The Absolute Son-in-law And The Ten Rings Of Power

A dispatch delivery truck pulled up at the front entrance of Zhao Dynasty Towers.

Zeke tugged off his cap as he jumped down from the truck and ran as fast as his legs could carry him towards the ten-storey building.

His father-in-law, Zhao Long, had called for a family emergency meeting.

Zeke had a bad feeling it had something to do with the disaster that happened that afternoon.

It was a Black Monday for everyone in UFC Republic. A daylight nightmare no one predicted.

Just hours earlier, the nation's stock market suffered a catastrophic collapse, wiping out a staggering $100 billion in value.

Zhao Dynasty's entire portfolio, share, bond, every last penny they own had been tied up in that market.

In a matter of minutes, everything was gone.

No one saw it coming. Millions of people lost their money.

Zeke had just been wrapping up his delivering shift when his wife, Mei, called to inform him about the emergency meeting.

He didn't like how she sounded on the phone. Her voice was close to tears.

Zeke rode the elevator to the eighth floor. His palms were clammy. His lips were as dry as sand.

When the doors slide open, he rushed into the boardroom where members of the Zhao family were packed together.

Everyone was pacing around, cursing and swearing. The panic in their eyes told him this was no ordinary matter.

Zeke found his wife, head bent over the long table, her hands clenched on her laps.

"Mei," He rushed to her side, sitting beside her. "I got your message. What's going on?"

Mei raised her head. Her eyes were shaking with panic. "The stock market crashed, Zeke. We lost everything. There's nothing left. My father is going to kill me."

Zeke chest tightened.

He could see a film of tears forming in her eyes.

Before he could get his next words out, the elevator doors slid open and Zhao Long marched in with his wife, Anna Zhao.

The boardroom fell silent as everyone turned and greeted them with a slight bow.

"Good afternoon, father."

Zhao Long didn't say anything. Instead he strode towards where Mei was standing, his eyes as hard as nails.

With a swift motion, he slapped her across the cheeks.

SMACK!

The sound echoed like a dry stick snapped in two.

Zeke's blood went cold.

"You bitch," Zhao Long scowled. "You've ruined this family. Your carelessness has cost us everything."

Mei controlled her tears with an effort. She bowed her head again. "I'm sorry father. Please forgive me."

Everyone remained quiet. They were all aware of the situation, but they had no idea how grave it was.

"Father," Jason, Zhao Long's eldest son stepped forward. "How bad is it? Exactly how much did we lost?"

"Zhao Dynasty lost everything in the market," Zhao Long yelled, seething in rage. "I'm talking $80 million. It's all gone. There's not a penny left."

Everybody stiffened in shock, their eyes and jaws dropping.

At that moment, a loud murmur broke out in the boardroom.

"Oh, my God! $80 million?!"

"Shit! We are finished."

"We lost everything?!"

"But that means we are now broke! This can't be happening. I refuse to be broke."

"But how could this have happened? Couldn't we have avoided it from the start?"

While everyone was lamenting, Anna Zhao stepped forward, cutting through the noise with her loud voice.

"This is all Mei's fault," Anna Zhao declared coldly. "If she had pulled out the company's funding at the last second. None of this would've happened."

Mei held one of the most powerful positions in the company as the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Zhao Dynasty.

She was responsible for managing the entire company's investment portfolio.

Zhao Long had entrusted her with more financial control than even Jason, his firstborn. But now they're turning on her.

A vein twitched in Zeke's temple. His fists clenched by his side.

"This is so unfair," he protested. "It's not Mei's fault the stock market crashed! Why blame her for something she had no control over?"

"Shut up, you piece of garbage," Jason barked at Zeke, his index finger pointing threateningly at him. "Don't speak on things you know nothing about."

Before Zeke could reply him, Mei stopped him with a wave of her hand.

"It's okay, Zeke. They're right. It is my fault," she admitted.

Zeke turned to her, surprised. "Mei..."

She faced everyone, her voice quavering. "Before the crash, financial analyst saw many red flags in the market and issued a warning. Many firms ignored the warning believing it would be a temporary dip."

She paused, her tone full of regret. "At 1:46 PM today, the market fell. Zhao Dynasty's entire investment was obliterated. There wasn't enough time for me to cut our loses. It was too late."

"Worse, she committed 100% of our liquidity into the market," Zhao Long added, his voice hard. "We have no cash reserve or personal savings. We're as broke as a street beggar."

This caused an outrage in the boardroom. Everyone began raining curses and insult on Mei as if she was a leper.

Zeke could only stare at his wife, speechless.

She had ignored key warnings and went all in without contingency plans in place.

And now, with nothing left, the family needed someone to blame.

Of course, it had to be her.

Mei hung her head in shame, tears welling up in her eyes. "Forgive me father," she whispered. "I never meant for this to happen..."

Zhao Long slapped her again. This time with more force than necessary.

The room fell into another stunned silence at the second slap.

"I don't need your apology," Zhao Long growled. "I want my money back! Bring me my money, you incompetent child!"

Zeke caught his wife as she staggered back. His blood boiled when he saw the red welt on her cheeks.

"Father-in-law," Zeke raised his voice, his fists punching the air. "How could you hit Mei like that? Have you forgotten she's your favorite daughter? Now you're treating her like a petty criminal!"

Zhao Long pointed his finger at Zeke, seething. "If I hear one more word from you, Zeke, I swear I'll have you locked up and beaten mercilessly like the dog you are!"

Zeke's jaws clenched.

But Mei gripped Zeke's hands, shaking her head. "Keep out of this, Zeke. This is my fight... not yours."

She returned to her father and before everyone, she knelt on her hands and knees, lowering her forehead until it touched the floor.

"Father, please," she pleaded, tears rolling down her face. "All I need is a second chance. I'll bring the money back. All of it."