Evelyn Larson's nephew, Maxwell Larson, has been staying at my home for 12 years. On top of sponsoring everything he has in life, I even view him as my own son.

Heck, I'm the one who paid the down payment for Maxwell's new family home.

But on the night we're having a holiday dinner, he throws me a list in front of everyone.

"Uncle Lawrence, I've already hashed out the details with my fiancee's family. We'll be giving her family 700 thousand dollars as a wedding gift. You've raised me for so many years, so you need to prepare this amount for me."

I frown instantly. "Didn't I just settle your down payment for you? Besides, Tiffany's about to get married soon. I need to save some money for her own wedding gift."

But Maxwell instantly smashes a plate out of anger. "Since she's marrying into another family, that means she's no longer a part of this family! Are you saying that you're willing to give your money to an outsider rather than your own nephew?

"If you refuse to agree to my terms, I'll make Aunt Evelyn divorce you right now!"

I turn to look at Evelyn out of instinct, only to see her pulling out a gift agreement that she has already drafted.

"We don't need to prepare any wedding gifts for Tiffany, seeing as she's the one marrying into another family. Max, on the other hand, is the only son of the Larson family. You should give your money to him instead."

I stared at my wife, Evelyn Larson, eyes wide with disbelief.

On the table lay an agreement. In black and white, it read, "I, Lawrence Zimmerman, am giving 700 thousand dollars to Maxwell Larson, and I will never take it back."

Maxwell's signature was already scrawled at the bottom. Mine was the only one missing.

"You had this ready all along?" I questioned, staring at Evelyn.

She avoided my gaze and said, "Max is my sister's only son. His wedding is a huge deal. We have to help."

Maxwell grinned from ear to ear as he slid the paper toward me. "Uncle Lawrence, just sign it. We'll still be family."

I looked at the agreement, then at the relatives around the table. Evelyn's siblings and cousins kept their heads down, eating in silence.

The steam from the simmering stew stung my eyes.

Maxwell had come to live with us at ten, after his mother died and his father vanished. I had raised him for 12 years, never skimping on tuition or living expenses.

When he failed college courses, I pulled strings to keep him afloat. When he needed a job, I made the calls. I even paid 40 thousand dollars toward the down payment on his house.

I never expected him to be grateful, but I hadn't imagined this either.

"I'm not signing this," I said in a low voice.

All at once, the air turned thick with tension.

My mother-in-law, Lucy Jones, set down her fork, and her expression darkened. "Lawrence, what do you mean? Max is the only grandson in the Larson family! His wedding is a huge deal! You're his uncle, and you won't even chip in?"

"Mom, it's not that I don't want to help," I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. "Three months ago, I covered the down payment for his house. And now, he wants another 700 thousand dollars as a gift?

"I'm strapped for cash. Besides, Tiffany is getting married next spring. Her in-laws are—"

"Tiffany, Tiffany! All you ever care about is your daughter!"

Maxwell shot to his feet, jabbing a finger in my face. "Lawrence, you've raised me for years! Now that I'm getting married, you won't give me a cent? You're playing favorites! I want that money today, got it?"

Beside me, Evelyn tugged at my sleeve. Her voice was low, but each word cut deep.

"Lawrence, don't be foolish. Once Tiffany is married, she'll belong to another family. That money would just benefit them. Max is the one who keeps the family line alive. You have to listen to him."

At that, I turned to her. Decades of marriage, yet she seemed like a stranger now.

"Evelyn, Tiffany is your daughter!" I snapped.

She avoided my gaze, her tone unapologetically firm as she shot back, "I know she is, but one day, she'll be part of another family. Max is the one who carries on our name."

Maxwell waved the agreement in triumph. "Hear that? Aunt Evely said it! Sign it now, and we're still family.

"When you're old, I might still put food in front of you because of this money. Otherwise, don't expect me to take care of you!"

"Take care of me when I'm old?" I let out a chuckle. "You don't even have a job. You're living off us every month. What exactly are you going to support me with?"

Maxwell's face twisted with rage. "Lawrence Zimmerman! Don't push your luck!"

Without missing a beat, he grabbed the wine glass beside him and smashed it against the floor.

"If you don't sign the agreement today, I'll make sure Aunt Evelyn divorces you! You'll walk away with nothing, and you'll be thrown out of this house!"

I looked at Evelyn. But she kept her head down, eating and saying nothing.

My heart sank.

"Evelyn Larson!" I snapped. "You're going to divorce me just because I won't give up Tiffany's wedding fund? She's your daughter! Have you no soul?"

Lucy slammed her hand on the table. "What nonsense are you talking about? Lawrence, my daughter's been married to you for decades. She gave you a child and took good care of you.

"Now, we're just asking you to help out her nephew, and you keep making excuses? You call yourself a man?"

Maxwell seized the moment to pile on. "Exactly! Aunt Evelyn, why keep a man like him? Divorce him! Do it tomorrow, then kick him out!"

Just then, the door to the dining room swung open. My daughter, Tiffany Zimmerman, walked in carrying a plate of fruit.

When she saw the shards of glass scattered across the floor, she froze.

"Dad, Mom, what's going on?"

The moment Maxwell saw Tiffany, he fixed her with a sharp glare.

"Your parents are about to get divorced! From now on, you're just a burden no one wants!" he spat.

Shocked, Tiffany flinched and nearly dropped the plate.

"Maxwell Larson! Watch your mouth!" I bellowed as I pulled Tiffany to my side.

She clutched my arm, saying, "Dad, everything was fine. Why would you get divorced? He's just talking nonsense, right?"

"I'm not," Maxwell shot back with a sneer. "Your dad's planning to give me your wedding fund as well. When you get married, your parents won't fork out a dime. You'll be walking into that marriage with nothing to your name!"

The color drained from Tiffany's face at once. "Dad… Didn't you promise me 300 thousand dollars for my wedding? If I show up with nothing, what will my fiance's family think of me?"

"They can think whatever they want!" Maxwell cut in, his tone dripping with contempt. "You're just marrying into their family to have kids anyway. Why should we pay anything? You're just a burden!"

"Shut up!" I roared.

My body shook with fury as I continued, "Maxwell, I raised you for 12 years. I gave you food, clothes, everything. What more did you want?

"During your four years in university, when you kept failing classes, I was the one who went to your professors and begged them to give you a chance. When you got fired from your first job, I pulled strings to get you another.

"And when you bought your place, I paid every cent of the down payment. Now that you're getting married, you expect me to pay for it. On top of that, you want me to hand over my daughter's wedding fund? On what grounds?"

Maxwell shot back, "Because you're my uncle! Because you married my aunt! Your money belongs to the Larson family!"

"I'm a Zimmerman, and you're a Larson. When did my money become yours?"

"Lawrence Zimmerman! What do you mean by that?" Lucy yelled. "You married my daughter. Doesn't that make your money hers? And if it's hers, what's wrong with her nephew using it?"

What kind of twisted logic was that?

Evelyn, too, furrowed her brow. She shot me a disapproving look and said, "Lawrence, we're family. Why make such a fuss over money?"

"Fine. Family, huh?"

I nodded, then picked up the agreement.

A victorious smile spread across Maxwell's face. But in the next instant, I tore the document in half in front of him.

"I won't pay a single cent for this wedding!"

Maxwell's smile faltered.

"Lawrence Zimmerman! You've got a death wish!" he roared.

Almost immediately, he raised his fist and lunged at me.

"Dad! Watch out!"

Without a second thought, Tiffany threw herself in front of me.

The punch slammed into Tiffany's shoulder.

"Tiffany!"

My heart seemed to stop, and I dropped beside her. "Where does it hurt? Are you okay?"

My chest tightened at the sight of her. I looked up and glared at Maxwell, fury blazing in my eyes.

Across the room, Evelyn rushed over, but not to check on Tiffany. Instead, she grabbed Maxwell's hand, turning it over anxiously.

"Max! Does your hand hurt? You could've broken something! What were you thinking?"

Only after making sure he was fine did Evelyn turn to me. She jabbed a finger in my face and yelled, "Lawrence Zimmerman! Are you really going to tear this family apart over a little money?

"She's your daughter. Once she gets married, she'll belong to someone else's family anyway! What are you giving her all that money for? Why are you wasting money on a worthless woman like her?"

Tiffany couldn't take it anymore. Her voice choked with sobs as she shouted, "Mom! I'm your daughter as well! How can you say that?"

Evelyn froze for a second at the outburst, then her anger flared.

"Why can't I say that? Am I wrong?" she retorted. "You'll get married eventually, and your brother's the one who'll carry on the family name!"

Tiffany screamed, "He's not my brother! His last name is Larson! Mine's Zimmerman! He's just an outsider!"

Without missing a beat, Evelyn slapped her hard. The sharp crack echoed through the room, and everyone froze.

Tiffany clutched her cheek, staring at her mother in disbelief as tears streamed down her face.

I pulled her behind me, trembling all over. "Evelyn, you hit her?"

Evelyn faltered, but she didn't back down. "S-So what if I did? I'm her mother. Can't I discipline my own daughter?"

"Discipline?" I let out a bitter laugh. "When have you ever cared for her in all these years? When she was sick in the hospital, where were you?

"Where were you when her school held the parent-teacher meetings? All you've ever cared about is your precious nephew! And now, for his sake, you hit my daughter?"

From the side, Maxwell fanned the flames. "Serves her right! A useless burden like her needs to be put in her place!"

Lucy hurried over to break it up. "Alright. That's enough. It's Christmas. Let's not fight.

"Lawrence, Evelyn just lost her temper."

"Lost her temper?"

I looked around at everyone in the room and nodded. "Fine."

Then, I took Tiffany's hand. "Let's go."

"Where do you think you're going?" Maxwell moved to block the doorway. "If you don't sign the agreement today, don't even think about leaving."

Having said that, he pulled out his phone and started recording. "Lawrence, you're a manager at your company, aren't you?"

He continued, "What do you think your bosses will say if I post this online with the caption 'A manager abuses the nephew he raised for 12 years and refuses to pay a dime for his wedding'?

"With how fast things spread online these days, I could ruin you overnight!"

I stared at his phone screen and felt my heart sink.

"What exactly do you want?" I demanded.

Maxwell set his phone aside before pulling out the agreement again. "Sign it and wire the 700 thousand dollars to my account within three days.

"Then, buy me a car. Violet's got her eye on a car. The down payment is only tens of thousand dollars.

"Oh, and you'll cover the renovations for my place, too. That will be about 200 thousand dollars."

He counted on his fingers, then added, "All in all, it's about a million dollars. That's pocket change for you."

Pocket change? I was making 12 thousand dollars a month, with a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus at the end of the year.

Even if I didn't spend a cent, it would still take me five years to save that much.

"And if I don't?"

A cruel smile spread across Maxwell's face as he said, "If you don't? Then, I'll air your dirty laundry for everyone to see."