"I won’t!" Harold shouted, his voice trembling with defiance. "Brother, I’m 30 years old, not a child. You can't trample on my dignity and control my life!"
Anton’s response was calm, cutting through the air like a blade. "Everything you have, I gave you."
Their parents had died when Anton was only eighteen, leaving him to raise Harold, who had been just three at the time. Anton carried the weight of their family for years, a burden Harold could never fully repay.
But this time, Harold stood firm. "Then take it all back, if you must."
Anton paused, the Buddhist beads stilling in his hand as he lifted his gaze slightly. "Are you certain?"
"Mr. Gray, please don’t do this. It’s not worth it for me," Ashley interrupted hastily, tugging at Harold's sleeve. "You’ve been looking out for me ever since my sister passed away. She’d be at peace knowing that. You don’t owe either of us anything. President Gray gave you so much. Sure, they were your parents' legacy, but without President Gray, the Gray family wouldn’t be where it is now. Don’t throw it all away so easily, or I’ll feel guilty."
Harold let out a sharp, cold snort. "I’m sure," he replied.
He knelt, bowing his head in a brief, forceful kowtow, then stood up. "From this moment on, I, Harold, have nothing to do with you, Anton!"
With that, he grabbed Ashley’s hand and stormed out without so much as a glance in my direction. Anton groaned behind him, the sound heavy, as if he had just swallowed back blood.
I stared at him coolly. "If that's how it’s going to be, when you take back everything, make sure you take back my marriage as well. I want nothing more to do with the entire Gray family."
