Rise Of The Discarded Husband

“Finally…” Drake exhaled deeply as he wiped off the bead of sweat on his forehead.

He had just finished cleaning a section of the big house his mother-in-law had instructed him to clean. His stomach cramped painfully and he winced, remembering that he hadn't eaten a single meal since morning. Kelly, his mother-in-law had locked the kitchen doors while insisting that a lazy man would never eat her food.

His knees buckled and he sighed, about to continue mopping when his phone suddenly buzzed. With a frown, he whipped his hand inside his pocket and brought out the phone. “I thought I told you not to call? I'm busy–”

“Young master, I have news!” The male voice said urgently, breathless with excitement. “It's done. The documents have passed the final review and your wife's company have been approved for listing. She's live on air right now for the press conference,”

Drake smiled, pride bubbling inside him. Then a frown crossed his face. He had sent tons of messages earlier to Lydia, his wife, but she had only replied with a curt ‘Busy, will text later’

He didn't know how to feel. If something like this happened, why hadn't she shared the news with him first?

“Congratulations, young master…”

Drake nodded. “Well-done, Silas. You did a great job. Continue to follow up on her progress and make sure that her needs are attended to,” He paused. “Anonymously of course,” He concluded, before ending the call.

“My mother-in-law will be so excited to hear this news…” Drake smiled and hurried up with the cleaning.

Meanwhile downstairs, three women sat on the sofa, each sipping from a glass of wine. They were expensively dressed, luxury dripping everywhere around them. Kelly cracked a joke and the rest drowned in laughter.

“That reminds me, I'll be traveling to Paris this weekend. My daughter just got promoted to a managerial position. Babes is the talk of the town. You need to see how she's glowing!” Sabrina said gleefully, fondling with her Gucci wristwatch.

The second woman, Cici, flipped her blonde hair to the side. “Gosh, these children make us so proud. Did I tell you my son now earns six figures monthly? He shipped me the latest MacBook just a day after it was launched,”

“Lucky you!” Sabrina cooed as she turned to Kelly. “How about your son-in-law though, Kelly? Shame how your daughter hasn't achieved anything tangible since she got married to him,”

“The boy has no drive, no ambitions. Nothing! If he had the tiniest bit of sense, maybe Lydia wouldn't be so stagnant,” Cici concurred.

“Poor girl, if only she hadn't married for love–”

“She should just divorce him and marry someone better. Heaven knows she doesn't need a liability,”

Kelly chuckled awkwardly even though the words stabbed through her chest like claws. It was not that her daughter wasn't trying her best, her friends just wanted to taunt her– rubbing their successes on her face like dog shit and using her situation to mock her.

Whose fault was it that her son-in-law was a useless piece of trash?

Just then, a knock sounded on the door and Drake walked in, a tray of snacks and tea in his hands. At the sight of Kelly's friends, he rolled his eyes. Gosh, these old women and their endless gossip.

“Here comes the live in son-in-law,” Sabrina chuckled sarcastically, crossing her legs. “At least he's not that useless. He knows how to serve tea. Good for him,”

“What do you expect from someone of such low birth? He does nothing but cook and clean all day long,”

Kelly stiffened and her expression changed instantly as she frowned at Drake. This idiot had the nerves to show up here just to further humiliate her?

When he set the tray before her, she hissed into his face. “How dare you step your feet here? How many times have I warned you this isn't where to be snooping around? Don't embarrass me and go back upstairs,”

“I..I just wanted to—”

“I don't care what the fuck you wanted to do. Get your useless self out of my sight!”

Drake's fist curled into a fist. He could never get used to Kelly's hatred. She had never missed an opportunity to belittle and treat him worse than garbage since he got married to her daughter.

Swallowing back the embarrassment for the sake of Lydia, he lowered his head. “I'm sorry, mother, but there is just something important I want to tell you. It's about Lydia—”

Kelly's eyes widened as she shot him a dirty look. “What happened to my daughter?”

Drake let out a small smile. “Her company was approved for listing and she'll be ringing the Nasdaq bell tomorrow. The press conference is ongoing right now…”

What?!

The women gasped and Kelly's heart skipped a beat, unable to believe her ears. Her gaze lingered on Drake as if deciding whether or not he was pranking her. “I swear if this is some stupid jokes, I'm going to kill you,”

“I promise you it's not a lie,” Drake said, clasping his hands in anticipation. “Hurry up and let's watch the press conference!”

Frantically, she grabbed the remote and switched on the TV. Right there, the scene welcomed them –Lydia was standing confidently behind rows of microphones, cameras flashing around her as she addressed the crowd. Her smile was angelic and as she spoke, reporters thronged forward, each desperate to ask their questions.

“Oh, my sweet daughter, she finally got on that stage after trying so hard!” Kelly shrieked, tears in her eyes. “Her company is finally going public, can you believe that? I knew she could do this!”

“She's got her mother's blood flowing through her veins. I'm so happy for her!”

“A nasdaq bell? That's like the greatest achievement,” Sabrina said gleefully. “Such an ambitious and hardworking lady. I love how hard she fights to stand out,”

“Unlike someone she calls a husband…” Kelly snickered, turning to look at Drake like he was a stain she was so desperate to wipe off.

“Blame his mother. If only she were alive to train him better,” Cici whispered coldly.

“Such a poor, useless idiot. I wonder what my daughter is still doing with someone like you. Such a waste of time,” Kelly hissed, her annoyance evident. “She needs someone better. Someone worthy of being by her side and not some dirty bastard,”

Drake swallowed hard, stuck between the insults of his mother-in-law and the pride of seeing his wife on screen. It amused him though, couldn't they just see him like a normal human being for once? Not like he was looking for trouble. All he did was exist and try to live a good life.

His chest tightened. Should he just go ahead and tell them the strings he pulled to get Lydia approved? Would that make them accord him some respect? Nahh, he shook his head. There was no need for that. They would only mock him further to feed their egos.

“Get out of here and go continue the chores!” Kelly snapped. “You have no business watching my daughter before you infest her with your poverty and uselessness!”

“But she's my wife–” Drake said tightly.

“Yeah, a wife that you cannot feed or clothe,” She taunted. “Now get lost!”