Chapter 1

The Alistair family mansion, lit up by the beautiful lights inside, shone brightly in the night and provided a sharp contrast to the houses around. There was an uproar in the house as the people inside were discussing their favourite topic. Damien Avery.

He was standing quietly while they were throwing insults at him. He had his head down and was patiently waiting for them to stop speaking so he could tell them what was bothering him.

“I’ve never been so humiliated in my life like I was today.” Sherry Alistair said, placing a hand on her head as she sneered at her husband, Damien. She was dressed as the powerful businesslady she was. A chic grey suit and accessories to match. 

It was a contrast to the sweatshirt and cheap shorts her husband was wearing. She had been so embarrassed when he had shown up at her party uninvited and unannounced.

“I need to go in. You can’t just stop me here, I must get inside.” Damien had shouted outside the banquet hall. 

“Who are you and what do you think they are doing here?” One of the guards asked as he looked at him from his head down to his cheap set of miserable clothings. He berated Damien and he made it obvious. He was certain there was no way someone as poor and wretched as Damien would know anyone in the party. 

Damien looked at his cheap clothes and sucked in a deep breath. He knew getting inside would be difficult but he had no choice. His life depended on it and if it meant fighting with the Securities to enter, he wouldn’t mind and he would enter. 

“I know someone there and she would like to see me. She knows me so well that she would fight you if she saw the way you are treating me now. Don’t you understand? I said I need to enter.” Damien was frustrated. He had tried pleading with the guards but none of them had his time and they continued deriding him as if he was a nobody. 

Yes, he knew he was a nobody but he was human too and these people needed to respect that. “I might be poor but I know quite a few rich people.” He thought inwardly even though he knew it wasn’t something to be proud about. 

“Who is that person that you know inside? I’m sure you’re lying and whatever you are saying is nonsense.” One of the bodyguards said with a smug smile on his face. He was starting to find Damien’s actions amusing. 

Damien ran his fingers through his hair. He knew he would be in trouble if he mentioned the names of the people he knew inside but was there a way to enter without mentioning them? No matter what, he was going to keep the names in and find a better way to enter without calling out the names. 

“I don’t want to. Can’t you let me in without knowing them? I just need to tell them something.” He complained, his hair already a mess as he wouldn’t stop running his fingers through it. It was his way of controlling his emotions. 

The bodyguards looked at each other and frowned “I told you this guy is crazy. The only good thing about him is his good looks. I guess he thinks he can come here and win girls over with it.” One of them mocked as he laughed lightly. 

“What is that? I’m sure I have more chances than him even though I’m not as good-looking. Money matters these days and he doesn’t have that. He is useless, unwanted and worthless in this age and era. Someone like him will just keep getting trampled on by bigger families.” The guard said, shaking his head as he let out a deep breath. 

Damien looked at the man and he felt sad too. That was his life, getting trampled on was something he experienced every day and many had asked him why he was in a marriage that did nothing other than frustrate his life and make him more useless than he was. He wanted his life back but was there even a life without money? Was there a life for a wretched person like him? He knew there wasn’t and that was why he continued enduring while waiting for a better day. 

He sighed “Fine, I need to get in and if you want me to mention the names of the people I know here, then I will.” He replied. He could not avoid getting cursed at either way. It was either he entered then or never and the more time he wasted, the earlier he would lose his job. 

His heart was racing but he was done fighting. “The Alistair’s family. I’m Sherry Alistair’s husband.” He confessed, his head a little lowered and sweat forming on his forehead. 

“You are mad.” One of the bodyguards said as he started laughing. He knew Damien was crazy but he hadn't thought it was to this length. 

Damien, on the other hand was used to it. This was the reaction he got from people whenever he mentioned his wife’s name and he was tired of issues like that.

Shaking her head, it was hard on Sherry as she snapped out of memory lane. She remembered what her ears had caught on her way out to receive a call from a business partner. She felt so embarrassed that she had to stop herself from screaming out loud and she was glad the bodyguards didn’t believe Damien either. 

“It was lucky he was intercepted at the door by the bodyguards” Her mother said consoling her as Sherry made an exaggerated show of grief.

“Lucky?!” it would definitely be in the tabloids tomorrow. He caused a scene there. He was shouting to be let in so he could see the CEO who was his wife,” Sherry shrieked to her family.

“That’s what you get when you have a wretched low life as a son-in-law. Now you all see why I was against this marriage from the start” Henry Alistair said disdainfully. He was Sherry’s brother and he hated Damien the most out of the family. He made it a duty to humiliate him whatever chance he got.

“Don’t cry now dear” His mother in law said, patting Sherry on the back as she threw an evil eye at him as she spoke.

There was no reaction from Damien whatsoever as he held a poker face to the insults thrown at him. This only aggravated Henry the more as he wanted to elicit a response from him.

“I thought we told you there was no need to attend the business function. Shouldn’t you have been at your delivery job?” He spat out, facing him directly.

“I only came because I needed money to settle an important issue,” Damien said, looking at each of them. He saw no sympathy in any of their eyes. Even his wife was glaring at him.

“You should be grateful we’re allowing you to live off us while we get nothing in return. You should be more ashamed to ask us for money, you miserable low-life.” Henry’s wife, Sheila shot at him.

He sighed inwardly at her words. She never ceased to remind him about his status in life and how he should be grateful to her family. It wasn’t his fault he was where he was. He thought it was love but he didn’t know Sherry was looking for any husband to pacify her family who was pressuring her to marry fast. A cheapskate she could control was the perfect choice for her.

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. I was waylaid by robbers on my way to deliver a package. Inside the package was a Rolex Daytona watch. It cost $5 million. I have to deliver it before the company finds out.” He said, clasping his hands together as he pleaded with them.

Damien wasn’t expecting the reaction he got from Henry when he finished talking. His brother-in-law just threw his head back and laughed for a long time.

“Grandma, did you hear what he said? He really thinks we’re stupid. He finally wants to rob us and he has come up with such a clever plan.”

“I don’t see you on your knees. It seems you don’t want the money after all,”

Damien immediately prostrated flat on his face hoping it would pacify them and make them give him the money.

“I have to buy and return the watch before the company finds out. I’ll lose my job first if it gets out and still be made to pay the money.”

At that moment there was the sound of a shrill ringtone coming from one of their phones. It turned out to be Sherry’s phone. She fumbled through her bag to get it then looked at the screen frowning when she did. She looked strangely afterwards at Damien on the floor.

“What is it? Why are you staring at the lowlife like that?” Henry asked her as they all looked on

“It’s from his workplace, his boss is calling me.”