I'm not the Son-in-law

Chapter 8: "Suffering Under The Sun"

The conversation started casually, but as everyone's interest turned to ridiculing Miguel Xu, the atmosphere on the golf course grew increasingly toxic.

"Stop being generous; fire him," CEO Busan commented with a smirk, glancing at the others as if he were sending a message through his eyes.

Marcus Xu, however, couldn't decipher it.

"Should I fire him?" Reyster responded with a playful grin.

"Oh, come on, that’s not necessary," CEO Busan said, approaching Miguel. His shadow loomed over Miguel, making him feel tiny. "I’m just kidding; carry on with your job."

Miguel looked up at CEO Busan, flustered by the sudden friendly tone. He then glanced at the flag that CEO Busan handed him.

"W-what do I need to do?" Miguel asked nervously, taking the flag with trembling hands.

"The sun is too strong today; we can't see well. Tend the flag for us," CEO Busan said, smiling as if he were ultimately having fun.

“But I don't know how to tend a flag,” Miguel anxiously said, as he didn't even know where to stand.

"Hurry, we want to start now," Reyster urged, pushing Miguel to hurry.

Forced to comply with their order, Miguel stood beside the golf pin, the blistering sun beating mercilessly upon him. Sweat trickled down his forehead, his skin prickling with discomfort as he watched the wealthy group enjoy their game from the cool shade of their umbrellas.

But the scorching sun was just the beginning of Miguel's torment.

When it was Reyster's turn to take his shot, he instead aimed directly at Miguel.

"Ack!" Miguel groaned, bending down as the hard golf ball struck his knee forcefully.

"What are you doing? Did it go in?" Reyster asked unapologetically, a delighted expression on his face, mirrored by the others.

"Are you blind? You hit the flagstick," CEO Geral chuckled, referring to Miguel as their human flagstick.

"Oh, am I getting bad at this?" Reyster chuckled.

"My turn. Hurry! Stand up!" CEO Busan yelled, his excitement evident as he swung his club, the ball striking Miguel's arm.

"HAHA! Busan, you're not doing any better!" Engineer Mario laughed loudly.

"It's my turn!" CEO Geral exclaimed, but his enthusiasm faltered when Marcus snatched the club from his hand.

"What are you all doing?" Marcus asked, his tone calm but with underlying tension.

"What's the problem? Do you want to go first?" Reyster asked.

"Let's not fight over turns. That scum isn't going anywhere."

"No, but this is—" Marcus began, his rage bubbling beneath the surface, but Philip Cheng intervened, grabbing Marcus's shoulder and pulling him away from Reyster.

"I have a better club for you, sir. Please return CEO Geral’s club," Philip said politely, though his eyes bore a warning to cease any potential outburst.

"Why take my club if you're just going to boast about yours?" CEO Geral snorted, snatching his club back and eyeing the expensive golf club in Marcus's bag with envy.

"I'm sorry about that. Go on with your shot," Philip Cheng said, then shot a stern glance at Marcus, silently demanding he step away from the group.

"What is this? They're paying him to harass Miguel like this? They're physically hurting him!" Marcus protested to Philip Cheng as soon as they were out of earshot of the group.

"Stand straight. Don't act out of character," Philip Cheng firmly instructed, his gaze cold.

"I can't watch this anymore. I'm out of here," Marcus declared, reaching to remove his mask, but Philip grabbed it and firmly affixed it back onto his face. "What the hell are you doing? Let go!"

"What are you going to do? Go stop them? Maybe punch them? And then what? What's your plan?" Philip Cheng asked, his tone icy.

"What?" Marcus quivered.

"Your brother will lose his job. He might not receive anything due to defiance. You might get sued too," Philip said matter-of-factly.

"Why would I get sued? I'll send them all to prison!" Marcus exclaimed.

"How? Everyone here except you has the power to buy justice. And don't forget, if you drop your disguise and ruin William's reputation, not only will you lose your contract, but you'll never achieve your dream anymore," Philip threatened. "Listen, kid. You'll lose more if you can't control your temper right now. Stay still and let them. I'll help you and your brother afterwards."

Marcus clenched his fists, his eyes burning with anger beneath his mask. He felt even worse, knowing he couldn't act in times like this.

"Fine," he said, resigning. He brushed his hair back as he continued, “But how did you know he’s my brother?”

“Do you think I’d simply hire you without doing a background check?” Philip said. He finally let go of Marcus's mask and handed him the expensive golf club.

Marcus stared at the golf club for a moment before asking, “Then do you know how long Miguel has been enduring this kind of treatment?”

"Two years," Philip replied hesitantly, worried that Marcus would lose his temper again.

"What? Two years? Reyster's been dragging him around for two years?" Marcus's jaw dropped. He immediately turned his head towards Reyster, his eyes narrowing with rage. "How dare he?" he growled.

"Hey, calm down, and—hey!" Philip panicked, hurrying to follow Marcus, who was marching towards Reyster. His heart nearly dropped when Marcus swung his club towards Reyster, but thankfully Marcus stopped before it hit Reyster’s face.

"W-what are you?" Reyster stuttered, surprised by Marcus's actions.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I startle you? I'm just flexing my club. Doesn't it look better than anything you have?” Marcus said smugly, tightening his grip on his golf club as he suppressed his anger.

"Nice. I was startled a bit," Reyster responded with an awkward smile.

"What makes them so special, Greg? Aside from the obvious gold plating," CEO Busan interjected, drawing everyone's attention to Marcus's club.

"Well, for starters, these clubs are custom-made to fit my swing perfectly. And the craftsmanship? Impeccable. Each club is handcrafted by master artisans, using only the finest materials money can buy," Marcus proclaimed loudly, gesturing towards the iridescent finish of the clubs. "And just look at that gold plating. Pure luxury, my friends. Not to mention the advanced technology built into the club heads—guaranteed to give me the edge on the course."

Marcus was definitely embellishing, but he felt relieved that everyone’s attention had shifted toward him. He kept talking so the group wouldn't lose interest, feeling a sense of relief as he watched them murmuring appreciatively, their eyes lingering on the shimmering clubs with envy.

“Get out of here, Miguel. Please,” he said inwardly, as his brother remained standing under the sun, waiting for Reyster to order him to leave.

Marcus couldn't do anything more than steal the attention away from his brother. He knew the sun was tormenting, but enduring it was better than being hit with golf balls.

Hours later, Gregory William's business partners finally left, and Marcus returned to Philip Cheng’s car. He immediately called his brother.

“Miguel, where are you?” he asked, tapping his feet impatiently.

“Why do you ask?” Miguel replied.

“Meet me now!” Marcus exclaimed.

Guilt and frustration laced Marcus's tone. The harsh reality of their poverty and status struck him hard, fueling his anger towards himself for being unable to help or take action against Reyster and the group. He despised how he had to hide behind his mask, pretending to be one of the wealthy men tormenting his brother while Miguel suffered under the scorching sun.

"We need to talk!" he added loudly, his expression filled with bitterness.