Chapter One

He searched the room frantically, turning everything upside down, yet the leather box was nowhere to be found. He was certain he had kept it there, but now uncertainty clouded his thoughts.

His wife was not in the room, so he sought to look for her around. She would probably know the whereabouts of the box since they used the room together. In haste, he rushed out of the room into the hallway and stopped short in his tracks.

"Are you looking for this?" It was West Summers, his mother-in-law, holding the box up with a sneer on her face. The box looked worn out.

"Yes, Mom. I have been looking for it. Thank you. Can I have it?"

West burst into laughter.

"What's in there?"

"My savings." He had wanted to drop a part of his earnings for that week there when he discovered it was missing.

"Oh! Great. How long have you been saving this?"

"Since I got married."

"Awesome! That’s a long time ago. You should have, at least, close to two million bucks here. How about we go check outside for everyone to see how hard and diligently you have been saving up. Follow me!" She moved down the hallway, shouting different names to get them to come out.

Ralph Ross knew his mother-in-law was up to no good, but he had to go anyway. The box meant so much to him. Besides, not following her would translate into disobedience.

It was a hot summer evening. Inside the very wide and serene compound of the opulent Summers Mansion, Lady Margarita Summers, the matriarch of the family, was seated beside the swimming pool, enjoying the cool breeze and the beautiful scenery before her.

“Mother, Ralph has something to show you,” said West as she approached the poolside.

“Ralph? That good-for-nothing son-in-law? What good could he possibly have to show me? I bet it’s no good.”

Other members of the Summers family came out one after the other and gathered close to the pool, anxious to know why West had called them to come out.

“So, this dirty thing right here has been saving since he got married. That’s how many years now?”

They were amused by the announcement as they looked at Ralph like he was a piece of sh*t.

“More than two years now. I can bet it’s not up to 200 bucks.” Andre Summers, the second grandchild and Lady Margarita’s favorite, enjoyed taunting Ralph.

“Let’s see.” Within a blink, West tore the box open and poured the contents out. The notes flew in different directions, some dropping inside the pool. They all laughed.

"Didn't I tell you? How many bucks? See someone’s savings of almost three years. More evidence that he is a loser!” Andre was sure having fun, intensifying the laughter.

Ralph ran to gather his hard-earned money that he had been saving for over two years. He intended to use it to get a gift for Diana on the occasion of their third wedding anniversary in a few weeks.

But Andre and others did not allow him to pack the money in peace. The children, the grandchildren, and their spouses, with intentional haste, started picking the notes one after the other, tore them into pieces, and threw them into the pool while Lady Margarita watched with pleasure.

“Please, let me have my money.” Ralph moved about trying to get the few ones left. He managed to gather only a few, which he hurriedly stuffed into his pocket. As he bent to pick one, Andre stepped on his fingers intentionally and pressed them further to the ground, causing Ralph’s body to shriek in pain.

Left with no choice, Ralph fought back and pushed Andre, who landed in the pool with a heavy thud while the others scolded him for doing that.

Just as Ralph was contemplating beating the other males up, Diana Summers emerged from the mansion, her hair dripping with water, presenting a beautiful sight. Unaware that Ralph was back home, she had been lying in the bathtub to soothe her skin. Hearing the laughter from the bathroom, she hurried out with her bathrobe, well aware that her family was up to their antics again.

“Stop!!!” She screamed! They turned to look at her as if they were really going to stop, laughed even more, and continued taunting and bullying Ralph. Andre came out of the pool, dripping.

“Out of all the fine and rich men in the whole of Rovers County, you did not see anyone to marry except this loser you call a husband.” West was obviously on a mission to ridicule both her daughter and her husband even more.

“Mom, why are you doing this?” Diana could not stop the tears from flowing.

“For your good. You deserve better than this. I will do all I can to frustrate this trash and make him leave you alone. Divorce him and marry Stuart immediately. That is only when I will be pleased with you.”

“Yeah! That is when we all will be pleased with you. This thing right here is bad luck to our family.” Lady Margarita added scornfully while others nodded in agreement.

By now, there was no note on the floor anymore. All of them have been torn and thrown into the pool. Diana walked towards Ralph and begged him to let them go. Reluctantly, Ralph agreed. As they walked back into the house, echoes of jeering laughter followed them.

“You will pay for this, scum.” Shouted Andre who was still dripping.