Double Life of the Useless Son-in-law

Chapter 8

Amelia immediately stepped away, her eyes wide. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and her fingers lightly nipped at each other as her anxiety grew.

She wasn't even sure why Coulter had brought them here, and even worse, she wasn't sure they actually had passes.

She looked around. All of the people she used to be at the top with were staring at her while she was at her lowest now, and she just wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

"Let's go," she whispered to Coulter as she tugged lightly at his sleeve, her eyes falling away from the crowd around them to avoid the judgemental stares.

To her surprise, Coulter's hand wrapped around her hand. It was warm, reassuring, and she looked up to him, her brows slightly furrowed. He was calm and collected, and for some reason, she felt her anxiety calm a little.

"Show me your passes," the security guard said, stretching his hand out to Coulter.

"I don't have one," Coulter admitted, unfazed. "I am not the sort of person who needs a piece of paper to prove my identity."

The crowd broke into a laugh, and even the guars couldn't hold it in.

"What next? Shall we call the head of stock exchanges to come escort you inside? Or should we bring one of the sponsors here to personally hand you the mallet for the bell, and have everyone here cheer for your success? Would that be good enough for the sort of person you are?"

The security guard's words made the joke somehow funnier, and the entire hall filled neither roaring laughter. The crowd laughed like Coulter had finally lost his mind.

Coulter, on the other hand, still stood unfazed, his brows drawn.

"Maybe you should do that."

The laughter stopped, and the guard leaned forward. "What did you just say?"

"I said, call the head of the stock exchanges and the sponsors of this event and have them welcome me!"

"Look at this fucking bastard!" The guard yelled, his eyes wide with feral anger. "You are a lunatic, are you not? You are nothing! A fucking lowlife! This place is not for you to actnout yoir dresms of grandeur! Get lost before I hit you!" He raised his baton, ready to hit Coulter with it.

Amelia gasped, but Coulter didn't even fiinch. The baton flashed in the air for a second, and then it wasn't there anymore.

Amelia, Melissa and the rest of the crowd turned, only to find Ian, who was one of the sponsors of the banquet, had snatched the baton. He looked livid, his eyes wide as he threw the baton to the floor.

"So all of the money we pour into this event every year is to enable you strut around arrogantly like this?!"

"I... I apologize. I was just... this man was... this man was intruding and.."

"Get out of the way," Ian said, then turned to Coulter, and his expression immediately softened. "Please come this way, sir."

Sir?

The entire crowd erupted in murmurs of shock. Why would one of the sponsors call this lowlife sir?

Melissa immediately unlinked har arm from Caleb and walked forward to where Ian was standing, a smile immediately spreading on her lips.

"Sir, there must be some sort of misunderstanding. Afterall, this man here is nothing but a live-in son-in-law from my family. Why would a man of your calibre receive him into the banquet?"

Ian turned to Melissa, his eyes cold. He had always disliked her arrogance.

"Your information is most certainly outdated, Miss Martinez. Starting today, every bell-ringing ceremony will feature an additional honorary guesr of public welfare in order to give back to the taxpayers who support these enterprises. And for this year, Mr. Coulter, here is our honorary guest tonight."

Gasps of surprise filtered through the crowd, but once the new information settled in, they soon raised their glasses in agreement, toasting to the sponsors for such a socially responsible decision.

Melissa swallowed hard, her eyes darting around as she struggled to come to terms with her humiliation.

"But sir," she asked, refusing to give up so easily. "If this is really true, why is it that, I, the bell ronfer for tonight have no news of this?"

Ian raised a brow, then broke into a laugh. He made quick eye contact with Coulter as he downed his champagne, letting her question hang in the sir for maximum effect.

"Can you answer me?" Melissa asked, her impatience showing on her features, her nose turned up in annoyance.

Ian was in no rush, however, and he finished the glass, then set it down, before facing her.

"That is because the listing of your company, Martinez Corporation, has already been suspended. Tonight’s bell ringing actually belongs to NS Corp!"