CH- 1 Go to Jail!

"I should take the blame!?"

Noah Smith frowned and looked at the old lady sitting on the upholstered sofa.

The old lady casually sipped her tea and said lightly,

"Yes, and what part of this you are not understanding? It's about the reputation of the Frost family, and you know very well that I don’t want any stain on our legacy…

So just take the blame for Henry’s fault. Don't worry, the whole scandal will be forgotten soon, and you will also come out in a few years. You are still young, you will still have plenty of time."

"What the hell? Really! Age! You are asking me to take the blame because of my age... If this is your logic behind all this, then Henry is two years younger than me!" Noah roared.

"Jerk!"

The old lady’s son, standing on one side, said coldly,

"Do you think a gutter rat like you compares with our precious Henry?"

"This is a chance for you to become useful for once, and pay off some of your debt to us; after all, you are the son-in-law of the Frost family.

Didn’t you marry into this family just for money? You can just live in jail for a few years, and we'll give you 200,000 dollars in return. That should be enough for you!"

His statement was met with whispers of support from the surrounding family members;

"What!? Two hundred thousand dollars, that amount should be enough to purchase his whole lineage at once!"

"He is just saying no so he can extort more money from us! Otherwise I know people like him– he would sell his own soul for some pennies!"

“……”

In the hall, all the relatives and elders were shouting at him.

Noah tilted his lips in amusement. They all seemed like a bunch of selfish and inhuman ingrates, who didn't have any value for those who happened to be less fortunate than them.

Three years ago, he had joined David Frost, the third son of the Frost family, to live at the Redford Villa.

Today, he was the center of attention whom everyone was shouting at. But for so many years, no one had ever looked him in the eye.

He was surprised they even knew his name, because till now, even the servants used to look at him like they were looking at a dog.

That was fine, but now, they had the audacity to expect him to take the blame!

Yesterday, Henry Frost, the youngest son of the Frost family, had drugged a girl in a bar and taken advantage of her.

Afterwards, the girl had called the police and reported the incident, but because she had been partially unconscious, the girl did not know who the real culprit was.

The Frost family feared that it won't take a long time to uncover the identity of the rapist, and their name would be splashed all over the news in this rape scandal!

So, they had immediately called a family meeting and decided to ask Noah to plead guilty in advance, on behalf of Henry.

Two hundred thousand dollars…

It seemed to be a lot of money.

But Noah had come to the Frost residence- the Redford Villa- not for money, but for his wife Eliana Frost!

It had all started in the winter, back when he was just five years old. There was a fierce snowstorm that had continued for three days straight, and the chill in the wind was biting.

He was wandering in the streets without enough clothes to even cover his bare limbs, and he would have frozen to death beside the garbage can…

If not for Eliana, who had noticed him while passing by, and had given him a piece of bread to eat and a spare blanket to cover himself with.

Although it was a small gesture in her eyes, Noah felt like she had given him a new lease on life! From then on, he swore that when he was grown up, he would pay back this debt with his blood, sweat and tears!

In the past three years, he had lived like a dog. All the household chores, laundry, cooking, and everything else were also his responsibility.

He had endured their disdainful looks, eye rolls and insults, without saying a single word. Once, the food he cooked accidentally got a little salty, and he was slapped in the face by his mother-in-law!

Even Eliana didn't think much of him since he relied on her family's wealth for his basic necessities. Yes, they were husband and wife– but only in name. The two of them even slept in separate rooms.

But as long as he stayed by her side, he was content.

As for money?

In his heart, even a mountain of shining golden coins was far less valuable than her!

"I disagree."

Noah's faint voice echoed in the hall, silencing everyone completely for a few moments.

Meanwhile, there was just one thought knocking in his mind: if he went to prison, how could he protect her?

"You have an ambitious mind, don't you? Do you want to use this opportunity to blackmail us?"

"You greedy leech, how much more do you want, say it! But don't go so far in your greed that you end up losing everything!"

“……”

The temper of the gathered relatives surged once again, and they attacked Noah like a pack of wild hyenas.

Meanwhile, Eliana decided that she couldn't tolerate this anymore. Her eyes were red and swollen, but her voice was sharp;

"All of you, stop it now!"

Like the rest of her family, she didn't look down on Noah. Although was more like a household servant, he was still her husband in name.

And when he was being insulted and abused so openly, it was obviously an insult to her, too.

"Eliana, how can you speak in this way? Have you forgotten the boundary between elders and youngsters?"

Eliana's uncle frowned.

"It looks like after spending a few years with your trashbag husband, you have forgotten your own last name!"

Meanwhile, all eyes shifted towards the newcomer who had just stepped into the hall. It was none other than Henry, who released a puff of smoke before saying;

"Leave it, grandma. If this parasite doesn't agree, I have another way. I can ask James Clifton for help."

________