Chapter 9: Unsatisfied After Debt Payment! Family Demands Two Hundred Thousand Dollars to Start a Business

Maggie snatched the receipt, reviewing it back and forth three times.

Black ink on white paper, official red seal crystal clear, not off by a single cent.

Tears weren't even dry on her face, yet her expression had already shifted.

Fear vanished without a trace, replaced once again by crawling greed.

"Oh my, son-in-law!"

Maggie's tone flipped a complete hundred and eighty degrees, sickeningly warm.

"I knew you were capable! Hiding your strength all along!"

"I was wrong just now, Mom apologizes to you."

Roger rubbed his hands together, stepping up with a face full of smiles.

"Paying off eighty thousand just like that—you must have plenty of savings left, right?"

"We're all family now, no need to hold back."

Luna's heart dropped, and she immediately stepped in front of Ethan.

"The money was already paid off for you. What else do you want?"

Jake, who had shown up at an unknown moment, pushed through the crowd and shouted.

"Sis, I can't just keep slacking off forever."

"Working for others is impossible. I need to be my own boss."

"I want to start a business, open an auto shop. The starting capital isn't much—"

He held up two fingers, his eyes shining brightly.

"Two hundred thousand dollars. Brother-in-law, lend it to me first?"

Luna trembled with rage.

"Jake! Your gambling debt was just paid off, and now you want two hundred thousand?"

"Have you no shame at all!"

"Hey, how can you talk like that?" Maggie changed her face instantly.

"We're all family. Your husband has money, so isn't helping your brother expected?"

"As an older sister, refusing to give your own brother a hand, does that make any sense?"

Roger added fuel from the side, intentionally raising his voice for customers to hear.

"Refusing to even pull out two hundred thousand, that's way too stingy."

"A person shouldn't forget their roots, turning your back on poor relatives the moment you make it!"

The three put on a coordinated performance, once again placing the weight of "morality" onto Luna's neck.

The glances of surrounding customers began turning subtle once more.

Some even nodded along, feeling the couple was indeed "unreasonable."

Luna's heart sank inch by inch; what she feared most was this kind of muddy moral judgment.

Luna was anxious and furious, her eyes rimmed red.

She wanted to refute, but those heavy titles of "family," "upbringing," and "gratitude" pressed down so hard she could barely breathe.

Right at that moment, a hand lightly pressed onto her shoulder.

Ethan stepped half a pace forward, shielding her entirely behind him.

He didn't lose his temper; even his speech tempo remained unchanged.

Yet the temperature in those eyes had dropped straight to the freezing point.

"First, eighty thousand was a cash advance, not a gift. A promissory note will be delivered shortly."

"Second, starting a business is your own affair and has nothing to do with me."

"Third—"

His gaze slowly swept across all three faces, word by single word.

"If you ever harass my wife again or cause a scene where she works—"

"I will make sure you have nowhere to stand in the entire city of Los Angeles."

The sentence was spoken lightly, yet carried immense weight.

The surrounding noise felt as though an invisible hand had pressed the mute button.

Maggie felt her scalp go numb under his glare, yet her mouth remained stubborn.

"Who... who are you trying to scare... a lousy mechanic..."

Ethan didn't bother looking at them any longer, taking Luna's hand into his.

"Resign. A place like this isn't worth you taking abuse."

"From now on, you don't need to look at anyone's face ever again."

We value your privacy