The Supreme Chairman

That very night, the Voss family mansion was bright and lively, the hall was filled with guests, laughter, and expensive gifts. Tonight was the birthday of Magnus Voss, the head of the Voss family, a man everyone wanted to please.

At the same time, in a quiet room upstairs, a young man stood before the mirror, finishing dressing up, he wore a simple black T-shirt and casual jeans yet his face was calm and handsome in a quiet way, he was Kael Draven, the live-in son-in-law of the Voss family.

Just as he adjusted his shirt, the door opened suddenly and without a warning, a young lady walked in looking so beautiful.

Her presence alone filled the room as her light perfume spread softly in the air. She was Lyra Voss, Kael Dravens wife, and the eldest daughter of the Voss family.

The moment Lyra's eyes fell on him, her expression turned cold.

“How long will you take just to dress like that?” she asked with a frown. “No matter how long you try, you still look like a nobody.”

Kael paused for a second, then turned to look at her with a calm expression. Even though her words were painful, he did not argue, after all to the Voss, he was just a worthless live-in-son-in-law who had been given the opportunity to marry a goddess like Lyra.

“I’m coming, just a minute.”

Lyra looked at him with no patience. “Did you prepare a gift for my dad?”

Kael’s eyes moved to the corner of the room, a small box sat there, then he nodded.

“Yes, I did, I’ll bring it down.”

“Then hurry up,” Lyra said, already turning away, she did not wait for his reply before walking out.

“Ding… Ding…” Kael didn't even take a step forward before his phone rang suddenly. He stopped and brought out an old phone from his pocket. The screen cracked slightly, but at that moment, the name on it made his heart tighten.

“Nurse Reene.”

His fingers stiffened for a second, if she was calling then it meant something bad, but then he quickly answered.

“Hello… Reene,” he said, forcing his voice to stay steady.

“Kael, your mother’s condition has worsened tonight, it’s very serious now, if she is not operated on before tomorrow morning… I’m afraid she won’t survive.”

Kael’s hand trembled as he heard her.

“We need a deposit of one hundred thousand dollars immediately, only then can the doctors begin the surgery, you have from now till 5 A.M tomorrow morning.”

Boom!”

It felt like something exploded in his head, his legs lost strength instantly as he dropped to the floor.

“One… hundred thousand…” he whispered.

Cold sweat appeared on his forehead. His mother was all he had left. He lost his dad to an accident when he was still a kid and since then, it had always been just the two of them, struggling, surviving and holding onto each other.

“Reene, I don’t have that kind of money,” he said, struggling to stay calm, “Please you know my situation, please help me, just this once, I’ll find a way, I swear I will pay everything back, just let them start the operation first.”

There was silence from the other side for a moment, then,

“Kael.” Renee's voice came again, filled with helplessness, “You know I’ve always helped you whenever I could, I’ve even been using part of my own salary to support your mom’s treatment, I’ve done everything I can,

But this time, I really have nothing left, I even pleaded with the doctors already, I begged them, but they refused, they said they can’t do anything without a deposit, please,” she added quickly,

“Try and find a way, even if it’s not the full amount, at least fifty thousand, they might agree to start something, just try, Kael, please try else there’s nothing I can do,” she said finally, before the call hung up.

Kael slowly lowered the phone, his hand trembling as he stared ahead.

Fifty thousand, even that felt like a dream, his fingers clenched slowly, there was only one place left.

The Voss family. Thinking of that, he quickly picked up the box and walked out of the room rushing downstairs.

…….

Downstairs, the hall was lively and bright as guests gathered around, all dressed in expensive clothes, smiling and talking, the atmosphere was full of celebration.

At the center of it all stood Magnus Voss, dressed neatly, his face filled with satisfaction as people and the other family members came forward one after another with gifts in their hands.

“Uncle Voss, I brought this for you,” a young man said with a smile, handing over a carefully wrapped box, “it’s a limited edition watch, I heard you’ve always liked rare pieces.”

Magnus nodded with a pleased smile. “Good, very thoughtful.”

Another stepped forward quickly.

“Uncle Voss, I brought this antique wine, it’s over fifty years old, I know you enjoy fine taste,” he said proudly.

Magnus’s smile grew wider as he accepted it. “Not bad, you have good sense.”

A young lady followed after.

“Uncle Voss, this is a custom-made pen, crafted specially. I heard you love collecting unique items, so I chose this for you.”

Magnus chuckled lightly, clearly enjoying the attention. “You all know me too well.”

More voices followed, one after another.

“Uncle Voss, I brought this…”

“Uncle Voss, I prepared this specially for you…”

“Uncle Voss, I hope you like this…”

The gifts piled up quickly, expensive and carefully chosen to impress. Magnus stood there, smiling, nodding and accepting each one with satisfaction.

Just as the gifts continued, the crowd shifted slightly as a figure descended downstairs.

It was Lyra Voss.

The moment she began to walk, many eyes turned toward her. Lyra's figure was graceful and her beauty caught attention without effort, the curve of her body, her elegance, everything about her made people look twice.

A few young men nearby exchanged quiet glances.

“That’s Lyra Voss, she’s even more beautiful up close.”

Their voices were low, but their thoughts were clear. Many of them did not come just to celebrate Magnus Voss, they came for her. If they could impress Magnus and his wife, if they could gain favor from the Voss family, then maybe they could stand a chance.

Lyra walked past them without even a glance before she stopped in front of Magnus. She held out a carefully wrapped box and handed it to him.

“Dad, you’ve always talked about wanting a handcrafted emerald cufflink set from Valemont, so I saved up and got it for you.”

Magnus paused for a second, then his face lit up, he opened the box slightly feeling happy.

“Good, very good,” he said with a smile, clearly pleased.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you, my daughter, you know me well.”

A faint smile appeared on Lyra’s face.

A woman beside Magnus also smiled, “My daughter is…..

Just before she could complete her sentence, they heard footsteps from the staircase which made everyone turn almost at the same time.

A figure walked down in plain black T-shirt and casual jeans as if in a rush and in his hand was a small box, It was Kael Draven.

The moment he appeared, the atmosphere changed slightly, even the smile on Magnus faded a little, same as his wife who was beside him glanced over, her expression turning cold instantly.

Even Lyra's face lost its softness, replaced with clear displeasure. Around them, the rest of the family also reacted, some frowned, some looked away and some showed faint mockery.

“Isn’t that the live-in son-in-law of this family? He actually came down like that? Look at what he’s wearing.”

“Not even close to what the guests are dressed in. I heard he has never touched his wife before despite being married for this long, their marriage is fake.”

“And what is that in his hand?” Their eyes shifted to the small box he was holding.

“Don’t tell me..” someone whispered, barely hiding a laugh, “that’s the gift he brought?”

A few people chuckled softly, making Lyra feel more embarrassed.

Kael walked forward quickly, his face looked calm but there was a trace of panic hidden deep in his eyes.

He stopped in front of Magnus and bowed slightly.

“Father-in-law—”

“Don’t call me that.” Magnus cut him off instantly.

Kael paused for a second, then nodded.

“Uncle, happy birthday to you.”

He lifted the small box in his hand. “I got you this gift.”

All eyes fell on it. That small simple box, some people already started smiling faintly.

Magnus looked at it for a second, his expression unreadable, he did not reach out immediately.

Kael hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and placed it into his hand.

A faint chuckle came from the side. “What is that?” someone whispered.

Magnus looked at the small box in his hand for a moment before he opened it. Inside, was a pair of cufflinks, a handmade one looking neat in the box.

“I heard Lyra mention that you’ve always talked about wanting a cufflink, so I got this handmade one for you.”

Hahaha!”

A laugh broke out. “He brought a handmade cufflink? Is he serious? This is a birthday gift?”

More laughter followed, spreading quickly across the room. The contrast was too obvious, around them were luxury gifts, rare items, expensive pieces and then this.

Lyra’s face changed instantly, embarrassment flashing across her eyes as she stepped closer to him.

“What is this?” she whispered angrily, “What exactly is this Kael?” Her fingers clenched slightly. “You’re embarrassing me.”

Before Kael could say anything, Elowen Voss, Lyra's mom, stepped forward, her face filled with disgust.

“What kind of nonsense is this?” she said coldly, her voice clear enough for everyone to hear, “Kael, have you completely lost your mind?”

Her eyes swept over the cufflinks with disdain. “On a day like this, in front of so many people, this is what you bring?”

Magnus’s face darkened, without hesitation, he flicked his hand, throwing the box away. It hit the ground and broke into pieces.

“How dare you try to humiliate me on my birthday?”

The air turned cold, all eyes were on Kael at that moment. Kael stood there quietly, he let out a soft breath, he wanted to explain, but what Nurse Reene had said earlier was still clouding his thoughts and at that moment, nothing else was important.

“I’m sorry if it upset you, I'll make it up to you Uncle, but before we talk about this, I just got a call, my mother’s condition has worsened, she needs surgery immediately.”

Everyone was staring at him wondering what he wanted to say.

“I need one hundred thousand dollars, can the Voss family please lend it to me? I promise to do anything and pay it back.”

“What?” someone said in disbelief.

“That guy asking for one hundred thousand?”

“Heard they haven't even consummated their marriage yet, he hasn't gotten the opportunity to touch her.”

Lyra stood there stunned. On her father's fifty-fourth birthday, instead of showing remorse for his cheap gift, Kael was begging for a loan. She could feel the mocking glares burning into her skin.

Without a word, she raised her hand and slapped Kael directly across the face.

Pa!

The sound was so loud that Kael’s head tilted slightly to the side from the impact, making everyone freeze.

Lyra turned and faced him, her eyes were shaking with anger and shame.

“You are so utterly useless,” she spat coldly. “How dare you, Kael? How dare you humiliate me like this? Our family gave you shelter, we fed you, we clothed you, and this is how you repay us? By begging like a dog and making a mess on my father’s birthday?”

Trembling with disgust, she raised her finger and pointed straight at the entrance.

“Get out,” she yelled. “Get out of my house, and never come back.”