The Compensation I Asked For A Hundred Million

1
After I slapped Genevieve's boytoy, she had my entire family committed to a psychiatric hospital. I never dared cross her again. I cooked porridge for Landon's stomach aches, waited on Genevieve hand and foot after she gave birth. When their child turned one month old, I finally begged her to release my family.
Genevieve let out a mocking laugh. "Patrick, do you know how I met Landon?" My breath hitched. "Your sister and mother handed him to my bed. Patrick, he's your maternal half-brother." She slid her unlocked phone across the table. "They were never in an asylum. For three years, they've been right by Landon's side." On the screen, my mother and sister surrounded Landon and the newborn, radiant with joy I'd never seen before. My eyes burned crimson. My heart felt shredded by a rusty blade.
Genevieve's voice was cool. "You've been obedient these three years. Tell me what compensation you want." She smirked. "Though you probably wouldn't want it." I wiped my tears, forced a smile. "Then compensate me with a hundred million dollars." A wife like this, and relatives like them, I didn't want any of them anymore.
…
Genevieve's face froze in momentary shock. "What did you say?"
I looked straight into her eyes, my voice trembling slightly. "Since you want to make it up to me, give me cash. I want a hundred million dollars. Not a single penny less."
The warmth in Genevieve's eyes vanished, replaced by an icy glare.
She suddenly scoffed, speaking directly toward the phone on the table. "Landon, looks like neither of us guessed right."
I hadn't noticed that the screen had already been switched to a live video call.
Landon appeared on camera with a smirk, looking at me with pure disdain. "Patrick, we made a bet on what kind of compensation you'd demand after finding out the truth."
"I bet you'd refuse the money and smash up the office in a violent rage. Genevieve bet you'd use this to threaten her into never divorcing you."
"As for Mom and Ann, one guessed you'd demand Genevieve ship me off to another country, while the other guessed you'd cut yourself to force her into submission."
He turned the camera to the side.
My mother was cradling Genevieve's baby, her face beaming with joy. But the moment her eyes met mine through the screen, every trace of warmth vanished from her features.
"Patrick, I truly never expected you to open your mouth and demand money from Genevieve!"
"Has the Sinclair family ever starved you or left you without clothes over the years? How did you become so vulgar and money-grubbing? You're no different from those cheap male escorts selling themselves on the street!"
My sister, Ann, gently stroked Landon's hair, her eyes filled with fond affection. Yet when she turned toward the camera, her expression turned entirely cold.
"Patrick, I know you're upset."
"If you're strapped for cash, I can transfer some to you. But you shouldn't demand it from Genevieve."
"Landon and Genevieve are genuinely in love. They don't owe you anything."
"Is that so?" I interrupted her, my eyes burning red.
"Stealing my wife, taking away my mother and sister, destroying my marriage and my family. Toying with me for three years, tricking me into acting as their domestic servant... and you claim you don't owe me anything?"
Ann frowned in distaste. "Patrick, watch your mouth."
"We didn't mean to trick you. You've always been stubborn and hot-tempered. If we hadn't done this, how could you have ever accepted Landon?"
"Genevieve has been in low spirits since giving birth. We were worried about postpartum depression, so we came up with this little game to cheer her up. Don't take it to heart."
I pulled at the corners of my mouth, letting out a hollow laugh. "In that case, just give me the money. Mom gives me fifty million, you give me thirty million. I can keep acting for you guys and stay on as Landon's nanny. How does that sound?"
Ann's face turned ash-grey. "Patrick, how much longer are you going to throw this embarrassing tantrum?"
I sneered coldly. "It's just a little pocket change. Surely the wealthy Guilford and Sinclair families can afford a tiny sum like that?"
"Enough."
Genevieve swept a cold glance over me and pulled a set of documents from her desk drawer.
"Landon has officially returned to the family fold. My child cannot be a bastard. Sign these divorce papers, and a hundred million dollars will be wired to your account immediately."
I looked at those few thin sheets of paper. Without a second of hesitation, I grabbed a pen and slashed my signature across the bottom.
The way Genevieve looked at me instantly grew complex. "Do you really care about money that much? You never used to be like this..."
Suppressing the excruciating, blade-like agony in my chest, I forced a careless, unbothered smile. "If I don't take the money, what else could you possibly give me?"
She stared at me intensely, her dark pupils unreadable. "Maybe you could beg me not to go through with the divorce."
"Patrick, if you just open your mouth and beg me, I'll rip this agreement to pieces right now."
Beg her?
I bit my lip so hard I tasted copper, memories of the months right after I discovered her affair with Landon rushing back.
I had begged her countless times. I had even slit my wrists to force her to come home.
Yet as my blood pooled across the floor, all I got in return was a single, disgusted line from her: Don't do that next time. Landon faints at the sight of blood.
"And then what?" I looked at her calmly, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "And then you'll tell me this was just another one of your little bets, designed specifically to turn me into a laughingstock?"
I let out a miserable laugh, my throat aching. "Genevieve, stop playing games with me."
"Haven't you made enough of a fool out of me over the last three years?"
A cold drop slid down my cheek. The tears I had fought so hard to hold back finally broke free.
Genevieve instinctively reached out to wipe them away. For a fleeting second, a flash of genuine guilt flickered in the depths of her eyes.
She let out a heavy sigh. "He's still young and a bit willful. As his older brother, you should yield to him a little."
"Don't worry. The position of Mrs. Guilford will always be saved for you. Marrying Landon is just a temporary measure so the baby can have a proper legal name."
She paused, adding with a touch of unease, "I'll still give you the hundred million. Take the money, go travel for a while, and once I clean up this mess, we'll remarry."
"That should satisfy you, shouldn't it?"
I lifted my face, forced a soft smile, and gave a faint nod. "Then book me a flight to Switzerland. We promised we'd visit the Alpine lakes together, didn't we?"
She visibly relaxed, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Alright. You go ahead first. Once everything is handled, I'll fly over to join you."
"Patrick, wait for me."
I rested my head against her shoulder and didn't utter another word.
Deep down, I knew with absolute certainty that I would never wait for her again.
Seeing that I had surrendered, Genevieve finally spoke again. "Hand over the keys to the main estate and move out for a while."
"Landon wants to move in. You know how sensitive he is. Pack your things thoroughly and leave nothing behind so it doesn't ruin his mood."
"Besides, that house is old anyway after all these years. Don't hold a grudge against him."
She cleared her throat, pulling a set of keys and a deed from her drawer. "I bought a new villa for you on the south side of town. Move your belongings over there first."
I remained silent, but my mind drifted back to the day we bought the main estate.
We had designed the layout together, selected the curtain fabrics, picked out the artwork for the foyer, and agreed to keep two nursery rooms, one pink and one blue.
She called it our love nest, hand-carving a wooden plaque to hang above the front gate that read Pine Crest Villa.
Yet later on, she spent her nights intertwined with Landon in her office until dawn, leaving me alone in that hollow, echoing mansion.
I pulled a faint smile and placed my set of keys into her palm. "It's fine. New things are better anyway."
From now on, everything I owned would be brand new. Not just the house.
After leaving the Guilford Building, I drove to the psychiatric facility alone.
Over the past three years, I had pushed open those hospital doors dozens of times, watching my mother and sister play-act as mental patients on their beds while I sobbed until I nearly passed out.
What they never knew was that I had met someone else in this place.
I pushed open the door to a private room. Sunlight streamed through the window frames, illuminating a young girl sitting on the sill, staring into the distance.
Her facial features were sharp and striking, exuding an air of cold, rebellious detachment. Strands of hair hung over her forehead, gilded in a soft golden glow by the afternoon light.
If a local reporter were here, they might have recognized her as the youngest daughter of the Kingsley Shipping Empire, committed to the asylum years ago.
I spoke softly. "I have the money now. I'm taking you out."
Genevieve had no idea that my true destination wasn't Switzerland. It was Los Angeles.
When I returned to the main estate to pack my bags, the house staff looked at me with strange, hesitant expressions.
I stepped into the living room and immediately understood why.
My personal belongings had been ripped out of the closets and dumped onto the floor in a chaotic pile.
Landon was stepping down the grand staircase, dressed in a pristine, snow-white custom wedding tuxedo.
I bit my lip, staring dead at him.
He gathered the hem of his jacket and offered a smirk. "Brother, this is the custom wedding tux Genevieve designed for you years ago, right?"
"Well, Genevieve gave it to me."
"She said your figure has completely gone to waste anyway and you can't fit into it anymore. Letting me wear it is the best stroke of luck this suit could ever have."
He did a slow pirouette in the center of the room. "Look at me, brother. Does your suit fit me well? Do I look handsome?"
The pure white fabric shimmered under the crystal chandelier like a dream. Landon's face was flushed with triumph, arrogant and dripping with smug satisfaction.
Years ago, Genevieve had pulled several all-nighters just to finish the design sketches for that suit.
When I tried it on for the first time, she had wrapped her arms around me and whispered: Patrick, this is a one-of-a-kind piece, crafted for the one-of-a-kind man in my life.
The words still echoed in my ears, but the person who spoke them had long since rotted.
Landon didn't realize that since I had thrown away Genevieve herself, I couldn't care less about a meaningless piece of clothing.
I let out a calm smile, slowly relaxing my clenched fists. "Landon, did nobody ever teach you that taking other people's property requires payment?"
"That tailored suit cost thirty million dollars. I expect the funds transferred to my bank account shortly."
Landon's expression turned nasty in an instant. "You absolute parasite! You hogged Genevieve and stole my family for years, how dare you open your mouth to demand money!"
Screaming, he raised his palm and lunged forward to strike me.
I simply sidestepped half a pace. Landon tripped over his own long trousers and crashed heavily onto the marble floor.
My mother and sister came hurtling down the stairs. "Landon! What happened?"
Ann glared at me with fierce hatred. "Patrick! Did you lay a hand on Landon again?!"
Before I could speak, a heavy, stinging slap cracked across my face.
A burning, sharp pain spread across my left cheek.
I looked at my mother in utter disbelief.
Her face was flushed red with rage as she barked coldly, "I knew you were bitter and never truly accepted Landon, but how could you physically attack him?!"
Landon whimpered, putting on a pitiful, tear-streaked face. "Mom, don't be mad at Patrick. It's not his fault. He said this suit costs thirty million, and if I don't pay him, I have no right to wear it. But I don't have that kind of money... He didn't mean to push me..."
He lifted his face with heartbreaking vulnerability. "It's all my fault for being poor. Mom, Ann, if we give him the money, will he stop being angry with me?"
My mother let out a furious snort, her rage boiling over. "Landon, you're far too kind! Give this leech money? In his dreams! I should have known long ago that he's just like his father, a greedy, shameless bastard who only cares about cash!"
A sharp, searing pain shot through my chest. I cupped my burning cheek and stared at her.
Her face was contorted with venomous hostility as she spat insult after insult. The loving mother facade she had maintained for decades shattered into dust right before my eyes.
Ann stepped in, catching her by the arm. "Mom, don't."
A faint, pathetic ember of hope flickered in the depths of my heart.
Yet a second later, Ann spoke in a tone of absolute coldness. "If you push him too far, he might turn up to ruin Landon's wedding."
"Since he craves money so badly, just throw it at him. Consider it a donation to a homeless beggar."
She pulled a metallic black card from her designer bag and tossed it casually at my feet, her voice laced with deep disgust. "There's over thirty million in that account. Is that enough for you?"
"Take the money and get out. Don't ever show your face in front of Landon again."
I stared down at the black card belonging to the Sinclair family.
The very last shred of attachment in my heart burned to ash.
I slowly bent down, picked up the card, and let out a careless, unbothered smile.
Looking at the ruined pile of my belongings scattered across the living room floor, I didn't bother packing anymore.
"Since Miss Sinclair is offering such a generous price, I'll sell the whole lot to you." I looked at her with venomous sarcasm. "Now that Miss Sinclair has formally claimed a new brother and a new stepmother, I certainly won't stay around to eyesore you."
"From this day forward, I have zero relation to the Sinclair family!"
I dug through the pile, pulled out my passport and legal IDs, and turned to walk toward the entrance.
"Wait a minute!" Landon called out, his voice sharp and demanding.
I paused, glancing back. "What now?"
He sneered coldly. "Since you claims everything here is sold to me for thirty million, shouldn't you leave one specific item behind?"
I frowned, genuinely confused.
He let out a nasty laugh. "You're divorced from Genevieve now, aren't you? Is it really appropriate for you to still be wearing that wedding band?"
I looked down at the simple gold band wrapped around my ring finger, sudden realization hitting me.
This ring was a gift Genevieve had given me when we first started dating. She had forged the matching pair herself, etching our names into the interior band.
She used to say that gold was the most stable element in the physical world. Just like our love.
Yet we both forgot that gold was also the softest metal. Given a little external pressure, it distorts beyond recognition.
After ten years of entanglement with Genevieve, the ring had practically grown into my flesh, refusing to slide off.
I tugged at it twice, but my knuckle was swollen. Reaching over to the console table, I grabbed a heavy pair of craft scissors and jammed the blade right under the gold band.
Just as the metal snapped with a sharp click, a furious shout echoed from the front door.
"Patrick! What the hell are you doing?!"
The heavy scissors were ripped from my grip. Genevieve pulled me fiercely into her arms. "Are you trying to hurt yourself again?!"
Her gaze dropped to the severed gold ring in my palm, and her voice cut off instantly.
Her eyes filled with sheer disbelief. "You... you actually cut this ring? Why?!"
"Genevieve, I'm the one who wanted that ring," Landon cut in from the side.
Genevieve finally registered Landon standing nearby.
Landon's face was sour, his fingers clutching his jacket hem tight. "Patrick sold everything to me for thirty million anyway. Genevieve, you made that ring with your own hands. I want to take it back. You don't mind, do you?"
Genevieve quickly released me, offering Landon a gentle, doting smile. "Landon, that style is outdated. If you like gold, I'll forge a brand new pair for you."
Tears welled up in Landon's eyes. "No, I want you to melt this specific ring down and craft a new one for me."
"You promised me that once our baby was born, you'd give me anything I asked for."
Genevieve fell silent for a few long seconds before nodding helplessly. "Alright."
A sarcastic smirk tugged at my lips. I pulled the broken gold band off my finger, tossed it onto the floor, and turned to leave.
Landon called out yet again. "Patrick, you said you're severing all ties with the Sinclair family. In that case, there's one more thing you need to surrender."
He turned his tear-filled eyes toward the three women. "Mom, Ann, Genevieve... I'm a son of the Sinclair family now. I want to legally change my name and reclaim my place."
My mother nodded repeatedly. "Yes, returning to the family is a joyous occasion! I'll consult a name master immediately to pick the luckiest name for you..."
Landon cut her off. "Mom, I've already decided on my future name."
A cruel smile stretched across his lips. "I want to be named Patrick."
"So, brother, do me a favor and change your name to something else."
"Genevieve, this is my final request. You'll make it happen for me, won't you?"
Patrick... was the name my late father gave me. It meant fair warrior.
Genevieve knew the story behind my name.
Yet after a brief moment of internal struggle, she opened her mouth anyway. "Patrick... just change your name to something else. I'll pay you extra compensation for the trouble."
I pulled at the corner of my mouth and gave a calm nod. "Sure. As long as the cash hits my account."
Genevieve let out a massive sigh of relief. "I'll have my assistant wire you another fifty million right away."
An hour later, Genevieve's legal team escorted me to the city registry office to execute the legal name change.
Standing outside on the sidewalk, I held my brand-new identification card up to the sky, letting out a soft smile.
My name, my old identity, my past love... I had thrown all of it away. From this moment on, I belonged only to true freedom.
At the airport terminal, Genevieve called my phone.
"Patrick... once you finish with the registry, head over to the south-side villa first. I've had the movers drop off some new furniture."
"Landon was just throwing a childish tantrum. Once things settle down, I'll make him change his name back. Don't hold it against him."
I gave a faint, agreeable hum and hung up the phone.
A text from a real estate agent popped up on my screen: Mr. Holloway, the south-side villa has been sold according to your instructions. The buyer was thrilled with the below-market price and wired the full cash amount immediately. Please verify the receipt.
I replied with a quick confirmation, checked the astronomical balance in my bank account, popped out the SIM card, and dropped it into a terminal trash bin.
Turning around, I smiled gently at the young girl beside me. "Let me know when you're ready. Our flight is boarding."