Chapter 1 Confrontation

Victor Damone barged into his father-in-law's house, searching for his wife. "Where are you, Carol?"

Rushing into the living room, he saw her seated between her middle-aged parents, Ronald and Martha. Both in-laws made sour faces as soon as they saw him.

Carol looked gorgeous as always, with her chocolate-colored hair and dark-brown eyes. Her brother, Josh, a chubby guy in a sports jacket, relaxed on a couch sporting a smug expression.

The setup looked as if they were prepared to confront him. But he had had enough of their antics. This time they had crossed a line.

"Where is my money, Carol?" Victor asked, glaring at his wife.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ronald barked, getting to his feet. "How dare you come into my house without my permission?"

Ronald Atelier used to be a billionaire, heir to his father, Reginald's company. But he lost most of his inheritance through bad investments and mismanagement. Moreover, making his spendthrift son the CEO was the final nail in the coffin. Josh made fresh holes in the sinking boat.

The Atelier family was gradually fading into oblivion. Ronald had been desperately trying to squeeze money out of people and refinance his company. He had even tried to marry his beautiful daughter to billionaires in exchange for monetary help, but Reginald had insisted that she marry Victor.

"Have you lost your mind, tramp?" Josh raged at his brother-in-law. "Just because you are married to my sister doesn't mean you can stroll into our house as if it is a public park! You can't come and go as you please!"

Victor's fists clenched and unclenched, but he digested his in-laws' insults without lashing out. He was already acquainted with their hostile behavior after three months of marriage. They always had visceral reactions toward him, no matter how much he tried to make them happy.

The truth was that the Ateliers were facing financial trouble, having splurged most of their family fortune. They wished Carol were married to a billionaire who'd rescue them and bring back the family into the wealthy fold. Victor, who was middle-class and could barely give his wife any luxury, had disappointed them. Therefore, they nurtured this grudge and never shied away from publicly humiliating him.

Carol hung her head in silence and did not come to her husband's aid.

"I'm asking you again," Victor grimly said to his wife. "Tell me the truth. I had eight hundred thousand dollars in my account yesterday. They were savings accumulated over five years of hard work in my grandfather's company. However, when I checked the balance today, only two thousand were left!"

"Are you accusing my daughter of stealing, Victor?" Ronald spat back. "How dare you?"

Victor ignored him and pushed his wife further. "Where is the rest? What have you done with it?"

Carol bit her lip and spoke in a low voice. "I'm sorry, Victor, but I was left with no other choice. My brother needed the funds urgently to finance his new startup. Since you made me a joint account holder in your savings account, I took the liberty to withdraw and loan him the money. But I swear he'll pay you back."

Victor furrowed his brows. "Carol, did you forget grandfather Edgar's surgery is due tomorrow morning? I needed six hundred thousand to pay for the surgery. What am I going to do now?"

Ronald butted in. "Why are you bitching about the paltry amount of eight hundred thousand, Victor? I'm sure Josh will pay you back. Why don't you believe Carol? Didn't she just explain it was an urgent need?"

Victor eyed his father-in-law with suspicion. Most likely, it was Ronald who manipulated his daughter and withdrew the money. Both husband and wife were greedy hyenas, while their useless son was a spoiled jerk. Together they made Carol dance like a puppet.

Victor shut his eyes and massaged his temples, trying to think of a solution. "It's fine, Carol. I'll manage to pay my grandfather's surgery fee. I'll go to the bank right away and mortgage our new house. The bank can definitely give me a loan."

Carol raised her eyes to her husband for the first time. She was a natural beauty with beady brown eyes and high cheekbones. In fact, she had won several beauty contests growing up. However, right now, guilt was written across her face.

"I've mortgaged our house already, dear," she said solemnly. "The balance in your account was not enough to finance Josh's startup. I needed another five hundred thousand. And you're right—the bank was more than willing to finance us."

Victor took a step back in shock. He felt his head would explode. Half his savings had gone into purchasing a house in Carol's name the previous month. He had done it out of marital duty and to show his in-laws that he could provide for her.

Was their marriage really doomed?