A SON IN LAW TURNS BILLIONAIRE AFTER DIVORCE

Chapter 14

Back at his temporary rental home, Leonard checked the wall clock again. It was already noon.

He had been sitting behind his desk working on his master survival shopping list since yesterday afternoon, without a single minute of sleep.

Food, medicine, fuel, heating gear, heavy generators, tools, defensive gear—every single time he thought he had finally finished, another critical necessity came to mind. Only when he finally leaned back in his chair and stretched his stiff shoulders did he realize he had been glued to his laptop screen all night long.

Leonard rubbed his tired, bloodshot eyes, clicked save on the file, and decided to head downstairs to grab a quick, hot meal.

Two floors down, the elevator chimed and came to a smooth stop. The doors slid open, and a middle-aged woman stepped inside, holding a plastic shopping bag.

“Oh! Leonard!”

Leonard recognized the overly friendly voice instantly. Mrs. Dawson.

Sure enough, her face lit up like a Christmas tree the second her eyes landed on him.

“When on earth are you going to meet my daughter Jenna?” Mrs. Dawson gushed, stepping closer and practically cornering him against the elevator wall. “I’m telling you, she’s so pretty, so sweet, she has a wonderful corporate job, and she’s extremely family-oriented! You two would be absolutely perfect together!”

Leonard felt a massive headache coming on.

Over the past three days, ever since the rumor of his twelve-million-dollar cash mansion exploded across Maple Grove, half the older women in the neighborhood had been trying to set him up. They offered their daughters, their younger sisters, their nieces, and even their distant cousins.

Apparently, being newly divorced, single, and filthy rich had made him the most eligible bachelor in the entire city overnight.

DING!

Thankfully, the elevator finally hit the ground level. The doors slid open, and Leonard stepped out onto the lobby floor at once.

Behind him, Mrs. Dawson hurried out, calling after him at the top of her lungs. “Leonard! Wait! You still haven’t saved her phone number!”

Leonard didn't even turn around, waving a hand over his shoulder as he kept walking. “Next time, Mrs. Dawson!”

Only after he pushed open the front glass doors and stepped out into the crisp afternoon air did he finally slow his pace. He had to give those neighborhood women credit—they were relentlessly dedicated to getting their relatives married off to money.

Enjoy your peaceful little match-making games while you still can, Leonard thought, his expression gradually turning cold and serious as he walked down the sidewalk toward the main neighborhood gates.

In three months, not a single person in this city would give a damn about romance, marriages, or designer clothes. They would only care about a bowl of hot soup, clean drinking water, heat, and whether they could survive another frozen night without dying.

Just as he turned the corner near the gated entrance, he saw four people walking from the opposite direction.

The Miller family.

Apparently, they were heading out for lunch too.

Eight-year-old Mark spotted Leonard first. The boy’s face instantly twisted into a vicious, mocking sneer. He pointed a finger straight at Leonard’s chest and began clapping his hands wildly.

“Son of a bitch! The son of a bitch is right here!” Mark yelled for the whole street to hear.

Leonard paused, looking at the boy. Not long ago, he had still been “Dad.” Now, overnight, he was “the son of a bitch.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out who had been teaching the kid those exact words at home.

Michael’s face darkened into a furious shade of purple the instant he locked eyes with Leonard. He aggressively stomped over, invading Leonard’s personal space and jabbing a thick, trembling finger inches from his face.

“You son of a bitch!” Michael roared, his voice trembling with righteous fury. “Let me tell you something! Hiding twelve million dollars in marital assets before a divorce is a serious federal crime! You could go straight to prison for that, do you hear me?!”

“Really?” Leonard almost burst out laughing right in his face.

He had never understood people like Michael. They wanted something to be true so desperately that they simply declared it out loud with absolute confidence, expecting the universe to automatically bend to their will.

Without saying a word, Leonard casually pulled his smartphone out of his jacket pocket and tapped the screen.

Michael frowned, stepping back slightly. “What the hell are you doing? Who are you calling?!”

Leonard put the phone to his ear, speaking loudly and clearly right in front of Michael’s face. “Mr. Stone? Hey, quick question for you. Someone standing in front of me right now just claimed that hiding marital assets before a divorce automatically carries prison time. Is that true?”

Leonard waited, listening to Thomas Stone’s amused chuckle over the receiver for three seconds. Then, Leonard tapped the end-call button and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“My lawyer says no,” Leonard said, looking at Michael with pure, unadulterated pity. “You do realize the real world doesn’t actually work however you demand it to, right, Michael?”

Michael’s furious expression instantly stiffened. His jaw locked, his lips twitched, but not a single articulate word came out of his throat.

Leonard smiled faintly, leaning in just an inch closer. “Though, my lawyer did mention something else quite interesting. Threatening someone with fake criminal charges just to intimidate and harass them can cause some very serious legal problems of its own.”

The sharp, dark smile at the corner of Leonard’s mouth deepened. “So maybe watch what comes out of your mouth.”

Michael’s whole body trembled with pure, vein-popping rage.

Was this really the same Leonard who had spent nine long years living under his roof with his head bowed down? The same weak, obedient Leonard who cooked when told to cook, drove them around like a slave, and swallowed every single insult thrown at him without a word?

And now, here he was, standing in the middle of the street completely at ease, making Michael look like an absolute, pathetic fool to his face!

“Don’t you dare talk to my dad like that!” Joseph spat, shoving his way to the front and aggressively rolling up his jacket sleeves.

But rolling up his sleeves was as far as he went. All bark, zero bite. Joseph didn’t dare take another step forward. Everyone standing on that pavement knew perfectly well that in a physical fight, Joseph was no match for Leonard.

“Enough!” Susan’s sharp voice cut through the air.

Of everyone in the Miller family, she was still the only one capable of keeping her explosive temper under control. She stepped past her brother, her eyes fixed on Leonard with a cold, calculating look.

“Enjoy this pathetic little victory while it lasts, Leonard,” Susan said smoothly.

Her voice was calm, but the deep, arrogant smugness underneath every syllable was impossible to miss. “You can act as cocky and arrogant as you want right now. But once the court officially confirms that every dollar you’re currently spending is marital property—and believe me, it will—you’ll have to hand over every single cent of our half, no matter how much it hurts.”

Leonard stared at her for a long, quiet moment.

And then, he burst into a rich, booming laugh.

Susan’s brow furrowed in anger. “What the hell is so funny?!”

Leonard shook his head, looking between the four of them. “You guys really want to know how much money I actually have, don’t you?”

That single question shut every single one of them up instantly.

Michael’s sharp eyes widened. Magret leaned forward slightly, her mouth agape. Joseph stopped his tough-guy act, his eyes practically gleaming. Even Susan’s smooth, icy composure cracked for a brief split second.

Of course they desperately wanted to know! The twelve-million-dollar estate alone had already driven them completely out of their minds with envy. If Leonard had even more money than that hidden away...

Leonard watched the sickening, pathetic greed creep across all four of their faces, drinking in their desperation.

Then, he grinned.

“In your fucking dreams.”

For one silent second, none of them reacted.

And then, all four of them exploded at once, screaming at the top of their lungs!

“YOU BASTARD!” Michael yelled.

“YOU CAN’T TALK TO US LIKE THAT!” Magret shrieked.

“I’LL KILL YOU!” Joseph roared.

Leonard didn't stay to hear the rest. Turning his back on their hysterical screaming, he casually walked away toward the restaurant, leaving the Millers red-faced and raging on the sidewalk.