I've invested in my cousin, Jack Glenwood's farm. His net profit is more than four million dollars per year.

On the day I'm supposed to receive my bonus, Jack tears the contract stating that I get a 55% profit share right in front of my family. After that, he transfers 40 thousand dollars to me.

He even has the audacity to pat me on the shoulder with a smile on his face.

"Noah, you never did anything throughout the year. Since I'm giving you 40 thousand dollars, that means I'm treating you well, right?"

I just smile as I look at Jack's greedy and despicable expression. Then, I accept the 40 thousand dollars without saying anything.

The next day, I cut off the secret formula to the farm's feed and travel overseas to carry out a new round of investments.

This time, I want to see how Jack will fare without my secret formula.

At the family gathering, my cousin Jack Glenwood grinned widely at his phone screen showing an incoming transfer of 4.68 million dollars. He thrust his phone in front of everyone.

"Over 4.6 million! We struck it rich!"

His face glowed with fervor. He walked over and threw his arm around my shoulders affectionately.

"Come on, Noah, let me raise a toast to you! This year, thanks to your formula, the livestock at our farm grew incredibly well!"

Seeing his beaming expression, I felt happy too. I thought back to when he first hit a bottleneck with his breeding operation. Feed costs were high and results were poor, so I gave him the secret formula I'd spent ages researching and testing.

At the time, he'd been overcome with gratitude, gripping my hand and promising, "Noah! We're practically brothers, so let's keep things clear between us! You provide the formula, I'll do the work, and when we make money, we split it 50-50!

"If I go back on my word, I'll never get rich in this lifetime!"

My uncle and aunt were also present then, and they repeatedly assured me as well, which was what finally convinced me.

I raised my glass and clinked it with his, waiting for him to bring up the profit distribution. After several rounds of drinks, Jack moved to the center of the living room and cleared his throat. Everyone fell silent and turned to look at him.

He launched into a lengthy speech about how hard he'd worked over the past year. He talked about managing workers, developing sales channels, and how difficult everything was.

A vague sense of unease crept over me, but I forced myself to listen patiently. Finally, he changed direction and looked at me with a smile plastered across his face.

"Noah, the formula you gave me really helped me out. I haven't forgotten that!"

He pulled out his phone and tapped at the screen a few times. My phone buzzed with a notification that funds had been deposited into my bank account.

I picked it up and looked. The number on the screen made me freeze for a moment—$40,000.00.

I thought I'd misread it and carefully counted the digits before the decimal point again. There was no mistake. It was 40 thousand dollars.

I looked up at my cousin, confused. He'd already put his phone away, that same smile still on his face. He walked up to me and slapped my shoulder hard.

"Well, Noah, did you get the money?" His voice boomed.

"You just go to work at your research institute, move your pen around and come up with a formula. As for me, I've been running around all year, implementing production, contacting clients, working myself to exhaustion.

"This money we made is all hard-earned money. I thought it over and decided to give you forty grand as a technical consulting fee. That's not shortchanging you, is it?"

When he said this, his eyes were on me, but there wasn't a trace of gratitude in them. Instead, there was a kind of condescending appraisal.

My uncle and aunt kept their heads down over their food, eyes evasive. My parents sat nearby, looking uncomfortable.

Just then, Uncle Luke came over with his wine glass in hand, wearing a magnanimous smile, and patted my other shoulder.

"Noah, did you get the money? You're an educated man, working at a research institute. Respectable, stable. You don't need the extra cash.

"Your cousin is different. He runs a physical business with high overhead and big expenses. He needs money everywhere. You're first cousins, and blood is thicker than water. Be understanding toward him."

Aunt Louise also came over with an affectionate tone. "Exactly! Look at your cousin. He's lost so much weight from being busy this year. Your formula is good, sure, but without him managing everything inside and out, it wouldn't have turned into money, right?

"40 thousand dollars isn't a small amount. Family is about more than money. Your cousin cares about you. When you need something down the line, you know he'll be there for you."

They stood on either side of me, their words seeming to soothe yet also warn. I gripped my phone, my fingertips turning white from the pressure, but I slowly forced a smile.

Looking at my uncle, my aunt, and my cousin, I nodded with a calm voice. "You're right. Jack really did work hard. I received the money. Thank you."

The moment I finished speaking, all three of them visibly relaxed. "Now that's the spirit!"

Uncle Luke clapped his hands together, his voice booming. "My nephew is so reasonable and understanding! That's what comes from being educated. So sensible and rational!"

Aunt Louise immediately chimed in, "Exactly! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!

"You've been smart since you were little, Noah, and now you're even more mature! We're family. Harmony is more important than anything. How could we let a few dollars come between us?"

Jack seized the moment and stepped forward. "There we go! I knew you'd understand! You're the best!"

He tipped his head back and drained his glass, his face flushing even redder as his words came more easily. "But here's the thing, Noah. Look, our farm has really broken through now.

"We've made a name for ourselves, and orders are pouring in like crazy! At this rate, doubling our business next year won't be a problem at all!"

He paused and looked at me with keen eyes."That's why this premium feed is our lifeline, our core competitive advantage! Noah, you're our technical backbone!

"Going forward, upgrading and optimizing the feed formula, and all the ongoing research and development, we're still going to need you for that! When we work together as brothers, nothing can stop us! Don't worry, I'd never shortchange my own brother!"

Uncle Luke nodded vigorously beside him, chiming in. "Exactly! Noah, you're a specialist. We can't do the technical stuff without you. Just focus on your work at the research institute and your research.

"Whenever we need new ideas or adjustments on this end, we'll count on you. With Jack leading the charge up front and you providing the core technical support from behind, our family business is only going to grow bigger!"

"That's right, sweetheart," Aunt Louise added.

"Look at it this way, you've got yourself a steady income stream now, haven't you? You're helping the family and earning a little extra for yourself.

"As the formula keeps improving and Jack's operation gets more profitable, he certainly won't forget how much you've done. This is the smart long-term approach. Everyone wins!"

They took turns speaking, their tones earnest and faces full of smiles. It was as if they weren't the same people who had just used 40 thousand dollars to buy out and belittle a year's worth of my contributions.

I listened quietly, my face still wearing that calm, compliant smile.

After dinner, Jack and his family cheerfully saw my parents and me to the door. The moment I reached the car, my phone rang.

It was Frank Morris, the technical supervisor from the farm. He was probably calling about the feed, so I answered.

Frank's apologetic voice came through the speaker.

"Noah, sorry to bother you so late. That new batch of ingredients that arrived today seems to be reacting oddly after mixing.

"A few pens of livestock are looking pretty listless when they eat. Do you think we need to fine-tune the formula ratios? Or maybe we messed up somewhere in the process?"

I opened the car door and got in. Inside, it was quiet. I could hear my own steady breathing.

I looked out at the heavy darkness beyond the window and cut him off. "Frank."

"Yes, go ahead." Frank responded immediately.

"Don't bother asking me about the formula anymore."

There was an obvious pause on the other end, as if he didn't understand what I meant.

"What? Noah, do you mean... Did we do something wrong? Just tell us and we'll fix it right away! We can't lose this formula. The whole operation depends on it!"

I interrupted him, speaking slowly, clearly, enunciating each word. "What I mean is, you don't need to worry about the formula anymore. That farm is going to shut down tomorrow. You should start looking for your next job."

"What? Shut down?" Frank's voice shot up, filled with disbelief and shock.

"Noah, you're... you're not serious! How is that possible? Everything was fine just a few days ago. We've got orders lined up through next month!

"The boss was just saying today that we're expanding next year! How could it suddenly shut down? We stayed here because business is good, the pay is high, and they actually pay on time. Other farms don't offer that kind of deal—

"Did something happen? Is there a problem with the formula? Noah, what's going on? You have to explain this to us. My whole family is counting on this job!"

His voice shifted from shock to panic, even taking on a pleading edge. I could imagine him on the other end, confused and terrified. But I had no obligation to explain.

"There's no why," I said, my voice still flat and devoid of emotion. "I've said what I needed to say."

Then, without waiting for more frantic questions or pleas from the other end, I pressed the end call button. The dial tone sounded, cutting off all the noise.

I tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and started the car.

The car fell into dead silence. Every word of that phone call had reached Mom and Dad in the back seat.

"Noah, what you just said... You were just upset, right?" Mom leaned forward.

"I know you feel cheated. Your cousin and the others went too far today. But you can't do this. That's your own cousin! The only son in their family!"

When I didn't respond, she continued, "Besides, your uncle is my brother. As his sister, I can't hurt him like this.

"If you do this, how are our two families supposed to get along? How am I supposed to show my face around my family anymore?

"Noah, I'm begging you, let's not be angry about this, okay? Can't we just move past this and you keep helping him with the formula?"

I frowned and cut her off. "Mom, you saw their attitude today. They clearly just want to use my formula for free. Sure, he's my cousin, but when he went back on his word and burned his bridges, did he think about being my cousin then?

"I worked myself to the bone researching that formula. I couldn't sleep properly for months. Does he really think that with his middle school education he could land those clients?

"They only agreed to work with him because of me, because of my reputation. He just showed up to sign papers and suddenly all the credit is his. And now I'm the one who didn't do anything?

"Mom, there's a limit to how much you can favor one side."

"Noah! That's not what I meant!" Mom immediately tried to explain. "You're my son. How could I not care about you? But you're educated, you have a graduate degree, you work at a research institute, so you have a future!

"Your cousin just has that farm. He barely went to school, and this is all he'll ever have! Can't you cut him some slack?"

"Mom." I looked at her devastated expression in the rearview mirror and spoke slowly. "Have you thought about what happens if I give in this time and keep providing the formula for free, even upgrading and improving it? Jack's farm will grow bigger and bigger, making more and more money.

"And then what? Next year, when it's time to split profits, will he give me 80 thousand? 100 thousand?

"Or will he think that since I have a decent job anyway and don't need the money, he just won't give me anything at all? You need to understand that what I have in my hands, plus the connections and resources I've built up in this field, is worth far more than a measly four or five million dollars.

"I chose to give it to him because he's my cousin, because you value this family bond. But I'm not a saint. I'm not here to give him charity. This was supposed to be a partnership based on trust and promises."

"They're enjoying all the benefits Noah brings them, but they won't be grateful. They'll just think it's what they deserve," Dad added coldly from the side, cutting straight to the point. "They'll even think they're doing our son a favor by throwing him scraps."

I nodded. "Exactly. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile.

"Today, he breaks his promise of a 50-50 split and gives me forty grand. What's to stop him from screwing me over completely next time? Mom, what happens then?"

After hearing my words, Mom's face turned deathly pale. "That won't work, Noah. You worked so hard to get into graduate school... You can't let this affect your future."

Hearing this, I finally felt relieved. Dad took a deep breath and reached over to grip Mom's still-trembling hand firmly. Then he looked at me.

"Noah, what are you planning to do next? After all this, I'm afraid things with the family are going to get ugly."

"Mom, Dad." I picked up where Dad left off. "I'm pretty much done with everything here. I'm planning to go abroad. I've already taken care of all the paperwork. In a few days, once I finish up the last few loose ends here, we're leaving."

"Abroad?"

"What?" They both exclaimed at once.