Chapter 1

At the family gathering, my cousin Jack Glenwood grinned widely at his phone screen showing an incoming transfer of 4.68 million dollars. He thrust his phone in front of everyone.

"Over 4.6 million! We struck it rich!"

His face glowed with fervor. He walked over and threw his arm around my shoulders affectionately.

"Come on, Noah, let me raise a toast to you! This year, thanks to your formula, the livestock at our farm grew incredibly well!"

Seeing his beaming expression, I felt happy too. I thought back to when he first hit a bottleneck with his breeding operation. Feed costs were high and results were poor, so I gave him the secret formula I'd spent ages researching and testing.

At the time, he'd been overcome with gratitude, gripping my hand and promising, "Noah! We're practically brothers, so let's keep things clear between us! You provide the formula, I'll do the work, and when we make money, we split it 50-50!

"If I go back on my word, I'll never get rich in this lifetime!"

My uncle and aunt were also present then, and they repeatedly assured me as well, which was what finally convinced me.

I raised my glass and clinked it with his, waiting for him to bring up the profit distribution. After several rounds of drinks, Jack moved to the center of the living room and cleared his throat. Everyone fell silent and turned to look at him.

He launched into a lengthy speech about how hard he'd worked over the past year. He talked about managing workers, developing sales channels, and how difficult everything was.

A vague sense of unease crept over me, but I forced myself to listen patiently. Finally, he changed direction and looked at me with a smile plastered across his face.

"Noah, the formula you gave me really helped me out. I haven't forgotten that!"

He pulled out his phone and tapped at the screen a few times. My phone buzzed with a notification that funds had been deposited into my bank account.

I picked it up and looked. The number on the screen made me freeze for a moment—$40,000.00.

I thought I'd misread it and carefully counted the digits before the decimal point again. There was no mistake. It was 40 thousand dollars.

I looked up at my cousin, confused. He'd already put his phone away, that same smile still on his face. He walked up to me and slapped my shoulder hard.

"Well, Noah, did you get the money?" His voice boomed.

"You just go to work at your research institute, move your pen around and come up with a formula. As for me, I've been running around all year, implementing production, contacting clients, working myself to exhaustion.

"This money we made is all hard-earned money. I thought it over and decided to give you forty grand as a technical consulting fee. That's not shortchanging you, is it?"

When he said this, his eyes were on me, but there wasn't a trace of gratitude in them. Instead, there was a kind of condescending appraisal.

My uncle and aunt kept their heads down over their food, eyes evasive. My parents sat nearby, looking uncomfortable.

Just then, Uncle Luke came over with his wine glass in hand, wearing a magnanimous smile, and patted my other shoulder.

"Noah, did you get the money? You're an educated man, working at a research institute. Respectable, stable. You don't need the extra cash.

"Your cousin is different. He runs a physical business with high overhead and big expenses. He needs money everywhere. You're first cousins, and blood is thicker than water. Be understanding toward him."

Aunt Louise also came over with an affectionate tone. "Exactly! Look at your cousin. He's lost so much weight from being busy this year. Your formula is good, sure, but without him managing everything inside and out, it wouldn't have turned into money, right?

"40 thousand dollars isn't a small amount. Family is about more than money. Your cousin cares about you. When you need something down the line, you know he'll be there for you."

They stood on either side of me, their words seeming to soothe yet also warn. I gripped my phone, my fingertips turning white from the pressure, but I slowly forced a smile.

Looking at my uncle, my aunt, and my cousin, I nodded with a calm voice. "You're right. Jack really did work hard. I received the money. Thank you."

The moment I finished speaking, all three of them visibly relaxed. "Now that's the spirit!"

Uncle Luke clapped his hands together, his voice booming. "My nephew is so reasonable and understanding! That's what comes from being educated. So sensible and rational!"

Aunt Louise immediately chimed in, "Exactly! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!

"You've been smart since you were little, Noah, and now you're even more mature! We're family. Harmony is more important than anything. How could we let a few dollars come between us?"