RISE OF THE UNDERDOG SON-IN-LAW: DRAGON'S POWER UNLEASHED

DISTANT RELATIVE

Dominus Harvey stormed out of the conference room, slamming the door behind him. His chest tightened with anger as he paced back and forth, gripping his phone tightly. Finally, he stopped and dialed a number.

"Dragon," he growled into the phone. "It’s time to teach that bastard Julian a lesson. And while you're at it, make sure Rose regrets ever standing against me."

The voice on the other end was calm but sounded sinister. "Consider it done, Dominus, but this will cost you."

"Money’s not an issue," Dominus snapped. "Just get it done, I want their lives in chaos."

As the call ended, Dominus leaned against the wall, his mind racing with thoughts of revenge. "If the Steel Group won’t listen to me, I’ll make them regret turning against their own blood."

Meanwhile, Rose and Julian were walking back to their car after the meeting. Rose’s expression was a mix of confusion and curiosity as she glanced at her husband.

"Julian," she began, breaking the silence. "How did you even get that information about Dominus? Those documents were too detailed to just stumble upon."

Julian smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I have my ways," he said lightly.

"That’s not an answer," she pressed, her voice filled with suspicion. "You’ve been acting so... different lately, I need to know what’s going on."

He stopped and turned to her, the smirk still lingering on his face. "Alright, fine. I seduced Dominus’s sister, she couldn’t resist my charm and handed over everything."

Rose rolled her eyes, folding her arms. "Be serious, Julian."

"Okay, okay," he said with a chuckle. "The truth is, Santiago Tarlose is a distant relative of mine, he helped me dig up the dirt on Dominus."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You’re related to Santiago Tarlose? Why didn’t you tell me that before?"

"It didn’t seem relevant," Julian replied, brushing off the question.

In truth, Santiago had nothing to do with the investigation. It had been Octavio Cordero, a powerful figure from Julian’s hidden past, who had orchestrated the entire expose. But Julian wasn’t ready to reveal that yet.

Rose studied him for a moment, her lips pursed. "You’re hiding something," she said finally. "But I’ll let it go for now."

Julian smiled pulling her cheeks. "Smart choice."

Finally when they arrived home, Rose’s parents were waiting in the living room.

Maria Steel stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Julian as they entered.

"Finally, you’re back," Maria snapped. "What took you so long? Were you out embarrassing us again?"

Julian sighed inwardly but kept his expression neutral. Before he could respond, Maria turned to Rose. "I heard you’re the project leader now. Is it true?"

Rose nodded hesitantly. "Yes, it’s true."

Maria’s stern expression melted into one of excitement. "Oh, this is wonderful news! Finally, someone in this family is making something of themselves."

"Exactly!" her father chimed in, clapping his hands together. "Rose, this is your chance to bring in real money for the family, you can use this project to... you know... secure some extra funds for yourself."

Rose’s face hardened. "You mean steal from the company?"

Maria waved a dismissive hand. "Don’t call it that. It’s just... ensuring your future. Everyone does it, dear, why shouldn’t you?"

"I can’t believe this," Rose said, her voice rising. "I worked hard for this position, and you want me to ruin it by being dishonest? No, absolutely not, I will never do it."

Her father groaned, shaking his head. "You’re too idealistic, Rose. Do you think anyone gets ahead in life by playing fair?"

Julian stepped forward, his tone calm but firm. "Rose isn’t going to compromise her integrity, and she doesn’t need to, I’ll make sure she has everything she needs to succeed."

Maria turned to Julian, her eyes narrowing. "And what exactly can you provide, Julian? A few pennies? Don’t make me laugh."

"Actually," Julian began, his voice cool, "I was thinking of getting Rose a car. Something practical for her new role."

Maria let out a sharp laugh. "You? Buy a car? What are you going to get her, a broken-down piece of junk? Don’t bother, Julian, you’ll only embarrass her further."

Her father chimed in, sneering. "Honestly, Rose, you’re so unlucky to have married someone like him, if you’d just listened to us, you could have married someone successful."

Rose’s cheeks flushed with frustration, but before she could respond, Julian held up a hand.

"I appreciate your concern," he said smoothly, "but I think you’ll be surprised by what I can do."

Maria scoffed. "Surprised? The only surprise would be if you managed to scrape together enough for a decent meal, let alone a car."

"Mom, please stop it," with a sigh, Rose grabbed Julian ‘s hand and took him to the room.