ONCE MOCKED, DISGRACED:SON IN LAW REVENGE

"Here! Wash them properly, you lazy swine!"

A shrill voice called out and Nate turned around, only to find a bundle of stinky and dirty socks being thrown at him.

He caught the muddy socks in his hands while stepping backwards, still shocked by this unexpected gesture. Standing at the door was Maria, his mother-in-law. 

Her hair was pinned up delicately and there was a layer of perfectly polished makeup on her face, but the effect was spoiled by her upset frown. 

"Why don't you wash these thoroughly? Can't you see how dirty they are, I can't have my precious laundry be handled so carelessly!"

Her words were dripping with arrogance, while Nate, the dutiful son-in-law in this opulent household, found himself caught in the crossfire. 

Before Nate could reply or react properly, Erica, his wife, entered the scene. 

Horrified by her mother's audacity, she rushed forward, trying to intervene. 

Erica's frustration was clear in her voice, but Maria, her mother, completely ignored her. 

She turned her attention back to him with a sarcastic smile on her lips. 

"What did you say, my dear? Dignity! I doubt this moron even knows the meaning of that word. Anyway, why shouldn't I scold him? He has one job– just one job! And he can't even do that properly? He should be grateful that we are allowing him to stay here for free and letting him live on our scraps."

She glared at Nate once again, her disgust clearly visible.

"Do you understand me? You are nothing more than a piece of trash whom my daughter had pity on. So just do the house chores, because you are here to serve, not to be dignified. Better get used to it as soon as possible!"

She scoffed, delivering a biting taunt that echoed through the room. Nate, torn between loyalty to his wife and the demands of his in-laws, stood in silence. 

The tension in the air was thick as Nate collected the soiled socks without uttering a word. He simply made his way to the surf water, submerging the socks and scrubbing them to rid them of their stains. 

Meanwhile, Erica couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment because of Nate's passive response. She had hoped for a different reaction, something that would reassure her that this man wasn't afraid of taking a stand for himself, or their marriage. 

But seeing the way he had accepted all the abuses thrown at him, Erica struggled to control her own conflicting emotions. 

While she had never had romantic feelings for Nate, her kind nature urged her to protect him from her family's constant mockery. 

However, this was no less than an uphill battle– just because she was married to a man who was a coward and a loser in everyone's eyes. 

Ever since she had married Nate, Erica found herself at the mercy of her family's disgusted glances and biting comments. 

Despite her attempts to shield him, the collective judgment of her relatives had put a strain on their relationship. And because the larger family considered him to be a worthless son-in-law, he had become the target of her mother's hatred.

In fact, the larger family had never accepted their marriage, and saw Nate as nothing more than a servant who used to follow them everywhere. And they left no stone unturned, to remind him of this, at every possible occasion.

A heavy sigh escaped Erica's thin lips, drawing Maria' attention back towards her.

She immediately changed her expression and said in a dramatic tone;

"Oh, my daughter! Look at you, why are you putting yourself through so much stress? Oh, let me get you some water."

Saying this, she led Erica towards the bedroom, fussing over her pale complexion. 

The rhythmic hum of the washing machine took over the laundry room as Nate focused on the task at hand.

However, his focus shifted when he overheard the hushed exchange between his wife, Erica, and his mother-in-law.

In the adjacent bedroom, Maria hesitated before unveiling the harsh truth. 

"Erica, there is something you should know… this is still strictly supposed to be kept a secret, but our family business has hit rock bottom, Erica. In a moment of desperation, your uncle sought help from the Rossi family." 

She confessed, her voice tinged with shame and desperation, causing Nate's eyebrows to rise in shock.

From the outside, the McKinney family was one of the most influential ones in the country, and it was obviously a huge disaster if they had really run into some kind of financial trouble. 

Erica, who had been hearing everything with a stunned look on her face, finally broke her silence.

"Mom, what are you saying? Are you sure, I mean, you know what kind of rumors float around in your group–"

"Hush! You must never tell anyone about this, do you understand? And what do you mean by rumors? You silly girl, I have got to know about this directly from your father!"

Erica just nodded at this information, still struggling to process it while Maria continued;

"The Rossi family has a son, Anthony. And they want a bride for him, saying that the only way they will help us is through a marriage alliance."

"Anthony? But isn't he forty five?" Erica asked, as she slowly put the pieces together.

"And if he is the same Anthony Rossi I have heard of, he is quite notorious for being involved with amateur models because apparently, he is so fat and unattractive that no girl willingly steps close to him."

With every word that left Erica's mouth, the expression on Maria' face was becoming more and more bitter.

"Enough! That's not the point, is it? Of course, it would be the best option if the matter could be handled in secret, but the Rossi family's assistance comes at a steep cost."

Maria's voice went down another octave as she looked around before adding,

The desperation in Maria's voice pointed to the unspoken truth hanging in the air– the candidate the family had in mind, was none other than Erica herself.

With her eyes open wide, she 

"Do you think I want this!?" 

"Of course, I am thinking about you! We need a solution, we can't let you become a pawn in this twisted game."

"But mom, I don't understand, how did the question even come up! I am already married–"

"Married! At this point, you should just accept that your marriage is nothing but a joke, because everyone else surely thinks that! And why shouldn't they– that man is completely useless! What is the point of having a husband, when he can't even provide for you? If he was actually of some use, we would never even be at this crossroads." 

Maria lamented, but in spite of her criticisms, she knew that she had no other options. And this is when the hourly bell went off in the hallway, signaling that it was already three o'clock.

"Oh, we need to rush! The family meeting must be about to start!"

With a shared sense of foreboding, the mother and daughter left for the hall while exchanging somber glances, their expressions etched with a mix of resignation and fear.