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

Fake

Mei's mind drifted back three years ago, to the day her mother first introduced her to Zeke.

Initially, Mei was heavily against the arranged marriage between her and Zeke.

She couldn't imagine how her mother expected her to marry a man like him.

Zeke was a pauper. He only wore one pair of shoes and rotated the same two set of clothes every other day.

Worse, he was a typical nobody. He had no formal education, no connections and no talents to his name.

His only redeeming qualities was his kindness and unpolished good looks. But even those qualities weren't nearly enough to qualify him as a lifelong partner.

But Mei's mother had insisted she gave him a chance.

"Marry him, Mei. And have great faith in him. Zeke may not be the man you desire right now, but he'll be the man you'll need in the future. Don't give up on him."

Those were Mei's mother's words.

For three years Mei had honoured her mother's wish and even though she had grown to accept Zeke as her husband, she knew sooner or later, their union mightn't last.

"Mei, we are waiting," Craig said, drawing her mind back to the present. "It's either Zeke or Me. You chose."

Zeke raised his hands. "You don't need to give in to his pressure, Mei. Just come home with me. I promise, we'll figure this out together, as a couple."

"Figure what out?" Craig lashed out. "You're a pauper, Zeke. What do you even have to offer my lovely Mei? Nothing. Even if Mei pawn all her jewelry and sell her car, she still can't save Zhao Dynasty."

"Yes she can," Zeke shot back. "That's because I believe in her. I told her I'd get the money and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"You're making empty promises to her," Craig said. "I, on the other hand, have already secured investors who are ready to invest in Zhao Dynasty. I believe in action, Zeke. Not empty words."

"Mei would pick me," Zeke claimed confidently. Then he turned to Mei. "Mei, slap Craig and come home with me. That would shut him up for good."

Mei shut her eyes as she slammed both hands on the table. "That's enough you two. I'll make my decision now."

Silence returned to the dinning table. Zeke waited.

He wondered who she'll chose. It obviously can't be Craig. She can't stand the man. He's a creep.

Mei straightened, then after taking a deep breath, she turned to Zeke and began approaching him.

Zeke's heart swelled with joy, hope flickering across his face. He was certain Mei wouldn't chose Craig.

Mei stopped before Zeke, her face lowered. There was a dark look of regret in her eyes that worried him.

Mei leaned close and whispered in his ear. "Forgive me, Zeke... but I have to do this."

Zeke felt a chill crawl up his spine.

Before he could process her words, Mei raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

SMACK!

* * * *

Zeke staggered, stunned by Mei's action.

He couldn't believe his eyes. She rejected him and chose Craig over him.

Mei lowered her hand, her face as pale as a chalk. Her heart was racing.

"Why, this is just beautiful to watch," Craig laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist. "You chose wisely, Mei."

Mei didn't say anything.

Zeke stared at her, his eyes as hard as stones. "Why did you do it, Mei? Why pick that scum over me?"

Mei met his gaze. "It's quite obvious, isn't it, Zeke? I need to do this. You can't give me the solution I need to save my family. Craig offers so much more."

Zeke balled his hands in fists. "Your mother would be disappointed in you. Didn't she ask you to have faith in me? You didn't just betrayed me, you also betrayed her."

Mei frowned. "My mother would understand. You think this doesn't hurt me? I couldn't possibly just seat still and do nothing like you suggested."

Zeke licked his lips. They were as dry as sand. "Very well. I'll leave you to your new boyfriend. Tomorrow we're getting a divorce."

Just as he turned to leave, Zeke's phone vibrated in his pocket.

He slipped his hand inside and pulled it out. The caller ID flashing on the screen belonged to Flynn.

Ten of Zeke's secert agents were stationed outside Craig's villa right now, waiting for his signal.

"This isn't a good time," Zeke hissed into the phone. "Tell your men to return to their homes. We are finished here."

"Forgive me, young master," Flynn said in an urgent tone. "But I think you should hear this. I've hacked into the surveillance system in Craig's villa. I must warn you, the guests in the dinning room are imposters. They're not real."

Zeke's eyes widened, his grip on the phone tightening. "What?"

"The real Mr. Desmond for example, is away on a business trip at Miami right now. That man sitting across from you is nothing more than an actor. None of these people are investors. They're hired performers."

Zeke froze.

He glanced over his shoulder at the so-called Mr. Desmond, who immediately averted his gaze.

Zeke could see the man's fingers twitching nervously around his wine glass.

"Well, what are you waiting for, pauper?" Craig barked at Zeke. "Mei would be with you tomorrow to sign the annulment papers to your marriage. Now get out."

Zeke didn't answer him.

Instead, he swiftly grabbed Mr. Desmond by the collar and yanked him out of his chair.

The imposter stiffened in shock. "Wha... What the hell are you doing?! Let go of me!"

Zeke's fingers dug into his jawline—and then, with a sharp tug, peeled off a hyper-realistic silicone mask, revealing the face of a young, panicked actor beneath.

A collective gasps erupted around the table.

Mei's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. "What the hell is this? You're not Mr. Desmond?"

"They're all fake," Zeke announced as he tossed the mask to the floor and crushed it under his heel. "Craig hired them to impersonate powerful investors just so he could manipulate you, Mei."

Mei turned sharply to Craig, her eyes as round as a circle. "You tried to trick me into believing you could save Zhao Dynasty. How could you lie to me?"

Craig parted his mouth but no words came out. His face was as pale as a ghost.

His mind raced with one haunting question:

How the hell did Zeke find out about the impersonators?