My parents stood there listening to Diane's shrieking abuse, clutching their chests, trying to fight back.
“You people are shameless! Max married into our family. Every last one of you has been living off my daughter for years. Now that Kenny's grown up and made something of himself, you think you can just come and take him? Not a chance. Kenny is a Delgado—he has nothing to do with your family. Nothing.”
Diane charged forward and slapped my mother across the face.
“Your family deserves to die out! You couldn't even have a son of your own, so now you want to steal someone else's grandson? Kenny is my son's child—that makes him ours. When he marries, he'll carry on our name, not yours.”
I stared at the red, swelling handprint on my mother's cheek, and the fury hit me so hard my chest ached.
I pulled my mother behind me, drove my foot into Diane, and sent her crashing to the floor. She screamed.
“The world's turned upside down! You worthless woman, how dare you lay a hand on me! Your whole family is rotten to the core. No wonder heaven only gave you one daughter and no sons. You deserve to have your line die out. When you're dead, there won't even be anyone left to burn offerings at your grave!”
I stood in front of my mother, shielding her, and looked down at Diane with cold eyes.
“Max owed millions from his business ventures and chose to marry into our family. We paid off every cent. Your entire family has been living off me for years. Now my son is grown and accomplished, and you want him to take your last name? Where do you get the nerve?”
Max rushed at me. I signaled the security guards immediately, and they caught him before he could get close.
The guards pinned him in place. He glared at me, seething.
“Yes. I married into your family. And every single day of it has been humiliation. I won't let my son keep carrying that shame. If you really want what's best for him, let him return to the family line.”
I slapped Max across the face.
“Max Perry, how do you have the face to say that? All those years driving luxury cars, fine clothes, eating and drinking whatever you wanted on my money—you never once called it humiliation. But now, suddenly, marrying into our family is a disgrace?”
Max clenched his jaw.
“I endured it for our son. I didn't want it affecting his studies, so I swallowed every bit of that humiliation for years. Now he's grown. I'm done swallowing it.”
My voice went cold.
“You just said yourself that he's grown. Then let him decide.”
Max spun toward Kenneth, agitated.
“Kenny, take back your father's name. You'll be a real man—nobody's going to laugh at you anymore. Our whole family will be proud of you.”
Diane scrambled to her feet and grabbed Kenneth's arm.
“My dear grandson, you're our family's child through and through. Come home with Grandma. Let the whole village see what we raised. I'd like to see anyone look down on me after that.”
I looked at my son and gave him a calm, reassuring smile.
“Kenny. Go ahead. Do you want to change your last name back to your father's?”
Kenneth pulled his hand free from Diane's grip and looked at Max.
“Dad, I think being a Delgado is fine. I don't want to change my name. I've lived with the Delgado family my whole life. I'm a Delgado. Mom and Grandpa and Grandma have raised me as the Delgado heir. I won't let them down.”
I'd expected it, but hearing my son say the words out loud still filled me with a warmth I couldn't quite contain.
“Kenny, if you don't want to change, no one can force you. You are a Delgado. No one can take you away, and no one can change that.”
