Chapter 3

"You people get seafood, yet when it comes to my parents, you call Pac Burger good food?" I snapped at them.

Julie shot to her feet. "Am I wrong? What gives those two shameless old people the right to spend my daughter's money on hamburgers?"

My voice rose. "What do you mean by spending your daughter's money? Haven't I been spending money on you two this whole time?

"I spend my entire 13,000-dollar monthly salary on this household! What's wrong with my parents wanting to have a decent meal for once?"

The moment the words left my mouth, a wave of bitterness washed over me, and my eyes got so hot they ached.

Amelia's salary only covered her own car payments. Not one cent of her money ever came to me.

The mortgage was 5,000 dollars a month, and I covered all the household expenses. On top of that, Dale and Julie were ill every other week and needed to be hospitalized.

If I hadn't been so short on money, I never would've even made my parents put up with Amelia's attitude for three whole days.

Dale threw his phone, his face black as thunder. "Watch your tone! You go home for a few days, and now you think you can do whatever you want?"

Julie shoved at me, hard. "You married my daughter! So what if we spend some of your money? What, you're saying I shouldn't eat your food? You want me dead, is that it?"

I flung her hands off me. The next second, Amelia grabbed a glass from the coffee table and hurled it at me.

My temple began to throb. Blood ran down my forehead, and my ears rang so loudly I could barely hear anything else.

She jabbed a finger right in my face. "Kenneth, I'm warning you. I married you so you'd take care of my parents, not so you could bully them!

"If you ever lay a hand on my mom again, don't expect me to go easy on you!"

A loud ringing filled my head. Julie shot me a mocking look, then sat back down and went back to watching TV. Dale scoffed as he picked up his phone.

As for Amelia, she turned and walked into the kitchen. I stood there for a long time, but not one of them paid me any attention.

Pressing a hand over my temple, I went to the bedroom.

Julie's voice sounded from behind me. "What did I tell you? Men are all scumbags. If you don't keep them on a short leash, they'll walk all over you. You have to put them in their place before they learn to behave."

I sat in my room for an hour. When I came back out, I held up my phone screen for them to see. "I've booked an ocean-view room that costs 2,200 dollars a night for three nights.

"Have a look and see if this meets your standards."

Dale and Julie exchanged a glance. Julie couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from curling up. They clearly thought they'd put me in my place with what they did.

I turned to Amelia and said, "For the first meal, we'll have king crab. Then some caviar for your parents' health.

"As for the second meal, we'll have oysters and scallops. They're nutritious. Since Julie wants salmon, I asked them to prepare it fresh."

Amelia's tone softened. She nodded. "Fine. You arrange all that."

I kept scrolling through my phone and making the payments. "I've also booked activities like scuba diving and boat trips. If we're going, we might as well make the most of it."

Surprise crossed Amelia's face. "Do you even have money left?"

"I asked the company to advance me six months' worth of salary."

I paused, then added, "It's just that I might have to pitch in a little less around here from now on."

Amelia said in a gentle tone, "What are you talking about? We're family. You really think I'd let you go hungry?"

She reached toward my injured temple. "Does it still hurt?"

I turned my head away, avoiding her touch. She sighed. "Honestly, you can be so stubborn. Don't argue with me like that again, okay?"

As I nodded, I said in a softer tone, "You're right. I should understand that once we're married, our little family comes first. I shouldn't meddle so much in my parents' business.

"I was wrong before for insisting on everything being fair and saying we should split the long holiday between our families. Good thing you knew better, and we only spent money on Pac Burger. At least we didn't waste any money."

Amelia said with a smile, "I'm glad you finally understand. Everything I save, I save for this family."

Julie's expression relaxed, though she still kept her nose in the air.