Chapter 2

At the hotel entrance, Brenda lunged at me like a madwoman.

"Arthur! Have you lost your mind? You made our family lose face in front of so many people!"

Her hair was a disheveled mess, completely stripping her of her usual dignified act.

"Mom, please stop..." Chloe tried to intervene, but Zach held her back.

Vanessa began wailing too, her voice as piercing as a dying pig.

"This is all Chloe’s fault! That little bitch is just jealous that I'm marrying into the family. She purposely manipulated Arthur to kick us out!"

Cody finally spoke, but his words made me completely give up on him.

"Dad, Vanessa is pregnant. You can't treat her like this..."

"Pregnant?" I sneered. "Are you sure it's even yours?"

Cody’s face flushed red. "Dad! How can you say something so horrible?"

"Why can't I?" I looked at this "son" I had raised for over two decades, feeling nothing but disgust.

"You're a spineless coward who doesn't even dare to speak up when your fiancée insults your sister. You honestly think you're man enough to handle her?"

More and more bystanders gathered around, and some even started recording on their phones.

Realizing things were getting out of hand, Brenda tried to play the victim. "Arthur, let's just go home and talk, okay? There are too many people watching here..."

"Go home?" I looked at her. "You still think that's your home?"

With that, I took Chloe and Zach by the arms and walked away.

"Arthur! Get back here!" Brenda screamed behind us.

But I never looked back.

Not long after we got home, a loud, aggressive pounding echoed from the front door.

"Open up! Arthur! Open this door right now!"

Brenda and Cody had returned, and they had brought Vanessa with them.

"Dad, please don't be angry. Let's just talk things through," Chloe looked at me worriedly.

"It's fine. I'm prepared," I patted Chloe's shoulder and pulled out my phone.

The banging on the door grew louder, accompanied by Vanessa's screeching:

"You old bastard! You think hiding inside will save you? This house belongs to us too!"

I dialed 911 directly.

"Yes, operator? There are people trying to break into my house and destroying my property... Yes, the address is..."

Ten minutes later, the police arrived.

"Who called?"

"I did," I opened the door. "Officers, these three people are causing a disturbance at my door and attempting to force their way inside."

Seeing the police, Brenda immediately changed her tune. "Officers, I'm his wife! He's gone crazy and kicked his own wife and son out of the house!"

"Is that so?" The officer turned to me. "Sir, what's going on here?"

I pulled out the deed to the house. "Officers, this house is registered under my parents' names, inherited by me alone. I have the sole legal right to decide who enters."

Brenda’s face drained of color. "Arthur, you..."

"Furthermore," I continued, "our marriage is effectively over. I am currently preparing for a divorce."

Cody panicked. "Dad, stop joking around..."

"Who's joking?" I glared at him coldly.

"The moment you stood by and let someone insult your sister, I knew exactly what kind of trash you were."

After understanding the situation, the officers issued a stern warning to Brenda and the others.

"This gentleman is correct. Forcing your way in is trespassing. If you have marital or property disputes, resolve them through the proper legal channels."

"But..." Vanessa wanted to protest.

"No buts," the officer said sharply. "If you keep causing a disturbance, we will arrest you."

While the police were still there, I called a locksmith company.

"Sir, please change the locks on this door right now."

"Dad!" Cody was completely frantic now. "What are you doing?"

"Changing the locks," I said calmly. "Starting today, only Chloe and Zach are welcome in this house."

The locksmith worked fast. Within fifteen minutes, the new locks were installed.

Brenda and Cody stood outside the door, staring blankly as I took the new keys.

Vanessa was still screeching in the background, "Just you wait! I won't let you get away with this!"

I didn't even give her a glance before shutting the door.