Chapter 2: Insult

All he wanted was to live a simple life. But his circumstances had gotten worse with time.

"Isn't your grandfather over ninety years old already?" Martha muttered. She had been silent all along but decided to voice her opinion, now that she saw her son-in-law lose his bearings.

"Let that old man kick the bucket. There's no point in patching him up at his age. Josh is young and can make better use of the money."

Victor shot his mother-in-law a murderous glance, but she stared back at him defiantly. How could the hag say something so terrible? His mind raced, and he suspected something was definitely wrong. His in-laws appeared more aggressive than usual.

He turned to his wife again. "Why did you do this to me, Carol? I understand your parents have nothing to do with my grandfather, Edgar. But isn't his health of any value to you? He was the reason we got hitched in the first place."

Edgar Damone and Reginald Atelier had been best friends. They had decided to get their grandchildren married. Carol, who was very fond of her late grandpa, gave in to his wishes and married Victor.

At the moment, she hung her head again but did not appear ashamed of her actions. "I understand that… But my brother…" she mumbled stubbornly.

Victor addressed his brother-in-law. "Josh, give me back the money now. A life is at stake here!"

The brat stood to his full height and scoffed. "No way, bro. I've already purchased a luxurious couples’ holiday package and a local pub with the money. There's nothing left to give back to you. Maybe I can return the money in five years, provided my new pub does well. No promises, though."

Anger flashed in Victor's eyes. "What? Your new startup is a pub? And you purchased a holiday package with it? Are you insane?"

"Hey, don't get your panties in a bunch, bro," Josh fired back. "It's not a huge sum of money. I need the holiday package and some spending money to retain my girlfriend, Jenna. Besides, I didn't object when you married my sister, did I? You owe me big time for that!"

"That's right!" Martha said. "Carol had a dozen proposals from billionaires across the state. But she turned all of them down to respect her grandfather's wishes. As a result, we were stuck with a middle-class son-in-law. Such grievous fortune! What sins did we commit to deserve this? And now you've shown your petty colors, being stingy about a small sum of money. Shame on you!"

"Yep. It's just a few hundred thousand dollars, bro," Josh said with a condescending tone. "Take a chill pill."

Victor's eyes were red with fury. "A few hundred thousand, you son of a-"

He rushed towards Josh, grabbed his collars, and shook him violently. "You little brat! You've thrown away the hard-earned money that I accumulated over two years! Money that was supposed to pay for my grandfather's treatment!"

Ronald came in to rescue his son. "Leave him alone, you good-for-nothing man! Have you lost your damn mind?! How dare you touch my son?!"

"Let go of Josh, or I'll call the police on you!" Martha warned, her voice climbing to a high pitch.

His in-laws' raucous protests did not sway Victor. His anger had jumped by leaps and bounds. He could strangle Josh right there.

However, Carol let out a gasp when Victor assaulted her brother. Her expression changed from guilty to rigid. She got to her feet and approached her husband. Carol was a tall, elegant twenty-three-year-old with curves at the right places. She put a firm hand on his arm.

"Let him go, Victor," she said sternly. "You haven't given me anything except a crappy home in these three months of married life. Don't I deserve better? We haven't even consummated our marriage because I was waiting for you to become successful. I have reached the end of my patience."

"No matter how much you try, I don't think you'll get any further in life. And now, you have crossed a line. Just because I gave some money to my brother, you want to beat him up? What kind of husband are you?"

The words shook Victor to the core. He was aghast that Carol was taking Josh's side and repeating her parents' sentiments. Just a few months back, they had a good understanding. She had promised to be patient until his hard work paid off at Edgar's company.

"All you have is your good looks and fitness," Ronald jibed with a sarcastic laugh. "Why don't you become a school gym teacher, huh? That'll pay better than slaving in your failing family business."

Victor gritted his teeth. He was enraged by Ronald's nerve to say take potshots at Edgar's business when his own company was bleeding. First, they stole his money and were now piling humiliation on him? Villains!

Just then, they heard vehicles screech to a halt outside the house.

Josh hurried to see who it was. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, looking through the living room window. "Two latest-model Ferraris just parked outside. It seems a really wealthy person has come to visit us, dad!"