A month later, Maddie returned one Saturday afternoon with an armful of bags.  She smiled and sang to herself a little bit as she kicked off her shoes and set down her bags.  Lin looked over his shoulder from where he sat on the couch.  He furrowed his eyebrows.  More stuff.

"Hi, Maddie," he greeted her.  "Shopping spree?"

She chuckled a little as she found a snack in the pantry, then walked to the couch.  She plopped down next to Lin and started munching on her cookie.

"What did you two do?" he asked, closing his laptop.  Most Saturdays in the last month consisted of Maddie going out with her father and coming back with new stuff.

"We went to the Met, and then he took me shopping," she said.  "Oh!  And I got my nails done!"

She flashed them to him and nodded and smiled.  "He's been spending a lot of money on you lately," he observed.

Madeline shrugged as she finished her first cookie.  "He said he's making up for not seeing me for eight years."

Lin understood in a way, but wasn't sure if this was the right approach.  He fully supported Madeline having a relationship with her father, but he was starting to spoil her at this point.  In the last month, she'd gotten tons of new clothes, a new laptop, and trips to the spa.  He took her to some of the nicest restaurants in the city.  He got that Jason wanted to make up for lost time, but it was getting out of hand.  He didn't want to interfere with their relationship, but was starting to think he needed to say something to Jason.

Lin sighed.  "I don't think you need any more clothes," he told her.  "Why don't you guys just do something chill like go to the movies or have a picnic in the park."

She shrugged again and bit into another cookie.  "He wants to spend money on me."

"We have reservations for dinner at seven," he told her.  "Can you get your room cleaned by then?"

"Yep," she said, getting up to get her bags.  Things were a bit better between Kate and Maddie.  Kate still wasn't happy about Jason being around, but she was being careful about what she said around her daughter.  This was between her and Jason, and their feelings shouldn't affect Maddie's relationship with her father.

Lin went back to the master bedroom where Kate was deciding what to wear for dinner that evening.  She stood in front of her full-length mirror, half dressed, trying to decide what blouse went best with her new skirt.  Lin walked up behind her and closed his arms around her, staring at her in the mirror.  She smirked and rubbed his arms.

"Hey, gorgeous," he told her, planting a kiss on her bare shoulder.

"Hey," she said, looking at him in the mirror.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Trying to decide which blouse to wear," she told him.  She reached for the first of three blouses, holding it up.  She showed him the other two, tilting her head to the side as she looked at the last of them in the mirror.

Lin took the blouse from her and tossed it onto the chair, then turned her in his arms.  He began kissing her hungrily and walking her back towards the bed.

"Lin, I just took a shower," she complained and he just chuckled.  Just then, Rio walked by.

"Mom!" he called, and his parents broke apart.  His mother was in a skirt and a bra and her father was feeling her up.  Gross.

"Ugghh!!" he complained, shielding his eyes.  "That's disgusting."

Kate sighed and grabbed one of the blouses and put it on quickly.

"Sorry, Rio," she told him.  "Give me a second."

Lin collapsed onto the bed, disappointed, and laid on his side.  Damn kids.  Once she was dressed, she called out to her son.

"Rio, come back!  What do you need?"

The nine year old walked back in, looking a little embarrassed.  "How come Maddie got another new phone?"

Kate furrowed her eyebrows and looked back at her husband, who looked just as confused.  "She got a new phone?"

"Yeah!" he complained.  "And a new case.  You said I was gonna get one next time she got an upgrade."

"Jason must've gotten it for her," Lin said, sighing.  Maddie hadn't shown him that earlier.  Probably because she knew he'd think it was too much.

"Madeline!" Kate called for her daughter.  A door opened down the hall and music poured into the hallway.

"Yeah?" she poked her head out.

"Come here, please," Kate said.  Soon the whole family was in the master bedroom, Rio looking thoroughly displeased.

"You got a new phone?" Kate asked her.

"Yeah," she said, like it was nothing.

"Did your father buy it for you?"

"Mmmhmmm," she said.

"Let me see it."

Madeline sighed and took out her phone.  A brand new iPhone X with all the bells and whistles.  Kate looked it over and passed it back.

"You don't need a new phone," Kate told her.  "You weren't eligible for an upgrade."

"Dad paid," Maddie said.

"I'm sure he did," Kate commented.  "Madeline, you need to take that back.  It's too much."

"No," she said, crossing her arms.

"Excuse me?" Kate questioned her daughter, crossing her arms.

"We traded in my old phone for this one.  This one's mine now."

Kate rubbed at her face, frustrated.  Lin made a very comfortable living, but they made a point not to spoil their children.  Jason seemed to be going out of his way to undermine them.  Whatever Maddie wanted, Jason got it for her.

"Well, tomorrow you're going to take it back and get your old one back," Kate decided, picking up her other blouses.

"Mom!" she instantly complained.

"Her dad keeps buying her everything!" Rio complained.  "It's not fair!"

"Shut up!" Maddie snapped at her younger brother.

"Make me!"

Lin got up and put a hand on Rio's shoulder.  "C'mon.  Let's go talk."

Lin guided his son down the hallway, away from his sister.  They had a more intense sibling rivalry than most kids, and now it was being amped up further by Jason.  It was hard for a nine year old to understand.

"Dad, it's not fair!" he argued as they walked down the hallway.  "He buys her whatever she wants."

"I know, bud," Lin agreed, patting his back as they walked to his room. "Your mom and I need to talk to her father about this.  I know it seems very unfair."

"She doesn't even deserve it," he said as Lin shut his bedroom door behind him.

"What do you mean?" Lin asked his son.

"She made me promise not to tell but she's been paying me to do her chores," he confessed to his father.  "Using money from her dad."

Lin sighed and leaned forward on his elbows.  "Well, that's not a very smart thing for her to do.  She needs to take care of her own responsibilities.  How long has this been going on?"

"A month," he said. 

Lin heard arguing from down the hallway and knew Kate probably needed backup.  He realized Madeline was getting way more out of the situation than he'd realized.  This wasn't going to work.

"Alright, Rio.  Thanks for letting me know.  Why don't you stay in here until it's time for dinner.  You got something picked out to wear?"

He nodded as his father left.  Maddie was in the hallway, heading towards her room as she yelled at her mother.

"You have no right to make me give back my phone!" she growled as Kate glared at her from the master bedroom door.

"I'm your mother.  Yes I do," she countered, taking a step towards her daughter.

"My dad bought it for me!" she said.  "He's my parent too!"

"Not a very good one," she quipped.  Madeline moved to lunge towards her mother, but Lin caught her upper arm.

"Maddie, that's enough," he told her firmly, pulling her back towards her room.

"Lin, get her cell phone," Kate told him.  "She's refusing to hand it over."

"I'm not giving it to you!" she yelled as Lin pulled her towards her bedroom.  Lin shooshed her and finally got her into room, where he closed the door.

"Sit down and take a few breaths," he told her, crossing his arms.

"She's going crazy again, Lin!" Maddie complained as she stormed to her bed.

"That I'm not so sure of," he told her.  Maddie knitted her eyebrows, confused as to why her stepfather was taking her mother's side.  He'd backed her up before.

"What do you mean?"

Lin sat down on the desk chair.  "There's no reason you need a new phone and all this stuff from your dad.  I'm getting the feeling you're starting to take advantage of the situation."

"How?" she demanded.

"Well, Rio just told me that you've been paying him to do your chores?" he questioned her.  "And that your dad's been giving you money?"

Maddie groaned and collapsed onto her bed and rubbed her hands over her face, her shirt riding up a little bit.  A little sparkle caught Lin's eye and he looked at her belly button.  It was pierced.  She'd asked to get it pierced weeks ago and was told no.

"What's that?" he motioned with his head towards her stomach.  Maddie looked down and immediately pulled her shirt over her belly button.  She sat up and went to her closet, sighing.

"You got your belly button pierced?" he clarified.  "After your mother and I told you no?"

"What's the big deal?!" she demanded.  "I asked my dad and he said yes.  Like I said, he's my father too."

Lin couldn't argue with that.  This whole situation was Jason's fault.  He was giving in to her every whim just to gain her approval and affection.  Maddie was taking full advantage of the situation.  Lin stood up, sighing.

"I didn't think you were the kind of kid that would play one parent off the other," he said, putting his hands in his pockets.  "Or pay her brother to take care of her own responsibilities."

They were both quiet as Lin looked her up and down for a moment.  "I'm disappointed in you."

Lin left the room without saying anything else, closing the door behind him.  He walked back to the master bedroom, where Kate had finally decided on a blouse.  She was now putting on her make up but didn't look happy.

"Did you get her phone?" she asked.

Lin scrubbed a hand over his face.  "Christ.  No, I forgot."

Kate sighed as she put on her mascara.  "I don't like this, Lin.  I don't like it at all."

"Me neither," he agreed and decided not to tell her about the piercing at the moment.   They both heard a door open loudly, banging against the wall.  Then angry feet.  Lin rushed out to see what was happening.  He saw Madeline's frame storming down the hallway, a bag on her shoulder.

"Madeline!" he yelled, chasing after him.  She kept going.  "Madeline!"

He caught up with her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around.

"Let me go!" she snapped, moving her arm away.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked her as Kate walked out into the hallway.

"I'm going to my dad's," she said, glaring at her mother.  "I don't get yelled at all the time over there."

"Madeline-" Lin began.

"Save it," she said, turning on her heels.

Lin reached for her again but Kate's voice stopped him.  "Let her go," she said.  "If she's going to act like a spoiled brat, go be with your father."

"I hate you!!" Madeline screamed as she reached the front door.  It slammed behind her, causing some of the picture frames to rattle on the walls.  Lin closed his eyes and let his body rest against the wall.  He hated this.  Hated fighting with Madeline, and hated Jason for making this situation.  Kate stood silently in the hallway for a few moments, staring at the floor.  She then sighed and walked back to her room, closing the door behind her.