A family's financial struggles and the consequences of a brother's misguided love lead to a web of deceit, betrayal, and unexpected outcomes that challenge the bonds of family and the nature of true love.
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In the incident where Howard was deceived by his girlfriend and lost all his money, the most intense reaction came not from Howard himself or his parents, George and Margaret, but from his younger brother Noah.
At 6 o'clock in the evening, the family gathered around the table for dinner. Noah, holding back his frustration, was suddenly asked by Margaret about the progress with his girlfriend, Cynthia: "Hasn't Cynthia been to our home for quite some time?"
Seizing the opportunity, Noah vented his anger: "Progress? There's no damn progress. No house, no money, why should she be with me? I'm about to be dumped too!"
"Ah? Are you... Are you also breaking up?" Margaret was horrified, and the pain she had barely suppressed resurfaced, tears streaming down her face. George also lost his appetite instantly, putting down his chopsticks.
Howard, already feeling upset due to financial loss and a breakup, was surprised by Noah's words: "Are you also breaking up? Why?"
"Why? You're asking why?" Noah slammed the table. "You talk about your damn love affair and put the family's hard-earned money into it! Eight hundred thousand! Where did you get the courage to give so much money to that woman! You've dragged me into this mess, and Cynthia also broke up with me! Are you satisfied now? At your age, being fooled and left with nothing, who are you accountable to?"
Noah's anger was not without reason. George's family originally had little money, and it was not easy for them to support both sons. It wasn't until the brothers started working that they stopped asking for money from their parents. George, aside from a meager pension, took on a security job. Margaret, in addition to picking up scrap every day, took on additional manual labor at home, enduring backbreaking work and almost going blind.
After years of hard work, they managed to save a little over six hundred thousand. This amount wasn't even enough to buy a small house. Originally, George wanted to split the money evenly between the brothers, but Margaret felt that the elder son, Howard, was too honest and lacked foresight compared to the clever younger son, Noah. In terms of education, job, height, and appearance, Howard was weaker. If they divided the money equally, Noah could use it to buy a house, but Howard would struggle.
So, after careful consideration, the couple decided to use the money to buy a house for Howard. With Noah's savings of over five hundred thousand, the plan was for him to request an additional two to three hundred thousand from the family by the end of the year to secure the house.
However, the money didn't go towards Howard's house payment. Instead, it was "borrowed" by Howard's girlfriend, Mandy, to invest in some dubious project involving her friend's husband. Just three months later, the friend disappeared along with the eighty thousand dollars.
When the truth was revealed, the couple was left speechless and shocked. Noah's hope of buying a house was shattered, as all the money was gone. Cynthia, his girlfriend, upon learning about the situation, was astonished and decided to break up, thinking the whole family had lost their minds.
