The Tycoon Son-in-law

Ch 1

“Janice!!!”

Drex Easton stormed into his house, the door slamming shut behind him as rage twisted his expression.

Janice Ellington turned around slowly, staring at him as though he had completely lost his mind.

“What the hell is going on?!” Drex shouted. “Five days ago, my card had seven million in it. Now there’s only five hundred. Five hundred dollars!”

Janice was a striking woman with long brown hair cascading down her back, hazel eyes, a fair complexion, and a slim figure with nice curves.

The moment she understood why he had yelled her name, her expression stiffened.

She dropped her gaze and avoided his eyes, her fingers curling nervously at her sides.

Her parents were seated nearby, along with her younger brother and his girlfriend, all of them watching the scene in silence.

Marrying into the Ellington family five years ago had never been part of Drex’s plan.

It only happened because of a foolish promise he had made to the patriarch of the Ellingtons, a man who had passed away a few days ago.

Still, even after the marriage, Drex had tried to make it work. He had wanted a real family, something stable and whole.

But with the old man gone, everything seemed to fall apart.

But that wasn’t even the problem.

His father, his only remaining parent, was critically ill and needed immediate surgery. The procedure cost eight hundred thousand dollars.

It was a huge sum, but Drex had spent years working himself to the bone, saving every possible cent so he could afford moments like this.

That was why the shock nearly crushed him when he checked his account and saw the balance.

Five hundred dollars.

The surgery was scheduled for the next day. Without payment, it would not happen. And without surgery, his father might not survive.

Drex could not wrap his mind around it. Years of relentless work, endless sacrifices and humiliation, and it had all vanished overnight.

“Where’s the money?” he demanded, his eyes locking onto Janice.

“What money?” Janice replied, feigning innocence.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Janice!” Drex yelled in anger. “I am not asking riddles. That money did not dig a hole and disappear on its own.”

Janice exhaled sharply, clearly irritated. “Lower your voice,” she said. “Anna is asleep upstairs, Drex. Do you want to wake her up?”

Drex tilted his head at her, eyes hard as flint. “I demand an answer. Tell me the truth.”

“The truth?” Janice shot back, her voice rising. “Or are you the one who’s been feeding me lies this whole time? Who would have thought that my luck with your bank card would turn into such a fortune? And you… how dare you keep it from me?!”

“That’s my life savings, Janice. How is that any of your business?” Drex asked, his tone tight with restrained anger.

“Of course it’s my business!” she snapped. “I am your wife, aren’t I? What’s yours is mine too! I still don’t understand what my late grandfather saw in you that made him force me into this miserable marriage, but you even dare to stash money away in this house? You’re unbelievable, Drex! Absolutely unbelievable!”

Drex scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re starting to sound like a broken record, Janice. I’ve had enough…”

“Enough of what?!” Janice cut him off with a harsh, mocking laugh. “I’ve had enough of you, enough of this pathetic little life you call living! You’re a disaster, a walking catastrophe, and you drag everyone down with you, including me, my family, everyone! Just… take a good look around. Does this place look big and beautiful to you? We’ve been living like this for three years! Three damn years! And you actually think you can keep that kind of money to yourself?! The nerve!” Her words dripped with disgust.

Drex looked around, bitterly amused by her words.

The house they lived in was modest, a medium-sized home with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a dining area.

After enduring a humiliating life with the Ellingtons as a live-in son-in-law for years, Drex’s pride knew he couldn't keep living the days of his life like that, especially not with his daughter growing up and watching, learning from every injustice.

It had taken him over a year, juggling delivery work and a string of part-time jobs, to build this house from scratch. And yet, even as the walls were going up, Janice had found a reason to complain about every nail, every corner, every little thing.

Obviously, she despised leaving her luxurious mansion to live in a home like this, but her grandfather’s ultimatum had left her with no choice.

Drex was far too poor for her, too incapable of meeting the sky-high expectations she carried like a crown.

During her birthday, Drex decorated the whole house with love-shaped balloons and roses. He even cooked her favorite meal and bought her a diamond necklace worth two hundred dollars.

However, the moment Janice entered the house, she went ballistic, smashing the roses with her foot and bursting the balloons.

And when Drex offered her the necklace, she threw it out of the window and into a pile of mud at a corner, comparing him to her friends' husbands who threw grand parties for them for their birthday with a cake towering the height of up to six humans put together.

All Drex did was apologized, promising he would try to do better, but she never appreciated his efforts.

In her eyes, no matter what, he would always be a loser.

Even after doing everything to make her happy.

He did his delivery work, cooked, cleaned, took care of their child, and tried his very best to provide for them but none of them moved Janice.

And things had only gotten worse after her grandfather’s death. Janice’s parents were forced out of their mansion and had to move in with them, adding even more weight to Drex’s already overstuffed shoulders.

He let out a slow breath, trying to steady himself. “I need my money, Janice. Where is it?”

Janice met his green eyes without so much as a flinch. “You know my brother is getting married. He can’t do it without a house. You know what? Consider the money a loan to him since you're so stingy.”