Chapter 1

My cousin is a lifestyle influencer.

Without asking for permission, she barged into my family's jewelry boutique and went live on TikTok.

"Hey guys! Today I'm treating you to the ultimate giveaway!"

"This is my aunt's jewelry store, and I'm declaring everything here on sale today for just one dollar!"

"Gold bracelets, gold necklaces, solid gold bars—if you can hit that order button, take whatever you want for a single dollar!"

I stepped forward and blocked her camera.

"Our store has no such promotion. We never authorized this stream."

My cousin didn't take me seriously at all. She just flashed a sweet smile at her screen.

"Don't mind her, guys! My little cousin is just shy."

"I promise you this deal is 100% real! If anything goes wrong, I take full responsibility!"

Seeing how smug and righteous she acted, I laughed out of pure anger.

Fine. You want to take responsibility? Then I'll make sure you carry it all the way to the end!

After ending the stream, Kelsey tucked her phone away and grabbed my mom's arm with a bright smile.

"Aunt Susan, I'm just trying to drive some traffic to your business."

"Did you see how many new followers joined? People were begging for the address in the comments!"

"When your sales skyrocket after this, you're going to thank me!"

My mom has always been soft-spoken. Frowning, she said, "Kelsey, you can't just throw words around like that. How could we ever sell real gold for a dollar?"

Kelsey brushed it off with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, come on, that's just how live streaming works nowadays. If you don't exaggerate, who's even gonna watch?"

"It's not like I actually expect them to walk in and buy it."

I stared at her coldly.

"When you were live just now, you didn't say it was a skit. You didn't add a disclaimer saying it was fake."

"If your followers take you seriously and show up demanding real gold for a dollar, do we sell it or not?"

Kelsey's face darkened instantly. "Chloe, are you serious right now?"

"I'm literally doing you guys a favor by promoting your store."

"Your family has such a massive shop, and you're mad that I gave you free exposure?"

Before I could reply, she grabbed her designer bag and headed for the door.

Right before stepping out, she turned back and smiled at my mom.

"Aunt Susan, don't let Chloe scare you."

"I've been in the streaming game for a while. I know my boundaries."

That evening, relatives started sharing screen recordings of Kelsey's livestream on Instagram.

In the clip, she stood in front of our glass display cases, brimming with confidence as she declared, "This is my aunt's shop. What I say goes."

"Every piece of gold is one dollar. If anything goes wrong, Kelsey takes the blame."

I thought our relatives would call her out for crossing the line. Instead, the comments were sickening:

[Kelsey is doing so well now! Look at how many viewers she pulled in.]

[Susan's shop is so lucky to get this kind of promo.]

[Family should always support each other. It's wonderful to see.]

Fuming, I tagged Kelsey directly under the video.

"Kelsey, you streamed in our store without permission and falsely claimed our gold is on sale for a dollar."

"Post a public clarification right now and state clearly that this is not our store's promotion."

A few minutes later, Kelsey sent me a voice message on Snapchat, sounding utterly heartbroken, as if I had bullied her to tears.

"Chloe, I honestly don't get why you're so mad at me."

"I was just trying to help Aunt Susan get more customers."

"Everyone knows livestreaming is full of gimmicks. Who would actually believe they can buy gold for a dollar?"

"Calling me out in front of the whole family like this... you completely humiliated me."

I sneered.

I typed back: "Gimmicks?"

"Your stream had no disclaimer saying it was scripted. No warning that the deal was fake."

"If your followers take it seriously and demand their one-dollar gold, do we honor it or not?"

"Why didn't you ask us before using our business for your stream?"

"Why didn't you sign a contract with us?"

"If things go south, how exactly are you going to take responsibility?"

Kelsey didn't text back. Half an hour later, she posted a new video.

She was sitting in her car, her eyes rimmed in red, her mascara smeared from crying.

"I was having such a great day today."

"I thought my streaming career was finally taking off, and I could finally give back and help my family's business."

"I never expected my cousin to accuse me of clout-chasing and taking advantage of them."

"I guess to wealthy relatives, a small creator like me isn't even worthy of offering help."

"I really just wanted everyone to know how amazing my aunt's boutique is."

"If doing that was wrong, then I apologize. Please, Chloe, just let me off the hook."