THE DEJECTED SON-IN-LAW

4

"Mrs. Whitmore, I've finished mopping the floor. Is there anything else I can help with?"

Cal, having just finished cleaning, asked Lily.

"Cal, you should take a break," Lily said with a smile.

"I can cook too. Let me handle the kitchen."

"Mrs. Whitmore, you don't need to be so polite with me."

"I came down from the mountain to repay a debt of gratitude. You and Mr. Whitmore can ask me to do anything you need, whether at home or at work."

"If you keep being so formal, I'll leave and stop imposing on you." Cal spoke earnestly.

"Hahaha, all right then." Lily couldn't help but laugh. After this brief interaction, she was growing increasingly fond of her future son-in-law.

Soon, dinnertime arrived.

However, since Serena had already fallen asleep, they didn't wake her.

At the dinner table, only Cal and the Whitmore couple were present.

"Cal, I haven't asked you yet—what do your parents do? Do you have any siblings?" Shane asked, his tone casual but clearly fishing for information about Cal's background.

"My parents..." Cal fell silent for a moment before answering. "They passed away long ago. And I don't have any siblings."

The Whitmore couple looked surprised.

"We're so sorry, Cal. We didn't mean to—"

"It's fine. It's all in the past." Cal smiled faintly and changed the subject. "By the way, Mr. Whitmore, I mentioned to Mrs. Whitmore earlier—if you need anything from me, please don't hesitate to ask."

"For example, if the company has any difficult positions that no one wants to fill, as long as I'm capable, I'm willing to do it for free. I genuinely want to help Mr. Whitmore. Besides, I don't have much else to occupy my time." Cal offered sincerely.

However, when Shane heard this, he completely misunderstood Cal's intention. He assumed Cal was indirectly angling for a job—that the young man was greedy, wanting not only to marry his daughter but also secure employment.

Shane said nothing, but inwardly he felt displeased.

Lily smiled warmly. "Cal, don't worry. Not only did you save Serena, but we're family now. Mr. Whitmore will definitely arrange a good position for you—and you absolutely cannot work for free. We can't let you go unrewarded."

"Shane, don't you agree?" Lily prompted her husband.

Shane nodded with a practiced smile. "Of course. We can't have Cal working without compensation. As my future son-in-law, you should receive a proper salary. At least five hundred thousand dollars annually."

"Cal, come to the company tomorrow. I'll arrange a good position for you. Serena will show you around," Shane said warmly.

Cal tried to decline, but Lily persuaded him to accept. In the end, Cal had no choice but to agree, though he resolved to leave the money with the Whitmore family when he eventually departed. He'd come to repay a debt, not to profit from it.

After dinner, Cal returned to his room to rest.

In the middle of the night, Serena woke up, and her mother heated up dinner for her.

...

"What? Dad, are you insane?"

"You're letting this country boy into our company? And giving him an annual salary of five hundred thousand?"

"I'm a CEO with a PhD and overseas education, and my annual salary is only around a hundred thousand!"

"How does he—some rural nobody—deserve that?"

During her late meal, Serena erupted in fury upon learning of her parents' decision.

"Keep your voice down!" Shane scolded. "I already told you—this is temporary."

"But five hundred thousand is too much..." Serena was a pragmatic businesswoman.

Business people valued getting their money's worth.

If he were truly talented, she'd willingly pay him five million a year. But if he was useless, even five dollars would be too much—let alone five hundred thousand.

"Silly daughter, the five hundred thousand is just on paper. Once he's at the company, we can make deductions here and there. In the end, how much he actually receives is entirely up to us." Shane smirked cunningly.

Serena calmed down somewhat, though she still felt deeply uncomfortable.

Allowing some country boy into the company truly rankled her.

"All right, finish eating and get some rest."

"There's an important board meeting tomorrow, and you need to attend. Can you handle it?"

Shane asked with concern.

Serena nodded. "Yes, Dad. I'm much better now."

They spoke no more for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Shane received a phone call and hurried to the company without breakfast.

"Serena, your father wants you at the company before nine o'clock. It's already eight-thirty, so watch the time."

"Cal, since you're starting today, go with Serena. When you arrive, she'll arrange your specific position." At the dining table, Lily instructed both of them.

Upon hearing she'd have to drive with Cal, Serena frowned but said nothing.

"No trouble at all," Cal said gratefully.

A few minutes later, a white BMW X5 rolled out of the garage with Serena at the wheel.

"Be careful on the road!" Lily called from the doorstep.

Cal, seated in the back, waved goodbye before departing with Serena.

"Nice car."

"This must be worth tens of thousands, right?"

Looking at the luxurious interior and leather seats, Cal couldn't help but marvel. The finest vehicle he'd ever ridden in before was a pickup truck back in Stoneridge.

Serena didn't even bother responding. *What a country boy,* she thought. *He probably thinks even a plane only costs ten thousand dollars.*

After leaving the villa district, Serena suddenly stopped at a street corner.

"Get out!"

Serena commanded coldly.

"We're here already? That was fast!" Cal looked surprised. They'd only been driving for three minutes—had they really reached the company?

Serena ground her teeth in frustration. "Are you genuinely this dense, or just pretending?"

"Can't you see I don't want to be seen with you?"

"Also, regarding this so-called marriage—I don't care what my parents are planning, but as far as I'm concerned, there are only two words: absolutely impossible!"

"We're not from the same world!"

"Look after yourself and don't indulge in unrealistic fantasies." She paused, then added icily, "Oh, and I'm warning you—the company starts work at nine o'clock sharp. If you're even one minute late, you'll be fined ten thousand dollars."

*Slam!*

After kicking Cal out of the car, Serena hit the gas. The engine roared as she sped away, leaving Cal standing alone in the morning breeze.

"She looks innocent and lovely on the outside, but underneath she's quite the firecracker," Cal muttered with a wry smile, shaking his head.

Still, he wasn't angry. He knew Serena didn't like him, and truthfully, he didn't mind. After all, he still had seventeen other engagement contracts—surely the next one would be better. As for the Whitmore family, he wouldn't stay long. Once he'd repaid his master's debt, he'd leave. They'd go their separate ways and likely never meet again.

That said, setting everything else aside, Cal genuinely admired Serena's straightforward, bold personality. At least she was far better than those hypocrites who acted one way in public and another in private.

*Vroom~*

Shortly after being abandoned roadside, a customized Rolls-Royce pulled up before him. The window lowered, revealing a woman's profile—striking features radiating heroic determination.

"I told you—no one except this general will ever want you," she declared. "But if you follow me now, there's still time!"

Morgan sat resplendent in her military uniform, her stunning face tinged with cold dominance. Clearly, she'd been secretly monitoring Cal since their arrival in Riverton.

As she spoke, the car door opened automatically for him.

It seemed that if Cal simply took that seat, his entire life would transform—wealth, power, and beautiful women would be his for the taking.

Without hesitation, Cal climbed in.

His decisiveness left Morgan stunned for three full seconds.

"You... you agreed?" she stammered.

Cal didn't answer. Instead, he turned to the driver. "We don't have time. Please drive to this location immediately."

The driver ignored him completely.

Only after Morgan spoke did the driver respond respectfully. "Yes, General." He quickly pulled away from the curb.

"This car is terrible. The seats are so hard. You couldn't spend thirty thousand to replace them?"

Cal commented, despite the spacious, opulent interior.

The driver nearly fainted from indignation. *Thirty thousand dollars? You couldn't even buy a single tire for that.*

But he remained silent—he was merely a subordinate employed by General Steele.

To prove the vehicle's luxury and power, the driver floored the accelerator. The deep engine roar sounded like a predator's growl as the black car swept through the entire block like a steel flood, causing countless pedestrians to stop and stare in awe.

Meanwhile, Serena was still en route to the company.

Though she'd successfully rid herself of Cal, she didn't feel relieved. Instead, she worried that her words had been too harsh—that she might have wounded the self-esteem of the country boy who'd saved her life.

"I was just being direct to avoid misunderstandings later," Serena murmured to herself.

She truly believed she and Cal were incompatible. Marriage was about being well-matched in background and status—like finding the right saddle for a horse. Serena was like a luxury car worth five or six hundred thousand, while Cal was probably worth only a three or five thousand dollar pickup at best.

It wasn't discrimination—just reality. The difference in their social status and lifestyles was simply too vast.

Like how a swan belonged in the sky and a toad in a well—they inhabited different worlds entirely.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted behind her.

Serena glanced in her rearview mirror, and her face went pale. "Is that... a Rolls-Royce? A customized one?"

She immediately slowed down and moved to the side of the road. The other vehicle roared past in a blur of black steel and tinted windows.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Better to keep distance from such a multi-million dollar luxury car.

If she accidentally scratched it, she'd be in debt for the rest of her life.

"Ah..."

"I wonder who was inside? What kind of important person must they be?"

Watching the Rolls-Royce disappear into the distance, Serena's eyes filled with longing and envy.

She felt certain she'd never have the chance to sit in such a luxury car in her entire lifetime.