "The draw is out—and this lottery ticket won 100 million dollars! We can finally buy a mansion. I'm so done living in this dump!

"And then I'm going to marry a rich heiress and carry on the family line."

My parents stared at the numbers on the TV. One look was all it took. They jumped up in excitement. "We're rich! We're rich! Our family is rich!"

I pushed myself up from the floor. Tears ran down my face as I shook all over. "That's my lottery ticket! Why are you stealing it from me?"

Mom snapped, "You bought that lottery ticket with the money that I gave you. What are you crying about? Let me tell you something. We're not giving you a single cent of that money!"

They never gave me a cent for living expenses. Every bit of money I had was earned from tutoring on my own.

At that, the three of them straightened their clothes and prepared to leave to claim the prize.

Before walking out, they ignored my screams and locked me inside my bedroom.

"Mikaela, you really are the chosen one. One casual lottery ticket and you hit 100 million dollars. But this time, you get to watch us take it. You can cry all you want!"

I watched them walk away, and the pain on my face slowly faded away. In its place, a faint smile surfaced.

The real show was just about to begin...

I seized the opportunity to pack my things and important documents. I rented a room outside and focused on studying.

Halfway down the street, Vincent video-called me.

When I answered, his smug face filled the screen. He whispered, "Mikaela, you're reborn too, right? How does it feel? It's too bad, though. Even in this life, you still can't beat me. You'll just watch as I take that 100 million dollars.

"And don't even think about calling the cops. It won't work. We're family. So, your money is our money. The cops won't do anything.

"If it hurts that bad, why don't you jump out a window right now? Maybe you'll beat us to the prize."

They strutted out the door and took a cab to the lottery center.

Dad marched straight to the counter and shouted, "We're here to claim our prize! We're claiming 100 million dollars!"

"What? 100 million dollars?"

It was a busy weekend at the grocery store. People were coming and going nonstop. When passersby overheard the commotion, they stopped in their tracks, exclaiming, "100 million dollars? Don't tell me that their family hit today's jackpot?"

"Someone actually won that amount?"

"Oh my goodness! Why couldn't it be me?"

People kept gathering, and soon everyone around had stopped what they were doing, forming a tight circle around my family.

"Yes! Our family won the jackpot!"

Vincent puffed out his chest, sweeping his gaze over the crowd as he lifted the lottery ticket high above his head. "You can call the reporters now. If you all hit the front page of the news today, you'll have us to thank."

"And one more thing." Dad paused and looked at the group of reporters that had rushed over. "Everyone, listen up!"

Cameras flashed nonstop as he announced, "This 100-million-dollar prize belongs only to the three of us. It has nothing to do with my daughter, Mikaela Becker!

"And from today onward, our family is officially cutting ties with her. Once she finishes the exam, she's on her own. We won't care about her anymore—she can fend for herself."

He delivered the announcement without even flinching, unmoved by the shocked murmurs rising around us.

Then, he turned to the manager, his smile confident. "Give us the prize."

The manager turned bright red with excitement. Sweat even rolled down his forehead. He took the lottery ticket with both hands and looked at it closely. Then, he froze.

The crowd fell silent. Everyone waited for the moment the 100-million-dollar winner would be announced.

After a long breath, he slowly looked up.

"What? What's wrong?" someone in the crowd called out.

"Did they not win?"

"They won," the manager said.

"But they won ten dollars!"