Chapter 1

"Mr. Garcia, please consider giving your father a chance. He has endured many hardships over the years," pleaded the middle-aged man who had been trailing Ray Garcia through the bustling market of Austria.

"Your father's injury has left him unable to have another child, and as the sole heir to his property, acknowledging your relationship with him is of utmost importance. If you don't, his position as head of the Garcia family will become increasingly uncertain."

Ray, dressed in shabby clothes, came to an abrupt halt and regarded the man with disdain. "He abandoned me when I was young and forced me to part ways with my mother. I never even got to say goodbye to her. Now, after all these years, he wants me back?" Ray shook his head in disbelief.

"I thought he was genuinely remorseful and wanted to make amends, but it's clear he only wants me to secure his position in the family," he sneered, snapping the supreme bank card in his hand with ease. The card, with a limit of eighty million dollars, shattered into two pieces and Ray tossed it into the sewer.

"I don't care about his money or his power. All ties between us were severed the day he abandoned me," Ray declared, his voice firm.

The squat man looked on anxiously. "Mr. Garcia, please understand that your father had to take you away from your mother due to the violent domestic disputes. He did what he could to protect you and save your life."

"Excuse me, it's getting late and I need to grab some fresh vegetables to cook for my wife's family," Ray said firmly as he turned to leave. But before he could take a step, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Wait! Ray, please wait," Sarah pleaded, her eyes still red from tears. "We need to talk."

Ray stopped in his tracks, wondering what could be so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow. He turned around to face his wife and mother-in-law, trying to mask his concern with a calm demeanor.

As he looked around the living room, memories of his past flooded his mind. He thought back to the day he had been taken away from his biological family and adopted by a couple who had loved and cared for him as their own. And then, three years ago, when tragedy struck and he was thrust into a new family and a new role as a matrilocal son-in-law.

The Peters family, once a third-tier family in the real estate industry, had become a laughingstock of the city after Sarah was forced to marry Ray, a down-and-out man with a mysterious past. Only Sarah's grandfather had known Ray's true identity, but on their wedding night, he had passed away before he could reveal the secret.

Despite the challenges, Ray had stayed by Sarah's side, doing everything he could to earn the respect of her family. He cooked, cleaned, and did laundry without complaint, even when he was called a useless loafer and a jinx. But no matter how hard he tried, he always felt like an outsider in their home.

Now, as he stood in the living room, he couldn't help but feel like something was about to change. He waited anxiously for Sarah to speak, wondering what could be so urgent that it couldn't wait until morning.

Ray couldn't believe his ears when he overheard Joanna's request to her daughter .

Sarah was clearly distressed and had a nervous breakdown when her mother asked her to sleep with James Cole. Ray felt embarrassed and anxious for Sarah as she cried out in front of him. Joanna, on the other hand, seemed indifferent to Ray's presence, instructing Sarah to help her out by sleeping with another man.

But Sarah was not having it. Indignantly, she reprimanded her mother for losing every cent of their family's money and embezzling 1.2 million dollars from the company. Joanna had fallen for the hype of bitcoins and had caused trouble for the family. Sarah was outraged that her mother was now forcing her to sleep with another man.

In the presence of Ray, Sarah struggled to find the right words to express her anger and embarrassment. Despite her frustration, she managed to stand up for herself and make it clear to her mother that she would not comply with her request. Joanna was left speechless, unable to make a retort.

Ray tried to suppress his laughter when Joanna pointed a finger at him, blaming him for their misfortunes. Ray knew that Joanna was trying to shift the blame onto him, but he also knew that he had nothing to do with her poor decisions.

Joanna begged and pleaded with Sarah, her tear-streaked face filled with desperation. Despite her cries, Sarah remained silent, her shoulders heaving with quiet sobs as she leaned against the sofa's armrest. As Ray gathered up the scattered vegetables, he overheard Joanna's story - how she had lost all of her 1.2 million in a bitcoin market frenzy, and now faced the prospect of either repaying the money or facing prison time.

The Peters family, eager to profit from a lucrative government development project, offered Joanna a way out - establish a business relationship with Oscorp Corporation , whose CEO, James Cole, happened to be Sarah's former college flame. Joanna's desperate situation led her to enlist her daughter in the risky plan, hoping to leverage Sarah's connection to James .

Ray's grip on the potatoes tightened as he heard Joanna's shameless and manipulative words. He couldn't believe that someone could be so heartless and cruel, and he wondered if she even had a shred of humanity left in her. But before he could react, the door suddenly swung open, revealing Sarah's father and sister standing in the doorway.

Joanna, always the opportunist, seized the moment and burst into tears, pretending to be on the brink of jumping out of the window. Ray watched her theatrics with a cold detachment, while Jack and Sophia rushed to her "rescue".

As the commotion died down, Sophia turned her venomous gaze towards Ray and questioned Sarah's love for him. With a sneer, she suggested that Sarah should divorce Ray and marry James , a wealthy and successful CEO who had taken a liking to her.

Ray could feel his blood boiling with anger at Sophia's callous words, and he wondered how someone could be so heartless and insensitive. He turned to Sarah, silently asking for her support, and hoped that she would stand by him in this difficult moment.

Sarah was stunned, her eyes fixed on Sophia. "What kind of absurdity is this?" she demanded. Joanna rushed back to the window, wailing, "Let me die! I'd rather jump than go to prison!" Sarah felt powerless. "Enough!" she cried hysterically. "Ray, come with me." She led him to the bedroom and shut the door behind them. "We need to talk," she said calmly, turning away from him. She heard the latch click as Ray closed the door. "Let's get a divorce," she said bluntly. Ray remained silent. "I know I've been cold to you," Sarah continued. "We're only together in name, but I don't want to hurt you. You're too fragile. If I cheated on you, you wouldn't be able to handle it." Ray smiled weakly; he'd always been sensitive. "Do you trust me?" he asked. "If you do, let me handle this." "How can I trust you?" Sarah exclaimed, her voice rising. "It's 1.2 million dollars! Do you even have a hundred?" She turned around, tears streaming down her face. Ray's heart ached. "Your mother won't go to jail," he said gently. "Just trust me." Sarah smiled bitterly and opened her arms. "Do you want to hold your wife?" she asked, her voice trembling. "We've been married for three years. This is your last chance." Ray hesitated, then wrapped his arms around her. "Don't be sad," he whispered. "They're just..." Before he could finish, Sarah pressed her lips to his.

The moment was filled with both excitement and trepidation as Sarah leaned in to kiss the man she loved for the first time. Her heart was beating wildly as she felt her way through the moment, her inexperience obvious yet endearing. After what felt like an eternity, their lips finally parted, and Ray was left feeling dizzy with happiness.

Sarah's words came as a surprise, almost as if they were the result of the dizzying happiness that they had just shared. "This is my first kiss, Ray. Let's go get divorced now," she murmured in his ear. Ray was taken aback, but before he could respond, her phone rang with a message from James , and she had to leave.

As she rushed out the door, Sarah looked back at Ray with a mixture of emotions. "Promise me you won't hate me," she pleaded. "More importantly, don't love me anymore." Ray wanted to say something to reassure her, but she was already gone.

The moment had been brief, but it had changed everything between them. They both knew that things would never be the same again.