She Sold the Restaurant Before They Could Steal It

After we married, I used the dowry money my parents left me and opened a restaurant. My brother-in-law started showing up every few days with a crowd, ready to eat.

In one month, he came eighteen times.

He ran up a tab of a hundred thousand dollars, and never paid a cent.

The restaurant was bleeding money. In the end I couldn't hold it in, so I mentioned it to my brother-in-law, and asked him to settle the bill.

For that, in front of everyone in the restaurant, he slapped me across the face three times.

"I only brought people here to eat out of respect for my brother. You could at least be grateful. Instead you've got the nerve to come after me for money?"

My husband turned his head away and pretended he hadn't seen a thing.

I didn't argue, didn't make a scene. I just left, quietly.

Two days later, on his birthday, my brother-in-law booked out the entire restaurant for all his friends and family, and gave me his order.

"It's my birthday and I've got the whole place today. Every table gets the most expensive liquor and the best dishes, you hear me!"

I glanced at the transfer contract I'd just signed for the restaurant, and smiled faintly.

"Sure."

1

When Abner James's three slaps landed on my face,

the noisy restaurant went silent in an instant.

Every pair of eyes turned to me at once.

Only my husband, Noel James, quietly turned his head away and pretended not to see.

I lifted my head, looked at Abner's twisted, ugly face, then at Noel playing deaf and mute.

I didn't argue, didn't make a scene. I just walked out of the restaurant.

Behind me, Abner was still swearing.

"Pathetic piece of work, chasing your own family for money. You come after me for a single cent again, and I'll beat you to death!"

I didn't look back.

Outside the restaurant, the cold wind hit me, and the sting in my cheeks came sharper.

But inside, I felt calmer than I ever had.

I took a deep breath, pulled out my phone, and made a call.

"Hello. I'd like to sell my restaurant."

"The price doesn't matter, however low. I only have one condition."

Once I'd finished with the person on the other end, I didn't go back to the restaurant.

I went straight home instead.

The moment I reached the door, I heard my mother-in-law's complaining voice coming from inside.

"Noel, you really need to get Amelia Henson under control."

"She marries into our family and still has the face to make a scene over one meal, demanding money from her own brother-in-law in public."

"If the relatives ever hear about this, they'll laugh us out of the room."

Abner chimed in, just as sour.

"Exactly. You can't spoil a woman like this. When it's time to smack her down, you smack her down. Look, I hit her today and she didn't dare make a peep."

Noel sighed.

"She did put up the money for the restaurant, though. It's hard for me to interfere too much."

Jemima James's voice shot up at once.

"So what if she put up the money?"

"She married in, so she's one of the Jameses now. Her money is your money. What's wrong with your brother using a little of it?"

"And Abner already told you, he brought his friends around to boost her business, to do her a favor. If she can't even understand that, what business does she have running a restaurant?"

"Today you're going to spell it out for her once and for all. If she wants to stay in this family, from now on she keeps her head down and behaves, and she stops pulling stunts this clueless."

Noel was silent for two seconds, then said flatly,

"I get it."

The next second, I pushed the door open and walked in.

All three of them turned to look at me at once, displeasure written all over their faces.

I ignored them, went straight into the bedroom, pulled open the closet, and started packing my clothes.

Noel followed me in and shut the door behind him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I folded my coat and pushed it into the suitcase, calm.

"Packing. I'm moving out."

Noel's face darkened, and his voice turned impatient at once.

"Amelia, how long are you going to keep this up?"

"My brother was wrong to hit you, sure, but you shouldn't have humiliated him in front of everyone either."

"He's my brother. You don't expect me to get into a fight with him over you, do you?"

"Can't you just show a little sense and drop that petty, penny-pinching habit of yours?"

My hands paused for a moment.

Then I lifted my head, looked at Noel, and said quietly,

"Don't worry. I won't do it again."

With that, I folded the last piece of clothing, laid it in the suitcase, zipped it shut, and walked out of the house without looking back.

Behind me, Noel started to come after me, but Jemima stopped him.

"Let her go."

"If she's so tough that she can walk out, then she'd better not come back. I don't believe for a second she can survive without us."

Abner deliberately raised his voice to egg them on.

"Yeah, she's just sulking, trying to jerk you around. Don't mind her. Give it a few days and she'll come crawling back in tears to apologize to us."

To the sound of Jemima and Abner sneering, I carried my suitcase into the elevator and went downstairs.

Then I checked into a hotel near the restaurant.

Once I'd settled in, my phone rang.

It was a message.

After I read it, I finally smiled, satisfied.