"Ava look at the piece of shit you're married to. This useless pathetic loser should get out of the Smith family now. He's such a disgrace to all of us, how can he even call himself a man?" Morraine sneered in disdain.
The words replayed in Jonah's head, as he stood outside The Marionette, the best hotel in Eldrege City, remembering the damaging words from his mother-in-law as the rain drizzled over him
He heaved a deep sigh, pulled out a cheap cigarette pack from his coat pocket and lit it, then took a deep drag, staring at the crystal glass walls with luxurious decorations
Three years ago, Lord Smith before he passed away, brought Jonah to his home in Eldredge City one day and insisted on marrying him off to his granddaughter Ava Smith.
When Lord Smith met Jonah, he was as miserable, poor, and injured almost as a beggar, arriving at the Smith House in torn clothes
Shortly after the wedding, everyone in the Smith Household treated Jonah badly, insulting and ridiculing him as a no-good nobody whom they took in from the streets
However, Jonah was always indifferent and nonchalant to their insults and ridicule, and spent his days quietly as the live-in son-in-law of the Smith family, until Lord Smith passed away.
Ever since then, everyone in the family worked together and kicked him out exactly one year ago.
"Your suit is getting soaked Master Smith," A male charismatic voice said and held out an umbrella for Jonah.
The man who was speaking was Jerry Paul, he was the Vice President of Grindel Capital, and also a loyal-to-a-fault powerful subordinate of Jonah Smith
Tonight's event was hosted by their company as the first-ever Grindel Capital building to be launched in Eldredge City
Jonah turned his gaze to the man and asked flatly "Are they going to be there?"
Immediately, the warm smile disappeared from Jerry's face and his expression changed as he nodded in response
"Yes sir, your wife's family are going to be in attendance at the banquet tonight," he said regretfully, gazing directly at Jonah
Still, there was an inexpressive expression on Jonah's face. Living with the Smith family, he had mastered the art of concealing his emotions, hence he took a long and deep drag of his cigarette,
"Let's get this over with" he muttered, flicked the cigarette butt away, and walked into the hotel
The Marionette Hotel which was a 7-star hotel, located in the heart of the city, was the grandest, most luxurious hotel in Eldrege City, famous for its unique architectural design, and luxurious decorations.
It was rumored to cost tens of millions of dollars for one to hold an event there, with exclusive membership
This was usually the first-choice hotel for top dignitaries and prominent figures in the country, as such membership was divided into ranks with platinum being the highest and most exclusive membership with privileged services
Uncommon to public knowledge, the hotel had been recently purchased by Jerry Paul in preparation for tonight's banquet, in honor of being welcomed to the city by the Mayor
Jonah walked into the banquet hall adorned with gorgeous crystal chandeliers casting bright sparkles that highlighted the ambiance of the beautifully decorated hall
The soft tunes of the piano masterpieces echoed across the hallways, slowly warming the hearts of its listeners, together with the fresh and rare flowers that decorated the walkways filling the air with their aromatic fragrance, adding to the overall ethereal atmosphere of the wall
The media nicknamed this event "The Dawn Awakening", and sighted in attendance were some of the top one percent of the company, tech CEOs, businessmen, politicians, and members from high-profile families.
Everyone wanted to witness the buffet and get a chance to meet the Grindel Capital executives of the biggest and largest enterprise in the country
Jonah could not care less about the event; he could hear the lively chatter from all the guests in awe and admiration for the launch event.
Many women sighed dreamily, "Wow! Can you imagine getting married in this hall? It would be like a page out of a romance book",
"I heard the Vice President of the Grindel Capital is such a dreamer, and he's single. How hot can one man be? His company is said to bring in billions of dollars and also open avenues for other small enterprises to develop", another said
Having understood the lives these rich snobs lived, Jonah could not bother to waste his time entertaining any of them, so he strode towards the buffet table and just then, he heard a familiar high-pitched shriek echo into his ears, and immediately a dark shade of red appeared on his face
He knew that voice too well,
"What the hell are you doing here, you worthless scum," his mother-in-law Morraine said disdainfully
Jonah hung his head, sighing dejectedly as he massaged the wrinkled lines that formed on his forehead
"This old coot" he muttered and turned towards her direction.
He was stunned when he saw his wife Ava beside her mother, walking with slow elegant footsteps, her long maroon hair cascading on her back like a waterfall, with the white dress that outlined her body.
Her skin was as smooth as a porcelain doll, magnifying her alluring beauty with cherry-red lips. Most men who waited in the hall gazed at her admirably for a stunning moment,
Ava opened her mouth to speak but was swiftly interjected by her mother, who had a visible layer of fury on her face when she saw Jonah
"Why the hell are to here?!"
Jonah felt a fiery flame slowly burst within his heart at her words, but he composed himself and uttered calmly
"I'm just here to pay homage to Grandfather and take care of some other affairs," he said in a calm still voice, then shifted his gaze towards Ava, smiled politely, and added "It's been a while dear"
A layer of irritating wrath slowly built in Lorraine's heart, and she quickly sneered
"I asked you a question, you piece of shit!"
"I said I came here to pay...",
"You still dare to lie to me?!" Morraine's bitter voice resonated loudly, drawing the attention of the crowd
"How dare you sneak in here? Don't you know this is an honorable buffet and worthless scum like you should not be found in here?!" She added with no regard for Jonah's feelings
Jonah kept his dead silence upon seeing the small crowd that gathered around them. At that time, some of the onlookers started to wonder how Jonah got invited to the buffet hall, being that he was just the live-in son-in-law of the Smith family.
When Morraine felt the support of the crowd, she gathered more confidence and shouted at Jonah,
"I want you to leave this buffet right now you disgrace of a man"
"You think because we took pity on you and allowed you to live with us, you can just waltz in here and try to ruin our reputable family image and the joyous ambiance of this event?"Morraine looked askance at Jonah as she said "You're such an embarrassment, look at how mediocre you look. I promise you I will make sure my daughter divorces you. It's such a waste for Ava to be with you. She deserves a man who can take care of her or at least himself"Jonah still wore an inexpressive face. At that moment, his father's words echoed in his head. He taught him to not let his anger control him, so Jonah suppressed the rage slowly building within him and shifted his gaze toward Ava, who had a downtrodden look on her face.She did not expect that her mother would go off on Jonah that publicly. Although she despised him for being poor and spineless, he was still her husband.At this time, when the onlookers heard Morraine's remarks, they looked at Jonah with spite and sympathy as they whispered
The night lights lit up the extravagant Smith family mansion.Morraine stood awkwardly next to Ava, as the family gathered to hear if she had struck the deal with the VP,"Well, Morraine, tell us how exactly is this Jonah's fault?" George, the head of the family and Ava's eldest uncle asked glaring at Morraine"It's that bastard's fault. If he wasn't there to interfere, we could have signed the deal with the VP"The entire family gasped in extreme shockEveryone stared at Morraine with bewilderment. They couldn't believe her atrocious tongue. There was no way Jonah would have been able to stop her from signing the deal with the VP.Was she trying to take them for fools?"That loser is probably the VP's driver. It's because of him the VP refused to sign the contract, he must have told him not to sign with us. I always knew we never should have allowed that backstabber into this family, or at least we should have kicked him out of the mansion much sooner""It's a good thing that he's no
Later that night at dinner at the Smith Family mansion, Vic had been relentless in belittling Jonah at every turn. He aimed to show Ava that she was better off with him at the end of the dinnerGeorge Smith sat at the head of the table quietly, focusing on his dinner, as Morraine and Vic tore into Jonah. At this time, his face twisted in an irritating grimace and he suddenly knocked on the table angrilyEveryone at the table exchanged nervous glances at the outburst but no one dared to talkGeorge puffed a breath and rubbed his nose in slight agitation. However, just then his expression shifted into a pretentious smile as he said"Ladies and gentlemen, a great opportunity has been presented to us, and we, the Smith family, have been waiting for a chance like this for so many yearsThis is a chance for us to elevate our family status towards the next level, to the peak of the social pyramid in Eldrege City, if we play our cards right"He paused and gazed at Jonah before continuing "As
Shortly after Jonah arrived at Windsor Hotel, Vic, Morraine and Caitly walked into the hotel and headed toward the front desk to get their seat reservationsAs soon as they saw Jonah standing by the elevator, they shrieked in surprise, rushed to him, and spoke"Are you following us?!" Caitly glared at Jonah in annoyance. How was the bastard even allowed in here?Caitly had always disliked Jonah, he was such a disappointment. Suddenly, the corner of her lips curved into a smile as she said mockingly"Did you sneak your way into this hotel as well, you miserable f*ck. Are you here to beg again?"Jonah smiled lightly and said confidently "Yes, I'm here to beg on behalf of the family, Ms Smith",Blood rushed to Caitly's face, and her face burned with humiliation. She had not expected Jonah to speak up, especially in such a high horse mannerJonah had intelligently flipped her words against her. Seeing the fury burning on Morraine's face, she mumbled sheepishly "I did not mean it like that
"Are you deaf too?! Didn't you hear me?!" Vic growledHe felt like he was abusing a dog and wanted to hear the dog yelp and scurry away frightened. However, Jonah did not say anything, he took slow sips of his drink ignoring Vic completely.Jonah's reaction only proved to Vic that he was the loser he thought him to be, so he increased the cockiness in his tone and sneered"I'm going to make sure you know your place today. You'll soon know the price you pay for being so arrogant and cocky. You're just a lowly live-in son-in-law, a pathetic fool who is desperately pretending so he can delude himself that his pathetic life has some meaning.You're nothing, Jonah! I know it, your wife knows it, everyone knows it! How dare you act like you're above me. You're better off scavenging in the streets for trash" Vic growled with a layer of infuriating rageAt that point, Nathan Lane, the head of the Lane family and CEO of the multibillion Lane Construction Company, cleared his throat interruptin
The next day, early in the morning, Jonah left the hotel, heading to Lamert Park.This was a large and dense vegetation by the river. Beside it, there was an artificial mountain which was full of various medicinal herbsUnfortunately, due to the change in climate, these herbs were ineffectiveSince Jonah was six years old, he had gone to Lamert Park every morning to meditate and improve his cultivation skills.It was 3 o’clock that morning when he arrived at the park.In nature, this was when one was in sync with the aura of the sky and the earth, which made it the best time to practice his cultivation and martial arts skills. Also, most people did not arrive at the Park by this timeJonah jumped onto the lush field and was soundless as he landed. After searching around and confirming that there was no one in sight, he started practicing.He sat cross-legged on the ground and took a deep breath. This was an integral part of preparing his mind and body, enabling him to get in sync with
Janet hurriedly packed the items she had won into a tiny box while making a puppy face.Jonah was like an elder brother to her so she couldn’t refuse his command. Growing up, he'd always try to keep her away from gambling, but Janet was just as persistent as she was tricky. Somehow, she always ended up at another casino, abandoned avenue, or Park, either rolling dice or pulling card tricks.When Jonah saw her at the airport gambling, he shook his head in disapproval and approached her quickly"I see you've picked up your old habits", Jonah said with distaste"We talked about this, and you said you'd stop" he added"I was going to," she said pouting"I just needed to teach that pervert a lesson or two about hitting on girls half his age," she said pretentiously. In truth, she loved the thrill as much as she enjoyed humiliating DylanJonah sighed tiredly, shook his head, and played dumb. Then ruffled her hair lightly, turned to leave, and said "Let's go"****As soon as they arrived at
Jonah gazed at her and expressed a disgusted look as if he had just eaten a fly.Caitly wore a branded attire from head to toe with heavy makeup. Her eyes were filled with arrogance and hubris which reflected on her appearance to be tacky.He shifted his gaze and saw Ava and Vic walking towards them and sighed disdainfullyFrowning in irritation, he pulled away from the hug, and greeted his ex-wife indifferently as they walked closer"Janet this is my ex-wife, Ava" Jonah introduced her out of courtesyAva ignored his greetings, staring at Janet with a cold gaze. Her face turned into a shade of brewing rage. She was about to speak, but before she could say anything, Janet quickly said"You're just as beautiful as I've heard","Hi, I'm Janet," she said warmly, extending her hand for a shake. Ava gazed at her hand and hissed mockingly.She always thought that Jonah was so lucky to be married to her because of her beauty, but when she saw Janet, she felt threatened. The fact was that she