Chapter 5

My gaze swept over the room, taking in every face. Evelyn looked indifferent, Maxwell was greedy, Lucy displayed a sense of entitlement, and Tiffany's tear-streaked face was full of despair.

With that, I picked up the pen and signed my name.

Evelyn practically snatched the papers back to check the signature. The moment she confirmed it, her face lit up with joy.

"This is wonderful! Max, we've got the money now! Your wedding's all paid for!"

"Yes!" Maxwell whooped, throwing his arms around her. "I knew you loved me most, Aunt Evelyn! There will even be enough left over to buy a car!"

Lucy beamed from ear to ear, too. "This is perfect! Now, Max can have a show-stopping wedding! We're doing this big!"

At last, my father-in-law, Thomas Larson, spoke up. "Once you're married, stop fooling around and start taking life seriously."

The Larsons gathered together, buzzing with excitement as they discussed the wedding—what hotel to book and how to spend the money. Not one of them spared Tiffany or me another glance.

A few minutes later, Maxwell finally noticed us again. He turned, his eyes full of disdain as he spat, "Lawrence, you've signed the agreement and the money's transferred. What are you still doing here?"

He pointed at the door. "This house belongs to Aunty Evelyn now, which means it's mine. Get the hell out! Just looking at you two makes me sick."

At that, Tiffany looked up at me. Her face was streaked with tears, and fear flickered in her eyes. "Dad… What do we do now? Where are we supposed to go?"

I met her gaze, then reached out to wipe her tears. "Don't be scared."

Without hesitation, I opened the app and pulled up my itinerary. One quick swipe, and I canceled the Miravia family vacation and the wedding reception.

As soon as the cancellations went through, Maxwell's phone rang.

"Hello? What? The reception's canceled? And there's a penalty fee? 38 thousand dollars?"

He jerked his head up, his bloodshot eyes locking onto mine. "Lawrence Zimmerman! Did you seriously cancel my wedding reception?"

Almost at the same time, Evelyn's phone rang.

She answered, confusion flickering across her face. In the next second, her expression darkened. "What? The family trip's canceled? I've already bragged about it to all my friends! How am I supposed to face them now?

"The deposit's non-refundable? And you're deducting 40 thousand dollars?"

She jumped to her feet, pointing at me as she screamed, "Lawrence Zimmerman! Have you lost your damn mind? I've been looking forward to that trip for a whole year!"

I stopped in my tracks and turned back to Evelyn. "I paid for it, and I was the one who signed the contracts. I can cancel them if I want to. You can cover the penalties yourself and book your own trip.

"But I hear all the prime dates and locations are gone. And a popular destination like Miravia? Good luck finding anything left."

Having said my piece, I took Tiffany's hand and headed downstairs.

We had just gotten downstairs when Maxwell came running. He seized my arm and demanded, "You think you can leave just like that? You're not going anywhere until my wedding and trip are back on!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing was ragged.

Seeing that, Tiffany ducked behind me.

Just then, a black luxury car glided to a stop in front of us.

The window rolled down, revealing a driver in white gloves.

"Mr. Zimmerman," he called out respectfully. "Mr. Zimmerman Sr. sent me to pick you up. He said you've had your fun out here, and it's time to come home."