Chapter 3

That night, my parents hosted a pre-wedding dinner and invited some of our relatives.

Everyone gathered around the dining table, and the atmosphere was lively. I was the only one who sat in the corner, drinking in silence. After several rounds of booze, the topic inevitably turned to tomorrow's wedding.

"How meaningful it will be for Noah to be the officiant tomorrow!" Aunt Gina, my father's sister, said with a smile, though her eyes kept darting between Erica and me. "Erica's such a wonderful young woman. She spent all this time waiting for you to come back."

Waiting for me?

I looked at Erica, who immediately got startled and lowered her head.

"Yes, Erica really is such a lovely young woman," Mom chimed in.

Out of nowhere, she lowered her voice and said to me, "Noah, we all know you can't get it up anymore. You should be grateful that Alex stepped up to help you with something this important."

The table fell silent, and everyone's gazes fell on me—some sympathetic, some awkward, but most simply hungry for gossip.

"What do you mean by that, Mom?" I put down my cutlery, my voice calmer than I'd expected. "I don't understand what you just said."

"Come now." Mom sighed, as if irritated that I was playing dumb. "You got injured working on that project, remember? The doctor said you can't get it up anymore. Well, since you can't get a woman pregnant now, someone has to step in so that we can have grandchildren."

Due to the nature of my work, I had to keep my special ops missions a secret. My family believed I was just an ordinary engineer.

"Who said I got injured and can't have children anymore?" I questioned, my expression dark.

Dad slammed his hand on the table. "Why are you still playing dumb? Go get his medical report, Alex!"

Alex got up and made a show of trying to smooth things over. "We're family, Dad. This is already a sore spot for Noah. Let's not keep harping on it."

He picked up his wine glass and walked over to me with a victorious smile. "Don't worry, Noah. The children I have with Erica are your children, too. They'll call you Daddy Noah, and when they grow up, they'll also take care of you."

The nerve of them to humiliate like that!

Was a highly decorated special operations officer like me supposed to live with being forced into such an arrangement the moment I got home?

"Oh, right." Remembering something, Alex pulled a debit card from his pocket and slid it toward me. "This is the money you've been sending back to the family. I've been keeping it safe for you. Money's been a little tight for my business lately, so I used some of it. You don't mind, right?"

Taking the debit card, I asked grimly, "How much did you use?"

"Not much," Alex replied nonchalantly. "About a million dollars or so."

A million dollars?

Keeping my anger in check, I pulled out my phone to check the balance in my account. The amount written on the screen, 28.46 dollars, nearly made me see red.

"W-Why is this all that's left…" My voice was shaking.

"Like I said, my business is having cash flow issues, so I borrowed the money for a bit," Alex said indifferently. "You don't even know how to manage your money anyway. It's a waste to just let it sit in a bank account."

"What gives you the right to spend all my savings?" I finally couldn't help raising my voice.

"Noah!" Dad roared. "What kind of attitude is that? Your brother worked so hard to help you manage your money. Instead of thanking him, you're raising your voice at him?"

"That's right!" Mom joined in to reprimand me. "Do you know how much money it takes to run a business? So what if he took a million dollars from you? Your brother has been working hard for the family, but you kick up a fuss the moment you come back? What's wrong with you?"

My fists clenched and unclenched. I wanted to turn around and punch every single one of them.

"Oh, and there's this." Alex handed me a document envelope. "I need your signature for this."

I pulled out the document and saw that it was a property transfer agreement.

I was stupefied. The agreement was for the villa I'd bought before coming home, with the monetary reward I'd just received for completing the mission. It was meant to be the marital home for Erica and me.

But now, I was expected to just hand the property over to Alex?

"I bought this villa. Why should I give it to you?" I questioned.

Thoroughly displeased with my attitude, Dad bellowed, "Why are you causing so much trouble? Your brother is about to get married, so he needs a new home for himself and his wife. Besides, we're family anyway. Why are you being so petty?"

The envelope slipped from my hand and fell to the floor. I stood up, shoved my chair back, and said icily, "I'm done eating."

As I walked away, I heard the people behind me making comments about me.

"He got quite a nasty temper. Why is he being so cocky when he can't even get it up anymore?"

"It's embarrassing, really. Someone has willingly stepped up to help an impotent man like him carry on the family name, but he doesn't even show any gratitude for that."

"If I were Alex, I wouldn't have bothered at all. That's the thanks I'd get for doing him a favor?"