My Ungrateful Son Changed the WiFi Password to Mock Me,So I Took Back Everything

The words weren't particularly sharp, but Charlotte panicked anyway. Without a second thought, she snatched the ashtray off the table and hurled it straight at me. I'd been expecting something like this, though, so I sidestepped just in time. The ashtray smashed into the hardwood floor, leaving a dent in the surface. I didn't need much imagination to picture what my skull would've looked like if I hadn't moved. Adam was caught between two fires, and he knew it. He was my son. He could tell I was genuinely furious this time. So he rushed over and grabbed Charlotte by the arm. "Charlotte, calm down. She's still your elder." Charlotte didn't calm down. If anything, the filth pouring out of her mouth got worse. Adam turned to me. "Mom, can you just stop talking for once? This whole thing is your fault to begin with." "We changed the WiFi because we felt like it. You're the one who had to go and ask about it. You brought this on yourself." I almost laughed. But I didn't bother arguing. "Sure. It's your freedom to change it." "And it's my freedom to take back the house." "When I feed a dog, at least it wags its tail. You two can't even manage that." Charlotte couldn't break free of Adam's grip, so she swept all the fruit I'd brought off the table and onto the floor in one furious swipe. "Who wants fruit from a dried-up old hag like you?" "Adam is your only son. Everything you and Dad own is going to be his anyway. What's a basket of fruit? What are your little gifts supposed to mean?" "If you really cared, you'd max out the limit on our supplementary credit card!" "Acting like we wouldn't know how to spend money if we had it." "I'm giving you ten minutes. Get out of this house. Stop being so shameless and learn your place!" I truly didn't understand. Where exactly had I been shameless? Where had I failed to know my place? But I had no interest in arguing. I picked up my phone and called building management. "I've got two ungrateful parasites in my home. Bring some people up here and clear them out." Charlotte watched me make the call without a flicker of concern. She marched into the bedroom, came back with a marriage certificate, and flung it in Adam's face. "Listen to me." "I married into this family to live the good life. You told me yourself that once I married in, every day would be easy and I'd have the final say in everything. I didn't sign up to be some doormat daughter-in-law." "So here are your two options." "One, divorce me. We go our separate ways, and you find yourself some pushover to be your wife." "Two, put this old hag in her place and make her understand who the most important woman in this family really is." I listened to every word. I almost thought I'd stepped into some period drama. The most important woman in the family? What did she think she was, lady of the manor? But Adam, lovesick fool that he was, ate it right up. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. "Mom, do you actually want me to be happy or not?" "Fine, I was wrong today, okay? Just go. I'll fix the WiFi. And maybe don't come over for a while. Let everyone cool off. Alright?" I rolled my eyes. "Are you deaf, or just stupid?" "I'm not here to figure out who's right and who's wrong. I'm telling you both to get out of my house." When he saw that neither begging nor bargaining would work, Adam's temper flared. "What is your problem?" "Dad was an orphan. After you married him, you never had to deal with a mother-in-law for a single day. So why are you turning around and playing the wicked one with me?"

"If I'd known it would be like this, I really wish I'd ended up just like my dad..." Adam's words trailed off. But I already knew what he'd been about to say. Honestly, it would've been a lie to say that didn't sting. My husband and I had always been busy with work, so when Adam was young, we'd barely been around for him. We hadn't given him enough attention or guidance. That was why, once he grew up, we both went out of our way to make up for it. He had no talent for holding down a job, so we gave him money, gave him a house, gave him a car, and while we were still young enough to earn, we worked hard to set aside as much as we could for him. After he got married, I never once pulled the overbearing mother-in-law act. Over the course of a year, I visited this apartment maybe ten times at most. Every visit, I'd bring food or drinks, or gifts I'd picked up for the two of them during business trips abroad. Because I'd never had to deal with the typical in-law drama, I genuinely hoped my daughter-in-law and I could be close, like good friends. What I never expected was that despite all my boundaries, despite all my generosity, behind my back they were calling me a wicked old hag. And the thing was, they'd been married for years now. This hadn't just started recently. They hadn't suddenly snapped and decided to use the Wi-Fi name to get under my skin. Even though I'd told them to get out, in my heart, they were still my son and my daughter-in-law. If they admitted they were wrong, if they truly understood what they'd done, if they showed me genuine respect from the bottom of their hearts, I could forgive them. I could pretend none of this had ever happened. But unfortunately... I was still lost in thought when the knocking came at the door. Building management had arrived. I opened the door, let them in, and pointed at the two of them. "It's them." This was an upscale community. The management fees were steep, so the staff knew every household's situation well. They recognized Adam and Charlotte as my son and daughter-in-law right away. So naturally, they tried to smooth things over, urging the two of them to apologize and stop upsetting me. Neither of them had any intention of apologizing. Charlotte especially. She actually jabbed a finger in my direction and screamed. "We live in this apartment! We're the residents here! Throw her out!" "If you don't, I'll file a complaint and have every one of you fired." The building management staff looked like they wanted to crawl out of their own skin. Family disputes like this were a nightmare to handle. If they sided with me, and I later patched things up with my son and daughter-in-law, they'd be the villains who'd tried to kick out my family. So everything ground to a standstill. "Ma'am... we don't actually have the authority to enforce anything like that." I hadn't meant to put them in an impossible position, so I pulled out my phone to call the police. Adam saw that I'd already dialed the number. He quickly pulled Charlotte aside. The two of them huddled together, whispering back and forth, and then slammed their hands on the table in unison. "Fine! We'll go!" The building management staff exhaled with visible relief and made a hasty exit. Adam and Charlotte threw a few things together and stormed out, slamming the door behind them. The slam was loud enough to rattle the walls. But after it, I didn't hear any footsteps walking away. I opened the smart lock and checked. Sure enough. They hadn't left. The two of them were standing right outside the door, faces pinched with worry. Charlotte spoke first. "Are you sure this whole playing-hard-to-get thing is actually going to work?" "We took forever packing in there and that old witch didn't come crawling to stop us. Now we're out here. You really think she's going to beg us to come back?" Adam gave a confident nod. "Of course." "You think I don't know my own mother?" "She might seem tough and no-nonsense on the outside, but deep down, she's all bark and no bite."

"Ever since I was a kid, the one thing she's always been afraid of is me threatening to leave. I've got this whole playing-hard-to-get routine down to an art." "Besides, Dad and her only have one son. When they're old, who else are they going to depend on? There's no way she'd actually cut me off." "We just wait right here. Give it ten minutes, tops. She'll come out crying, begging me to come back. And when she does, you'll have her completely under your thumb." ... The two of them got more worked up the longer they talked. They went on about how once they had money, they'd buy a mansion in their own names and get a guard dog specifically trained to keep me out. Then they talked about shipping me off to the cheapest nursing home they could find when I got old, making me pay for everything I'd done today. I'd heard enough. I switched on the intercom's two-way speaker. "Keep dreaming." "That little push-and-pull game only works on someone who still has hope for you. I've lost every last shred of it." "You want a mansion? Buy it with your own money." "And don't worry about putting me in a nursing home. I'm still young. By the time I'm old, I'll buy a robot to take care of me. I won't need either of you." "When you've got money, anyone can be your son." They hadn't expected me to be right behind the door, listening to every word. For a moment, they were caught completely off guard. "See? Eavesdropping on us! If that doesn't prove you're a crazy old hag, I don't know what does." "But fine. Keep up the act. The harder you play it now, the sweeter it'll be when you come crawling back to apologize." They hurled a few more insults at me. I didn't bother firing back. Instead, I picked up my phone and made a few calls. The first was to my assistant. I told her to change the access codes on every property under my name, in case anyone without an invitation decided to let themselves in. The second was to my private banker. I had them cancel every supplementary credit card I'd ever issued to Adam and Charlotte. Not another cent of my money. The two of them were fuming outside the door. But once they realized I wasn't going to open it, and probably started worrying I'd call the police, they grabbed their suitcases and left. After they were gone, I had a locksmith come in and replace the smart lock entirely. But even with the new lock, the anger wouldn't settle. Every time I looked around this apartment, all I could think about was the humiliation I'd endured within these walls. So a few days later, I made time to call a real estate agent and had her come over. I told her to sell the place. I didn't care about the price. I just wanted it gone. The agent was in the middle of filming a walkthrough video when my phone buzzed. A string of transaction alerts. I knew immediately. These were charges from Adam and Charlotte. But I'd already canceled their supplementary cards. And my husband was overseas on a business trip. Ian was a workaholic through and through; once he was locked into a project, household matters were the last thing on his mind. And even if he did get involved, he'd side with me. There was no way he'd reinstate their cards out of nowhere. So how were they spending my money? I was about to call the bank when I looked more closely at the alerts. They hadn't used the supplementary cards. They'd used my primary card. I reached into my purse for my wallet and came up empty. The anger hit me like a wave. Adam had actually stooped to stealing from me. No wonder the two of them had huddled together whispering before they left that day. They'd swiped my bank card when I wasn't looking. And of course, my PIN was Adam's birthday. I forced myself to breathe through the rage. I called Adam. It rang and rang. I called again. And again. After several attempts, he finally sent back a few text messages. "Charlotte and I don't feel like picking up your calls right now. We're about to head overseas for a nice vacation." "If this is about the bank card, you don't have to guess. Yeah, I took it. You're my mom—your money is my money. Honestly, I was sick and tired of using a supplementary credit card." "You have no idea what it's like. Every time I go out shopping, people laugh at me. They see the supplementary card and treat me like some kept man." ... I didn't bother reading the rest. I sent him three words. "Give it back." What I got in return was a red exclamation mark. He'd blocked me. I let out a cold laugh. I didn't call or text either of them again. Instead, I picked up my phone and dialed 911. "I'd like to report a stolen bank card. The losses have already exceeded a million dollars." "The suspects are about to flee the country. Please, you have to help me recover the money."