Project Sky: The Awakening Of The Forgotten Heir

The door kept banging hard, and a shrill, furious voice followed the echoing bang.

“Nathan, open the damn fuc**k door… you know you’ve got work to do! And you’re here snoozing like a stressed out dog?”

It was only three in the morning, and Jessica, his mother in-law was already making the day a living hell for Nathan, a nightmare he prayed to wake up from. Nathan got married into the Sinclair family, but what he didn’t know was that he’d become little more than a slave—sentenced to serve them until he rots for death. Though he loved his wife Laura because she was the woman of his dreams, the perfection he had craved for, but the love he had for her was never reciprocated; instead she treated him like garbage.

The voice from the door banging surged into Nathan’s ears and just in an instant, his eyes snapped open as he bolted upright. He knew if he didn’t follow his mother-in-law’s orders immediately, the rest of the day would be far worse than usual. And while his days never ended well, at least he could try to avoid the worst of the humiliation.

“Sorry, ma’am. I’ll start doing what you have asked for,” Nathan replied quickly, though his eyelids still felt like they were weighed down by sleep.

His daily duties were the same—go feed the animals and clean their dump, then deliver goods to one of the main company stores.

The Sinclair family was one of the wealthiest in town. They owned multiple production companies and other businesses. Nathan, however, was nothing more than an errand boy, constantly running back and forth to serve them.

He walked toward the door and gently pulled it open and just Immediately, his eyes were met with the scowling, stormy face of his mother-in-law.

“I have been standing here for more than twenty minutes banging on the door, and you piece of crap decide to ignore me,” Jessica spat with a scornful frown on her face. “You know what needs to be done, yet you choose to sleep like an animal? Are you insane?” she added, her arms folded across her chest, her tone laced with venom, as she stared dagger at Nathan.

“Sorry, ma’am. The work you gave me yesterday last night really got hold of me. That’s why I couldn’t wake up early. And that was also part of the reason I didn’t notice you banging the door,” Nathan explained.

“Well, that’s none of my business, I don’t care if your bones crack, and your head split open. Now get to the farm, feed the cows, and clean out their shed. And after that, you already know what’s next—deliver those goods to the company store,” Jessica instructed her tone commandingly, then turned and walked off without waiting for a response, or allowing Nathan to have any chance for complaint.

The Sinclair family Vila has a very large scale of land and has large reserves of livestock, mostly cows and donkeys, and Nathan was the only one single handedly feeding them, he was nothing less than a slave for the Sinclair family.

Nathan sighed deeply. The work wasn’t even the most hurting part of the entire situation. What hurt more was knowing that there were actual servants employed in the mansion—staff hired to do these exact chores—but ever since Nathan married into the family and lived with them, all the servants relaxed and allowed Nathan to do all the work not by their will but based on the instructions passed by Jessica his mother in-law.

Nathan was a poor man with no memories of his past and barely a roof over his head. He lived on the street and begged people for money in order to survive. One day, while working a menial job which is parking the trash, a woman approached him with an offer: become her husband, and she would take care of him including clothing him and a comfortable job to do. Desperate and naive, Nathan agreed. And that decision had led him into the nightmare he’s currently in.

“I never should’ve agreed to marry Laura,” Nathan muttered bitterly. “I didn’t know I was walking into a trap. But… At least I have a roof over my head now. One square meal a day is better than starving on the streets,” he added sighing hard.

Laura had given Nathan a space to sleep in an abandoned storeroom on the mansion grounds. It was packed with old books, broken wooden furniture, rusting iron, and the lingering stench of dead rats.

Nathan walked back to the couch he had been lying on—a tattered piece of furniture with its stuffing spilling out through multiple tears. He picked up his threadbare sweater and put it on. He glanced at his watch and a bitter sigh escaped his lips.

“Even the cows wouldn’t want to be disturbed at this hour,” he mumbled with a yawn, narrowing his eyes against the dim light.

Stepping outside, Nathan was immediately hit by a wave of freezing air. The cold bit at his skin, made his breath catch in his throat, but he had no choice. He trudged through the icy darkness toward the cow shed, which stood a fair distance from the main Sinclair mansion. When he arrived, he pushed the door open—and as always, the foul stench of dung slammed into him like a punch.

Nathan ignored the smell and began to work, he cleaned the shed, fed the cows. And after he was done, he smelled just as bad as the animals, even his nose couldn’t bare it.

“I need a bath before I get ready for the delivery,” Nathan muttered to himself and stepped out of the shed, exhausted.

Some minutes later, after freshly bathed, Nathan climbed into the delivery truck and headed for the Sinclair production factory on the east side of the city. As soon as the delivery was completed, he returned home, parked the truck, and walked back toward the mansion. He was desperately in need of a nap—his legs heavy, his eyes sore from fatigue—but just as he approached the front door, a familiar, sharp voice rang out behind him.

“Nathan!”

He stopped mid-step and turned around. His shoulders dropped slightly as he forced a polite nod.

“Good morning, Laura,” he greeted.

Laura—his wife—stood in front of him, a smirk dancing across her lips.

There was a time Nathan had believed she was his salvation and a dream come true. When he met her, she’d seemed kind, gentle, even loving. He thought he’d found something real—someone who cared for him despite having nothing. But the moment they married, everything changed. Laura treated him like filth. And her mother was even worse.

“What’s good about the morning, you filthy cow?” Laura sneered, folding her arms across her chest.

Nathan stood quite his gaze down as he dared not to look directly at Laura’s face.

“Where have you been,” Laura asked.

Nathan tried to speak but he ended up stammering, and just in an instant her voice snapped out again.

“Short up, what’s this for, is your tongue cut off or what? When speaking to me relaxed and talk calmly, am not hurting you neither a monster, or do you see me holding a knife that could course harm to you,” Laura demanded with a sigh then let out a smile, she walked closer to Nathan and placed her hands over his chest and began to rub it gently, then she continued.

“You know you are my husband right? So it’s my duty to care about you, and I could never hurt you,” Laura spoke calmly and at some point, Nathan was drawn by her pink seductive lips.

“I went to deliver some goods to the west county production factory,” Nathan replied, this time his tone was calm and he wasn’t stammering.

“Hmmmm,” Laura exclaimed, rubbing her chin as if she was thinking.

“Anyways, I’ve got more work for you. I want you to wash my clothes.”

Nathan inhaled deeply through his nose, swallowing the frustration that rose in his throat.

“And make sure you wash them properly this time,” Laura added with a dramatic sigh. “The last batch of clothes you washed still smelled like your disgusting sweat. Ugh! I can’t take it, please make sure you wash this set properly or else you know what comes next, you won’t get any food for the day,” Laura laughed then walked away.

Nathan lowered his gaze and nodded.

“Yes, Laura. I’ll make sure they’re properly washed this time.”

Nathan couldn’t protest—not if he wanted to survive. Saying the wrong word from his mouth, even reacting with the slightest irritation, could cost him his only meal for the day. Or worse, it could leave him working for days on an empty stomach.