Chapter 2

John froze for a few seconds, then charged over like a madman and grabbed the marriage certificate. His hands started shaking, and the certificate almost fell to the ground.

He flipped it open, and all the strength drained out of his body in an instant.

"Are you crazy?" He roared. "You're a top student of Queenston University. How could you give up your family name? Do you want the Grant family to die out with no heirs?"

I scoffed coldly. "You mean the grant family that can't even scrape together cash for three lousy bowls?"

"How dare you talk to me like that?" John slammed his fist on the table, sending the cups on the coffee table rattling violently. "I slaved to raise you, and this is the thanks I get?"

"Raised me?" My voice dropped to an icy tone. "Dad, did you ever give me a single penny during those seven years, from high school all the way through college?"

He opened his mouth, trying to refute but ending up muted in guilt.

I pressed on, my voice sharp. "First year of high school, the school wanted 500 bucks for study materials. You said you couldn't afford it, so Mom had to borrow the cash from her coworker.

"The second year, I was in the honors class, and we had to pay an extra two hundred and fifty dollars for tutoring. You claimed you had no money again, so Mom skimped on her New Year's outfit to cover the cost," I continued.

"But back then--" John started to protest on instinct.

I cut him off. "Back then, you'd just handed Uncle Ben thirty grand to fund his restaurant. I remember it crystal clear. You tossed me a pair of beat-up Nike shoes that month, saying they were a hand-me-down from Uncle Ben."

John's face flushed. Anna stood by, tears spilling down her cheeks without a sound.

I fixed John with a stare. "You remember my senior year of high school? When I had that raging fever?

"It hit 103.1 degrees. Anna begged to take me to the hospital, but you insisted we go to a cheap clinic instead, saying we needed to save cash.

"That fever turned into pneumonia, and the hospital bill racked up over three thousand dollars. Anna had no money to pay for it, so she knelt at your feet and begged for help. Do you recall your response?"

John's throat tightened, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly.

"You promised to borrow the money from your brother. But Uncle Ben wanted a hundred and fifty dollars in interest every single month. Anna paid that debt off for two whole years," I said.

The living room fell into a deathly silence.

I pulled out my phone, flipped to a photo, and fixed John with a gaze. "This is my SAT score, 1,580 total, third place in the state. The school awarded me a thirty-thousand-dollar scholarship. Ring any bells?"

John's eyes darted away, avoiding my stare.

"You promised to keep it safe, to save it for my college. But when I went to college, every penny of my tuition and living costs came from student loans and the funds Mom begged and borrowed. Where is my scholarship?"

"I... It was..." John stammered.

"Uncle Ben's restaurant needed money for expansion that year," I cut him off sharply. "So you handed over every last dollar of my scholarship to him."

Anna suddenly dropped to her knees, hunched over with her head in her hands, and sobbed uncontrollably. It was a wail that had been bottled up for thirty years, which was filled with despair and grief.

I approached her, knelt, and stroked her back softly. "Mom, don't cry."

She lifted her tear-stained face, her eyes puffy and red. "Alex, I failed you."

"You never failed me," I said firmly. "Not once. The one who failed me is him." I stood up, fixing my gaze on John. "Do you have any idea why I took my wife's family name?"

He remained silent, but his eyes were already filled with fluster.

"Because I don't have the slightest capital to get married," I said, each word heavy with conviction. "No house, no car, no savings. Even as a postgraduate from Queenston University, I can't afford to buy a bathroom in Burbank."

"When my wife Sophie proposed to me, I thought she was joking around. But she meant it. She didn't ask for money, a house, or a car. All she wanted was for me to take her family name. I agreed," I said, my voice cold.

John's eyes bulged. "So, you did this just for money?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Exactly. And even more so because I can't see any future in this family. I refuse to end up like Mom, being drained dry for the rest of my life."

Those words struck John's heart like a sharp blade.