Chapter 2

As soon as those voice messages played, Floyd was totally stunned into silence.

I let out a sigh. "Honestly, I was planning to get the money back, but your mom said all that right in front of my parents."

"They got really mad."

"If we hadn't already got the license, they probably would've called the whole thing off."

Floyd didn't even bother listening to my explanation. He just waved me off. "Camila, when did you start acting like this?"

"We just got married, and you're already scheming against me? Were you just pretending the whole time we were dating?"

I just found it hilarious.

We did the exact same thing. When he did it, it was all for the good of our family, but when I did it, I became the schemer, the one dropping the act.

That was what I was thinking, but I kept my mouth shut.

If I actually said what I was thinking, it'd just make me look guilty, just like Floyd said.

So I just frowned and gave him my best wounded face.

I said, "Floyd, how could you say that about me?"

"You were right there when your mom said I was terrible with money. She even said I'd waste all the money my parents gave me in a heartbeat and told me I had to be super careful with every penny."

"She always warns that we should manage our money."

"Your mom's words really stuck with me, and honestly, you guys made a lot of sense. I couldn't keep living like some reckless child after getting married, so I handed my money over to my mom to let her invest it for me."

Floyd opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't get a single word out.

He grabbed a few clothes and stormed out, slamming the door.

I watched his back as he left.

I couldn't tell if he stormed out because he was embarrassed and angry, or if he was off to get someone on his side.

But less than a week later, I came home from work to find Margaret sitting on the couch, looking all serious. I knew right away that Floyd had called in reinforcements.

I flashed her a bright smile and called out, "Hi, Margaret!"

Margaret just snorted, "Don't pretend to be nice. You even scheme against your own husband and his mother."

I didn't get mad at all. Instead, I asked, "What brings you by today?"

Margaret looked like she was about to blow a gasket. Floyd was scrambling to revive her, running around with water and patting her back.

She knew she wouldn't win against me in an argument.

So she just stuck out her hand. "You're smart enough to know how important a harmonious family is."

"I know how to control the purse strings. So hand over your salary card and savings to me."

"I'll be moving in soon, and from now on, I'll be handling all your spending."

I couldn't help but sneer to myself.

Like mother, like son. They put on such a sweet act before the wedding, but the second they had me locked in, the masks came off. With acting skills like that, they seriously missed their calling in showbiz.

"Margaret, I admit that you're good at managing money. But can't you just manage your own money? Nobody just barged into their son's place and started calling the shots."

Margaret slammed her hand on the table. "Stop twisting things! Floyd's home is my home. You married into the Shaw family, so you're part of us now, and you play by our rules."

"If you don't give me your money, you'll just waste it all. And when you two have kids, how are you supposed to afford raising them?"

"Can't you tell I'm doing this for your own good?"

I nodded. "Honestly, I just don't see it."

Margaret looked stunned.

I went on, "Floyd's always telling me how poor you guys were when he was growing up. That just shows you're not great at managing money. If I give you my money, it'll just go down the drain, right?"