My father looked sullen. "Nothing you can do? You just don't care about us now that you've made it in the city!"

"The bottom line is that I won't resign," I said firmly, refusing to give in.

My father wanted to continue berating me, but Harry quickly came over to try to smooth things over. "Harold, Sandra, it's not often that Charlie comes home. You're a family, so you should try and talk things over, not argue."

Harry turned to look at me with a soft smile, "Harold and Sandra are getting on in years, Charlie, and all they want is someone to be by their side. It's only normal that they feel that way, so please don't be mad about it."

My father's expression softened when he looked at Harry. "Harry is the understanding one, and he's the one who cares about us. He's not like you at all. All you know is work and money."

I did not want to argue with them any longer. It was becoming mentally exhausting, so I turned to return to my room. However, I was taken aback when I pushed the door open.

My bed was covered with an unfamiliar bedspread, and the table was filled with men's cosmetics and hair gel. The wardrobe was filled with clothes, and it looked like someone had been staying there for quite a while.

Harry was following behind me, and I turned back right away to look at him. "Don't you have your own room? Why are you staying in mine?"

He started getting shifty-eyed, and he lowered his head, looking flustered. "I'm sorry, Charlie, I…"

Before he could finish, my mother started to explain on his behalf, "The heater in Harry's room isn't working. We've tried to get it working for days, but couldn't get it to work. I let him use your room because the weather has been getting colder.

"You're not home often, anyway, and it doesn't make sense to leave it empty."

I was furious. "It's still my room even if I'm not here! How can you let him have my room without my permission?"

"Why would we need your permission?" My father suddenly roared, looking red with anger. "Your mom and I bought this house, so we have the final say on who stays here. We can let Harry stay here, and we can make you leave the house!"

I trembled with rage at his words, and I stared at my parents, suddenly realizing they were like strangers to me. This was my home, yet I felt like an outsider. I decided not to argue with them and turned toward the door, dragging my luggage behind me.

"Fine. If you want me to leave, I'll leave!"

My father scoffed, looking at me with disdain. "If you're so great, leave and never return to this house!" My mother wanted to say something, but sighed in the end and said nothing.

Harry stood at the side while saying anxiously, "Don't be mad, Charlie. This is entirely my fault. I'll move out right now…"

However, I was no longer in the mood to listen, and I left with my luggage without looking back. I went down the stairs step by step with my heavy luggage and called a taxi to take me to the nearest hotel.

The next afternoon, my cousin called me on the phone. "We're having a family gathering today. Aren't you back home? Hurry over. Most of us are here."

"Alright, Andrew. I'm coming right now."

After hanging up, I dressed up and headed to the gathering. When I arrived, I saw my relatives gathered around, and so were my parents. However, I paused in my tracks when I saw Harry standing next to my mother.

Andrew spotted me first, and he waved at me. "Over here, Charlie."

I went over to him and asked in a low voice, "What's he doing here?"

Andrew sighed. "Your parents brought him here."

After the gathering, we decided to continue the event by adjourning to the restaurant the family had booked earlier. While we were seated around the table, my mother said, "Now that everyone has gathered, Harold and I have something to announce."

My father continued the announcement by looking at everyone and saying, "We're planning to take Harry in as our godson."

Everyone went silent at his announcement, and our relatives started looking at each other.

My mother said, "Harry has always been a considerate child. He has been taking very good care of us by doing the laundry, cooking, and serving us drinks, and he's closer to us than our own son."

Our relatives turned to look at me while I gripped my fork and stayed silent.

My father glanced at me, and his tone turned grim. "Harry is nothing like someone we know who never shows up throughout the year, and if he did, all he talks about is money and never shows us any concern. He refuses to resign and come home to take care of us, and he doesn't want to get married, either.

"He had his own life now, and doesn't care if his parents live or die."

Andrew quickly tried to smooth things over, "Uncle Harold, Aunt Sandra, Charlie cares about you. It's just that his work is really busy and he's facing a lot of stress. You shouldn't say this about him."

My mother waved Andrew off, looking upset. "Busy? All he talks about is being busy. What's the point of earning so much money when he can't stay by our side? He's not like Harry, who knows how to take care of us.

"Whenever we have a headache or get sick, Harry is the one who stays by our side and cares for us. He's much more dependable than our own son."

My father became agitated and raised his voice slightly. "If we can't depend on our son, we'll just get a new son who truly cares for us. If Harry can take care of us in our elderly years and give us a funeral, I wouldn't mind leaving the house to him!"

Our relatives were astonished. They looked at each other, but no one dared to say anything. Some of them wanted to talk my parents out of this, but they were so determined that everyone decided not to say anything in the end. We left the gathering with an unsettled feeling.

After everyone left, Andrew pulled me to the side, looking worried. "Charlie, what did that guy do to your parents to convince them to leave the house to him? You should talk to them and stop them from doing something so stupid."

I looked at my parents chatting happily with Harry from a distance and shook my head. "Maybe they just want someone obedient who does everything they say and stays by their side. There is nothing I can do about it if I can't be that person, and they found someone who could be that for them."

The holidays ended very soon, and I prepared to return to the city. Before I left, I gave my father a call, but no one picked up. I tried calling my mother, but my call was declined. After that, I tried several times to contact them, but they rejected my call every time.

I stared at my phone and decided to stop calling them. I dragged my luggage to the train station and started my journey back to the capital.

For the next few weeks, I would often see my parents' social media posts with pictures of them having dinner with Harry or the three of them taking a group shot, looking intimate like a family.

They posted a picture of Harry holding my mother's arm and smiling gently alongside a caption that emphasized how they were a happy family.

I swiped past the pictures and did not like them or comment. Instead, I pretended I had never seen any of the posts.

Not long after the holidays ended, my mother suddenly called me. The moment I picked up, I could hear her unhappy tone. "Why didn't you transfer this month's allowance to us, Charlie? Why haven't you paid Harry his salary yet?"