My parents had already thought of that.
"We can give you a property, but not this one."
"This apartment means the world to our family. We can transfer the suburban villa to Jim instead."
"The location is great, and it's much bigger! It's worth even more than this place."
But my mother-in-law's expression darkened. "No. It has to be this apartment."
"A suburb is a suburb. It'll never compare to this place. This is a premium home in a top school district. Who knows how much it'll appreciate in the future."
"It has to be this one."
My father frowned, his displeasure barely contained.
"We understand you want to look out for your son and secure something for Jim. But there's no need to make this difficult for us. I've already told you this apartment is off the table."
He waved his hand and spoke bluntly. "The suburban house, plus eight hundred and eighty thousand dollars on top. That should be more than enough. Even with appreciation, this place would never be worth that much more."
My mother-in-law shook her head. "No. I want this one. You say the school district won't lose value, but who's to say the suburban house won't tank?"
"All I know is this apartment is in a top school district. It'll always be worth something."
My mother sighed. "If you're worried about depreciation, let Jim sell the suburban house and buy a new place in the school district. Why does it have to be this apartment?"
Listening to all of this, the anger inside me surged again.
Jim noticed the look on my face and leaned close to my ear, pleading.
"Babe, you can't get worked up right now. Please, just stay calm."
"Just play along for my sake. Agree to it for now. The second my mom leaves, I'll give it right back."
"I'll even sign an IOU if that's what it takes."
My parents overheard him. They exchanged a weary glance.
"Fine," my father said. "We'll agree to your terms. Now can we change the names back?"
The notary was called in. The documents were spread across the table.
Once the signatures were down, the transfer agreement took effect.
My mother-in-law finally cracked a smile.
"Alright. Go ahead and change the names."
Relief washed through me. I signaled for my parents to handle the paperwork.
Watching my son's and daughter's names revert to the ones my parents had painstakingly chosen, names brimming with love and good wishes, the anger that had filled my chest gave way to something warm.
My mother-in-law seemed pleased too. She pulled out her phone and started a voice call with someone, bragging about how her son now owned a sprawling apartment in the heart of downtown.
I didn't know what the person on the other end said, but her expression shifted in an instant. She set the phone down and rushed over.
She slammed her hand down on Jim's, stopping him mid-signature, and looked up at me.
"I changed my mind. One apartment isn't enough."
The color drained from all three of our faces at once.
My father held his temper, his voice low with warning. "We respected your concern for your son. We agreed to your terms."
"If you keep pushing, you're going to burn through every last shred of goodwill between these two."
My mother's expression turned cold. "If you have more demands, you'd better lay them all out right now."
"Going back on your word like this? You're just toying with us."
My mother-in-law straightened in her seat.
"Fine. I won't beat around the bush."
"You need to pay my son a marriage settlement. Ten million dollars."
The air in the room turned to ice. My parents and I froze at the same time.
"How much?" My mother's voice cracked.
My father was already shaking with fury. His palm cracked against the table. "You've lost your mind! Do you have any idea how much ten million dollars is? You're out of your goddamn mind!"
"Oh, I know exactly how much it is." My mother-in-law didn't flinch. "I just asked around. These days, the going rate for a live-in husband starts in the tens of millions."
