Mother-in-law: “You shall leave my daughter immediately, you’re a complete good for nothing who isn’t worthy of her.”
Three days later, the son-in-law drives up in a luxurious car.
Mother-in-law: “Please, I’m begging you, don’t leave my daughter.”
“Darryl, dump away our foot wash.”
Three women sat on the sofa, having just had their feet soaked and washed. From afar, these three beauties exuded an air of seduction and class, each with their unique charm. Among these three women, was Darryl’s wife and her two best friends.
Upon his wife’s behest, Darryl dumped the bowls of dirty water away subserviently. He dared not utter a single complaint; after all, he was the family’s live-in son-in-law. Even after three years of marriage, he had no place in the family. His wife and mother-in-law would berate him for the slightest mistakes. Even a mutt would have a higher standing in the family than he did.
Darryl and Lily Lyndon were husband and wife for three years, but only in name, for they have not consummated their marriage. He has not even felt the touch of her hand! Every night Darryl slept on the floor because of how heartily Lily despised him.
Washing, cooking, cleaning the rooms, every single household chore was Darryl’s duty. Once, he broke a bowl while cooking and was berated by Lily for half an hour.
There was also a night when Darryl had to use the bathroom and unintentionally woke Lily up, and she slapped him hard on the face without any hesitation.
That was the first time in his life that Darryl got hit. Since young, his parents could not even bear to lay a single finger on him! He was angry, yet he had to keep his fury to himself. All he could do was apologize profusely to Lily. In the end, he was punished to kneel the entire night.
It has been three years now, and Darryl had gotten used to this lifestyle. Who else did he have but himself to blame for becoming a live-in son-in-law? Worse still, having lived day in day out with Lily for three years, Darryl found himself unwittingly in love with her, even though he knew full well that she despised him and treated him like nothing!
Darryl was initially the second eldest son of the Darby clan, known as the largest clan in the Jiangnan region. Three years ago, he had used eight million bucks in cash to purchase an eight percent share in a company called Southeast Petroleum.
During that time, hundreds of members of the Darby clan had scolded Darryl. Some called him mad; some even accused him of harboring bad intentions, wanting to siphon the family fortune for himself. Ultimately the clan agreed in unison to disown Darryl, including his parents, and erased them from the clan records!
During these three years, Darryl felt the volatility of relationships. Old and dear friends were constantly looking for ways to avoid him. He had no choice but to resort to becoming a live-in son-in-law for the sake of his livelihood. He has never mentioned this matter to a single soul, not even to Lily.
“My dear Lily, you’ve certainly trained your husband well,” said Jade, one of Lily’s best friends.
Lily let out a cold chuckle. “Are you talking about Darryl? Other women marry into affluent families. Meanwhile, it’s just my luck to be stuck with a guy like him. Look at how uncouth he is. Just one look is enough to tell you that he’s a peasant from the countryside. Bringing him to the Lyndon clan’s annual gathering tomorrow would be an embarrassment.”
Jade could not help but sneak a glance at Darryl. Indeed, all he had on were bargained goods, looking absolutely shabby. Jade laughed. “Alright, Lily, enough about him. On a more serious note, I heard that there have been some issues with your company lately?”
Lily nodded solemnly. “Last month, we lost millions trying to start up a fashion business. Now the company is short on funds and is in dire need of five million dollars. We’ve got to find an investor within a week to finance our company.”
“My dear Lily, who’s willing to fork out five million in a week to finance you?” sighed Jade.
Lily did not reply, instead, she noticed that Darryl, who had completed his task, was eavesdropping on their conversation. She shot him a sharp stare and said coldly, “Darryl, who said you could be here? Get lost and have my clothes washed.”
“Wash my jeans too. They’re in my luggage,” chimed in Jade as well.
Darryl dared not complain and proceeded to place their clothes into the washing machine along with his. Tomorrow was his high school reunion, and he had to put a little effort into looking presentable at the very least. As he was thinking about the reunion, his thought was interrupted by the buzzing of his cellphone. He checked his cellphone and saw that he had received a text message from a number ending with six eights. His eyebrows furrowed upon seeing the number, ‘Isn’t this the Darby clan’s number?’ he thought.
Darryl opened the message in curiosity and was shocked by reading it.
‘Oh, our second young master, please help our clan. The Darby clan is in dire need of funds, and we really need your financial support!’
‘Preposterous!’ Darryl furrowed his eyebrows and thought to himself. ‘Just three years ago, I was banished by the clan, and now with nothing to my name and 20 bucks in my pocket, they want my financial support? What use am I to them?’
Darryl’s thoughts were once again interrupted by the buzzing of his cellphone. It was another message.
‘Young master, please, I’m begging you to help your clan. The shares you bought three years ago have turned a huge profit. Please... we’re doomed without your support...’
‘What!?’
Darryl was taken aback by that message. He quickly took out his Amethyst Bank card at a speed he never knew he had. The card had been in a state of disuse for three long years. It was a status symbol for the rich, for every card has its own dedicated customer service representative. He hastily dialed up the bank’s customer service.
“Greetings, Mr. Darby. How may we assist you today?” answered a sweet feminine voice.
“Quick! Give me my account balance.”
“My pleasure, sir, please wait a moment,” replied the lady. Within seconds, the lady spoke again. “Mr. Darby, your total account balance has a large sum above our checking limit. If you could kindly come to our bank’s VIP section with the appropriate identity verification, we would be glad to assist you.”
Before the lady could finish her sentence, Darryl had already hung up the call.
‘Total account balance has a large sum!?’ laughed Darryl while entertaining his thoughts. Who would have thought that this investment three years ago, which caused his banishment, would lead to such a pleasant surprise three years later! The added mystery of not knowing the exact amount of this large sum of money fueled his excitement.
“Lily, look at Darryl checking his account balance on the phone,” laughed Jade uncontrollably.
Lily laughed as well. “I give him an allowance of 200 bucks a day. I suppose he’s saved up quite a sum over the past 3 years.”
“Oh Lily, just treat it as if you’re rearing a dog,” said Jade, prompting the three women to laugh in unison.
Darryl ran to his wife in excitement and said, “Your company lacks five million bucks, right? How about... how about I find a way to solve this issue?”
Jade burst out laughing with no end in sight. She merely glanced at Darryl and said, “Darryl, can you even comprehend the value of five million? Dear Lily gives you 200 bucks every day. If you can somehow fork out five million, perhaps I should start calling you daddy.”
“Oh really?” said Darryl with a sly grin. “In that case, you better keep what you said in mind.”
Lily could not stand him any longer. Darryl must have lost his mind, standing among them looking like a peasant bothered Lily. She impatiently waved her hand. “Get lost, stop being an eyesore around us.”
“Oh,” he reacted and left without saying another word.
Darryl was unable to sleep due to the excitement. He dared not believe that such good news would appear out of nowhere. He was determined to head to the bank in-person to check the balance for himself.
Darryl tossed and turned until dawn before barely falling asleep. However, halfway through his sweet slumber came the voice of his mother-in-law reverberating from the living room.
“Darryl, wake up and send my daughter to work.”
Darryl heard his mother-in-law, Samantha’s voice, in his sleep. He assumed that it was just a dream and simply turned his back and continued his slumber. At this moment, the bedroom door opened, and in came Samantha giving him an impatient kick.
“Didn’t you hear me calling you to send Lily to work?” said Samantha coldly.
Darryl had to admit, Samantha was a beauty in her thirties. She took great care to maintain her looks.
Darryl drowsily got up from the floor and stared at Samantha with a dumbfounded look on his face. ‘After three years of marriage, not once have I gone out with Lily, for she found me to be an embarrassment, and now out of sudden, she wants me to send her to work!?’ Darryl thought to himself.
It was right at that thought when Lily herself came into the room, dressed in her business attire. She stomped her feet in a rush. “Be quick, or is it that you’re not willing to send me?”
“I’m willing! I’m willing!” Darryl said he nodded his head non-stop. He hastily put on a change of clothes, got on his electric bike, and drove Lily to her office.
Lily was filled with fiery rage due to her company’s lack of funds and the urgent need for a five million bucks investment. However, she was not able to find an investor, and now her company is facing bankruptcy! An emergency meeting of shareholders was called to deal with this issue, and as the general manager of the company, her attendance was mandatory. It was only when she stepped out of the door in the morning that she realized that she had lent her car to Jade. As a last resort, she had no choice but to have Darryl send her to work.
“Can’t you go any faster? I’ll be screwed if I’m late,” said Lily impatiently at the sight of Darryl’s slow-moving vehicle.
As the words left her mouth, Lily began to regret them. Darryl through his sheer will pushed his busted up bike through its limits!
The speed of the bike was too much for Lily, and she could not help but hold on tight to Darryl’s waist.
The sudden hug caused Darryl’s body to quiver all over. After three years of marriage, this was the first time they had physical contact with each other. A surge of excitement welled up from within him from Lily’s pressure on his back, prompting him to accelerate his bike even faster.
Eventually, the couple arrived at the office building’s main entrance, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief upon their arrival. As she was about to get off the bike, came the thunderous roar of an engine. An Audi Q5 pulled up and parked itself beside the bike, and a man stepped out of the car.
Ashton Adagio locked his car and adjusted his suit. He walked toward Lily and pointed at Darryl. “Dear Lily, who is this man?”
“He’s Darryl,” replied Lily gently as she got off the bike.
The wedding that took place between Darryl and Lily got the entire Donghai City shaken up. There was not a single soul in Donghai City that was not aware that the gentle and beautiful Lily Lyndon had wed a piece of trash.
“Oh, so he’s that good for nothing,” said Ashton with a cold snort. He took off his jacket and handed it to Lily. “Poor Lily, it must have been cold on the way here, put this on. I’ve even gotten a gift for you.”
Ashton went back to his car and got out a rather fancy-looking box.
The box contained a seemingly magnificent pair of high-heeled shoes made out of crystal. Whoever has it on would surely emanate a sense of elegance and class.
Several years ago, the Darby clan was also into the fashion business and thus Darryl got to know numerous renowned designers. If his memory served him right, this pair of heels was designed by a British designer, Minah, who named them ‘The Worship of Crystal’. Only 99 pairs were made that year and all of them were bought upon release. They were mostly bought by prominent families, even if one were to have the money now, it would be impossible to have access to a pair.
The ones in Ashton’s hands seemed like the real deal, but the production quality had some minor rough edges, it was obviously a replica.
“Lily, I know that you’ve always liked this pair of heels, but woe is me. I’ve looked high and low but could not find the real thing.” Ashton said as he handed over the heels to Lily. “Therefore I spent three hundred thousand to have this replica made. Wear them for now, and give me a month to buy you the real ones.”
“There’s no need,” said Lily lightly while accepting the pair of heels. “There’s no way you can find the real ones for sale. Even if you did, the price would be outrageously high. A pair was sold for 30 million in an auction just last year. So, there’s no need to waste any more of your time. I think this pair of replicas is already pretty nice.”
“Ah…” gulped Ashton. Indeed, with his total net worth of roughly 30 million, there was no way he could use it all for a pair of heels. All he could do then was let out an awkward laugh.
It was at this moment that Darryl barged over, snatched the pair of heels, and threw them onto the ground!
“My dear wife, let’s not take other people’s stuff. If that’s what you like, then as your husband, I shall buy it for you,” said Darryl as he held onto Lily’s arm, dragging her toward her office building.
“Darryl, what the heck are you talking about?” hushed Lily.
They were standing at the main entrance of the office building, and as general manager, she had to keep her temper in check. She subconsciously tried to free her arm, but Darryl’s grip was too tight.
“Stand right there!” shouted Ashton in a hurry. The shoes cost him three hundred thousand bucks, he was not going to let it slide!
“What’s the meaning of this?” said Ashton as he strode to the couple, pointing and shouting at Darryl. “If you had broken this pair of heels, not even selling your kidney would make up for it, do you know that!?”
“First off, Lily is my wife, kindly stay away from her.”
“Secondly, if my wife is cold, she can have my shirt.” Upon finishing his sentence, Darryl grabbed Ashton’s jacket and tossed it onto the ground. “And finally, anything my wife likes, I’ll provide. A woman of her standard would not stoop so low as to wear replicas. Tonight, I shall present her with the real Worship of Crystal.”
“Even the replica costs three hundred thousand! Judging by your wreck of a bike, how dare you even pretend to be able to afford it!?” Ashton was instantly filled with rage. As the heir of the Adagio clan, no one dared speak to him in such a manner for years until now.
The most infuriating of all, Darryl went so far as to ignore him and dragged Lily into the building.
Ashton kicked Darryl’s bike so hard that it toppled over. However his anger was not quelled, and he proceeded to give it a few more furious kicks.
Meanwhile, in the general manager’s office of Neptunus Corporation...
Lily sat on her office chair and gave Darryl a cold, hard stare. She was trembling with rage. Ashton was a real estate mogul, and backing him was none other than Jiangnan’s number one clan - the Darbys!
Neptunus Corporation needed a five million bucks investment, and Lily had planned to ask Ashton to be the investor. After Darryl’s debacle today, Ashton would surely be seething with rage.
‘I shouldn’t have brought Darryl out! He has nothing to show for and yet has failures in excess, that’s the perfect way of describing him!’ thought Lily.
“Why are you still loitering here? Get lost!” Lily said coldly after glaring at him.
“Oh,” mumbled Darryl, and proceeded to leave the office.
Lily could not help but to get angrier at Darryl’s indifferent attitude, her hatred for him ground her gears. Over the past few years, her friends had married into affluent families. Their husbands were the cream of the crop, even the worst among them had at least two houses and the best with a net worth of billions.
Lily felt more and more wronged at the thought of Darryl. Her extended family would surely ridicule her again because of him during tonight’s clan gathering.
“Who smashed my bike!?” howled Darryl below the building.
The bike had been with him for three years! Darryl rode it to get groceries every single day and now it pained him to see it in such a smashed and broken state. Without a second thought, it was clear that it was Ashton’s doing.
At that moment, a few ladies dressed in business attire walked by in their high-heeled shoes. They were employees of Lily’s company, and they were now pointing and gossiping at Darryl.
“Look ladies, isn’t that Ms. Lyndon’s husband, Darryl?”
“It is him! I was there at her wedding.”
“Look at him, mourning his broken bike...”
Those ladies could not hold back any longer and laugh at him.
Darryl did not even notice their presence, and gently patted his bike. “Sigh... My bike bro, don’t you worry. I’ll avenge you for this, don’t worry...”
While he was comforting his bike, he took out his cellphone and dialed his clan’s number.
“Hey, it’s Darryl. I’m willing to help the clan but on two conditions. First, get me The Worship of Crystal. Next, there’s a man named Ashton Adagio who operates under our clan, right? I want to see him with nothing left to his name.”
Right after the call ended, he received a text message from Lily. It contained only a few words. ‘Tonight is the Lyndon clan’s annual gathering, get a new set of clothes, don’t embarrass me.’
***
At a seaside villa by the eastern sea coast, where one can take in the entire sea view. It was here that the patriarch of the Darby clan invited Darryl for a meeting.
Darryl sat on a rocking chair without a care in the world, while Darby clan’s patriarch sat across him. This man was Drake Darby, Darryl’s paternal uncle.
Upon seeing Darryl’s sitting posture, Drake let out a chuckle. “Oh Darryl, even after all these years, you’re still the same carefree boy.”
“Uncle, let’s cut to the chase, I have other matters to attend to tonight. You mentioned that the family fortune is in debt, so tell me, how much?” Darryl picked up a huge cherry, placed it in his mouth, and started chewing on it.
“Well... it’s not exactly a huge amount...” drifted Drake while scratching his head. As the patriarch, surely he has been through a lot of important meetings, but given the circumstance that he was the one requiring assistance, he had to exercise a certain amount of caution.
“We’re just three billion dollars in debt...”
‘What!? Three billion dollars!?’ thought Darryl.
“Um... uncle, I have other matters to attend to, I should be heading out,” said Darryl gloomily as he stood up, preparing to leave.
“Oh dear Darryl!” said Drake in a hurry. “Darryl, our clan needs the funding! Without it, everything we’ve built would be ruined! The two conditions you’ve mentioned will be met! Ashton Adagio will be left with nothing by tonight, and The Worship of Crystal is already on its way.”
“Uncle, I want to help you, but where in the world would I have such an amount of money?” said Darryl, letting out a long sigh.
“Darryl, do you want to see our clan crumble in front of your very eyes? You have 3.2 billion in your bank account!” Drake was truly desperate. “We can’t forget our roots!
Darryl was all smiles but after hearing those words, it slowly faded away. “Uncle, back when I bought the shares for Southeast Petroleum, your wife said that I was up to no good and that I planned to have the family fortune transferred to myself! Hundreds of my family members berated me, and got me banished from the clan! Was there anyone that tried to defend me!?”
“You guys know well that every single penny of the eight million I had used to buy the shares was earned by myself, they were never part of the family fortune!”
“All these years I’ve been treated terribly for being a live-in son-in-law, did any of our family come to help!?”
“If it wasn’t for the lack of funds, you guys would have forgotten about me!” Darryl clenched his fists, expressing himself word by word.
“Darryl, we were wrong to banish you, we sincerely apologize... But right now our clan is in dire need for your funding...” said Drake as he stepped forward, holding onto Darryl’s arm. He took a deep breath and continued, “Darryl, as long as you’re willing to support our clan, as patriarch I will grant you the position of President of Platinum Corporation. Give me your identity card, and head over to Platinum Corporation’s office building tomorrow. A secretary will be there to fill you in on the details.”
Platinum Corporation was an entertainment company with the highest potential under the Darby clan’s control. Many top celebrities were under their contract.
All these while Platinum Corporation was under the management of Drake’s wife. It came as a surprise that he was willing to hand over the entire company to Darryl.
“Sure, if that’s all, I’ll be going off,” said Darryl after giving it some consideration. Even though purchasing Platinum Corporation for three billion dollars seemed inappropriate, he relented seeing that the patriarch was about to burst into tears.
Darryl left after finishing his words. Tonight was the Lyndon clan’s annual gathering, but there was another important matter to Darryl before that, which was his high school reunion. The reunion was about to begin and he was determined not to be late. He longed to meet his classmates after such a long time without contact. His entire class would be at today’s gathering, even the beautiful class teacher apparently would be attending too.
Meanwhile, at Neptunus Corporation.
Lily had just left the meeting room after finishing her meeting with the shareholders when she saw her employees talking and laughing at their cellphones.
How dare they shrug their duties during working hours? Lily walked toward them intending to reprimand, but instead, she saw that they were watching a video, and in that video was none other than Darryl!
“My bike bro, don’t you worry. I’ll avenge you for this…”
In the video, Darryl was caressing his bike with a face full of sorrow.
“Haha, this guy is hilarious, who is it?”
“You don’t know? It’s Miss Lyndon’s husband.”
“What? Do you mean the guy good for nothing? So I’ve heard that she was married to such a guy…”
The ladies were happily gossiping away when one of them stood up and did a mimicry of Darryl. “I don’t suppose you girls know that earlier today when I just arrived at work, I heard Darryl said he was gonna buy The Worship of Crystal for Miss Lyndon!”
“Hahaha, that is such a huge joke!”
“Yeah, look at how uncouth he is, so distressed over his broken bike. The Worship of Crystal costs 30 million, he’ll have to work several lifetimes for that amount!”
Their discussion was in full swing when one of them turned around and noticed Lily looming over them. The expression on their faces changed in an instant.
“Sorry Miss Lyndon, we’ll get back to work…”
Lily bit her lip tightly, trying hard to put up with the humiliation! Even though she was the general manager, it was hard not to get red-faced in this situation. She did not go out for lunch, but instead locked herself in her office, unable to help herself but to get teary-eyed.
Meanwhile, Darryl was walking home while humming a tune. He had to attend his high school reunion in a moment so he went back to change.
Initially, Darryl was in a good mood, but as he entered the house, he was greeted by the sight of Samantha sitting cross-legged on the sofa, looking at him with cold eyes.
“Darryl, good timing to be back, get over here.”
Darryl had been living with the family for three years, and the fear he had for Samantha was extreme.
“Darryl, pack your stuff, you’re going to get a divorce tomorrow and move out of here,” said Samantha coldly.
“But ma’am... My affection for Lily is sincere…” said Darryl with his head lowered. After three years of company, it was certain that he would develop feelings for Lily.
Samantha slammed the table upon hearing those words. She stood up and walked up next to Darryl. “You like my daughter? What right do you have for her? I’ve put up with you for three years, what else can you do besides household chores? How are you fit for my daughter? Do you know that numerous men are vying to be with my daughter? Ashton Adagio just called and said as long as I grant him my daughter, he’ll immediately give a dowry of 20 million bucks.”
20-million dowry? Darryl let out a faint smile. Ashton was a distant relative under the Darby clan, he was the son of an aunt. All the funds for Ashton’s company were sponsored by the Darbys. Darryl had already called his clan beforehand, and within 24 hours, Ashton Adagio would be left with nothing. How would he find that 20 million?
“Ma’am, I won’t leave. I’ll agree to the divorce, but only if Lily says it to me in person.” Darryl finished his words, turned around, and left the house.
“How dare you! Come back here right now!” Samantha stomped her feet in anger and went after Darryl in her high heels, but he was too far gone.
In the evening, at Neptunus Corporation.
Lily had locked herself in her office for the entire day. That video of Darryl had gone viral around the company, making him a laughing stock.
Lily took a deep breath before slowly leaving her office. “Alright, you guys can leave now,” said Lily to her employees.
“Miss Lyndon, there’s a package for you.” The front desk receptionist carried a box over and handed it to Lily.
Upon seeing the box, the crowd let out a sound of astonishment! It... it cannot possibly be so luxurious? How can a mere delivery package be gilded?
“Wow, what delivery package is this?”
“Yeah Miss Lily, it’s my first time seeing a gilded delivery package!”
“Surely it must be a gift from someone, open it up and let’s see, Miss Lily.”
Although Lily was stern at work, she maintained a good relationship with her employees. Everyone was curious about the package, it was as if the entire office had formed a crowd around her.
Lily wondered as well. She had never bought stuff online, where could this package have come from? Seeing that everyone was excited, Lily let out a little smile and gently opened the box.
It was at that instant when everyone was stupefied! There was pin-drop silence for about ten seconds before everybody suddenly spoke in furor!
“This... this is... The Worship of Crystal!?”
“It can’t be! The globally limited to only 99 pairs, and sold for up to 30 million dollars, that Worship of Crystal!?”
“It’s so beautiful! Miss Lily, you’re such a fortunate lady!”
They were discussing among themselves, but Lily herself could not utter a single word! She had been fond of this pair of heels for many years. One look was enough for her to determine that it was the real deal!
How was this possible! Lily stepped back in disbelief, it was as if she was in a dream. Unless... unless Ashton had sold his company, and gifted her this pair of heels? The thought of that touched Lily’s heart. If she wore The Worship of Crystal to tonight’s gathering, she would surely be the talk of the place.
***
Donghai City, Flouria KTV.
This KTV is one of Donghai City’s famous entertainment centers. Buying power was very high, those who came are all famous people, filling up the entrance with their luxurious cars. It was here that Darryl would be attending his high school reunion.
Darryl rode his newly bought electric bike here, he was whistling a tune as he parked his vehicle at the entrance. He had wanted to buy a car, but he had given his identity card to the patriarch, so he could only settle for a bike for now. He was about to meet his high school classmates soon, and he was excited.
It was just as he got his vehicle parked that he heard a hurried whistling.
“Can you move?! You’re only riding a shabby bike, and you want to occupy an entire spot?” A BMW 5 series stopped by the side, the driver stuck his head out of the window and called out to Darryl.
The man and Darryl locked eyes and were surprised to see each other!
“Class monitor!?” said Darryl as he ran toward the car. The man inside the car was none other than Darryl’s high school class monitor, Clifford Conway.
“Darryl? What happened to you?” Clifford got out of his car, and looked Darryl up and down before he merely let out a cold laugh, and hastily went into the KTV.
Darryl awkwardly called out to him, wanting to strike up a conversation, but Clifford had no intention of acknowledging him. The two of them walked to the reserved KTV room one after another. The rest of the class had already arrived, and they turned their heads toward the door upon seeing their arrival.
“Class monitor is so handsome now? Truly a successful man!”
The room turned lively upon his arrival. They were all crowding around Clifford.
Clifford was wearing a suit, and it looked expensive. Most importantly, he was holding a BMW car key in his hand.
Meanwhile, Darryl, who was cast aside, was dressed in bargained goods, and in his hands were merely keys for an electric bike. His appearance was no different from a delivery person. No one even cared to acknowledge him, it was truly an awkward moment.
However, Darryl did not care for such things, his eyes scanned the vicinity. After not seeing them for so many years, his female classmates were prettier than the other. The prettiest of all, however, was still Giselle Lindt.
Giselle was the class’s goddess, she frequently wore jeans that accentuated her firm figure. Her beauty was unrivaled.
A few years without seeing Giselle, it seemed that she had acquired a touch of maturity, exuding an air of gentleness. She wore skin-tight jeans to the reunion, further enchanting any onlookers.
Clifford also took notice of Giselle and was hooked almost immediately. He could not help but ask, “Giselle, you’re so charming, what are you up to these days?”
Before Giselle could reply, a lady nearby had already replied first. “Class monitor, you should know by now that Giselle is going to be a celebrity! She is signing a contract with Platinum Corporation soon!”
“Woah!”
The room was in an uproar, who in Donghai City has not heard of Platinum Corporation? Several A-list celebrities were all under them!
To be fair, Giselle was a beautiful woman, compared to the other A-list celebrities, she was not any inferior to them at all.
Darryl was excited upon hearing Platinum Corporation mentioned, for when tomorrow comes, that company would belong to him. On that thought, Darryl smiled and approached Giselle, wanting to sit beside her and have a chat. As he sat down, he saw Giselle frowning, giving him a contempt look as she said, “Can you not sit here?”
“Oh?” Darryl stood up slowly. “Is someone sitting here?”
“Nope, I just don’t want to sit beside you,” Giselle replied coldly. “Darryl, you’re attending our high school reunion, can’t you at least put on some decent clothes? Isn’t it dirty wearing those bargained goods?”
‘I just washed this set of clothes yesterday, and now you’re saying it’s dirty?’ Darryl thought to himself. He was about to voice his opinion but before he could do so, he was dragged away by Alex Armstrong.
The two were close friends back in high school. They had fought together and even ditched classes together. Alex might be the only one tonight that was not disgusted with Darryl.
Dragging Darryl to a corner, Alex shook his head and said, “Bro, I’m telling you, a girl like Giselle isn’t the type for us to get hung up on. Don’t you feel awkward for simply sitting beside her?”
Darryl said nothing and merely chuckled. They drunk and dined the whole night through, and the evening passed by quickly.
Giselle was a little tipsy, and under the crowd’s pressure, she picked up the microphone and sang while gently swaying her body. Her appearance struck awe at the men around. Giselle was truly a beauty!
It was only at night when they decided to call it a day. The class teacher could not make it as she had something on at the last moment, so they agreed to have another gathering next Monday.
As they left, all the men were vying to send Giselle back. However, when they arrived at the entrance, she got on her own Porsche and left the scene, leaving them stupefied.
“Such a beauty,” mumbled Alex at the side. “Darryl, no wonder you wanted to sit next to her. I wouldn’t mind having my life shortened by ten years if it means I could spend only a night with her.”
Darryl let out a cold laugh. ‘So Giselle intends to go to Platinum Corporation tomorrow to have her contract signed? Excellent,’ thought Darryl, as he too had planned to go there to claim his title of President. His thoughts were cut short by the sudden ringing of his cellphone.
The crowd laughed upon hearing his ring tone. What era was it for somebody to still be using an old Nokia phone?
Darryl hastily answered the call upon seeing the number displayed. Before he could speak, the voice of his mother-in-law, Samantha, came from the other side. “Darryl, do you know that tonight is our clan’s annual gathering? Do you want our entire family to wait for you? Get back here immediately.”
Darryl let out a wail, he had completely forgotten about the gathering!
He quickly got on his scooter in front of his classmates and sped away. Even though he was quite a considerable distance away, he could still hear the voices of his classmates laughing at him.
A Land Rover was parked at the gate of a high-end residential community in Beihai City. A beautiful woman was standing in front of the car, looking at her phone impatiently.
“I’m back,” said Darryl, struggling to catch his breath. He stopped his scooter and ran toward Lily. He could see that she was wearing the Worship of Crystal on her delicate feet. It seemed that she really liked the gift as she put it on so fast.
However, Lily merely gave Darryl a cold glance. “I’m warning you, today is the Lyndon clan’s annual gathering, you best keep your mouth shut and not embarrass me.”
“Oh,” acknowledged Darryl.
Darryl had barely gotten in the car when he heard another complaint.
“Darryl, don’t you have a suit? Do you know how embarrassing it is to wear such bargained goods?” asked Samantha coldly.
Samantha was wearing a short dress that accentuated her beauty.
Darryl shrugged his shoulders without saying anything.
Samantha flew into a rage upon seeing Darryl’s indifferent behavior. “Look at how worthless you are, having you marry my daughter has cursed our family for eight generations.”
“Mom, don’t be mad,” said Lily gently while driving.
“How can I not be mad?!” said Samantha as she pointed at Darryl. “I’m ordering you, after tonight’s gathering, immediately go to the marriage registry and settle your divorce. Stop hanging around my house, do you understand me?”
Darryl sat there speechless.
At that moment, over a hundred cars were parked outside the Lyndon clan’s villa, and without exception, all of them were luxurious cars.
When Lily and her family arrived, the hall was already filled with people. Several people went up to greet Lily upon her arrival.
During such occasions, Darryl was treated as if he was invisible, no one cared to acknowledge him. However, he did not mind that, for he was only here to join in the fun. Once the food arrived, he was ready to dig in as much as he could.
However, some people enjoy causing trouble when there is none, such as William Lyndon. He appeared to have something against Darryl, every time they meet, he would hurl a couple of insults at Darryl.
“Yoohoo, aren’t you Lyndon clan’s good little son-in-law, Darryl?” asked William as he walked from afar, purposely speaking in a loud tone. “Darryl, I might have seen the clothes you’re wearing at the bargain bin. What are they, ten bucks each?”
William’s words made Darryl the focus of the entire hall. They gawked at him as if he was a monkey.
“Mind your words, this cost me 19 bucks,” mumbled Darryl.
The crowd let out a burst of roaring laughter. A few ladies who tried to maintain their composure ultimately caved in and laughed.
“Just shut your mouth,” said Lily in a hushed tone. She could feel her pride besmirched by Darryl yet again. If not for the clan rule that every single member of the family must attend the gathering, she would not have even allowed him to come!
“Oh Lily, it’s not that I look down on your family. I don’t even care that your husband is wearing something that is only 19 bucks. The dress you’re wearing, however, can’t cost more than 1,800?” William laughed. “Wouldn’t you feel embarrassed wearing such a low-end dress? Do you see this suit I’m wearing? It’s a tailor-made Ermenegildo Zegna. Do you know how much it costs?”
William stuck a few fingers out and shook them in front of Darryl and Lily. “700,000.”
“Wow!”
William’s words triggered the crowd to cast an admiring stare. The ladies were awestruck, and the men were envious of him as well.
Lily bit her lip tightly, indeed her dress had only cost her 1,200 bucks. She would not even dare to dream of having clothing that would cost 700,000.
Lily felt as if the whole crowd was laughing at her like a joke, her beautiful face showed a hint of blush.
Out of a sudden, Darryl walked toward William and gave his suit a light touch.
“Are you mad?!” William exclaimed as he flew into a rage. “You have no right touching this suit!”
Darryl merely smiled and said, “I think the suit you’re wearing isn’t appropriate for the occasion. This suit was designed by a famous Italian fashion designer named Francesco Martin. There’s only one in existence, and it’s currently housed in the Italian Fashion Museum. Hence the one you’re wearing is a replica and not just that, it’s a crude imitation. There’s an uncut thread on your right pocket, you may take off that thread now. If my calculations are correct, this suit is only worth 200 bucks. Even my wife’s 1,200 bucks dress has better quality than your suit.”
“Another thing, this suit’s inspiration was derived from his father, Petrarch, who had depression after his bankruptcy. He felt that the world was distorted. Therefore, the stripes on this suit are crooked to represent his perspective of distorted reality,” he continued.
“The fact that you’re wearing this suit today, are you hoping for the Lyndon clan to go bankrupt as well?!” said Darryl as he smiled. His voice was not loud, yet his words echoed throughout the hall!
Silence! Total silence!
The crowd was shocked by his words, they found it hard to believe that those words came out of Darryl’s mouth!
“Oh right, another thing I forgot to mention. My wife isn’t too demanding with her clothes, but her standard for shoes is immense,” his words came one after another. “The heels on her feet is The Worship of Crystal. If you’ve never heard of it, you can read it up online.”
“Wow!”
“The Worship of Crystal? It truly is the real thing! How magnificent…”
The crowd was chattering with excitement! The women here were all of high-standing, how would they have not heard of The Worship of Crystal? One glance was enough to determine that the heels on Lily’s feet were genuine!
That was The Worship of Crystal that cost 30 million! Try asking and see which woman would not like it?! Lily instantly became the focus of attention, and she was showered by praises and admirations.
Lily could not help but look at Darryl. After three years of marriage, this was the first time she felt that Darryl resembled a real man. But, how did Darryl know all this information? The Italian designer’s name and inspiration, surely only a handful of people would know?
After some thinking, Lily deduced that Darryl must have secretly looked it up online beforehand!
“Stop!” said William, pointing at Darryl angrily with embarrassment.
‘Smack!’
Out of nowhere, Samantha slapped Darryl!
It was a hard slap, and in an instant, the whole crowd stood there in silence from the shock.
“Darryl, what are you babbling about? Apologize to William right now!” Samatha demanded coldly.
The Lyndon clan’s authority rested in the hands of the grandmother, and she favored William the most. Moreover, William’s development is pretty decent, he has at least 30 million worth of assets. Any offense toward him would surely not end well.
“Mom, what are you doing?” asked Lily as she walked over and held her mother back.
Even though she detested Darryl, it was him that had gotten her out of her predicament.
Darryl covered his face, the red slap mark on his cheek was strongly visible. However, he had a small smile on his face. After three whole years, this was the first time Lily spoke on his behalf. Darryl simply turned and left, with a smile on his face.
“Get back here!” Although it was quite a distance, Darryl could still hear Samantha’s shouts.
As the crowd watched the spectacle unfold, an aged voice could be heard from not far away.
“What’s with all the commotion?” Grandmother Lyndon asked as she walked onto the stage. The originally bustling hall fell silent upon the sight of her.
“Alright, no need for such formalities. Take a seat.” Grandmother Lyndon waved her hand, and under the support of some people, slowly sat down on her chair. “According to my reliable sources, Donghai City’s Platinum Corporation will have a new President tomorrow.”
“Woah!”
The matter sparked a heated discussion among the crowd. The Lyndon clan has over ten advertising companies under them. In recent years, the Lyndons were keen for a partnership between them and Platinum Corporation for they were Donghai City’s largest entertainment company. A partnership with them would give the Lyndons steady profits without loss.
However, backing the Platinum Corporation was none other than the Darby clan, who have always looked down on the Lyndons! Every single mention of a partnership had been rejected by them. With the arrival of a new president, the Lyndons had to give it a shot, hoping for a partnership!
“Who’s willing to go discuss the partnership?” Grandmother Lyndon asked slowly as she looked around the hall. “Whoever that can successfully negotiate and secure the partnership, would be considered making a huge contribution to our clan!”
“I’ll go!”
“Granny, I’ll go!”
“I’m willing as well!”
All of them were vying for that role, except for Lily. She knew that deep down, her standing in the clan was relatively low.
Upon seeing how enthusiastic they were, Grandmother Lyndon nodded her head in praise and smiled. She pointed at William and said, “William, why don’t you go over there tomorrow and give it a try.”
William let out a wide-eyed smile and nodded excitedly.
Darryl left and took a cab back home to sleep. He had to make up for the lack of rest last night from the excitement of discovering that he had made a fortune.
Darryl slept especially soundly that night. The very next morning, he left for Platinum Corporation on his scooter right after preparing breakfast.
Uncle Drake had already told him that Pearl Hahn, the secretary, would be at the company waiting for him.
Platinum Corporation was situated in the bustling central business district of Donghai City. At the entrance of the company parked a row of luxurious cars, and quite a number of them belonged to the celebrities signed under the company.
It was company policy that every celebrity had to report to the company every day. If there were an emergency, they had to apply for leave. Therefore, paparazzi frequently hang around the building, hoping to snap some celebrities’ photos and sell them for a profit. If they managed to capture anything gossipy or scandalous, they would be able to make a huge profit.
‘Riding this scooter here surely seems uncouth, I should get a car…’ thought Darryl as he parked his scooter at the company’s entrance.
Suddenly, came the roar of an engine, followed by a ‘bang’ that nearly sent Darryl flying.
Darryl turned around and saw that a Porsche Cayenne had knocked his scooter. The Porsche was barely scratched, but the back of his scooter was completely dented.
‘My newly bought scooter! Broken again?’ thought Darryl, as he felt like weeping but had no tears. He noticed a crowd started to form around him, judging and watching the commotion.
“Do you know how to drive?” said a beautiful lady, as she stepped out of the car.
“Wow...”
Sounds of exclamation came from the crowd, the appearance of this woman drew all their attention. She was wearing a sheath dress and a pair of high heels, her figure was toned. A woman like her would surely be the focal point wherever she went.
“Giselle?” Darryl exclaimed.
Giselle was here to sign her contract! Darryl smiled. Although she crashed into him and broke his scooter, it was a good thing that none of them were injured. He did not want to pursue this matter further and was about to walk over to greet Giselle when she saw that it was him.
“You? Darryl? What are you doing here?”
Giselle furrowed her eyebrows and thought that Darryl must be a security guard at Platinum Corporation.
“Do you even know how to drive?” said Giselle full of spite. Her car was bought one week ago, although it was only a minor scratch, she still felt hurt for it.
“But you’re the one that knocked into me...” said Darryl helplessly. “Why are you blaming me for it...”
“What’s going on here?” Suddenly came the voice of a middle-aged man. It was the head of security, who had brought his guards with him to the scene.
The head of security was shocked to see what had happened. A crash between a scooter and a Porsche? He deduced that this beautiful lady was a celebrity, here to sign a contract. She must not be offended at any cost!
At the thought of that, the head of security pointed at Darryl and shouted, “What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know that Platinum Corporation bans the entry of scooters into the premises?”
“There’s such a rule? Who made it?” Darryl asked coldly.
“Who made it? I made it!” The head of security stepped forward. “Apologize to this lady immediately!”
Upon hearing what the head of security said, Giselle smirked and pointed at Darryl. “He must be the new security guard?”
The head of security was stunned and took a good look at Darryl. He was dressed in bargained goods and rode in on a scooter, he must be here to apply for the position of a security guard.
“Don’t worry Miss, I won’t be hiring him!” The head of security said without hesitation. He looked back at Darryl and said, “Today is your first day on the job? Then let me declare that you’re fired.”
‘This was not a healthy general practice for the company.’ Darryl shook his head. The head of security was such a mean snob.
“I would like to see you try to fire me,” said Darryl slowly with a grin. “Do you even have the authority to fire someone?”
“You!” The head of security pointed at Darryl. Indeed, the head of security has no authority to fire anyone, but if Darryl was here to apply for the position of a security guard, as the head of security, he would not be giving him a good time.
“Darryl, you’re such a person,” said Giselle as she stomped her heels toward Darryl, eyeing him with contempt. “If the head of security can’t fire you, then surely the deputy manager would be able to?”
After finishing her words, Giselle took out her cellphone and sent a text message. Within moments, a lady dressed in business attire came walking out of the company building.
“Miss Peach.”
Upon seeing the business lady’s arrival, all the employees and security guards bowed and greeted her one after another. This lady was Platinum Corporation’s deputy manager, Penelope Peach.
“Aunt Penelope,” said Giselle, as she stepped forward to greet Penelope. It was because Penelope was Giselle’s aunt, and through her connections as deputy manager, got Giselle a contract with Platinum Corporation.
Penelope nodded her head in acknowledgment, and turned her attention to Darryl, and said, “Apologize to Giselle.”
What?
Darryl felt that it was a funny moment. He asked, “Why do I have to apologize? Who are you?”
“This guy must’ve hit himself on the head, can’t even recognize the deputy manager.” whispered some of the employees.
“Yeah, is he looking for trouble by not apologizing?”
Penelope stared at Darryl with cold eyes and frowned. “You’re here to apply for the position of a security guard, yes? Who hired you for this job? It does not matter. Since you’re not willing to apologize, as deputy manager, I hereby inform you that you’re fired. Get on your scooter and get lost.”
“Me? Get lost?” Darryl pointed at himself and laughed.
“Can’t you understand?” Giselle said coldly through her teeth. “I’ll take it as my unlucky day to meet a fly like you. Even though you scratched my car, I won’t ask you for compensation. Get out of my sight immediately.”
‘Beep beep beep!’
At that moment came the honking of a Bentley, which stopped in front of the crowd. A girl who looked slightly more than 20 years of age, wearing a business suit and glasses came out of the car.
“President, I am so sorry I’m late,” said Miss Pearl, the secretary, as she hastily walked to the front of Darryl and did a 90-degree bow.
To be continued.
Copyright: © 2021
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