The Son-in-Law Who Spent His Way to the Throne!

Carson Roman stood in the middle of the Bruce family living room with his hands at his sides. He had cleaned this floor on his knees that very morning. Now he was about to ask for the one thing he had been waiting on for three years.

"Mother, I need to talk to you about the money," he said.

Sarah Bruce sat on the leather sofa with a glass of wine in her hand. She did not even look up at him. Emily sat beside her, scrolling through her phone like he was not in the room.

Three years ago, the Bruce family had come to him with a deal. Emily needed a marriage certificate before she could claim the family company. She needed a husband on paper, and Carson needed money. His sister Stella was lying in a hospital bed with a bad heart, and the bills kept piling up.

They promised him one hundred thousand dollars for Stella's treatment if he agreed to marry Emily. He signed the papers that same week. He thought he was saving his sister's life.

But the money never came. Every time he asked, they told him to wait a little longer. Slowly, the man who married into the family became the man who washed their dishes, cooked their meals and scrubbed their floors.

"What money?" Sarah finally said, putting her glass down with a hard click. "You live in this house. You eat our food. You sleep under our roof. And you have the nerve to talk about money?"

"You promised me a hundred thousand dollars," Carson said. His voice stayed calm, but his hands were shaking. "It was for Stella's treatment. It has been three years, Mother. I have waited and I have tried to find other jobs. Everything I earn is so small, and her bills keep growing."

"Do you hear this, Emily?" Sarah laughed. "This beggar thinks we owe him something."

Emily only smirked and kept her eyes on her phone.

"Please," Carson said. "She is only sixteen. The doctors say she does not have much time. I am not asking for anything extra. I am only asking for what you promised me."

Sarah stood up and walked toward him. She pointed a finger right at his chest. "Listen to me, you useless leech. You were a nobody from an orphanage when we picked you up. Without us you would be sleeping on the street. Now get out of my house before I call the guards."

"Mother, please."

"Get out!" she screamed. "Out! Do not let me see your face again today!"

Two guards came in from the hallway and took him by the arms. Carson did not fight them. They dragged him to the front door and pushed him out, and the door slammed shut behind him.

He stood on the steps for a long moment. The wind was cold on his face. He had never felt so small in his life.

His phone rang in his pocket. It was the hospital. He picked up quickly, and the nurse on the other end sounded worried. Stella's condition had gotten worse, and he needed to come right away.

Carson did not wait for a taxi. He ran.

Inside the villa, Sarah poured herself another glass of wine and sat back down. But the look on her face had changed. She was thinking.

"Emily," she said slowly. "What if he opens his mouth? What if he tells people the marriage was fake and that we paid him to sign?"

Emily put her phone down. "Then the company is gone. The court could take it back."

"Then we cannot let him walk around like this." Sarah picked up her phone and made a call. "It is me. I have a job for you. Make sure he does not come back."

When Carson reached the hospital, he was out of breath and his legs were weak. He pushed open the door of Stella's ward and stopped.

His little sister lay on the bed with wires on her chest and a mask over her face. Her skin was pale, and her lips were almost gray. She looked so much smaller than the last time he saw her.

"Stella," he whispered, sitting down beside her. He took her hand. It was cold. "I am here. I am right here."

She did not wake up. The machine beside her kept beeping in a slow, weak rhythm.

A doctor stepped into the room behind him. He was a tired-looking man with a clipboard in his hand. "Mr. Roman, we need to talk."

Carson stood up. "Doctor, please tell me she will be okay."

"Her heart is getting weaker," the doctor said. "She needs surgery and long treatment, and that costs money. The hospital has been patient, but we cannot keep her here without payment. You have twenty-four hours. If the money is not here by then, we will have to move her out."

"Move her out?" Carson's voice cracked. "She will die if you do that."

"I am sorry," the doctor said. "That is the hospital's decision. If anything happens after that, it will be your responsibility."

The doctor left. Carson looked at his sister's face for a long time. She was only sixteen. She had spent most of her life in this kind of room, and she had never once complained.

He bent down and kissed her forehead. "I will fix this," he whispered. "I promise you. I do not care what it takes."

He walked out of the hospital with his mind spinning. Where could he get that kind of money in one day? The banks would laugh at him. His friends had none to give. There was only one place left, a loan company that gave money to people nobody else would help.

And if they refused, he would sell a kidney. He would sell anything. If his life was the price for Stella's, then it was a price he would pay.

The street outside was dark and almost empty. Carson walked fast with his head down, thinking about what he would say to the loan officers. He did not notice the black van that had been following him for two blocks.

By the time he heard the engine, it was too late. The van stopped hard beside him, and four burly men jumped out. They all wore black masks.

"Carson Roman?" one of them asked.

Carson took a step back. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The man did not answer. He raised his hand, and Carson saw the gun.

The shots rang out in the quiet street, one after another. Pain tore through Carson's chest and stomach. His legs gave way, and he fell onto the cold pavement.

The men stood over him for a moment. "It is done," one of them said. "Let us go."

The van drove off, and the street went quiet again.

Carson lay on his back, looking up at the dark sky. He could feel the warm blood spreading under him. His breath came in small, painful gasps.

Stella, he thought. Who will look after her now?

Tears ran down the side of his face. He had failed her. He had married into that family for her sake, and all he got was a bullet. His eyes started to close.

Then a soft sound echoed in his head.

Ding!

A glowing screen appeared in front of his eyes, bright and clear against the dark. Words floated across it.

"Host is near death. Do you want to live, or do you want to die?"

Carson could hardly believe what he was seeing. Maybe it was a dream, or maybe his mind was playing its last trick on him. But the question did not go away.

"Live," he whispered with his last bit of strength. "I want to live. My sister needs me."

The screen flashed brighter.

"Answer accepted. Binding with host now. Welcome to the Spendthrift System."

A warm feeling spread through his body, and the pain slowly faded. Carson tried to ask what the system was, but his lips would not move. The light grew brighter and brighter until it filled everything.

Then the darkness came, and Carson passed out.