My Father Declared In The Hearing, Saying, “At Last, Your Shop And Your Car Belong To Your Younger Brother.” My Mother Smiled And Nodded Along. I Remained Silent Until The Judge Looked UP AND SAID…

I built this alone. I don’t need help. He left without pressing further, but the visit lingered in my mind.

The next week, he texted. talk to dad and mom. They think it’s unfair.

You have the whole thing. Maybe we split the profits 50/50. Family should benefit together.

I stared at the message for a long time before replying, “No, it’s mine.”

He didn’t respond right away. When he did, his tone shifted. You’re working too hard.

You look exhausted. Doing this alone is going to burn you out. You’re not strong enough for this long term.

I didn’t answer. I put the phone down and went back to preparing for the next class. But the words stayed with me like a splinter under skin.

He called a few days later. “Listen, Alex, everyone in the family thinks I should be the one running it. I’m better at the big picture.

You’re good at the details, but this is getting too big for you. You said once that if it ever got valuable, we’d figure something out. Remember?”

I remembered no such conversation.

I never said that. He sighed. “You were tired.

You probably don’t recall, but we can fix this. Just sign a simple agreement, shared ownership. It’s fair.”

I hung up.

My hands shook. I sat on the studio floor, staring at the mats I had bought with my own money. The room felt smaller.

Then the envelope arrived. Thick. Legal-sized.

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