“What’s going on in here?”
Aunt Linda looked up at her, her voice shaking.
“Zach is threatening to cut us off completely if we don’t sign this ridiculous contract.”
My mom glanced at me, her eyes filled with concern.
“Zack, what is this?”
I turned to her, my tone still calm but firm.
“I’m not letting them guilt trip me anymore, Mom. They want something from me. Fine, but they’re going to work for it. If they can’t respect my boundaries, then they don’t get to keep playing the family card.”
My mom shook her head, her voice tinged with disappointment.
“You’re taking this too far, Zach. This isn’t how we do things.”
But I wasn’t listening anymore.
I was done being manipulated.
Just as Aunt Linda started to open her mouth to argue, I cut her off.
“The contracts on the table. You can take it or leave it, but know this. If you choose to walk away, you’ll never see a dime from me again.”
I watched their faces as the words sank in.
The room was thick with tension.
The air charged with unspoken threats.
The drama had reached its boiling point, and I could see it in their eyes.
They knew this was the moment that would define everything.
Would they take the deal, or would they walk away and forever lose the chance to get anything from me again?
And then, just as I was about to walk out the door, Sarah spoke up.
“I’ll sign it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I looked at her, a smirk tugging at my lips.
“You’ll sign it,” I repeated. “But remember, this is only the beginning.”
The room was dead silent after Sarah spoke those words.
The tension was palpable.
Aunt Linda looked like she might explode, her face turning a shade of red I didn’t even know was possible.
Sarah, on the other hand, stood with her shoulders slumped, clearly not expecting me to call her bluff.
But I wasn’t backing down.
I held out the phone with the contract in front of Sarah.