Chapter 1

“Don't let your filthy hand touch me.” A feminine voice could be heard from the sitting room of the villa. 

“Mother, please I need some dollars to start up a little business”.

“Shut your twerp you trash” the disdain in her eyes was evident as she looked at the figure kneeling in front of her.

“But mother”.

“Don't ever call me mother, I can never be the mother to such an unfortunate trash like you”. The woman, Kate sneered interrupting the man before her.

“Wow, look who we have here, my loser brother-in-law, begging?”. a familiar voice spoke behind him. “ What else do you want from us?”

Ethan bowed his head in shame. He couldn't meet the gazes of the people before him. One was his mother-in-law, Kate Steve and the other was her son, James Steve.

“Mum, you sounded so serious on the phone”. The newcomer stopped in her words and snorted.

Ethan was full of regrets. He had made the wrong decision coming to meet his mother-in-law for help. Ever since he graduated from the University three years ago, he had been jobless. It seemed the universe was against him.

He grew up in an orphanage without any knowledge of his parents. The grandfather of his wife believed he had a great future and asked him to marry his favourite granddaughter, Ava.

Ever since then, his mother-in-law had despised him and called him names. He could only endure her harsh words as there was nothing he could do about it. Only his wife and her grandmother stood by him and supported him. 

Right now, he desperately needs money. He has been depending on his wife and her grandmother for everything. 

“ How about we strike a deal, I'll give you what you want. Before the deal, let's play a little game” A voice came bringing Ethan out of his thoughts.

Ethan sighed, raising his head to look at his brother-in-law. He noticed the sneer on the faces of his mother-in-law and her daughter.  He knew the outcome of the game wasn't going to be good, he clenched his teeth as he agreed.

“I'll play”.

“We were about to go out when you came in. There was no time to dust our shoes, I'd like you to help clean it”. James smirked as he looked at Ethan.

Susie nudged her mother's arm and they both smiled at James. He knew how to embarrass Ethan. 

“Fine” Ethan mumbled as he approached James stooping down to clean his shoes first.

“Not so fast loser, you still have one more thing to do before this. Go on all fours and bark like a dog”  James added.

Woof woof

James patted his head “ Good boy, my dog deserves a good name, what do you think?”

Ethan just nodded his head. He would do anything just to get money to start up his business.

“Bingo, you'll have to use your tongue to lick our shoes. Please, no saliva I don't want to go out reeking of trash” James added, making Ethan freeze for a while.

“Bingo, having second thoughts already? You dare not refuse it”. James frowned as he looked at Ethan who seemed lost in thoughts.

“I'll do it”. Ethan sighed as he swallowed his pride. He knew he would be ridiculed the more if he did, but he had no choice.

His eyes were red with humiliation as he proceeded to lick Jame's shoes clean. This was the worst day of his life.

“ I didn't expect that you were really a dog. Where's your dignity as a man?”  Susie laughed as Ethan continued to lick Jame's shoes.

“You've truly got no pride as a man,I'm grateful my precious daughter is not married to a loser like you”  Kate spat at Ethan.

“ Where's that pride of yours, I used to think you had pride, but now, I see you have none”.

James clenched his fist, Bang!

James suddenly punched Ethan's back, making him fall flat on the ground hitting his head as he wasn't expecting it. He winced in pain.

“ You're not even worthy of cleaning my shoes, do you think I'll allow your dirty body to touch me? Can you even afford my shoes?” James laughed as he ridiculed Ethan who was struggling to stand up.

Ethan's head dropped low as he clenched his fist tightly listening to the words of James. He knew he was truly useless, no wonder James had the guts to insult him.

He was older than James, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He could only wish the ground would open and swallow him up. He knew Ava would also be hurt if she found out what just happened.

“I wonder what that foolish girl sees in him”. Kate laughed as he looked at him.

“Maybe his useless handsome face,” Susie mocked him.

“He's just worthless, his face doesn't match his personality. That aside, back to the deal”. James smiled as he looked at Ethan whose head was still down.

“What…..*

“Shut up you fool, I'm still talking” James snapped at him.

Kate cleared her throat, “ Bingo, sorry Ethan, your brother-in-law has been accused of rape. What I want you to do is very simple, you'll take the blame for the rape”.

Ethan raised his head and stared at his mother-in-law. Humiliating him was not enough for them, now they want him to pay the price for a crime he knows nothing about.

“You fool, stop staring at her and do as you're told. Mother will ensure your sentence is reduced, remember you're now my dog. Let's just say you did it out of the frustration of not consummating your marriage with your wife”.

“Shut up idiot, who do you think you are talking to in that manner?” A voice interrupted James.

“What do you want, Ava?”  James frowned as he turned around to look at the owner of the voice.

“How dare you insult my husband?” Ava fumed as she stared at her stepbrother.

“ You call that thing, your husband?* Susie spat.

“ I'd like to see what that bingo of a man you call a husband can achieve”. James laughed.

“ How dare you call my husband a dog!  I think you're the dog instead, if not for your rich mother, would you be any better than my husband?”

“You stay at home lazing around and the moment you go out, you end up causing problems. Yet you have the guts to embarrass someone and call them a dog? My husband is a lot more responsible than you”

“ How dare you talk to my brother that way?” Susie yelled as she glared at Ava.

“You're not better than him, are you tired of jumping from one man to the other?” Ava turned glaring at Susie.

“ How dare you talk that way to my children?” Kate yelled at Ava.

Ava frowned as she stared at her stepmother, she had other things to say but she held it back.

She had seen her husband entering the villa and followed him. She witnessed the whole scene which made her very annoyed. But she could not do anything since her stepmother hated her.

“I'm sorry, but I'll have to say the truth. What does your son have that makes him better than my husband? He's even more useless than him. No wonder my late father regretted having him”. Ava frowned as she stared at her stepmother.

“ How dare you?” Kate fumed.

“Susie on the other hand is useless to the company, she goes around stealing ideas from other fashion brands and to crown it all, she's planning to marry into a wealthy family”.

Susie was fuming with anger. Ava had just attacked them and all her attention was launched at their weak spots.

“ Your useless son raped a teenager and you're looking for who to take the fall to save your face”. 

“ How dare you? You've bitten more than you can chew”. Kate fumed.

Ava dragged Ethan out of the villa “ let's go Ethan” she muttered.

She didn't want more confrontations. It would only make her angrier, she wouldn't want to waste her energy replying to a bunch of fools.