The Accidental Son-in-law Is A Genius

Module 1 - NOT AN IOTA OF RESPECT

“And why is the house still so dusty? Oh, Geez, just look at those cobwebs up there!” Mrs. Nate raised her voice.

The beautiful looking man walked out of the kitchen and to the living room where his inspector of an aunt-in-law stood, squinting her eyes at every part of the house.

With a ragged breath from exhaustion, Clarke explained himself. “Aunty, I had woken up some minutes past six and had to get Winifred's things ready for the studio.” 

“Just that?” Mrs. Nate snorted. “Ironing her clothes, setting her bathe, cleaning her shoes, aside those what else? Yet you can't even hurry with your wife's task and do what's needed in the house. I'm supposed to roll myself in dirt thanks to the chair being all dusty?!”

Yep..she really hated him. Hated this ‘lazy’ man who her niece chose to promise ‘for better, for worse’ to.

“I'm sorry, aunty. Let me get onto it now. It wouldn't take long,” Clarke said, moving to get the cleaning equipment. It cost him his last ounce of composure to not sigh out loud. 

“Aunt Rachel being so loud in the morning isn't nice at all. Plus, it's giving me a headache already,” Winifred whined like a spoiled child while sauntering out of her room looking as graceful as supposed to, being a B-list model. 

She was definitely ready to hit the road to the studio wearing that piece of Versace animal skin dress, a brown blazer coat all paired with a fitting brown heeled boots.

"Just have a look at this husband of yours. He's picking up a broom and a mop just now. What's he been doing all morning? It's this late and the housework is still not done," Mrs. Nate hissed, dismissing her son-in-law with her witchy cat eyes.

Unfazed, Clarke ignored the part where it's just past seven and a certain someone calls it ‘late’. Hello wiped the dust off the table and moved on to the sofas, and around the living room.

“This is why, aunt, you shouldn't have sent the helpers away?” Winny walked on further to the dining table to have breakfast as usual. 

"What's the use of your husband? Rather than being a barely paid driver, he might as well be the helper of the house. With the paid helpers gone it'll help cut the monthly budget." Mrs Nate scoffed, rolling her eyes dismissively. 

Without paying no attention at all to the matter, Winny took her seat. That man, Clarke, was just a husband by title and vow, nothing more. She didn't care about him or his well-being. His mere presence had caused her a big scandal and lost her rich boyfriend in the process. 

A short while later, everyone of the Nate family had gathered at the dinner table for breakfast. 

Clarke hurriedly took off the apron, then swiftly joined them. Swiftly. He didn't want his aunt-in-law finding his pace as a reason to spit fire. 

One by one, he served them. Wife included. The smallest in the house, Mrs. Nate's twelves years old son as well. Only then was he allowed to sit and serve himself.

“Ahem,” Winny's older cousin, Ashley, cleared her throat. She looked up at Winifred. “Winny, is it okay if you call your assistant to pick you up today? I'd be driving Alex to school and we wouldn't want you being seen with him and have to face questions after all.”

“Sure,” was the only response Winifred gave, not even looking up from her plate. 

She ate quickly, picking vegetables and ignoring the meat. She was already disgusted by the atmosphere she believed Clarke's presence polluted long after they got married almost a week ago. 

Despite how pretty Clarke looked, the hatred his wife had for him ran deep like a tree's root.

----

Soon, Winifred, Ashley and the kid left, bidding farewell only to the family members that mattered. Clarke at that point was deemed irrelevant. No one waved bye-bye at him. Not even the chubby little foodie. Hmmph!

The young man grumbled. Having been a part of the family, and a man at that, he hadn't received even an iota of respect from any of them. From the older down to the least. Including his pretty wife.

“Christ, my limbs hurt so bad. Rachel,” Michelle, Mrs. Nate's sister and Winnie's sick mother called out. Her face twisted in pain. She couldn't even get up from the chair.

Mrs. Nate's raised a brow. “And what's wrong, Michelle? Weren't you okay just now?” 

“I don't know,” Madam Michelle shook her head, writhing in pain as she clutched her leg. “It hurts so much. I can't even move. I can feel my legs.”

Clarke, seeing this, hurried over. He barely saw this woman, his mother-in-law. He only knew she was a woman who hated physical contact and loved her solace, locked up in her room. “Let’s move over to the living room first. Let me help you.”

Michelle looked between Mrs. Nate's scowling face and her new son-in-law everyone said was worthless. She didn't trust him.. not just him though. 

Reluctantly, she took his hand. If her brother, Mr. Nate was around; she wouldn't have taken the son-in-law's hand. The hand of the man her daughter was coerced into marrying thanks to the scandal.

Clarke gently but firmly supported the weak woman towards the living room and there he aided her into taking a seat on the sofa.

“Where does it hurt?” He asked, kneeling before her.

Michelle pressed her lips together, both enduring the pain and not wanting to talk as well. Since she considered it pointless. Though her hand held onto her leg still. 

Without an ado, Clarke began massaging her nerve points. 

“Arrggh, you damn son-in-law! Don't touch me! Do you want to kill me or what? What are you doing?” she lashed out, flailing her leg in a kick, just enough to send Clarke sprawling.

At that moment, Clarke observed his mother-in-law. He looked at her ashen face and noted the cold sweat on her brows. From her slight word and show of pain, he could deduce the issue. All thanks to his knowledge on acupuncture.

“Ma..…”