Fifty‑five‑year‑old Margaret Hayes moved to Chicago after retiring, at the invitation of her daughter Emily. Emily kept saying she wanted her mother to enjoy a comfortable life, yet in reality, she made Margaret handle all the housework, childcare, and cover most of the household expenses.
On Margaret’s birthday, Emily gave her nothing but a twenty‑dollar digital gift card. After Margaret accidentally clicked to redeem it, Emily immediately sneered and accused her of being greedy. Margaret recalled that Emily had once borrowed fifteen thousand dollars from her to throw an extravagant birthday party for her mother‑in‑law Patricia, buy her a diamond bracelet and fund a cruise trip — while for her own birth mother’s birthday, Emily expected her only to keep cooking and wait on the whole family.
Utterly disillusioned, Margaret left Chicago and returned to her hometown of Maplewood. Along the way, she stepped back into a dance studio, where she met the gentle and thoughtful William Bennett. Little did she know William was the billionaire founder of the Bennett Group.
Life quickly descended into chaos for Emily’s family once Margaret was gone. There was no one to cook, no one to pick up the kids, and the financial support covering their mortgage and car payments stopped. Instead of reflecting on her behaviour, Emily threatened her mother to resume the money transfers. She even tried to use her daughter Lily to swindle Margaret’s pension and old family home.
When the Maplewood redev
