THE DESPISED SON-IN-LAW { RISE TO POWER}

chapter four

Downfall

Daniel was seated in the poorly lit apartment, gazing at the divorce papers that had been completed a couple of days earlier. The stifling quietness was interrupted solely by the continous drip of the leaking hole in the kitchen. He was still trying to comprehend it all - the disloyalty, the anguish, the emptyness that now filled his existence. It seemed like the world had moved on, while he was stuck in the remains of his previous life.

The days merged into one another. His work performance started to drop. Tasks that were once easy to handle now appeared to be too difficult to accomplish. His boss, Andrew, was unforgiving, pointing out every error he made. Daniel’s colleagues, who used to welcome him with friendly smiles, now steered clear of him, talking in hushed tones when he passed by.

It was glaring that Andrew had taken his place in multiple ways. Andrew proudly showed off his relationship with Sarah whenever he could, taking her to company gatherings and bragging about their future together. Daniel attempted to overlook it, but every time he witnessed them together, it pained his heart deeply. He wonders where he had gone wrong and why he deserved everything Sarah did to him.

In the afternoon, Andrew summoned Daniel to his office. Andrew's expression was icy, lacking any hint of the camaraderie they used to have.

Andrew, leaning back in his leather chair, addressed Daniel, "It's obvious that your personal life is affecting your work. The company can’t afford to carry dead weight.”

Daniel’s stomach sank. “What are you saying?”

Andrew sighed, feigning regret. “I’m saying you’re fired. Pack your things and leave by the end of the day.”

Daniel stared at him, stunned. “You’re firing me? After everything I’ve done for this company?”

Andrew’s expression hardened. “This isn’t personal, Daniel. It’s business. You have not been performing up to par, and we require someone who can cope with the stress.”

Daniel's fists tightened as his rage reached its peak. This is private. "First you took my wife, and now you're taking my job?"

Andrew smiled smugly, a sense of contentment flickering in his gaze. "If you were more skilled in either, you might not find yourself in this situation."

Daniel angrily left the office, feeling his heart beating in his ears. He packed his things in a cardboard box, disregarding the sympathetic glances of his colleagues. When he left the building, he experienced total defeat.

The upcoming weeks were a complete nightmare. Daniel struggled to pay his rent due to his inconsistent income. Initially, his landlord remained tolerant, but once the payments ceased, the eviction notice was issued.

Daniel stood on the sidewalk, with his few belongings packed into a duffel bag, on a chilly, wet morning. He was without employment, without a place to live, and without anyone for support. The burden of his failure weighed heavily on him, and he experienced loneliness for the first time ever.

He roamed the city with no direction, his shoes drenched and his clothes sticking to his body. While the rain fell heavily, he came across a small park and sat down on a bench. He didn't mind as the cold sunk into his bones.

He whispered to himself, barely heard in the rain, questioning the purpose.

Right before he was going to shut his eyes and surrender to the hopelessness, a peculiar light appeared in front of him. Initially, he believed it was just a reflection coming from a streetlight, but later on it started forming into a luminous, see-through display that floated in the atmosphere.

Daniel blinked, believing he was seeing things. A solitary message appeared on the screen.

Are you interested in transforming your life? Yes/No”

He stared at the words, his mind racing. “What... what is this?” he whispered.

The screen didn’t respond, but the words remained, glowing softly in the rain. Daniel hesitated. This had to be a trick, right? Some cruel prank played by the universe. But what did he have to lose?

With trembling hands, he reached out and pressed “Yes.”

The screen flickered, and a new message appeared:

“Welcome to the System. Your transformation begins now.”

Daniel's body was engulfed by a sudden warmth that he couldn't fully understand. He felt like an invisible force was surrounding him, pulling him from the cold and filling him with a strange, unfamiliar energy.

The screen began to display instructions:

“First Task: Stand up. Regain your strength. Reward: +10 Confidence.”

Daniel frowned. “Stand up? That’s it?”

Feeling his body temperature rise further, he was prompted to change his posture. Gradually, he rose to a standing position. Standing there, he felt a small increase in energy, like a flickering flame igniting inside of him.

The screen flashed again:

“Task Completed. Confidence increased.”

Daniel’s eyes widened as he felt a subtle shift in his mind. The crushing weight of his despair seemed to lift, if only slightly.

The screen displayed another task:

“Find shelter for the night. Reward: +10 Resilience.”

Daniel looked around, his mind clearer than it had been in weeks. He remembered passing a small homeless shelter a few blocks away. The thought of going there wasn’t appealing, but the system’s strange influence pushed him forward.

When he arrived, the shelter staff welcomed him warmly. For the first time in weeks, he had a warm meal and a dry place to sleep.

Over the next few days, the system continued to guide him with small tasks. Each one seemed trivial at first—cleaning himself up, applying for jobs, talking to people—but every completed task brought a small reward. Confidence, resilience, determination—all things Daniel thought he had lost began to return.

One day, the system presented him with a more challenging task:

“Confront your past. Face Sarah and Andrew. Reward: Unlock New Ability.”

Daniel’s heart raced as he read the words. Confronting them was the last thing he wanted to do, but the system’s guidance had brought him this far. Maybe it was time to stop running from the pain.

As he walked toward the office building where Sarah and Andrew worked, he felt the familiar pang of fear and anger. This time, however, he could do it. He was having the back up of a powerful system

It could be a joker, something Andrew would never see coming.