"Just give us two hundred thousand dollars as a wedding gift, and we'll call it even."

I stared at my phone screen and actually laughed. The shamelessness of that family was almost impressive.

I did not reply. I ended the call and blocked her number.

…

Early the next morning, I was jolted awake by the doorbell ringing nonstop.

When I opened the door, a man with an honest, almost timid face stood outside. It was William Shepard.

"It's me, William," he said quickly.

"My parents said a lot of nonsense in the family group chat yesterday. I'm here to apologize on their behalf.

"Um… Could I come in and talk?"

Despite how disgusted I was by his family's behavior, I stepped aside and let him in.

The moment he sat down on the sofa, he started rubbing his hands nervously.

"Francis, don't blame my dad. He's just doing this for my own good. My fiancee, Lily, insists on having a decent car as the wedding car. If I don't have one, she won't marry me. I really don't have a choice."

William looked miserable. He sighed and went on.

"Actually, Francis, I've thought of a win-win solution. One that won't put you in a tough spot, and still lets me get married."

I gestured for him to continue.

His eyes lit up, and he leaned forward.

"How about this? You lend me your car just for the wedding day. That way I can explain things to my future in-laws. After the wedding, you can continue using the car as usual."

I looked at him without saying a word. He seemed increasingly confident in his idea.

"Here's the key part," he said eagerly.

"To make my wife believe the car is mine, I'll need you to make a small sacrifice. You can still drive it, but officially, the car will be under my name. Every month, you just transfer me a symbolic amount of money.

"Let's say you're renting the car from me. That way, if my wife asks, I can say I rented it out and even earn a little extra. She'll definitely be happy hearing that."

He smiled.

"See? Everyone wins. You lose nothing, and I get married. As for the rent, you decide. A thousand dollars or two thousand dollars a month is fine."

He finished speaking and looked at me expectantly.

I was completely stunned by his logic.

Paying rent for my own car?

I could no longer tolerate this kind of moral blackmail. My voice turned cold.

"William, your marriage is your own responsibility. I didn't create this situation. Please leave. I've got a meeting soon, so I won't be keeping you."

Seeing how firm my attitude was, William immediately switched tactics.

"Francis, you've made it in life. You don't understand how hard it is for useless men like us. I'm just a wage worker trying to support a family. Now, my marriage is falling apart over a car.

"Lily said if she doesn't see that car, she'll abort the baby immediately. What choice do I have? We're both part of the Shephard family. You can't just stand by and watch us die like this."

I said nothing.

I stood up, walked to the entrance, and opened the front door.

The fake humility vanished from William's face instantly.

"Francis, don't push things too far. I know which building you work in. I know the name of your company. If you don't help me, I'll go downstairs to your office and tell everyone how you forced your sister-in-law to get an abortion."

Of course, I understood exactly what he meant. However, my father was the company's largest shareholder. I had nothing to fear.

I did not respond. I shoved him out the door and turned back into the living room.

No sooner had William left than I received a friend request.

It was from his fiancee, Lily Hansen.

I did not accept it. I did not even open it.

I ignored it outright.

The very next second, my phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number.

"Is this Francis Shephard?"

A young woman's voice came through the line.

"I'm Lily Hansen, William's fiancee."

Her tone was nothing like William's usual politeness.

"I heard you refused to lend the car?"

I replied calmly, "That car belongs to the company. I don't have the authority to lend it out."

She let out a cold laugh.

"Don't give me that excuse. I'm not as easy to fool as William. The child in my belly carries the Shephard family blood.

"If you won't even provide a wedding car and ruin my marriage, then I won't keep this baby either. When that happens, can you bear the blame of driving your own family to death?"

Her voice dripped with threat.

I responded, "Are you using an unborn child to blackmail me? That's your child, not a bargaining chip. Whether you give birth or not has nothing to do with me."

I did not give her another chance to speak. I hung up and immediately blocked the number.

To avoid further trouble, I blocked the entire family as well.

I thought that would be the end of it.

However, the next day, a weekend, I had plans to go fishing in the suburbs with a friend.

Carrying my fishing gear, I walked into the underground garage.

When I reached my parking spot, I froze.

Three people were standing by my car.

It was Hank, Sharon, and a young woman I did not recognize.

My heart sank. I tightened my grip on my phone and hurried over.

Only when I got closer did I see clearly.

The woman was leaning against the hood of my car, striking poses and taking selfies.

Hank was holding a thin metal wire, struggling to poke it into the crack of the car door.

They had not noticed me yet and were chatting among themselves.

"Dad, can you do this or not? You've been poking at it forever."

"Don't rush me. These luxury car locks are tricky. I should've brought a hammer."

Rage surged through me.

I stormed forward and shouted, "What are you doing?! Stop right now!"

The woman frowned when she heard my voice.

"Who are you, yelling at us like that? Do you have no manners?"

I was so angry I almost laughed.

"Step away from my car immediately. You're attempting theft. I'm calling the police right now!"

Sharon rolled her eyes at me.

"You child, how can you talk like that? We're family. This is Lily, William's future wife. We're just checking out the wedding car. What theft are you talking about?"

I did not want to waste another word on those unreasonable people. I pointed straight at the security camera on the garage ceiling.

"Get out. Now. Once the police arrive, none of you are leaving."

Sharon was about to start making a scene when Lily raised a hand and stopped her.

She sneered, "Call them. Go ahead. I'd love to see whether the police care about family matters."

Hearing that, I did not hesitate. I unlocked my phone and started dialing.

"Hello, officer? This is Santos Residential Area, B2 section, parking spot G-07. Someone is trying to break into my car. They may be carrying tools that could be used as weapons. Please…"

Before I could finish, a hand came from the side and slapped my phone to the ground.

"You fool! You actually called the cops?!"

I turned my head and saw that the one who knocked my phone away was Hank.

The fury boiling in my chest was beyond control.

Before I could even bend down to pick up my phone, William appeared out of nowhere.

He shoved me hard against the car.

"Did you really call the police? Are you looking for death?!"

My back slammed painfully into the car door, and the watch on my wrist struck the metal with a sharp knock.

A sharp cracking sound rang out as the watch face shattered into pieces.

It was the only thing my grandfather had ever left me.

Something inside me finally snapped. I spun around and punched William square in the face.

"Touch me again and see what happens!"

The moment he took that punch, William lost it completely.

Seeing her son get hit, Sharon lunged at me at once. Her long, sharp nails clawed viciously at my face. I was not prepared as searing pain ripped across my skin as blood streaked down my cheek.

She did not stop there.

Like a rabid animal, she clung to me, scratching and biting wildly.

"You ungrateful thing raised without parents! How dare you lay a hand on my son?! I'll fight you to the death today!

"You hit my boy? I'll make you pay with your life!"

Hank spat on the ground with venom.

"A heartless beast like you doesn't deserve to be part of the Shephard family! We took you in out of kindness, and this is how you repay us? Look at you, poor and pathetic!"

Lily pulled out her phone and started snapping photos of the red handprint on William's face.

"I've got proof! Everyone, come see how rich people pick on their poor relatives! I'm posting this online. Let's see how you survive after your reputation is ruined!"

While I was being restrained, Sharon shot her son a meaningful look.

"Smash the car. Teach this ungrateful brat a lesson for looking down on poor relatives."

I shoved Sharon away and spat coldly, "Deliberate destruction of property on a large scale is enough to put you behind bars for years. You'd better think carefully about what you'll say once the police arrive."

My words finally pushed Hank over the edge.

"I've been too lenient with you, huh? Looks like you haven't learned your lesson!"

Sharon rushed forward again, raising her hand to slap me.

"You idiot! How dare you threaten us?!"

I caught her wrist and flung her aside with force.

The earlier scratches were only because I had been caught off guard.

I would not let them touch me again.

Sharon crashed to the ground and immediately began wailing, rolling around like a tantrum-throwing child.

Hank completely lost control.

"This is outrageous! You hit my wife!

"Smash it! Smash that damn car to pieces! I wouldn't want that cursed thing even if you gave it to me for free!"

At his command, William rushed to his own battered domestic car nearby, popped the trunk, and pulled out a massive pipe wrench.

Lily lit up with excitement. She dug a bottle of bright red nail polish out of her bag, twisted it open, and splashed it across my car's hood.

Hank did not hold back either. He raised the wrench and brought it down hard on the windshield.

I spoke calmly, icy cold.

"The car cost three million and two hundred thousand dollars after adding on all options. I also bought full coverage insurance. You might want to think twice."

Hank hesitated mid-swing.

However, Sharon shrieked from the ground, laughing hysterically.

"Hahaha! Who are you trying to scare? Three million dollars in game currency? Do you even know what three million means? Stop bragging!"

The hesitation vanished from Hank's face.

The next second, the wrench slammed down. Cracks spread across the glass like a spiderweb.

In no time, the brand-new car was completely wrecked.

Sharon did not join in the destruction. Instead, she took advantage of the chaos, slipped around to the shattered window, and reached inside, rummaging through the compartments.

When she pulled her hand back out, she was clutching an emergency wallet my mother had kept in the car. Greed shone all over her face.

I was about to stop her when a loud, commanding voice echoed from the garage entrance.

"Police! Nobody move! Put everything down now!"