They called me worthless, now the beg.

Chapter 4: The Inheritance Is Mine

The room remained tense after Ethan's refusal, but Margaret was not ready to give up. She leaned forward, her face hardening as she pointed toward James, who sat with his arms crossed and an angry look on his face.

"James is going abroad to study, and this is an important opportunity for him," Margaret insisted. "You should give him the eight hundred thousand yuan he needs. He'll remember your kindness when he becomes successful, and the whole family will benefit."

Ethan looked at James, then back at his grandmother. He remembered how easily he had handed over that money in his previous life, believing his cousin's promises that he would repay the favor someday. Years later, when Ethan had been desperate for help, James had refused to lend him a single yuan.

You gave me the money voluntarily back then. Now you come asking for it—are you even a man?

The memory brought a bitter taste to Ethan's mouth, but he kept his expression calm.

"Why don't his own parents pay for his education?" Ethan asked. "My inheritance is meant to cover my own living expenses and future. I'm not responsible for funding everyone else's plans."

Margaret's brows drew together. "James will help you when he's successful. Why can't you think about the family's future instead of yourself?"

"His success is his own business," Ethan replied. "If he wants money so badly, he can hope to be reborn into a family with more money in his next life."

James shot to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "You're using your inheritance to act like some big shot! Without your parents, you're nothing. Who do you think you are to look down on us?"

Ethan slowly turned toward him, his gaze steady. "The money my parents left me is mine to spend however I want. If you want it, try to be reborn into a better family in your next life."

James's face flushed red, and his hands curled into fists. Before he could respond, Margaret slammed her palm against the table, making the bowls and chopsticks rattle.

"Enough! Have you completely forgotten your manners?" she shouted. "I'm your grandmother, and your grandfather is sitting right here. You don't get to speak to your elders this way!"

Ethan did not lower his head. "Then stop treating my inheritance as if it belongs to everyone in this room. If James needs eight hundred thousand yuan, his parents should pay. If Daniel wants a wife, his parents should cover the wedding. If Michael needs money for his company, he should handle his own business. I have no obligation to raise their children or keep their businesses alive."

Patricia, who had remained quiet until then, suddenly leaned forward.

"You make it sound as though we took your money for ourselves," she said indignantly. "We only borrowed it because we were family. Besides, there are other things you need to consider before accusing everyone."

Ethan turned toward her, and his expression grew colder. "Since we're talking about money, let's discuss the condolence gifts from my parents' funeral."

He reached for the notebook he had kept beside him and opened it to the page he had prepared. The paper rustled in the tense silence as he placed it on the table and pointed to the entries.

"Richard took one hundred and eighty thousand yuan. Patricia took one hundred and twenty thousand yuan. Michael took one hundred and fifty thousand yuan. Those were condolence gifts people gave for my parents' funeral, not money from their estate."

Patricia's face changed as she stared at the notebook. "That money was collected through social courtesy. It was meant to be returned at future family events. You can't bring it up now as though we've stolen from you!"

"Then you can return it," Ethan replied. "You should pay your own social obligations instead of expecting me to cover them. I've kept the records, and I remember every amount."

Richard shifted in his seat, looking increasingly uncomfortable, while Patricia pressed her lips together. Michael cleared his throat and tried to ease the tension.

"Ethan, there's no need to make everything so unpleasant," Michael said. "We're family, and we can settle these matters privately. You don't have to put every little thing on the table."

Ethan turned to him. "Then let's settle yours. When my parents were alive, they transferred one hundred and fifty thousand yuan to you for your business. You promised to repay it within three months, but three years have passed. Where is the money?"

Michael's mouth opened, but no answer came. He glanced at Susan, who sat stiffly beside him, then looked down at the table.

"Business has been difficult," he muttered. "I haven't had the chance to put the money together yet."

"You've had three years," Ethan said. "If your business needs money, find a way to repay what you borrowed instead of asking me to invest even more."

Margaret's face reddened with anger as she pushed herself up from her chair. "You've gone too far, Ethan! You're disrespecting your elders and humiliating your relatives in front of everyone. Is this what your parents would have wanted?"

Ethan felt his jaw tighten at the mention of his parents, but he refused to let her use their memory against him.

"Grandma, you also received a share of the inheritance," he said. "If you believe the family needs so much help, use your own share first. Why must it always be my money?"

For the first time, Margaret seemed unable to find an immediate answer. She glanced toward George Carter, who had remained silent throughout the argument, apparently expecting him to restore order.

George finally straightened in his seat and fixed Ethan with a stern look.

"That's enough," he ordered. "Whatever disagreements you have, you must remember that the elders of this family have the final say. Give James the eight hundred thousand yuan, and we'll discuss the rest later."

Ethan stared at his grandfather, disbelief settling over his face. George had said nothing while the others pressured him, but now that Ethan had refused, he was suddenly eager to assert his authority.

"Grandpa, why didn't you insist on being listened to when my parents were alive?" Ethan asked. "Now that they're gone and you know I have an inheritance, you want me to obey every demand. If you care so much about James, why don't you use your own share to pay for his studies?"

George's face darkened. "Are you questioning me?"

"I'm asking why my money has become everyone's business," Ethan replied. "My parents left it to me, and I won't hand it over just because you order me to."

James could no longer contain his anger. He lunged toward Ethan with his fist raised, his face twisted with rage.

"You ungrateful bastard! You think you can insult everyone because you have money?"

Ethan caught James's fist before it could reach his face. His grip tightened around his cousin's wrist, and James's expression shifted when he realized Ethan would not simply stand there and take the blow.

"Don't touch me again," Ethan warned, releasing his wrist with a sharp shove. "You don't get to demand my money and then attack me when I refuse."

James stumbled backward, rubbing his wrist while his breathing grew ragged. "You're using your inheritance to act like a big shot," he spat. "Without your parents, you wouldn't have any of this!"

Ethan rose from his seat, his eyes fixed on James. "The money my parents left me is mine to spend however I want. If you want it, try to be reborn into a better family in your next life."

Richard suddenly sprang to his feet and raised his hand, attempting to slap Ethan across the face.

Ethan reacted before the blow could land. He caught Richard's wrist, twisted it away, and shoved him backward. Richard crashed against the dining table, sending bowls and chopsticks clattering across the surface as several relatives scrambled out of the way.

For a moment, the room was filled with the scrape of chairs and the sharp clink of dishes. Richard clutched the edge of the table, his face twisted with shock and anger.

"Have you lost your mind?" he roared. "You dare lay your hands on me?"

Ethan released him and stepped back, his chest rising and falling with the force of his anger. He had spent his previous life swallowing every insult and accepting every demand, but he would not let them turn him into the same helpless man again.

He grabbed a chair beside the table and slammed it against the floor. The wooden leg cracked with a sharp snap, and the sound cut through the room, leaving every relative staring at him in stunned silence.

Ethan dropped the broken chair and looked around the table, meeting each pair of eyes without flinching.

"My parents left that inheritance to me, and I will decide how it's spent," he said firmly. "From now on, don't come to me asking for money, and don't think you can force me to give it to you. If you have debts to repay, repay them. If your children need money, take care of them yourselves."

Nobody answered. Margaret's lips trembled with fury, George sat rigid in his chair, and Richard held his wrist while glaring at Ethan. Even James had fallen silent, though the resentment in his eyes remained.

Ethan turned away from them, his gaze briefly settling on his parents' photographs at the front of the room. He had returned to the past with one chance to protect what they had left him, and he would not allow anyone to take it away.

Behind him, the relatives exchanged angry looks, already searching for another way to get what they wanted. Ethan knew they would not let the matter rest, but he was ready to face whatever came next.