THE DRAGON SON IN LAW RETURNS

The stench of rotting food clung to Ethan Cole's clothes as he dragged the last trash bag toward the collection point behind the Harrison mansion. His hands were raw, his back ached, but he didn't complain. He never did.

"Ethan! ETHAN!"

The shrill voice of his mother-in-law, Margaret Harrison, pierced through the morning air. He quickly straightened up, wiping sweat from his brow with his already filthy sleeve.

"Coming, Mother," he called back, his voice steady despite the exhaustion.

He found her in the main hall, her face twisted in disgust as she pointed at a small water stain on the marble floor.

Around her, several Harrison family relatives had gathered for the monthly family meeting—which really meant another opportunity to humiliate him.

"Look at this mess! Are you blind or just incompetent? I asked you to clean this floor an hour ago!" Margaret's designer heel clicked against the marble as she stepped closer, her perfume overwhelming. "My friends are coming over this afternoon. Do you want them to think we live in a pigsty?"

"I apologize. I was taking out the—"

"I don't want your excuses!" She cut him off, her voice rising. "God, what did my daughter see in you? A useless garbage collector who can't even mop a floor properly."

Ethan's brother-in-law, Derek Harrison, laughed from his position on the leather sofa, his beer belly jiggling. "Come on, Mom. You know exactly what Sophia saw—a free servant. Best decision she ever made, marrying this idiot. We don't even have to pay him!"

The room erupted in laughter. Ethan's jaw tightened imperceptibly, but his face remained calm and Passive. Thats the mask he'd worn for three years.

"Where is Sophia?" he asked quietly.

"Mrs. Harrison to you," Margaret snapped. "And she's upstairs getting ready. Not that it's any of your business. She's meeting someone important today—someone worthy of her time, unlike you."

Ethan nodded slowly and knelt down to clean the water stain. As he scrubbed, he could feel their eyes on him. Mocking and Dismissive.

They saw a man on his knees, and it made them feel powerful.

If only they knew that presidents and generals had knelt before him. If only they knew that with one phone call, he could erase the Harrison family from existence.

But they didn't know. And that was exactly how it had to be.

For now.

"When you're done with that, the garage needs organizing," Derek added, tossing his beer can in Ethan's direction. It bounced off his shoulder, spilling the remaining liquid on his shirt. "Oh, and pick that up too. Good boy."

“Hehehehe!” More laughter joined.

Ethan picked up the can without a word. He'd endured worse than this….Much worse. On battlefields where the screams of dying men filled the air. In boardrooms where billion-dollar empires hung in the balance. This? This was nothing.

But his patience was wearing thin.

Three years. He'd given Sophia three years to see past his act and prove she loved him for who he was, not what he appeared to be. 3 years to even show even a shred of basic human decency.

She had failed at every turn.

"Ethan!"

His wife's voice floated down from the grand staircase. He looked up to see Sophia Harrison descending in a stunning red dress that hugged her curves perfectly.

Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her makeup was flawless. She was breathtakingly beautiful—he'd never denied that.

But beauty without character was just an empty shell.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" She wrinkled her nose as she approached. "God, you smell like garbage. Literally."

"I was taking out the trash. What did you need?"

"I need you to drive me to the Grand Hyatt Hotel. I have an important lunch meeting." She checked her phone, completely oblivious to the hurt a normal husband might feel. "And don't embarrass me by parking at the front entrance. Use the back service entrance. I don't want anyone seeing me get out of that... thing you call a car."

The "thing" was a fifteen-year-old sedan he'd deliberately purchased from a junkyard. It barely ran, but that was the point. Everything was part of the test which Sofia failed again!!.

"Who are you meeting?" Ethan asked, though he already knew. His intelligence network had informed him yesterday.

"Not that it's your concern, but Marcus Wellington is back in town." Her eyes lit up in a way they'd never lit up for him. "We used to date before... well, before I made the mistake of marrying you."

"Sophia!" Margaret gasped, though she was smiling. "That's wonderful! The Wellington heir? Oh darling, you must make a good impression. The Wellington Corporation is worth Millions. Maybe there's still a chance to—"

"To what, Mother?" Sophia's smile was sharp. "I'm married to this loser, remember?"

"Marriages can be... corrected," Margaret said carefully, glancing at Ethan like he was an insect to be squashed. "Especially marriages that were clearly mistakes from the beginning."

Ethan stood up slowly, the cleaning rag still in his hand. He looked at Sophia—really looked at her—and saw nothing but greed and ambition. Whatever feelings he might have once had for her had died a thousand deaths over these three years.

"I'll get the car ready," he said simply.

As he walked away, he heard Derek mutter, "Poor bastard doesn't even realize his wife is about to trade up. This is going to be entertaining."

"Give it a week," Margaret agreed. "Once Marcus shows interest, we can push for a divorce. Finally be rid of this embarrassment."

Ethan's lips curved into the faintest smile as he stepped outside. They thought they were planning his downfall.

How adorably naive.

The dragon had been sleeping long enough. Soon, very soon, they would learn what it meant to wake a predator.

He pulled out his phone—not the cheap, cracked one he showed the family, but a special encrypted device—and sent a single message:

"Status report on Wellington heir. Full background and Every dirty secret."

The response came within seconds: "Yes, Supreme Commander. Files ready for your review."

Ethan deleted the message and pocketed the phone. Then he got into the barely-functioning sedan and drove it to the front entrance, letting it sputter and cough loudly.

Let them be embarrassed by him one more time.

Soon they'd be begging for the chance to be embarrassed by his presence.