Rags to Riches

Chapter 2 Here on Invitation

"Luke!" Vivian trembled with rage.

Regardless of how worthless he was, Marcus was still her husband. He might be useless, but he'd stuck by her side for the past three years without a single complaint.

"Honey, don't get mad. Why don't you head in first? I'll just—" Marcus started, balling his hands into fists.

"Honestly, you—" Vivian glared at him. How could he act like nothing had happened when someone had blatantly insulted him? He didn't even have the guts to say something in return! Could he be considered a man? "Whatever!"

Disappointment washed over her as she turned and headed into the grand ballroom on her own.

Luke scoffed. "At least you know your worth!" He patted Marcus on the face and followed Vivian into the grand ballroom after that.

The crowd, consisting of members of the Lorimer family and their guests, too, looked at Marcus mockingly before filing into the grand ballroom. It was as if they were looking at a piece of trash.

Soon, Marcus was left alone. He stared in the direction Vivian had left.

"I was gonna say that I'll join you soon," he mumbled.

Marcus walked over to the plaque Luke had pointed earlier and stomped on it, making it break into splinters. "Everyone thinks I'm a piece of trash; none of them know that I'm the king of this world!"

He suddenly emanated a domineering aura as he put his hands behind his back, no trace of his earlier wimpiness left in the slightest.

After calming himself down, Marcus pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "It's been three years. The test should be over by now, am I right?" he said as soon as the call connected.

"Yes, almighty Drakon. You've passed the test! From today onward, the Pantheon's Forces are under your control. The Pantheon of the Drakon holds more than half of the world's power and wealth, which is now at your disposal." The voice on the other end of the line was filled with respect.

"Good." Marcus hung up, looking a little dazed.

Five years ago, he'd almost died in an unknown land after being banished and hunted down by his family. Fortunately, an old master had saved him and spent the next two years teaching him everything he now knew. Then, he'd passed the position of the Pantheon's Drakon on to him, but with one condition—he had to spend three years as the Lorimer family's matrilocal son-in-law as a way of training his temperament. Now, the three years were up, and it was his time to shine.

How could a lousy plaque stand in the way of the Drakon?

A smirk crossed Marcus' face gradually.

…

Half an hour later, in the grand ballroom, the event had started.

"The heavens have blessed the Lorimer family with wealth and fortune!" the current head of the Lorimer family, Nora Chapman, announced with pride.

"Grandma, under your wise leadership, I'm sure the Lorimer family will attain greater heights!" Luke stepped forward to hold her arm fawningly.

"The Lorimer family's full of talented youths; we'll only grow stronger!"

"You're right! Luke alone has managed to bring in two million dollars worth of business! If everyone in his generation were to learn from him, it'd be hard for the Lorimer family not to become better!"

"Indeed, Luke isn't the type of person you come across every day. He's the cream of the crop, even among all the youths of Cromford City!"

The other members of the Lorimer family took this opportunity to suck up to Luke by singing his praises.

"Wonderful!" Nora looked at Luke with satisfaction and nodded. Then, she swept a gaze over the room and said, "Of course, the Lorimer family couldn't have gotten to where it is now without the help of our friends in Cromford City. Now, let's see who our esteemed guests are!" This sent a ripple of excitement through the room. Everyone knew this was the climax of the gathering.

Per previous years' tradition, members of the Lorimer family had to bring esteemed guests with them to the family gathering. Whoever's guest was the most important or eminent would receive the biggest piece of the Lorimer family's pie when it came to dishing out resources.

"Grandma, I've invited Glory Construction Co.'s general manager!"

"Grandma, I've had the honor of bringing Mr. Lawrence, the miracle doctor!"

"My guest is Shane Bronson, the top dog of Liquor Lane!"

As the members of the Lorimer family fell over themselves to introduce their guests, Nora nodded in satisfaction.

Finally, only two people had yet to introduce their guests. They were Luke and Vivian.

"Grandma, I'm sure you'll be elated to see my friend." Luke stepped forward while shooting Vivian a haughty look.

"Oh? Who is it?" Nora asked excitedly.

"Verdant International's scion, Mr. Frederick Lloyd!" Luke puffed out his chest proudly.

As his words fell, a young man with his hair swept back stepped forward and nodded with a smile. It was Frederick.

"Wonderful! Welcome, Mr. Lloyd, and thank you for gracing us with your presence!" Nora sucked in a breath.

This was her first time thanking a guest for joining their family gathering. After all, Verdant International was a conglomerate that had businesses in food and beverage, supermarkets, real estate, and more. Most importantly, it owned Cromford City's largest financial institution!

This was a key point for the Lorimer family, as they had recently run into a major financial crisis.

Luke turned to Vivian with a cold smile. "It's your turn, Vivian. You're the highlight of the show! With your looks, I'm sure you would've managed to build up something of a network." He was obviously insinuating that Vivian had used her beauty to make connections.

"How dare you!" Vivian gnashed her teeth. Her face was so red it looked like she was bleeding.

Nora had never cared much for her and her family. Truly, how could Vivian possibly invite anyone important when she didn't have any money or power?

It was a vicious cycle that led to her only getting scraps in terms of the family's resources.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you didn't manage to invite anyone again! That doesn't make sense. Don't you have a food delivery driver as a husband? I heard he's even delivered food to someone who stays at Hingbrook Hills! Why didn't you tap into his network?" Luke did his best to humiliate Vivian.

He wanted to stomp on every shred of dignity she had. He'd like to see if she still dared to fight with him in the future!

Vivian lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly. Her nails almost sank into the flesh of her palm.

She felt even worse when she saw Nora shake her head in disappointment.

Meanwhile, the doors to the grand ballroom slowly opened to reveal two figures.

One of them was Marcus, and the other was an old man with a gray beard.

"Murray Fletcher from the East, here on invitation!" a voice rang out clearly.