Max's three sisters chimed in with twisted and vulgar faces, "Who do you think you are? Our family matters are none of your business. An outsider like you should keep your mouth shut!"Wendy, my best friend who is like family to me, was clearly out of line. So, I didn't hold back and said to Annie, "Wendy is my best friend and like family to me. She's not an outsider. And she's right—here in Johnsonville, it's unheard of for a bride to give gifts to her husband's sisters."Max tried to explain, "Honey, no, the gift cards shouldn't be from your pocket. They were from me... I'm sorry, I should have explained it better."I felt for Max, caught in the middle. I wasn't angry with him, but his sisters were really out of line. They made both of us look bad at our wedding reception and showed a complete lack of decency.His eldest sister immediately expressed displeasure, sarcastically asking Max if marrying a city girl made him forget his sisters' hard work. She pointed out that without t
At that moment, I felt mostly heartache.Wendy smiled and asked Max, "What's the deal with your family? Are they really here to bless your marriage to Jen? Didn't you all discuss what to say beforehand? Max, are you absolutely sure they're not here to ruin your wedding?"Max's face flushed then paled... he was clearly embarrassed.Annie accused Max of being ungrateful and then shifted her gaze towards me, stating, "Jen, our family sticks together. Max promised us that once he made money, he would take care of his three sisters. Three hundred thousand is just a year's salary for Max. Can't you understand? Otherwise..."Before Annie could finish, Wendy interrupted. "Auntie, Jen married a husband, not a burden. We really can't comprehend this.""Are you calling us a burden!" Max's second sister glared at Wendy.Wendy's expression turned cold, and she disregarded the second sister, looking directly at Annie, arms crossed. "As her friend, I am also her family. Whether I have a say or
When the Jennings family came over for dinner, we had only put down a deposit on the house, not paid the full amount.At that time, I was completely in love with Max, so I thought it was fine to put both our names on the house. After all, it was going to be our home. But seeing how his family behaved at the dinner, I started to have second thoughts.Under the table, Wendy squeezed my hand, signaling me to stay quiet. She then explained to Max that the house we were buying was technically my pre-marital property and had nothing to do with the Jennings family or Max.Hearing that Max's name wouldn't be on the deed, Annie's face darkened, and she immediately snapped, "Max and Jen are getting married and becoming a family. What's hers is his. What kind of friend are you, trying to drive a wedge between them? You're just jealous and can't stand to see others happy!"Wendy laughed coldly, "Annie, our son is smart and knows what I'm saying is right. Isn't that so, Max?"Max, looking emba
As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, Max's sisters and brothers-in-law surrounded me. Ted, Max’s eldest brother-in-law, had been sitting on the floor slurping a bowl of instant noodles. When Mary, the eldest sister, slapped his shoulder, he jumped up, spilling noodles all over himself and the floor.Ted kicked the spilled noodles aside, wiped his mouth haphazardly, and charged at me, chili still clinging to his lips. He pointed a finger at me and yelled, “You damn woman! Did you get Mom and Max thrown in jail?”Mary’s glare was fierce. “Who else would it be? This bitch is live-streaming everything! Now everyone knows Max tried to steal her money, almost beat her to death, and drugged her parents!”“I knew we shouldn’t have let this jinx into the family. She’s got money but won’t share it with us because she looks down on us country folk!”“The police sealed our house! We have nowhere to stay! Are you trying to drive our whole family to death?”“You little whore, go to the pol
Luke walked up to Patricia, his cold stare making her voice tremble. "You want to try hitting me? My husband is right here!"Luke responded icily, "Hitting you would dirty my hands."I saw a rare ferocity in Luke’s eyes—cold and ruthless. Patricia, held by the security guards, fell silent. Her husband, Mark, however, was a brute. He broke free from the security guards and charged at Luke.Farm work had made him strong, and the guards couldn’t hold him back. As he lunged, I shouted, “Luke!”Luke turned swiftly and delivered a powerful kick to Mark’s stomach, sending him sprawling on the ground, clutching his abdomen and groaning.Mark’s wife started wailing, threatening to call the police and have Luke arrested. Luke laughed coldly, “Call the police? Let me help you.”With that, he dialed 911. The Jennings family looked at each other in disbelief; they hadn’t expected Luke to actually call the police. Their plan had been to extort money from me or bully their way into staying at m
Luke grabbed his chin and issued a cold threat, saying, "If you dare to defame Jen, I will ensure that you deeply regret it."If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed this was the same Luke I knew. The icy, ruthless aura was completely out of character for the gentleman I thought he was.It felt like a scene straight out of a romantic novel where the domineering CEO rescues the damsel in distress, crushing the villains and saying, “Touch her and you’ll wish you hadn’t.”Patricia wailed, “Hitting people is illegal! You beat up my husband, and we’re going to call the police! You’ll pay for this!”Just as she finished speaking, the elevator doors opened again, and Wendy stepped out.Seeing me bruised and battered, Wendy exploded, pointing at them and asking me, “Jen, did they hit you? These bastards?”I nodded.Wendy immediately set her purse down and rolled up her sleeves, ready for a fight. I quickly wrapped my arms around her waist, but she still tried to k
Anyone with ears could hear the cold indifference and disdain in Luke's tone."That's right, he's not pitiful at all!" Wendy chimed in. "There are countless people suffering in this world. Max is just one among many. There are those born into misery who still remain positive and hopeful. Why should he feel justified in committing crimes and blaming them on life's unfairness? Any excuse for wrongdoing is purely selfish."I agreed with her. Max's upbringing certainly influenced him, but ultimately, the choice between right and wrong was his own.A mix of emotions washed over me, reminding me of the saying: "There's always something despicable about the truly pitiful." Despite his faults, Max had moments that warranted sympathy. However, his suffering did not excuse his wrongdoings. Being human means being responsible for your actions.Though I felt a wave of empathy, I remained resolute.The car fell into silence.Then Wendy broke it. "Hey, it's getting late. How about we grab some
I thought Luke would give a polite excuse, perhaps something about the editor's enthusiasm moving him, but the campus celebrity remained true to his cold demeanor."Personal reasons. I can't disclose them," Luke said curtly and then walked away.Even Wendy was surprised when Luke agreed to join us for dinner. She mouthed to me, “He really agreed?”I pressed my lips together, thinking, Wendy, having dinner with Luke, aren't you afraid of getting indigestion?I never imagined I would be sitting down for dinner with Luke—like friends. It was almost surreal. Is this what they call the twists of fate?As Luke drove, he asked, "Jen, what do you want to eat?"“I don’t know. Let Wendy decide. She’s the foodie here and knows all the best spots in the city,” I replied.Wendy thought for a moment and said, “How about some drinks? It’s a bit cold today. We could warm up with some lamb. Let’s go to that place on Elm Street that you love, Jen, the one with the iron pot lamb stew.”I had no o