Chapter 1

When I bought my new apartment and finished the renovations, my cousin-in-law, Linda Jackson, who I had not heard from in years, suddenly tagged me in our family group chat.

[Wendy, I heard you bought a new apartment! That’s such a big deal. You’ve got to treat the family to dinner to celebrate! By the way, there’s a new restaurant that just opened near my place. Your nephew and cousin really want to try it out. Let’s do it this weekend!]

Then, my cousin, Brad Jackson, chimed in and tagged me too.

[Wow, you’re really doing well, Wendy! If you can pay for an apartment in full, covering a simple dinner bill must be nothing for you.]

I was speechless.

All I could think of was, ‘What does me buying an apartment have to do with you? And you expect me to treat you? Are you kidding me?’

I retorted right in the group chat.

[Oh? Are you volunteering to help me move? Also, there’s a tradition of giving gifts to people who move into a new apartment. Nothing too much, five hundred dollars from each of you will do.]

I made sure to tag Brad and Linda directly.

Brad and his family were not decent people. They were sly, lazy, greedy, and fond of freeloading.

I thought that mentioning money would make them back off, but to my surprise, Linda actually responded. [Oh, come on, a house-warming gift is a must, but what really matters is the bond we share as family! It’s been so long since we’ve caught up. Let’s meet in person to talk!]

Brad chimed in as well. [Exactly! Moving into a new place is such a happy occasion, and of course, we’ll bring house-warming gifts! How about this? Dinner is on me this time. What do you say?]

I was stunned. Were these really my cousins?

At the restaurant, we were halfway through dinner when my nephew, Leo Jackson, suddenly raised his glass.

“Aunt Wendy, this toast is to you! I’ll empty mine first!”

What was this about?

I raised my glass as well and pretended to play along, but when everyone else was looking down, I discreetly poured the drink out.

After finishing the drink, Leo said, “Aunt Wendy, isn’t this perfect timing? I recently started seeing someone. We’re planning to get married soon. How about letting me stay at your place for a while?”

In that instant, I realized what they wanted.

No wonder they had gone out of their way to reconnect, invite me out, and even toast me. Their goal was clear as day!

I bluntly rejected him. “If you’re getting married and don’t have a house, that’s your parents’ problem. What does it have to do with me? If you don’t have a place, stop pretending otherwise and just be honest!”

Leo immediately lost his cool.

“You can’t talk to me like that! Just because you’re my aunt, you think you get to tell me what to do? Besides, you’re just a spinster living alone in a huge apartment. What do you need all that space for? My wedding is a big deal. You should transfer the place to me. I’ll even cover the transfer fee!”

I looked at Linda in shock.

“How long has your son been like this? After all these years, have you never thought about getting his head checked?”