Chapter 3
“Why? Rose, isn't he your husband? Why can't he dine with us?” Isabella queried, looking disappointed. “He's not my husband and can never be until he's capable of doing what other men are doing for their wives and family.” Rose retorted with a sharp tone. “Period!” Everyone supported, which made Michael bow his head in shame as he stood speechless. Not wanting to prolong the conversation which seemed unfavorable to her, Isabella sighed deeply and quietly opened her bowl to eat. The rest of the family also opened theirs. While Michael turned to go back to the kitchen. Just as he moved, Rose's angry voice caused him to halt in his steps again as he turned. “What the hell is this? Why Ma Po Tofu? Why did you prepare it? Didn't I tell you to prepare Black Pudding?” She angrily slammed her hand on the table, standing on her feet. “Yes, you did. But I don't know how to prepare Black Pudding.” Michael admitted calmly, walking closer and standing beside his father-in-law. “I didn't want you to go to work on an empty stomach, that's why I chose to prepare Ma Po Tofu.” “As a caring husband or what?” Stephen interjected, looking furious. “Not like that, father-in-law. I was…..” Michael didn't finish his sentence when his father-in-law gave him a tight slap which left a red handprint on his cheek that kept his face burning. “Next time, do whatever she tells you to do even if you don't know how to do it. Do you understand?” “Yes sir.” Michael nodded, as he held onto where he had been slapped hoping to soothe the pain. Angrily, Stephen slumped on his chair while Rose stood in anger, still not satisfied with what her father had done. “Why do you have to slap him that way, Stephen? Did he commit anything wrong that made you hit him that way?” Isabella shook her head and asked. Her words are pitiful. “And besides, the meal he made is delicious.” “Yes, grandma. He did everything wrong and Dad should have hit him more than that. And whether the meal is delicious or not I don't care.” Rose stubbornly said, grabbing her office bag to leave. “And you? Why are you still beside me? Take this key and drive her off to the office.” Stephen pointed at Michael, throwing his Camry's key car to him and he quickly caught it in the air. “Rose, my darling daughter,” Maria called to her, as she stood up on her feet with a worried face and look. “You know this small company of ours is what your Dad has struggled to establish and we can't bear to lose it and our house for anything. Please put in your best.” She held her hand. “Yes, Rose. Your mom is right. Remember, we owe some loans which we need to pay back. Or we'll lose everything, both our house, company, I mean everything. Try your best since your good-for-nothing husband can't do anything. Instead, he's living off our little wealth.” Michael felt a burning blush on his face hearing his father-in-law say that. He couldn't help but shed secret tears which he quickly wiped off. “Mom, Dad, we're not going to lose anything. I promise to do my best and make sure to pay back the loans and also see to it that our company gets to a greater level. I promise you that.” Rose assured. Stephen and his friend had started a Fashion Company some years back and when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, they had to borrow $4,000 from the Yonggi Cho family, one of the wealthiest families, in the town of Maple, to keep it going. Since then, they have been unable to pay back the loans, they have been threatened by Yonggi Cho that they were going to take their company and their properties which was the total amount of money. “You have all our trust.” They echoed with a smile of relief. “Alright, I have to go now. Bye, Dad, Mom, Grandma, and Joseph.” She waved with her bag hung around her shoulder. They all nodded. “Have a nice day.” Immediately, she moved and Michael trailed behind her in his regular cheap clothes with the car key in his right hand. Michael was the first to get outside and he quickly ran and opened the front door behind the driver's seat, giving Rose a queenly treatment. But when Rose got there, she didn't even look at him but she quietly opened the back door and sat down. With a disappointed sigh, Michael quickly closed the door and stormed into the car, taking his place in the driver's seat. He roared the engine to life, spun the wheels, and sped out of the compound. As he drove, there were minutes of calmness in the car. He could notice Rose's countenance through the front mirror hung at the top of the driver's position which made him feel uneasy. So he was the first to speak. “Rose! What's the matter? You don't look happy. Why?” He asked worriedly. However, Rose didn't answer him a word. He kept quiet and concentrated on driving. He then turned once more and cast a worried look on her again. “I heard all that your parents were saying. Please what do they mean by they didn't want to lose the company and the house and how much are they owing?” “Michael, just let me be. We're owing $4,000.” She shouted. “What? $4,000?” Michael was stunned. “Yes, you heard me clear and the lender said they're going to take everything that belongs to us since we're unable to pay back.” She added. “That's not going to happen.” “Then give me the money to pay them back.” She stretched out her hand to Michael.Chapter 4 “Rose, you know that I don't have money for now but I assure you that I'll fix everything right soon.” He said, concentrating on his driving. “Then dare not ask me a single thing about my family life ever again when you're not capable of helping.” Rose shunned and remained silent. Michael noticed how angry she looked so he also kept silent and gently drove not wanting to cause any more ire. “Why is my life so miserable like this? I can't even help when they need me the most. Dear God, please help me.” He muttered to himself as he drove. After driving for half an hour, the car abruptly stopped in front of an open building painted white and red. It was the small company that Rose had inherited from her parents as a result of their trust in her. Most of the staff were already carrying out some necessary work and they were all on black and white shirts as it was mandatory for all of them. Most of them who noticed their presence didn't fail to murmur as they saw Michael
Chapter 5 Michael drove on the street and finally stopped beside the roadside, parked the car, and sat under a giant tree that gave him a shield from the hotness of the sun. Onlookers didn't fail to throw at him mocking words. However, he ignored them and was left alone to his thoughts. Who didn't know him as the popular broke man in the whole town of Maple? He slumped down onto the ground, having his head buried between his legs as he sobbed. “I am such a useless man. I can't even provide for my wife and in-laws. Soon, we'll be kicked out of the house and I don't even know what to do.” His heart sank deeply as tears welled down from his eyes. “Father-in-law was right. I'm just living off their earnings instead of providing. What a worthless man I am.” He couldn't hold back his tears. Immediately, he wiped off his tears and raised his eyebrows, he spotted a car driving towards where he was and he quickly wiped off his tears and stood on his feet as he watched the car appr
Chapter 6 John took Michael around the entire building and after everything was concluded, soon Michael signed all the crucial documents making him the new CEO. He was filled with joy because his Uncle whom he had once looked down on was the same person making him move from a nobody to somebody. “Thank you, Uncle, I'll have to go back home now. I know they might have been waiting for me.” “Alright, but don't forget to resume your office tomorrow.” Michael nodded and left and headed for home. “Rose, how is everything going? What are your plans to settle the loans we borrowed? You know we can't afford to lose everything because we have nowhere to go.” Stephen and Maria were curious to ask as soon as Rose returned. “Mom, I don't know what to do right now. I received a letter from Yonggi Cho's family today back in my office and they're threatening to throw us out of the house and even take our properties including the company if we fail to refund their money.” “We're in a
Chapter 7 The next morning, Michael was the first to wake up. He woke up twenty minutes after 5, he glanced over Rose who was fast asleep. “Thank goodness, she's still asleep.” He muttered to himself taking a deep breath. He stood up, folded his mat, and dropped it at its usual place. He also put a $20 note into Rose's office bag before leaving for the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the day. Not up to five minutes after he left, Rose woke up and glanced down to Michael's sleeping spot but she didn't see him. “This is what he should have been doing and not waiting for me to wake him up to prepare breakfast.” She mumbled to herself. “If he had been doing this, I wouldn't have been waking him up with bottles of water.” Still mumbling, she got from the bed and walked straight into the bathroom to take her bath. Before everyone else in the family woke up, Michael had finished every one of the house chores and went out. When they finally woke up, they dined together an
Chapter 8 The news of Golden Group of Companies accepting the collaboration proposal from Best Fashion Company circulated the whole town. Everyone was fully aware that a new CEO had finally stepped on board. And the entire family of Miller White was set at the edge of extreme happiness. The White family had been in enmity with the Stephen family over the years now unbeknownst to Michael. It all started when White chose to betray Stephen and went ahead to establish his own company after stealing from the company they both had together. That was how Stephen's family fell into the huge loan they were owing because Stephen, Rose's father, was the one who borrowed the money, and the signature was signed under his name. As Michael was cleaning the furniture which was his regular work, the entire family was busy watching TV shows together. It was weekend so everyone was present at home and no one went to work. “Rose! Have you heard about the news?” Maria was the first to talk,
Chapter 9 The following day, the news of Golden Group of Companies terminating collaboration with Best Fashion Company overnight went again throughout the whole town leaving everyone wondering. Rose couldn't hold back her happiness as she heard the news. It was all she had prayed for. So she quickly picked up her phone to call Cordelia. Although she had blacklisted her contact before, she now felt the urge to unban her and called her. After she dialed her number, it rang but there was no answer, however, she didn't stop calling. And finally, Cordelia picked up. “Hey, you fool! What do you want?” “You silly girl, what do you think I'll stoop so low to ever need something from people like you and your family? You know that can never happen.” Cordelia remained silent while Rose continued. “Oh, my darling friend. I heard what happened. They approved your proposal and not even up to a day they terminated it because it seemed they had gotten to know your true identity. Ha ha
Chapter 10 “Cordelia, please stop, stop,” Paul called, lifting his hand as soon as he got outside. Cordelia had already entered the car in anger and was about to drive leaving him. She finally stopped and Paul hurried to it. “What were you trying to do? Leave me here and go?” He asked, his voice was sharp and a hint of disbelief flashed through his face. However, Cordelia didn't answer him a word. She shifted and took her seat near the driver's seat allowing Paul to take his place at the driver's side. He glanced at her then shifted his attention back to the steering and then sped off. “Cordelia! You need to learn how to control your anger. That was too bad of you trying to cause a scene in such a big company. Do you not know what damages it will cause to our company?” Paul asked, a hint of worry in his voice as he drove through the town. “I don't care to know what it will cause. Do you expect me to stay calm and absorb such a manner from that so-called new CEO? Huh?”
Chapter 11After he finished, he invited all the family and he walked to to usual place in the kitchen to eat his lunch. His wife called him.“Michael!” She called, her voice calm. And Michael immediately paid attention to her as she continued. “I don't want you to be going out of the house again. You'll stay at home and do all the house chores because I can't be going out to work and when I return home there will be nothing in the house to eat.And you know that I don't like eating by this hour of the day.”“I understand and I'm sorry for everything but what if your proposal with Golden Group of Companies gets approved, will you still allow me to go out?” He asked.Rose thought about it for a while before answering him. Meanwhile, the whole family was all quite enjoying the meal leaving the husband's and wife's conversation.“Maybe. But you know that won't be possible because I doubt if they will.”“Okay.” He said and walked back to the kitchen.Half an hour later, they finished eat