Chapter 2: Furious Mother-in-Law

The onlookers stirred the moment that shout rang out. Showyer Group was one of Midcoast's best-known public companies. It had its hands in everything from real estate and hotels to tourism and restaurants. Its market cap topped tens of billions. Cloudbliss Square right in front of them was one of the Showyer family's properties. And Kyla Showyer, the president of Showyer Group, had just saved her and her daughter. That meant she had become the most honored guest in the entire company. What did that even mean? At the very least, she would never worry about food or money for the rest of her life. What kind of insane luck had this kid stumbled into? Just then, the person in charge of Cloudbliss Square finally arrived, bringing a whole group with him. He shoved through the crowd to the center. The instant he saw Kyla Showyer holding a little girl covered in blood, his face went paper-white. He wiped at the fat beads of sweat that had burst out on his forehead and stepped forward carefully. "President Kyla..." Before he could finish, Kyla lifted her right hand and cut him off. "Don't bother coming in to work tomorrow. And the person responsible for the exterior advertising, who is it? Find out. Clearly." Seeing the murderous chill in her expression, the manager understood there was no way this would end quietly. His legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground, despair written all over his face. He tried to say something, but several security guards, already taking their cue, hauled him up and dragged him out. Another member of Cloudbliss Square's management hurried over and offered, "Chairman Showyer, you should take the child to the hospital for a full examination as soon as possible. It'll put your mind at ease." Kyla's expression shifted. "Right. And... this gentleman..." "Uh. I'm Holden Duffus." Kyla nodded. "Holden Duffus, you're coming with us." Holden scratched the back of his head, hesitating. "Well... I actually don't need to..." Kyla only waved a hand. A few guards immediately stepped in and lifted Holden up like he weighed nothing. Others gathered the scattered items from the ground. Then, with Juliana Letherdale still looking dazed and at a loss, they escorted the whole group straight to the hospital. Holden, completely stunned from start to finish, got carried through every single test. After reviewing the results, the doctor stared at him in disbelief. If there hadn't been so many witnesses, he never would have believed this man had been crushed by a massive billboard not long ago and had even coughed up blood. The reason was simple. The report showed Holden's body was absurdly normal, even healthier than the average person. There wasn't a single problem. On the other side, Kyla came up to him, concern on her face. "How is it, Holden? Are you alright?" Holden smiled and waved it off. "I'm fine. What about Whitney?" Kyla shook her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, forcing a lighter smile. "The doctor said Whitney has a mild concussion. She needs to stay overnight for observation, but it shouldn't be serious." "That's good." Holden finally let out the breath he'd been holding. "Give me your phone," Kyla said. Holden blinked at the hand thrust out in front of him. He fumbled out his phone, still a little slow. "What for?" Kyla took it and quickly punched in a number, calling it. When her own phone rang, she held Holden's screen up for him to see. "That's my private number. If you run into any trouble in the future, call me anytime. Remember it. Any time, any thing. Do you hear me?" "Uh..." She was that forceful? Holden took the phone back and nodded stiffly. Kyla checked the time, then smiled. "Holden, want to have dinner with your big sister tonight?" Juliana, who had finally fully processed what was happening, hurried over and cut in, "No, thanks. My sister is waiting for us at home. If she knows something happened to my brother-in-law, she's probably freaking out. Holden, we should go back early." Holden looked at his so-called sister-in-law with a strange expression. He had no idea what was going on with her today. This was the first time she had ever called him "brother-in-law." What was this? A trap? Still, he didn't argue. For one, ever since he had become the Letherdale family's live-in son-in-law, housework had basically become his job. It was already close to five. If he didn't get back to cook, his father-in-law and mother-in-law, who already hated him, would probably explode. For another, ever since Whitney Showyer was completely out of danger, Kyla had only gotten more and more domineering. Holden genuinely couldn't handle it. He nodded along quickly. "Yeah, yeah. Next time, then. If we don't go back soon, the family will worry." Kyla studied the two of them for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Alright. Holden, remember. If anything comes up, call me." After leaving the hospital, Holden got into Juliana Letherdale's red Four Rings. He still looked a little blank, like his brain hadn't caught up with the day. But to Juliana, that expression looked like he was still thinking about Kyla. She let out a cold laugh. "What, Holden? You really planning to call her?" "Huh?" Holden hadn't caught it. He turned to her, confused. "What did you say?" The way he looked only irritated her more. Juliana didn't even start the car. She twisted in her seat and tore into him. "Holden, you don't actually think saving someone means you've got a chance, do you? "Sure, Kyla's single. She's gorgeous. She's also one of Midcoast's few super-rich female tycoons. But take a good look in the mirror. You're trash. And you're the Letherdale family's live-in son-in-law. What are you trying to do, huh? Call her up and go have dinner together? "And her temper, you felt it for yourself. You saved her, and look at the finger marks on your face. That was with her daughter being fine. If something had really happened to her daughter, she might have killed you. Let's see if you'd still be alive to regret it then!" Only then did Holden understand. He shot her a speechless look. He held it in for a long time before finally saying, "Didn't you say that as long as I opened my eyes, you'd never call me trash again?" "You..." Juliana's pretty face flushed red on the spot. She glared at him, embarrassed and furious. "Did I say that? I don't remember. Trash, trash, trash. You're trash! Hmph. I'll call you whatever I want. So what?" Of course. He never should have expected anything from her. Holden sighed and chose to keep his mouth shut. Juliana glared at him again and jabbed a finger in his direction. "Anyway, I'm warning you. Before my sister divorces you, you're not allowed to be alone with any woman. You've embarrassed my sister enough already. I don't want to hear any more gossip about this kind of thing. Got it?" Holden opened his mouth, then finally understood what she was really getting at. His thoughts drifted for a moment, and he suddenly remembered the ridicule and blows Jayla Letherdale had taken over the past two-plus years since he entered the Letherdale family. Maybe... she had it worse than he did. With a soft sigh, Holden shook his head. "Don't worry. I know my place." "Hmph. Good." After all that chaos, it was nearly six by the time they got home. Luckily, his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and Jayla still weren't back. Otherwise, seeing the two of them, one covered in blood with ten clear finger marks across his face, and the other with a scraped knee and a huge hole in her stockings, they would have gotten an earful for sure. Holden grabbed a change of clothes and rushed into the bathroom to shower. Only after he stripped and stood in front of the mirror did he realize the jade pendant on his body was gone. In its place, right at the center of his chest, there was a dark red oval mark like a birthmark. Holden recognized it at a glance. It was the exact shape of his pendant. He touched the mark and muttered, "So... is this the real reason they suddenly appeared in my head?" In the next instant, he noticed something else, and his eyes widened. The handprints on his face had vanished without a trace. "This... is that also the Supreme Mystery Scripture's power?" He didn't have time to think. His in-laws would be home soon. He rinsed off quickly, got out, and immediately started chopping vegetables and cooking. Time was still too tight. Holden had just finished the second dish when the front door opened. The moment she stepped inside, Aya Showyer's face already looked ugly. When she saw only two dishes on the table, her brows shot up. She kicked off her shoes, strode into the living room in a few steps, and bellowed toward the kitchen, "Holden!" Holden, still scrubbing a pan, hurriedly turned off the water. He wiped his hands on his apron and jogged to the kitchen doorway. "Mom! You're back!" Aya gave him a look full of disgust. "What's going on? You don't work all day, and you can't even handle housework properly? Are you trying to starve me and your dad?" Holden glanced at Juliana on the couch, scrolling on her phone like none of this concerned her. She had no intention of speaking up. He could only sigh. "Sorry, Mom. Something came up today and delayed me. It'll be ready soon. Please wait a bit." That only made Aya more dissatisfied. She let out a cold laugh. "Something came up? What business does a househusband have? Housework is your business. You don't even understand that? Useless. You can't do anything right!" Holden clenched his fists, his face darkening. Darren Letherdale, who had come in behind her, finally couldn't stand it. "Enough. Stop. Holden, go finish cooking." "Yes, Dad." By seven thirty, all the dishes were finally on the table. But aside from Juliana, everyone's faces looked sour. Thinking of how Jayla had rushed back to the company that afternoon, Holden had a vague guess as to why. It didn't have much to do with him, though. In the Letherdale family, he was nothing more than a maid. No one felt like talking. They ate in silence. Halfway through the meal, Holden's brows slowly knit together. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but it felt like the food vanished before it even reached his stomach. At the same time, waves of heat rose inside him, surging through his organs again and again. Along with that strange energy, Holden only grew hungrier. Without realizing it, he started eating faster. Already in a foul mood, Aya's temper flared the moment she saw it. "Clack!" She slammed her chopsticks onto the table and snapped, "Eat, eat, eat! That's all you do! Look at you, a grown man. Every day it's housework and stuffing your face. Do you have any ambition at all?" Holden's hand froze in midair. After a long, empty pause, he slowly pulled it back and said nothing. "Alright, alright," Darren said, casting Holden a glance. He couldn't watch anymore. "We're eating. Say less." Aya immediately exploded. She slapped the table hard and screeched, "I'm going to talk! If it weren't for him, would the three of us have had to swallow that humiliation today? Look at the faces your two brothers made, huh? Do you think we wanted Jayla to marry this trash? We made that sacrifice for everyone's sake! "And what happened? The moment they got what they wanted, they turned around and mocked us. Did you not hear what they said? They said our family found a useless son-in-law, and the whole household became useless along with him! We couldn't land the Showyer Group order, and that wasn't our fault, so why do they keep grabbing us and ridiculing us nonstop? "When you get down to it, isn't it all because of this trash?!"