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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Driven Out Like Trash, Welcomed Back Like a God: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

I walked through the front door carrying bags of gifts, smiling and wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Yet the expressions on their faces were far from cheerful.My brother-in-law, Calum Russell, looked particularly furious. His face was practically twisted with anger. I wondered if they had gotten into an argument.I glanced at my older sister, Eliza Stark, and said in a slightly firmer tone, "Eliza, did you upset Calum again? I know you're pregnant, but that doesn't mean you can go too far. Before you lose your temper, think about how good Calum has been to you. Do you really have to make his life miserable?"Eliza looked at me briefly and said nothing.Calum let out a cold snort. "Are you the head of the Stark family now? It's the New Year, yet you're here lecturing your pregnant sister. No wonder people say you should never marry a woman with a younger brother. I must have the worst luck in the world to end up with a brother-in-law like you."I froze instantly. I was clearly d

Chapter 2

I was completely lost. It took me a long moment before I found my voice. "Calum, what do you mean by that?"Calum let out a cold snort. "What do I mean? Can't you tell? Our family doesn't want a piece of trash like you around anymore."Noticing my pained expression, Calum continued, "I know what you're thinking. You're wondering why I never said anything earlier even though I've always known you were adopted, and why I had to wait until New Year's Day to bring it up. Am I right?"I don't need to hide anything anymore. Honestly, I thought about kicking you out from the very first day I got married. That was when Eliza told me you didn't plan to get married or have kids, and that your salary was quite high."That's why I played along, made you think I was your best friend, and got you to willingly hand over most of your paycheck to the family."My heart sank as I heard those words. I couldn't help but glance at Eliza and my parents. They merely kept their heads down and remained sil

Chapter 3

Calum was even more furious than I was. After hearing what Mom and Dad said, he stood up without a word and grabbed his bag. "Fine, suit yourselves. I'll take Eliza to have your grandson aborted right now so he won't stand in the way of this adopted bastard."Since the courthouse is still open ahead of the holiday, I'll file for divorce from Eliza right away. She and Jeremiah aren't related by blood anyway. Since you favor him so much, you might as well let him be your son-in-law."As soon as he said that, the whole house erupted into chaos.Eliza looked as if she were about to drop to her knees. "Darling, please stop. This is our son. How could we get rid of him? Have you forgotten how long we waited for this baby?"Calum didn't actually want Eliza to have an abortion. As he looked at her slightly rounded belly, tears streamed down his face. "Do you think I really want you to have an abortion? Have you thought about what will happen if I don't do something?"Legally, Jeremiah has

Chapter 4

Calum grew even more smug when he saw my reaction. "Obviously. Can't you see what's happening? Your sister and your parents are all on my side. Do you really think I'd do something like this during the New Year without their approval?"Seeing that I had no intention of signing, Dad frowned. "Jeremiah, we've said everything there is to say. Why are you still refusing to sign? Are you actually trying to get your hands on our family's assets?"Mom rolled her eyes at Dad and sighed. "Jeremiah, I know the demolition compensation is a huge amount of money, but we have to be decent people. We took you in, so you shouldn't repay our kindness with such ingratitude."At that point, Eliza stopped looking at the floor. She walked over and looked down at me. "Jeremiah, I've never treated you badly growing up. Now I'm just asking for your signature to give Calum some peace of mind. If you truly didn't plan on taking anything from the family, why won't you sign?"The truth was, it wasn't that I w

Chapter 5

I hadn't even had a chance to reveal the truth before Mom and Dad cut me off.Mom looked at me with a warm smile, as if nothing had happened. "Jeremiah, we've already packed your things, but there's no rush. You're welcome to stay for dinner before you head out."If you don't have anywhere to spend the New Year, you can celebrate with us. Like I said, even if you aren't my son anymore, you're still part of the family. Don't feel awkward about it."Calum rolled his eyes but didn't object. Instead, he pointed toward the gifts outside and said, "I won't stop you from coming over for the New Year, but get one thing straight—you're just a guest."Since you're a guest, you have to bring gifts. That pile of junk out there doesn't count. If you don't know what to get, you can just transfer us the money."I shook my head, pulled my hand free from Mom's, and gave a distant smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Stark, but I'll pass. I've already booked a table at Pinecrest Hotel. It's over 100 thousand do

Chapter 6

Seeing that Craig was genuinely happy, Calum belatedly realized that these items might be authentic. If they really were authentic, they were worth at least a million dollars.The moment it clicked, Calum's expression darkened. Ignoring the fact that he was the one who had thrown everything out, he stepped forward and grabbed Craig, who was about to head back home. "Are you crazy? How dare you steal my things? Put them down right now."Eliza rushed over as well, shielding Calum as she began snatching the items. "That's right. My brother brought all of this for my family. You can't just take what was given to us. Give it back."The loud argument quickly drew neighbors from other floors, who craned their necks to see what was going on. After all, everyone was bored out of their minds during the New Year, so there was no way they would miss the drama.Noticing the crowd growing, Calum raised his voice. "Everyone, come and judge this for yourselves! These are the gifts my brother-in-la

Chapter 7

I kept my head down, not wanting the Starks to catch me smiling.Calum became extremely irritated after hearing what Karl said. "What the hell do you know? Greenfield Residences is definitely going to be demolished. It'll happen right after the New Year at the latest. My brother—I mean, someone I know told me."As if to prove his point, he turned to me condescendingly. "Say something. Did you lose your voice or something?"I shook my head. "Calum, let me be clear—you've got the wrong idea about the whole redevelopment thing."When I took you to see that house, you kept going on about how expensive it was and how we couldn't afford it, constantly grilling me about where the money would come from."I just made a passing comment that looking at houses is free, and that if our place ever got demolished for redevelopment, we might actually be able to buy it. And somehow, you all decided that meant it was actually happening."Karl nodded upon hearing that. "I'm glad that it was all a m

Chapter 8

I wasn't afraid of Calum or the others, but I had no interest in letting them cause a scene in the hallway, so I opened the door and let all four of them in.They all had the same embarrassed expression. They each gave me an eager smile, then immediately turned their attention to the interior, their eyes scanning the place greedily. The more they saw, the more fawning their expressions became.I said impatiently, "Didn't we already take care of everything? What are you all doing here?"Mom and Dad didn't dare speak, so they nudged Calum forward.Calum gritted his teeth and said with a smile, "Jeremiah, don't be upset about the other day. I figured that given how close we've always been, you'd forgive me and come back home to make up with us. But we waited and you never showed up, so we had to come to you."I said nothing, but my expression wasn't cold. Instead, I had a faint, unreadable smile.Noticing my expression, Eliza quickly stepped in, offering a conciliatory smile. "Jerem

Chapter 9

I certainly didn't believe a word my parents or Eliza said, but Calum assumed I did.He gave the three of them an incredulous look and raised his voice. "Don't even think about stepping over me to get what you want!"Then he glanced at me. "You're feeling pretty smug, thinking you're somehow above me, aren't you? Well, let me tell you, it's all a sham!"They took you in because you had a small gold bracelet on your wrist. After bringing you home, they actually planned to abandon you, but then the media came to interview them and donated many things. They were too deeply involved to back out, so they went through with the adoption."Later, when they saw how sharp and good-looking you were becoming, they planned to have you marry Eliza once you grew up. But to their surprise, you had no interest in her, so they resorted to guilt-tripping you and constantly telling you that they were poor to get money from you."Eliza and my parents shouted at Calum to shut up, but instead of stoppin

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