Chapter 4

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 was unwilling to sign, but that my whole body had gone rigid. I didn't have the strength to pick up a pen, let alone say anything. Yet my stillness only made the four of them more certain that I refused to let go of the alleged demolition compensation.

They took turns pressuring me. At first, they tried to reason with me. But before long, they began throwing a full-blown tantrum, even dropping to their knees and begging me.

Seeing what was happening, Calum lost his temper and shouted, "Enough! Jeremiah Stark, I'm asking you right now—are you going to sign or not?

"If you sign, we can still be friends, and you can still come by for a meal. But if you don't, I'll take you to court. I'll also tell all your friends and coworkers about this so they'll know how heartless you are!"

Hearing that, I nodded and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll sign."

After I nodded, the four of them visibly relaxed. Eliza immediately handed me the agreement and a pen.

I skimmed through it and found it was all laid out in considerable detail. It didn't just sever any legal ties between me and my parents; it also included a specific clause barring me from asking for money or claiming any share of the family's assets under any circumstances.

As for everything I had given the family over the years, it wouldn't be returned and would instead be counted as repayment for the cost of raising me.

Before reading the agreement carefully, I felt genuinely hurt. But after I understood the terms of the agreement, that feeling vanished and was replaced by a slight sense of relief. After all, it meant the 200 million dollars I had just won in the lottery wouldn't need to be shared with them.

Seeing how carefully I was reading, Calum let out a cold snort. "Don't bother. You're not getting a bad deal out of this. Honestly, you should be paying Mom and Dad at least another one million dollars for supporting you over the years.

"You did give the family plenty of money before, but even a small favor deserves to be repaid many times over, especially since what Mom and Dad gave you was far more than a small kindness."

I didn't respond and signed it with a blank expression.

Once I signed, the gloom on their faces disappeared. They immediately returned to their cheerful chatter. Calum in particular nearly jumped for joy while clutching the agreement.

I looked at their expressions and didn't feel upset, only a sense of relief. I couldn't help but say, "You should laugh while you still can. Once you regret this, you won't be laughing anymore."

Calum's brow furrowed. "What are you even talking about? What do we have to regret? Stop talking nonsense."

Why would they regret it? Because the demolition was fake, and they had just driven away a son worth hundreds of millions over something that didn't even exist.