The Poor Son In Law Is A Billionaire

What now?

Adrian had barely stepped into the house when Chloe's complaints greeted him from the living room.

“Can you believe it, Julian? He didn't prepare anything for me this morning. Now it's already lunchtime, and I still have to figure out what to eat myself. It's so frustrating!”

Adrian paused for a moment. Apparently, his absence from the kitchen that morning had already become the subject of Chloe's complaints to Julian.

On the sofa, Chloe sat close to Julian. The man's arm was even draped across the back of the sofa, right behind his wife's shoulders.

“You're back?” Chloe finally noticed his presence. Instead of feeling guilty about complaining behind her husband's back, she frowned. “Why are you just standing there? Aren't you going to greet us?”

Adrian ignored her and continued walking, carrying his shopping bags.

“Adrian?” Chloe called out sharply. Her brow furrowed, her expression turning displeased. “Are you mute? Don't make me angry, Adrian. Now go prepare lunch. You don't intend to let me starve to death this afternoon, do you?”

Adrian looked her straight in the eye. “You have two hands and two feet, Chloe. Make your own food.”

Chloe stared at him in disbelief. “What did you say?”

“I'm your husband, not your nanny or personal servant.”

Adrian's voice remained calm, but there was no warmth left in his gaze. He made no effort to appease Chloe's anger.

She stared at him as though he had just committed an unforgivable offense.

“Come on, Adrian. Stop acting like a child.” Chloe straightened her back. “Julian only arrived this morning. I prepared breakfast for him, so now it's your turn to make lunch. He's our guest. As the host, you should treat him properly.”

Adrian glanced briefly at Julian. The man merely smiled faintly, showing no intention of refusing Chloe's special treatment. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy the fact that Adrian, the woman's legal husband, was expected to serve him.

“In that case, ask someone else to cook for him,” Adrian replied. “I don't have time to serve an uninvited guest.”

He continued toward the kitchen.

“Adrian!” Chloe shouted. “I'm not finished talking to you!”

Adrian didn't turn around.

He needed to prepare nutritious, soft food for his mother-in-law.

Belinda had never insulted him for being poor. She had always cared about his health and even encouraged him to build an independent life of his own.

“Don't depend on other people, Adrian. Even a mountain can crumble if you lean on it. There's no one you can rely on for your entire life except yourself.”

Back then, Adrian had considered it nothing more than the advice of an overly worried mother.

Now, he understood its meaning in the most painful way possible.

“So you're really ignoring Chloe now?” Julian's voice came from the doorway.

Adrian didn't answer. He continued chopping the vegetables before putting them into a pot.

Julian leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. Watching Adrian busy himself in the kitchen, he curled his lips into a contemptuous sneer.

“Tsk. Now I finally understand why Chloe can't live without me. Her own husband can't even meet her simplest needs.”

He chuckled before continuing, “You're certainly suited to being a kept man living off Chloe's money. After all these years as her husband, your greatest achievement seems to be playing housekeeper.”

The knife in Adrian's hand paused for a moment. It wasn't because the insult had hurt him, but because he had only just realized how lowly Julian thought of him.

To Julian, a man's worth depended entirely on his money and status. He knew nothing about Adrian's life beyond the walls of this house.

Adrian resumed slicing the vegetables without responding.

Julian frowned. He had come to provoke Adrian, yet the man couldn't even be bothered to entertain him.

“Why are you keeping quiet? Don't have the guts to answer me?”

Adrian stirred the soup on the stove. “I'm not in the habit of wasting my time on irrelevant people.”

Julian's smile vanished instantly. “What did you say?”

“If you're hungry, order some food. Stop bothering me.”

Adrian returned his attention to the cooking, as though the conversation were already over.

Behind Julian, Chloe had heard everything. Something tightened in her chest when she heard Julian call her husband a housekeeper. The remark sounded excessively demeaning.

Hadn't Julian gone too far?

The thought lasted only a moment before she dismissed it. Adrian was living off her money, after all. Without her, he might never have enjoyed such a comfortable life.

At least, that was what she had always believed.

Ten minutes passed. Adrian turned off the stove and transferred the warm soup and nutritious side dishes into a special food container. He straightened his clothes, preparing to leave for the hospital.

Chloe blocked his path, standing in front of him with her chin raised.

Adrian looked at her wearily. “What now?”

“Apologize to Julian.”

Adrian thought he must have misheard her. “What?”

“You heard me.” Chloe pointed at Julian. “You've been rude to him this whole time. He's our guest, Adrian. At least show him some respect.”

Adrian looked at his wife's face, then glanced at Julian, who stood beside her with a satisfied expression.

So after allowing Julian to insult her husband, Chloe was now demanding that Adrian apologize to the man?

“Admit that what you said earlier was just a misunderstanding,” Chloe continued, as though her request were perfectly reasonable. “Tell him you didn't mean to offend him. If you do that, I'll forget about what happened yesterday. We can go back to the way things were.”

Adrian fell silent for several seconds.

Go back to the way things were?

Chloe still believed their relationship could be repaired with a small concession, as though all the humiliation he had endured over the years had never happened.

He stared at her, searching for even the slightest awareness of how unreasonable her demand was.

Instead, Chloe met his gaze with complete confidence. She even seemed to be waiting for him to give in, just as he always had.

Adrian finally lost his patience.

“Insane,” he muttered coldly.

Chloe's face immediately flushed red. “What did you say?”

Adrian didn't repeat himself.

“How dare you speak to me like that!” Chloe shouted. “I don't care what you have to do, but you will apologize to Julian right now, or I'll never forgive you!”

That threat had once been Chloe's most effective weapon. Now, it meant absolutely nothing to him.

Adrian moved Chloe aside with his shoulder and walked past her.

“Adrian!”

He kept walking.

“Stop! I'm talking to you!”

Adrian didn't even glance back. To hell with that woman’s outburst.

Behind him, Chloe stood with her face flushed with anger. She had never been this furious simply because Adrian ignored her. It wasn't just that he had refused to apologize. It was that her words no longer had any effect on him.

“Come on, don't let him ruin your mood.” Julian immediately put an arm around Chloe's shoulders. His voice softened, making him sound as though he were the only person who truly cared about her.

“You've been so considerate toward him, yet he doesn't know how to appreciate you at all. If I had a girlfriend as beautiful and kind as you, I'd be smiling even in my dreams.”

The compliment restored Chloe's wounded pride after Adrian's cold treatment. A faint smile appeared on her lips. However, when her gaze fell on the kitchen table, the smile slowly faded.

There was no food on the table. Adrian had taken everything he had cooked with him.

Suddenly, Adrian's words from earlier about his mother's surgery echoed in Chloe's mind. So he had been cooking for his mother at the hospital? She had assumed Adrian had finally come to his senses and was trying to win her over by preparing a meal for Julian.

Apparently, she had been wrong.

Chloe clicked her tongue.

“Forget about it. Don't waste another thought on him,” Julian said, taking out his phone. “Let me treat you today. We'll order the best food in the city.”

A little while later, an array of luxurious seafood dishes covered the dining table.

Julian smiled with satisfaction, clearly expecting Chloe to be impressed by his generosity.

Chloe picked up a piece of crab and took a bite. It was spicy. She hurriedly gulped down some water before trying the shrimp on the neighboring plate. However, the saltiness made her throat uncomfortable. When she reached for a stir-fried dish, she spotted pieces of squid among the vegetables and immediately withdrew her hand.

She was allergic to squid. Even a small amount could make her skin unbearably itchy.

None of these luxurious dishes agreed with her stomach. There was no light, warm, nutritious meal like the ones Adrian used to prepare for her every day.

Her stomach began to cramp, putting her in an even worse mood.

Noticing the change in her expression, Julian stopped eating. “What's wrong, Chloe? Doesn't the food taste good?”

Chloe shook her head slightly and set down her spoon. “It's nothing. I just don't feel very well.”

Julian clenched his teeth behind his practiced smile. He had spent a considerable amount of money ordering all this expensive seafood, yet Chloe was barely touching it.

“In that case, I suppose I'd better head home.”

Julian stood up and straightened his shirt. Secretly, he hoped Chloe would ask him to stay. In the past, she had always found excuses to spend more time with him.

“All right. Drive safely.” Chloe's answer came so quickly that he froze.

Julian stared at her, his brow furrowing.

That's it?

Chloe wasn't even trying to stop him.

“Is something wrong?” Chloe asked when she noticed his expression.

Julian quickly concealed his surprise. “No. I just thought you might want me to stay a little longer.”

Chloe fell silent for a moment before replying, “I'm not officially divorced from Adrian yet. It doesn't seem appropriate to let another man stay in this house.”

Julian suppressed his irritation. He hadn't expected Chloe to use her marital status as an excuse to keep her distance.

However, he didn't want to show his disappointment in front of her. After giving a stiff nod, he left the house.

As soon as the door closed, the house suddenly felt unfamiliar. Chloe returned to the dining table and stared at the empty chair across from her.

Usually, Adrian would sit there after making sure all her needs had been taken care of. He would ask whether she liked the food, pour her a glass of water, or remind her not to eat too quickly. Adrian had never truly let Chloe take care of herself.

The little acts of consideration she had never considered important now came back to her one by one.

Chloe frowned, trying to push the thoughts away.

“He's really gone too far!”

She clenched her fists on the table. She refused to admit that she was beginning to miss Adrian's attention. As far as she was concerned, he was simply trying to punish her by acting cold.

“Does he think acting cold will make me give in? He's dead wrong.”

Chloe lifted her chin, trying to convince herself.

“Just wait and see. I won't forgive him until he gets down on his knees and begs for my forgiveness.”