Chapter 3

Floyd couldn't hold back anymore. "Cut it out! We were broke when I was a kid because my dad passed away early and left us drowning in debt."

"My mom did it all on her own. She paid off every last cent. If that's not money management, I don't know what is."

"Your parents are rolling in cash. They don't even blink at your tiny savings. Just get it back and let my mom handle it. Trust me, our whole family will be way better off."

"Your mom's been living an easy life forever. She wouldn't know the first thing about dealing with real money problems."

Margaret caught Floyd's signal, and her tone softened.

"Camila, you've got to trust me. Floyd's my only child. I would never do anything to hurt him."

"Just hand over your money, and I won't bother you about anything. You won't have to lift a finger with the chores. Isn't that the dream life?"

That kind of talk might work on a fool.

But it was not going to work on me. I didn't even have to think about it—if I handed over my money, they'd flip the script in a flash and start slashing my spending.

Once the money was out of my hands, getting it back would be next to impossible.

But I didn't argue. Instead, I nodded thoughtfully, like I was really considering it.

Seeing I was falling for it, Floyd grabbed his car keys. "No time to waste! I'll drive you home right now. Let's get your money back."

I held up a hand. "Hold on a second."

"Margaret, Floyd, you know what? You guys actually make a lot of sense, so you two should just give me all your money."

They both stared at me, totally stunned.

I reached out and explained, "Floyd just said your family used to be loaded, but things went south after your dad passed away and left you guys in debt. But your dad was doing great before marrying you, and then he got sick right after. Margaret, looks like you're kind of a jinx."

"So we should let my super lucky mom manage the money. That's the real winning strategy."

Margaret was stunned by my words.

Floyd, Margaret, and I went back and forth for ages, but I had them both stumped. In the end, we all parted on bad terms.

But Margaret wasn't about to back down. She went ahead and moved in without a second thought.

Since then, she'd always make a fuss, and sometimes, she'd really put on a performance just for my benefit.

For example, whenever Margaret grabbed a broom, Floyd would immediately jump in to stop her. "Mom, you've been working yourself to the bone for years. Let me take care of it."

But Margaret wouldn't have it. "You've been at work all day. You must be tired. Let me do it instead."

The two of them would start bickering non-stop right in front of me.

In the end, I'd just snatch the broom away, and they'd both look instantly relieved.

But then I said, "Come on, is it really worth arguing over something this small? Here's the deal: Margaret, you sweep on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Floyd, you take Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. And on Sundays, you two can just skip the sweeping and do a big clean together."

Both of them were left speechless.

Since neither of them got their way, Margaret ended up getting herself hospitalized from sheer frustration.

Floyd stopped bugging me for money and decided to settle for less. "Babe, my mom honestly doesn't want our money. She just hates seeing us argue."

"So how about this? You keep your card and spend your money however you want. Just help out with groceries once in a while, and we will take care of the rest, okay?"

"If we keep this up, this family's really gonna break up."

"You need to get it straight. We're family now. What if your mother has another kid? Then your money won't even be yours.

"I'm only doing this for your own good."

Seeing Floyd looking all miserable and Margaret heaving these big sighs, I finally nodded and agreed to get my card back.

As soon as I got my card, Margaret was already getting ready to leave the hospital.

But less than thirty minutes later, I got a call from Floyd. He sounded like he was about to bite my head off, demanding I get home ASAP.

When I walked in, Floyd and Margaret were standing at the door with their luggage, both so furious their faces had gone pale. "What's going on? Why did you change the lock?"

I shrugged. "It's not that I changed the lock. I just realized you were right, Floyd. My parents and I aren't really family anymore, so it's time to set some boundaries. I got my card back, and my mom reclaimed the house."