Driven Out Like Trash, Welcomed Back Like a God

I was completely lost. It took me a long moment before I found my voice. "Calum, what do you mean by that?"Calum let out a cold snort. "What do I mean? Can't you tell? Our family doesn't want a piece of trash like you around anymore."Noticing my pained expression, Calum continued, "I know what you're thinking. You're wondering why I never said anything earlier even though I've always known you were adopted, and why I had to wait until New Year's Day to bring it up. Am I right?"I don't need to hide anything anymore. Honestly, I thought about kicking you out from the very first day I got married. That was when Eliza told me you didn't plan to get married or have kids, and that your salary was quite high."That's why I played along, made you think I was your best friend, and got you to willingly hand over most of your paycheck to the family."My heart sank as I heard those words. I couldn't help but glance at Eliza and my parents. They merely kept their heads down and remained sil

Calum grew even more smug when he saw my reaction. "Obviously. Can't you see what's happening? Your sister and your parents are all on my side. Do you really think I'd do something like this during the New Year without their approval?"Seeing that I had no intention of signing, Dad frowned. "Jeremiah, we've said everything there is to say. Why are you still refusing to sign? Are you actually trying to get your hands on our family's assets?"Mom rolled her eyes at Dad and sighed. "Jeremiah, I know the demolition compensation is a huge amount of money, but we have to be decent people. We took you in, so you shouldn't repay our kindness with such ingratitude."At that point, Eliza stopped looking at the floor. She walked over and looked down at me. "Jeremiah, I've never treated you badly growing up. Now I'm just asking for your signature to give Calum some peace of mind. If you truly didn't plan on taking anything from the family, why won't you sign?"The truth was, it wasn't that I w

Seeing that Craig was genuinely happy, Calum belatedly realized that these items might be authentic. If they really were authentic, they were worth at least a million dollars.The moment it clicked, Calum's expression darkened. Ignoring the fact that he was the one who had thrown everything out, he stepped forward and grabbed Craig, who was about to head back home. "Are you crazy? How dare you steal my things? Put them down right now."Eliza rushed over as well, shielding Calum as she began snatching the items. "That's right. My brother brought all of this for my family. You can't just take what was given to us. Give it back."The loud argument quickly drew neighbors from other floors, who craned their necks to see what was going on. After all, everyone was bored out of their minds during the New Year, so there was no way they would miss the drama.Noticing the crowd growing, Calum raised his voice. "Everyone, come and judge this for yourselves! These are the gifts my brother-in-la

I wasn't afraid of Calum or the others, but I had no interest in letting them cause a scene in the hallway, so I opened the door and let all four of them in.They all had the same embarrassed expression. They each gave me an eager smile, then immediately turned their attention to the interior, their eyes scanning the place greedily. The more they saw, the more fawning their expressions became.I said impatiently, "Didn't we already take care of everything? What are you all doing here?"Mom and Dad didn't dare speak, so they nudged Calum forward.Calum gritted his teeth and said with a smile, "Jeremiah, don't be upset about the other day. I figured that given how close we've always been, you'd forgive me and come back home to make up with us. But we waited and you never showed up, so we had to come to you."I said nothing, but my expression wasn't cold. Instead, I had a faint, unreadable smile.Noticing my expression, Eliza quickly stepped in, offering a conciliatory smile. "Jerem