LLAD (Chapter 2)

Shane was still silent. He felt like he was plunged into an abyss of anxiety. He was still standing in front of Fred, the security guard who worked at the Winstone family home, who had just delivered Mrs. Winstone's message to him.

He said to himself. 'My mother-in-law is waiting for me? How did she know that I was coming home? Could it be that she already knows that I've been fired from the company?'

Shane still stepped inside, even though a storm of bad thoughts was now raging in his head. The thing he was most worried about was the condition of Drew, his brother.

“Welcome, loser.”

The 53-year-old Helen Winstone's voice was shrill, welcoming Shane's arrival. By now even Shane was standing in the center of the spacious living room like a palace hall.

“Now your level has dropped even further, from loser to unemployed.” Helen smiled sarcastically.

Of course it was easy for Helen to know that news, because the owner of the company was someone she knew very well.

Shane closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, giving in to reality. In the end he had to be honest with what happened to him at the company to his mother-in-law. “You're right. I just got fired from the company I work for.”

Squinting her eyes, Helen moved closer to Shane, then walked around the young man's body, looking him up and down with a disgusted gaze. “You're getting poorer and poorer. What amazes me even more is that you still have the guts to come back to this house.”.

Shane raised his head. “Sorry, Mom. But you should know that I was fired for slander that I never did.”

“Bullshit!” Helen screeched so loudly that her anger exploded like a volcano ready to spew its hot lava. “You must have made a big mistake for the company to fire you on the spot!”

“No, Mom!” exclaimed Shane.

“There's no point in you coming back to this house. You think it's a shelter for poor people like you and your brother,” Helen said, not letting go of her dagger glare at Shane.

During his two-year marriage to Ciara Winstone, all of his salary as an ordinary employee at the Blackstone Company would always go to his wife.

Despite working, Shane's life was not much better living in the Winstone household. He still had to wash clothes, mop floors, cook, and even worse, Shane was once told to wash his wife's feet.

At first Shane thought that his hard work would melt the hearts of his wife and family. But that seems to be just a dream.

Even bad luck is now approaching Shane. Just this morning he was fired from his job. He looks even more despicable in the eyes of the Winstone family.

“Why are you silent? What are you thinking about, damn it?” Helen asked.

“Nothing, Mom.”

“I'm really unlucky to have a son-in-law like you. Already living in, now you're living for free with your sick brother.” Helen gave Shane an even more disgusted look. “To make your life more useful, clean this room right now and wash all the clothes that are piling up in the laundry room!”

Helen's attitude towards Shane had always been arbitrary. Shane could only restrain herself, without being able to do more, because she had no other choice.

'Will it ever end?'

Helen didn't care what her trashy son-in-law thought. She simply left the room.

Not wanting to waste any time, Shane quickly went to the laundry room to put the dirty clothes into the washing machine, then returned to the living room with cleaning tools and started cleaning. 

In the Winstone family home, there are three maids. Their presence, ever since Shane had brought his younger brother to live in this house, seemed to be just a display.

“Hahaha... Hahaha ....”

Shane winced when he heard the sound of people laughing. He turned his head toward the doorway of the living room. There stood Erick, Ciara's older brother, with Briel, his girlfriend.

They were obviously laughing at Shane. Underestimating Shane who was now an unemployed man.

“Oh, so now your brother-in-law has become a lackey in this house?” Briel gave Shane a condescending look. “Tsk tsk... what a pity. It's no use having a handsome face if there's no money.”

Shane didn't care. This kind of insult had actually been received often, especially since the last year since he brought Drew, his brother, to live in the Winstone family's house, since their parents died.

“No need to bother me. You'd better find something else to do in this house,” Shane said without even looking at Briel.

Briel was really annoyed by Shane's indifference. Briel actually liked Shane and flirted with him several times, but Shane remained petrified, indifferent to the woman.

Erick's face was red with anger. He didn't like hearing Shane talk like that to his girlfriend. “How can you speak ill of my lover like that? I think I should remind you of who you are and where you come from!”

Shane again stopped his activities that were cleaning the table. His eyes were closed. His patience was wearing thin.

“What's going on?” asked Helen who suddenly appeared.

“Look at your poor son-in-law, Mom. He dares to speak harshly to Briel.” Erick looked like a toddler complaining to his mom.

If it hadn't been for the request of Sam Winstone, Ciara Winstone's grandfather, perhaps Shane wouldn't have married Ciara.

Sam Winstone was once saved by Lucas Morgan, Shane's father, and felt indebted. The old man wanted to return the favor by marrying his granddaughter to Lucas' son, who was none other than Shane Morgan.

Helen turned to Shane who was currently silent. “Is it true what my son said?”

Shane was silent as he sighed for a moment. He was reluctant to clash with anyone again. The Winstone family's treatment of him was getting more and more absurd.

Helen felt sick to her stomach at the sight of her trashy son-in-law. “Sometimes I think, I'd rather have a street dog than a poor trashy son-in-law like you, Shane. Even just cleaning the house always turns out badly.”

Shane raised his head. His eyes were already red because he was really angry right now.

“Don't talk anymore, Mom!”