Dead silence reigned at the entrance to the military region. No one dared speak. Then, a horn sounded. Everyone turned to look, their expressions brightening. Why were they leaving? The soldiers and lieutenant at the entrance straightened and saluted.

"Good day, sir!" they chorused, their voices bright and resonant.

Gladys lowered her window and leaned out, poorly concealed excitement and pride etched on her face. As the car approached, the waiting vehicles parted to let them through. Gladys even craned her neck and waved to the soldiers.

"Good job, boys! Good job!" she called out, her mannerisms those of an officer.

The car exited the military region and stopped in front of the Callahans, who still stood at the entrance. Gladys stepped out, head held high, radiating pride. Beaming, she said, "Dad, let's go home. I've seen what's inside. There's nothing much"

The Callahans looked ashen, their expressions grim. Silence fell again. They knew Gladys was showing off.

Gladys glanced at Megan, noticing Colson's absence. In honeyed tones, she said, "Megan, where's your boyfriend? Where's Colson? Didn't he get us an invitation? Was it counterfeit? The Oswalds can't even compare to my son-in-law—who's trash."

Megan paled, grinding her teeth. She had no reply. Gladys reveled in Megan's expression.

"Take all the credit for my son-in-law, then! I bet you're regretting it now!"

"Dad, what's wrong? You don't look well. Why don't you get in the Lunar Shine and take a breather? It doesn't have AC, though. With this heat, would you be able to handle it?"

"Enough!" Howard shouted. "Gladys, what is all this? Are you trying to make things worse?"

Gladys planted her hands on her hips, pointing at Howard. "What are you shouting about? Just because you're the eldest son and have the most power, you belittle us constantly. Just because you live in the villa with Dad, you say whatever you want. My son-in-law got us the invitation, but you claimed the credit! How dare you insult Thea and our family after that?"

Gladys had hated them for a long time. "James is just a soldier. He has no money or power, but so what? As a soldier, he has comrades and superiors. Let me tell you something: James called his superior because you stole his credit. His superior informed the Western Border Patrol to invalidate the Callahans' invitation."

Gladys felt immense relief. She no longer cared if Lex revoked their remaining shares. She knew Howard and his family too well. With them around, Benjamin's shares wouldn't have been his for long anyway; they would have been revoked in no time.

The Callahans were speechless. Lex, however, finally realized the truth of James's words. He had promised an invitation and kept his word.

"I'm a fool I'm a fool" Lex smacked his forehead.

Megan approached, supporting him. "Grandfather, calm down. She's just spouting nonsense."

"Exactly," Tommy agreed. "Colson got us the invitation using the Oswald name. All we did was anger the higher-ups with our lavish display. Gladys is using this to sow discord. She's just unhappy about her revoked shares."

The Callahans chimed in, hurling insults at Gladys. "Gladys, you've crossed the line. Apologize to Dad at once."

Gladys dismissed them. "Apologize? He's cast us out. We're no longer Callahans. Why should I apologize? I'm telling you now, I don't even want the shares anymore. If you want them, take them. I'll live my best life even after leaving the family!"

Gladys had reached her limit. This was her final stand. Ignoring Lex—a power-hungry, stubborn old fool—she got into the car.

"James, let's re-enter the military region. No, several times. I want Lex to regret casting us out."