CHAPTER ONE: WORTHLESS SON-IN-LAW

Wham! A slap landed on Ryan's left cheek.

"Are you crazy?! Why do you always prefer to embarrass me in front of my friends?" Vanessa screamed at him.

Ryan caressed his cheek, still shaken from the slap. It was not the first time she had slapped him like that and he knew deep down that it would not be the last time.

"But…but I am your husband Vanessa…".

"And an incompetent and worthless one at that! You have no job or money, so you have no right to say no to anything I ask you to do Ryan! Now, go back there and clean up after my friends like I asked you to or you will starve for the third night in a row" Vanessa snapped, interrupting him.

She dragged him out of the supply closet where they had been standing, and back to her room which was a complete mess from the slumber party she'd thrown for her friends the night before.

"Hey guys! I'm back, and guess who I brought with me…the help who will be cleaning up now" Vanessa announced, urging the ladies who had spread out on her king-sized bed to pile out of the room.

"Oh that's wonderful Nessa! How about we go shopping while he's at it?" One of the ladies suggested.

"Yes! I heard J. Husk is releasing a new line of shoes and I'm dying to get my hands on them" another one added.

"Alright, yes! Let's go shopping ladies!" Vanessa agreed, and in a minute they were cheering their way out of the house.

Ryan let out a long and sad sigh. He remained irrelevant as always, taking in all the insults and abuse from Vanessa. He had no other option since he had nowhere else to go outside Vanessa's parent's mansion.

After his father had hastily and happily signed on the contract marriage between him and Vanessa Jordan a day after her twenty-first birthday, to seal their status as betrothed and for business benefits, he had been forced to live with the Jordans.

Just like his father, stepmother and step siblings, the Jordans saw him as worthless and unfit to be treated like a son-in-law and husband. So they utilized every single opportunity to abuse and remind him of his place in the family: the worthless son-in-law.

Vanessa's constant threats of starvation reminded him of a similar punishment by his own father. Ryan Roberts did not have a happy childhood.

Growing up with his father, Elias Williams, stepmother Julia, and step siblings as his only family, all the happiness he had ever felt was sucked up by their wickedness.

He had been raised alongside the servants of the Williams Mansion and trained to serve his father's wife and children with the highest loyalty.

The more reason he had taken his mother's last name for himself.

His mother had disappeared from his life as a little boy, according to what his father constantly told him, so he had no one to run to when he felt sad or depressed. No family, no friends , no one.

…

Ryan sat in the storeroom where he normally slept at night, sulking.

He ran his veiny hands through his dark brown hair several times wondering why no one in his life was even willing to give him a chance.

“What the hell are you doing here? Get your lazy self to the kitchen to help the cooks prepare for the dinner party now!” The head servant charged at him, towering over him.

“I'm…I'm sorry. I'll get to it now” Ryan jerked up to his feet, dusting off the grain particles from the grain bags.

“And…take off those rags while you're at it. The Jordan's are expecting top guests and we must be in our best uniform while we prepare their meals” the head servant added, twitching his nose slightly with disgust.

He was used to the servants insulting him, and he found it much better than the daily disgrace he got from Vanessa's parents, Hans and Flora Jordan, who took delight in reminding him of his place as the worthless son-in-law.

Hans and Flora had tasked all the servants in the mansion to prepare for the dinner party later in the evening.

It was a party to celebrate the first year of success of Hans’ business empire since the contract between him and Elias, Ryan's father, was signed.

It was also the first marriage anniversary of Ryan and Vanessa but no one seemed to care.

At exactly seven pm, the guests for the dinner party started arriving.

The cooks were done with the meal preparation and Ryan was no longer needed, so he hurried down to the storeroom to hide from the guests, like he had always been instructed by Vanessa.

She had always been ashamed of introducing him to the guests at her parents' numerous parties so she would tell him to hide, just so she could tell people he was away for an event whenever they asked.

“Hey you piece of shit! What do you think you're doing down there in your rat hole when all the other servants are occupied? You really think you're so privileged, huh?” One of the servants, Kale, demanded.

Kale was one of the servants in the Jordan's mansion who found pleasure in making Ryan suffer more than usual with chores around the house.

And Ryan felt that today was not going to be an exception.

“I…feel sick” Ryan lied.

“That's a terrible lie, and you know that. Now get out of there. Besides, Hans has asked personally for you” Kale answered.

“Are you sure?” Ryan asked.

The last thing he wanted to do was make a fool of himself in front of everyone.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. He's right in the middle of the room. I guess today's your lucky day” Kale said, spotting a half smirk.

Kale walked down to the large sink, dropping the tray of plates he had been balancing on his arm for the past few minutes.

Ryan stepped out of the storeroom slowly, looking around to make sure no one would recognize him easily.

A hand suddenly gripped his shoulder.

“If it isn't my beloved stepbro!” a familiar voice sneered.

Ryan turned, coming face to face with his cunning stepbrother, Lukas.

Ryan cursed himself within for not remembering that his family would be at this ball.

He remained silent, hoping Lukas would not make a scene.

“Is this what they've turned you into? A mere servant! Fits you anyway” Lukas laughed, tugging at the apron on Ryan's waist.

Lukas ripped the apron from Ryan's body, walking away with his shoulder high.

People had begun to gather and whisper among themselves.

“Isn't that…him?”.

“The son-in-law of the Jordans? Fits the description but he looks so…unfit?”.

“He looks like an imposter”.

“Why would they want anything to do with someone like that?”.

Ryan picked up the torn pieces of the apron, wrapping them and thrashing into the nearest bin.

He walked further, bending his head to avoid more recognition.

“Hey, watch it!” Hans yelled, his drink spilling on his shirt.

Ryan froze.

“Of course it's you! You worthless thing!” he added, his brows furrowed in anger.

The music suddenly stopped playing

The hall went quiet as everyone's attention turned to Hans and Ryan.

Vanessa was nowhere to be found. She was probably still out with her friends.

“What are you doing here anyway?!” Hans thundered, peering into his face.

“You…you requested for me” Ryan stuttered, his heart racing.

“For what exactly? Why would I request for my worthless son-in-law among my distinguished guests? You have no job, no money, you are a complete waste of time! Go back to scrubbing the floors or whatever you're actually good for!” Hans screamed, every inch of anger rising within him.

The realization dawned on Ryan. Kale had tricked him.

The same thing he had been avoiding, he was now in the center of.

He had been disgraced in front of everyone in the worst manner.