Lauren was seething.All her parents seemed to care for was her brother, Max.Had she been born just to serve Max her whole life? From childhood on, every good thing had gone to him. It was as if she'd been adopted."Right," Daisy cut in, showing her no mercy. "What about that lover of yours? Go ask him for money! We raised his son all these years—shouldn't he compensate us?"Max's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Make him pay us a few hundred thousand. That'll cover my wedding."Josh nodded eagerly. "Doctors make good money, don't they? Always taking bribes and such—""At least 250,000 dollars," Max barked, voice rising with greed. "Tell him to give us 250,000 dollars, or he can forget about Michael!"Josh snapped, "Go find him right now. Take Michael with you. Tell him if he doesn't hand over 250,000 dollars, you'll leave the boy with him. Why should I raise another man's child?""Dad… you're throwing me out again?" Lauren's voice broke. It was the second time."If you can't bring back 2

Ray spent the whole day storing food and receiving deliveries before finally heading back to Mallory Avenue.Just the day before, Noel had shown him the renovation plans. The title deed was already in his hands, and construction had begun. Ray had even wired another two million to Noel that morning, urging him to start buying materials immediately.He returned to his rental unit—Apartment 1502—which meant taking the elevator. Coincidentally, it was waiting on the first floor.He stepped inside. As the doors were about to close, a woman hurried over, repeatedly pressing the up button. The doors slid open again.A stylish woman stepped in. Her perfume smelled delicate and expensive, the kind that lingered softly in the air without suffocating it. Her beauty was striking, radiant in a way that seemed to brighten the cramped elevator. Her height—around five foot six—gave her an elegant presence, though Ray still stood half a head taller.She pressed seventeen. Neither of them spoke. T

Ray couldn't help but laugh.He thought, 'There's nothing more disgusting than someone with no shame. Your grandson stole my food, and somehow you're the one feeling righteous? You even dare to threaten me?'He felt an urge to slap her across the face, but he stopped himself. There was no sense in losing his temper over something this small. He had his own way of handling them, and if he scared the brat off now, that would ruin the whole setup.So he said nothing, stepping silently into the elevator.That silence only made Fantasia more smug. Her grandson's eyes darted mischievously, as if he were already plotting his next move.When the elevator reached the first floor, Ray walked out. Behind him, he could still hear her shrill voice:"Cody, if you see his delivery again, just take it. A man with that much money should share a little, you hear me?""Yes!" Cody replied, encouraged by her approval.A faint smile tugged at Ray's lips. 'Exactly. Keep pushing. The more entitled you

When Ray heard the distant wail of the ambulance, a faint smile touched his lips.He hailed a cab to the police station. He was going to file a report.When the officers learned that his takeout had been stolen, they couldn't help but chuckle."You can file a report for that," one of them said kindly. "But honestly, you should check the surveillance with your property management first, then talk it out with your neighbor. It's better to settle things privately when you can."Ray nodded. "That's what I did the first time. The property manager found the culprit easily—it was the grandson of my next-door neighbor. But the adults in that house not only refused to compensate me, they insulted me."Today, I ordered another meal. Their grandson stole it again."The officer's smile faded. "That's too much." First theft, then refusal, then another theft? No wonder the man had come all the way here. You couldn't just bully an honest person endlessly."All right," the officer said, strai

The Cameron family erupted in outrage."Eight thousand for a meal? That's ridiculous!" Austin's son barked. "He might as well go rob a bank!""You can't let that brute charge whatever he wants," he told the officers. "Tell him to stop gouging us."Officer Blaise had to admit, he'd laughed the first time he heard it too. Then he'd checked the receipt. "We've verified. It's eight thousand," he said evenly. "We inspected the restaurant—raw ingredients alone run over six thousand. With taxes and operating costs, the bill hits about eight thousand."Even so, the Cameron family gaped, disbelieving until the officers matched the receipt with the restaurant's inventory. Once the dishes were verified, there was nothing left to argue. The evidence was there.A flush of regret broke across Fantasia's face; if she'd known how costly it was, she would never have let Cody take the food. Now what? Ray had filed a complaint and the police were involved. They'd admitted the theft—unless they c