THE USELESS SON-IN-LAW REBIRTH

CHAPTER 1: DEATH WAS NOT THE END

A mourning hall had been set up inside Mrs. Owen’s house.

White cloth hung from the walls. Incense burned quietly, filling the air with a bitter smell.

The person lying inside the thin wooden coffin was Mrs. Owen’s son-in-law.

But strangely, there was no sadness.

Instead of crying, the guests gathered outside the mourning hall were laughing and chatting happily, as if they had come for a celebration.

“Congratulations, Amelia,” one woman said with a bright smile. “Your useless son-in-law is finally dead. This is truly good news.”

“Yes!” another person added. “Now your suffering is over. Your daughter won’t have to drag that dead weight anymore.”

Someone else laughed and said, “Now that he’s gone, Rachel can remarry immediately. I heard Mr. John from Amphora is interested in her. That man is rich and powerful.”

“If that useless man hadn’t died,” another voice sneered, “he would have ruined your whole family sooner or later.”

Mrs. Amelia Owen stood among them, listening carefully.

Not only did she not feel angry, but her face slowly relaxed. A deep sense of relief rose in her heart.

Yes.

That useless son-in-law was finally gone.

Meanwhile, inside the mourning hall, a young woman dressed in black stood silently in front of the coffin. Her eyes were red, her face pale.

Her name was Rachel.

Beside her stood a small girl, only six years old, crying softly as she clutched her mother’s clothes.

Rachel was crying too.

But not because her husband had died.

She cried because her daughter no longer had a father.

“Daddy…” the little girl sobbed. “Daddy, wake up…”

Rachel bent down and hugged her tightly, her body trembling.

At that moment a dull sound suddenly came from the coffin.

Everybody stopped talking.

They all turned their heads toward the mourning hall.

“Thump thump thump”

Three loud knocking sounds echoed through the room.

At that moment all their faces turned pale and they became nervous.

“What… what was that?” someone whispered.

A woman swallowed nervously and said in a shaky voice, “Could it be… we didn’t show enough respect to the deceased?”

Before anyone could react, the coffin lid slowly moved.

Then, right before their eyes, a pale hand pushed the lid open from inside.

“Oh my god!”

“Ghost!”

“Everybody run!, run!”

Panic exploded instantly.

In an instant, everyone in the mourning hall ran away, even Amelia and Rachael, who hurriedly fled with her six-year-old daughter Emma.

The coffin lid was completely pushed open.

A pale man slowly sat up. His eyes were full of shock and confusion.

“Where… am I?”

He looked around, breathing heavily.

Looking at the picture and the wooden plaque with the words in front of him “Peter Black”. The man’s face showed a very confused bitter smile. But he was not Peter Black, his name was Thomas Brown from the Brown family of Lake City. He was the eldest grandson and the most talented and strategic business genius.

In just four years, he had taken a small family company worth only a few million and turned it into one of the top ten companies in the country.

People called him “Divine Fingers.”

Yesterday should have been the happiest day of his life.

His wedding day.

He had married Emily Bailey, the daughter of a powerful family in the capital.

But on the night of the wedding, he was beaten to death with a stick.

As his vision faded, he saw a familiar face.

Lucas.

His cousin.

On his wedding night, he was killed by his own cousin.

And now, he was alive again.

But in someone else’s body.

A flood of memories suddenly rushed into his mind.

Painful.

Broken.

Useless.

All of them belonged to Peter Black.

Thomas slowly climbed out of the coffin.

He noticed a mirror hanging on the wall and walked over and saw a completely unfamiliar face. It was particularly handsome or stunning, but it was still pleasing to the eye. He looked young but his face was extremely pale, with dark circles under his eyes. He didn’t look much different from a corpse.

“Daddy!”

A small voice suddenly cried out.

A little girl rushed in and hugged his leg tightly.

Her cheeks were thin, her eyes full of tears.

“Daddy! Daddy, you’re not a ghost!”

“You’re alive!”

Thomas froze.

Only then did he realize… this child was his daughter in this body. By becoming Peter Black, he had also become her father.

Thomas had never been a father before.

He didn’t know what to do.

But looking at the fragile little girl, something deep in his chest softened.

He bent down and gently picked her up.

“Emma…” he said slowly, his voice dry and unfamiliar.

As Emma hugged his neck and cried “Daddy,” a sharp pain filled his heart.

As she said the word “Daddy” Thomas felt even more pity for her, because from Peter’s memories he learned he learned that when Emma was five years old, she was diagnosed with a heart condition and had a very difficult life. The doctors had once said she might not live past the age of ten, which was a major test.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside.

A woman rushed in.

She was tall, with nice features and clear eyes.

She wore black jeans and a black shirt.

No makeup.

Yet she was still beautiful.

Very beautiful.

She snatched her daughter right from his arms and took several steps back, fear written all over her face.

“You… are you human or a ghost?” she asked shakily.

Before Thomas could answer, Emma cried loudly.

“Mommy! Daddy is human! Daddy is not a ghost!”

“I don’t want daddy to be a ghost!”

Thomas finally understood.

This woman was Peter’s wife.

Thomas was still stunned and awake, but he was also shocked by Rachael’s appearance. She had given birth to a child, had no makeup on, and was wearing the most ordinary clothes, but she was still extremely beautiful, even more than his newlywed wife, Emily.

He took a deep breath and said, “I’m human and I’m alive. I am not dead.”

Rachel stared at him in disbelief.

“But the doctor said you were dead… You were in the coffin for three days… How could this be?”

Thomas looked at her calmly. “Do you want me dead that badly?”

“No! I just…” Rachel didn’t finish her words before another woman rushed in from outside, it was Peter’s mother-in-law, pointing at Thomas's nose and cursing, You useless piece of shit, why didn’t you die, a worthless person like you deserves to die. What use do you have been alive?

Thomas was surprised and embarrassed.

Rachel quickly said, “Mom, stop it. It’s better for him to be alive than dead.”

“Bullshit!” Mrs. Amelia shouted. “He’s nothing but a burden! If he’s dead I can still have some hope that you will remarry a wealthy man!”

Soon, the news that Owen’s family's son-in-law, who was thought to be dead, spread throughout the community. Many people who thought it was a hoax and had left came back to see what was going on, only to find out he was indeed alive.

Everyone stared at Thomas like they were looking at a ghost.

Just then group of rough-looking men walked in.

The air instantly grew tense.

“Isn’t that… Tiger Gang?”

“What is he doing here?”

The man at the front stepped forward.

His name was Draco.

He pointed directly at Rachel.

“Your husband lost you to me in a bet,” he said coldly.

“From today on, you are my woman.”

“Come with me.”

“As for that sick little thing with a heart condition, he sneered, “we don’t need her.”

“We’ll make healthy children.”