The moment I stepped in, the living room was already packed with relatives.

My brother, Felix Grayson, stood in the middle, animatedly boasting, "Uncle Simon, you don't know how impossible it is to get into Beckett Group! Tons of people try every year, and most fail. But when I walked into the interview, the recruiter immediately said talent like mine was one in a million!"

Our uncle, Simon Dawson, grinned so wide that his wrinkles almost bloomed. "I always knew Felix was clever as a kid!"

Dad, dressed in a pristine jacket, couldn't stop smiling. "Exactly! Look at who his father is. Felix is destined to be someone special. His starting salary may only be three thousand dollars, but Ms. Beckett clearly sees his potential.

"She's planning to keep him close and train him as a management candidate. Who knows? Maybe Ms. Beckett might even become my daughter-in-law someday!"

I paused in the entryway, feeling nothing but bitter irony.

Felix hadn't earned his so-called dream job—it existed only because my girlfriend, Gwendolyn Beckett, had quietly spoken to HR on my behalf and secured him the position as a special favor.

The job itself was a simple logistics role. Anyone with working arms and legs could handle it.

And yet, in Felix's telling, it had magically become a testament to his brilliance and the admiration of his boss.

I kept my expression neutral as I changed my shoes and walked in. For a few seconds, the chatter in the living room died down.

Dad's smile faltered when he saw me. He pointed toward a small stool in the corner. "You're here? Sit there. Dinner's about to start."

The extra stool, which was usually reserved for the maids, was tucked far from the main table.

I strode straight up to him and held out my hand. "Dad, I'm not here to eat. I'm here for my money. For the past few years, I've been transferring 15 thousand dollars to you every month—that's about 500 thousand in total. You said you were saving it for my marriage. I need it now. Transfer it back to me."

The room froze.

Felix scowled, walking toward me with obvious annoyance. "Luther, what are you doing? We're family. What do you mean 'your money'? Once it enters this house, it belongs to all of us."

I glared at him. "Felix, you used my hard-earned money to buy a luxury villa and you expect me to smile? Half of that villa came from me. Either you return the money, or add my name to the deed."

Dad slammed his fork onto the table so hard that it rattled the dishes. He rose to his feet and shouted, "Luther! Are you out of your mind? In front of all these relatives, do you have no shame? Do you think the renovations or the furniture came free?"

My whole body shook with anger. "That's my money! Why should it be used to renovate his villa?"

Dad replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Because he's your younger brother. You're supposed to give in to him and look out for him your whole life!

"As the older brother, isn't it your duty to support him? Besides, even if we gave the money back, you wouldn't keep it safe. Sooner or later, some woman would trick you out of it!"

Uncle Simon nibbled on a bowl of pretzels and mockingly said, "Luther, that's your mistake. A man should be generous. A harmonious family gives you respect in the world."

Another uncle, Vincent Grayson, added his two cents, "Exactly. We've heard you've had a girlfriend for years, but you never brought her home. What's the matter? Are you afraid to show her off? If you hand your money to an outsider, that's really like throwing it away."

Felix straightened his tie, grinning like he owned the world. "Luther, don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend doesn't even have a proper job, right? Unlike me—I work at Beckett Group. Just saying that out loud gives me clout. Your money's basically an investment in me. When I make it big, do you really think I'd let you go hungry?"

To protect these so-called family members, I had always hidden Gwendolyn's true identity, telling them she was just an ordinary entrepreneur.

In their eyes, that made me nothing more than a fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered, while Gwendolyn wasn't even worth a second thought.

"Felix, do you really think you got into Beckett Group on your own merit?" I asked, fixing him a cold stare.

Felix froze for a moment, then his face flushed red with anger. "Luther, stop being jealous! Why is it so hard to admit someone else is better than you? Someone like you, who's living off a fixed paycheck, wouldn't understand what a real platform looks like!"

Dad lunged forward and shoved me hard. "Out! If you're not here to eat, get out! Stop embarrassing us!"

That single shove snapped the last thread of attachment I had left for this family.

I stumbled back from the shove, but once I regained my footing, a calm settled over me. "Fine. I'm not eating."

I pulled out my phone, switched on the recorder, and held it up for everyone to see.

"Since you've taken things this far, let me be clear. First, the 500 thousand dollars I entrusted to you is mine. I have the transfer records and even your voice message on WhatsApp admitting you were holding onto it for me. I will take legal action to recover it.

"Second, Mom's death compensation and the demolition payout from the old house are part of the family inheritance and jointly owned family property. I am the first in line to inherit, and I will take what is mine."

The room froze. The relatives stared at me as if I had lost my mind.

Dad's expression darkened in an instant. He lunged forward, trying to snatch my phone. "Luther! You'd really sue me? I'm your father, you ungrateful brat! I raised you with my own hands, and you dare take me to court over money?"

I sidestepped his lunge and said coldly, "So you admit you're my father? When you handed me seven dollars as a gift, did you think about me? When you spent seven million dollars on a villa, did you think about me?

"I'll take care of you when you're old—that's my responsibility—but I'm not raising a giant baby brother, and I sure as hell won't let you bleed me dry!"

When Dad failed to grab the phone, Felix lunged at me. "Damn it! You think you can run wild here? Let's see how brave you are when I hit you!"

I stepped closer, meeting his gaze without flinching. "Go ahead. I'll call the police right now. You just started at a major company—get an assault charge, and let's see if Beckett Group still wants you."

Felix froze when I brought up his job. His hand hung awkwardly in the air, and he hissed, "Fine, Luther. You're ruthless. Over a few dollars, you don't even care about family."

"Family?" I laughed bitterly. "That's your family, not mine. In this house, I'm just an ATM. I'm an outsider."

I swept my gaze over the relatives who had been pointing and whispering. "I want to make this perfectly clear in front of all of you. Within three days, transfer my 500 thousand dollars back, along with my share of Mom's death compensation and the demolition payout.

"If you don't, the court summons will be sent straight to Felix's company. As of today, I'm no longer a member of this family, and I won't provide more than the legally required minimum support."

Without waiting for a reply, I turned and left.

Behind me, Dad's anguished screams rang out. "What a curse! How did I raise such a monster? Over seven dollars, and he wants to sever ties with his own father!"

Shouts from relatives and Felix's curses blended into a chaotic roar.

I headed to the elevator, and as the doors slid shut, I pressed myself against the wall. Tears finally streamed down my face. By now, I had accepted it—Dad had never loved me.

Outside the compound, I called Gwendolyn.

Her calm, clear voice came through the line. "Luther? What's wrong? You sound off."

When I heard her voice, the tension I had been carrying for hours finally eased.

"Gwen…" I choked, "I have no home left."

After a brief pause, she said firmly, "Where are you? I'll come get you. Wherever I am, that's your home."

Three days had passed, and not a single cent had come my way. Instead, I was bombarded with endless abusive messages—from Dad, from Felix, and from those so-called relatives.

I gathered all the evidence and sent it to my lawyer, ready to take legal action.

Monday was crucial. I had a key meeting with Beckett Group. Just before it began, a ruckus erupted downstairs.

I peered down from the window, frowning.

Dad sat on the floor with messy hair, pounding his thighs and wailing, holding up a sign that read, "Luther Grayson, an executive at Cloudvine Group, my ungrateful son! You have abandoned your sick father and harmed your own brother!"

Felix stood next to him, livestreaming with tears in his eyes. "Tell me—is this fair? My brother is a general manager at a top company with a seven-figure salary, yet he won't pay for Dad's medical bills!

"Dad even skipped his own treatment to save money for him to buy a villa, and now he's trying to destroy us—and even sue us! Is this how a successful person behaves? Is this the kind of partner Beckett Group wants?"

The viewer count shot up, and the chat exploded with insults aimed at me. Everyone in the meeting room stared at me—some with disdain, some with pity, and some just waiting for the spectacle.

I trembled with anger and marched down to the lobby.

Dad lunged at me, grabbing my legs. "Luther! Please! Don't sue us! I'll do anything! Your brother just got a job—you can't ruin him! Take the money! That's all I have to live on! I won't get treatment anymore! I might as well die!"

The crowd's anger flared up instantly.

"How can you be so cruel?"

"He raised you, and now you're betraying him?"

Felix shoved his phone in my face and shouted, "Luther! Look! Dad's on his knees for you! Are you even human?"

I snatched a security guard's megaphone. "Stop the act! You claim I abandoned Dad? Last week, he was in the hospital. I paid every bill and even tended to him, and where were you? You were busy house hunting.

"Dad, how dare you accuse me of taking money that could have saved your life? That 500 thousand dollars I kept with you came from my own salary! You used it to buy Felix's villa, and now you're calling me a thief? And Felix, didn't you say you were a rising talent at Beckett Group? Is throwing a fit in the lobby how you prove it?"

Felix's face darkened, but the livestream viewers seemed to egg him on. He squared his shoulders and shouted, "Stop lying! I got in on my own merit, unlike you. You're just good at using money to bully your family!"

I sneered. "Merit? Fine. Let's see if any of that merit lasts after today."

Dad straightened, trembling with fury, and swung at me. "How dare you destroy your brother's future! I'll teach you a lesson today, you ungrateful brat!"

I closed my eyes to avoid the slap, but a pale, firm hand caught his wrist.

The room went dead silent.

I opened my eyes to see Gwendolyn standing in front of me, radiating authority.

"Ms. Beckett?"

Felix froze where he stood.