Scorned Son-In-Law:System of the Forgotten Heir

Chapter 3: Echoes of Power

The next morning, the Okoye mansion buzzed with whispers.

The disgrace of a son-in-law had exposed one of Chief Okoye’s oldest allies, Chief Ikenna Osadebe. That footage—played on the family’s 72-inch television—was now making the rounds among inner business circles. A “leak,” they called it.

Henry hadn’t leaked anything.

But the system had made sure his first face-slap echoed.

Veronica Okoye stormed into the dining room like a lioness scorned, robe flowing, head tie askew.

“I will not sit by while that boy turns our home into a circus!” she barked. “Kenneth, say something!”

Chief Okoye didn’t even glance up from his newspaper. “He did what our security failed to do. Ikenna was stealing.”

“That’s not the point!” she snapped. “He embarrassed us. He exposed a powerful ally!”

“An ally who was using us,” the chief replied coolly.

Veronica whirled around to Adaora, who sat at the far end of the table, calmly sipping tea.

“You’re really going to let your husband continue like this? Acting like some self-righteous vigilante?”

Adaora didn’t answer. Her eyes were locked on her phone screen, scrolling through the online business forum where Henry’s name had started trending under a forum thread:

“The Broke Son-In-Law Who Outsmarted a Billionaire.”

Meanwhile, Henry was already outside, dressed simply in a black T-shirt and jeans, walking briskly down the long driveway. His phone buzzed with messages from contacts he hadn’t heard from in years.

Obinna had texted him twice.

Some business bloggers were asking for interviews.

One tech consultant even offered to meet him for lunch.

System Notification:

Public Recognition Gained: +10 Reputation

New Trait Activated: Ripple Effect – Your actions now influence adjacent characters and environments.

“So now they’re watching,” Henry muttered to himself. “Let them.”

His destination wasn’t flashy. In fact, it was a dusty one-room office above a mechanic’s shop in Dugbe. Inside was a man known simply as Kalu—a self-taught coder and software developer, rumored to have once been offered a job at G****e but turned it down due to visa issues.

Kalu looked up from his laptop when Henry entered.

“You really came,” he said, blinking behind thick glasses.

“You said you had an app idea,” Henry replied. “One with scale.”

Kalu grinned and gestured at the whiteboard. Scribbled across it were messy diagrams of an app called:

“TradeNet” – a decentralized P2P digital marketplace for secondhand goods and phones.

“The code’s half done,” Kalu said. “What I need is a partner who understands people and can hustle.”

Henry raised a brow. “What do you need from me?”

“₦300,000 seed money. We’ll co-own it. You handle outreach and bring in early users. We build silently for two weeks. I just need someone who can believe in this.”

Henry thought for a moment. Then he pulled out a wad of cash—his entire earnings from the Obinna deal—and dropped it on the table.

“₦200,000 upfront. I’ll get the rest in four days.”

Kalu stared. “Are you serious?”

Henry smiled. “Dead serious.”

System Notification:

Minor Investment Made – Digital Path Activated.

Business Trait Gained: Early Investor (Lv. 1)

Future equity shares increased by +5% if invested before product launch.

Back at the mansion, Veronica paced the hallway like a caged animal. Adaora watched her quietly from the stairs.

“He’s starting a business,” Adaora said suddenly.

Veronica stopped mid-step. “Excuse me?”

“I overheard him on the phone. Something about digital investment, apps, and… customers.”

Veronica scoffed. “That’s not a business. That’s a boy dreaming out loud.”

But even as she dismissed it, her mind raced. Her gut twisted. There was something different in the way Henry had carried himself lately—confident, grounded, almost… dangerous.

System Ping:

Subject: Veronica Okoye

Emotional State: Uncertainty. Defense Walls Weakening.

Chance of Confrontation: 87%

That evening, as the sun dipped behind the horizon, Henry returned home.

He was barely inside the compound before Veronica appeared at the entrance, arms folded, waiting like a judge at a public stoning.

“Back from your petty errands?” she said coldly.

Henry didn’t answer. He walked past her, head high.

That’s when she snapped.

“I know men like you,” she hissed. “Street boys who get one lucky break and think they’re gods. Don’t mistake this little attention you’re getting for real power. In the end, you’re still just a mistake we were forced to live with.”

Henry stopped.

Slowly, he turned.

And then… he smiled.

It wasn’t warm. It wasn’t threatening.

It was calm. Dangerous. Inevitable.

“I used to think your words mattered,” he said. “Now I see they’re just noise. Soon, the only thing people will remember about you is that you lived in my shadow.”

He walked away.

System Notification:

Grudge Strike Delivered: Veronica Okoye – Ego Shattered (45%)

You have broken her emotional upper hand.

Skill Progression Boost: Grudge Mastery +1

That night, as the lights dimmed in the mansion, Adaora stood by her bedroom window, staring out into the dark.

In the reflection on the glass, she saw herself.

And behind her just in memory Henry walking past, untouched, unmoved.

She touched the windowpane.

“Who… are you becoming?”