Chapter 3 - "A Daughter-in-Law Obeys"
|
Vivian leaned closer, her expensive floral perfume suffocating the air around us.
“Say it,” she demanded again, her eyes flashing with cruel triumph. “Apologize to me, Emma. Tell everyone at this table that you were wrong to disrespect the head of this house.”
I shifted my weight on the floor. My knees burned, but I refused to let another tear fall.
I looked at Daniel one last time. “Are you really going to stand there and say nothing while your mother knocks me down?”
Daniel’s face flushed red with shame, but he remained frozen. “Emma, just say you’re sorry so we can eat dessert. You know how Mom gets when she’s stressed.”
“Stressed?” I let out a dry, breathy laugh.
Vivian sneered, lifting her chin higher. “Listen to your husband. A dutiful daughter-in-law knows her place. In this family, we share everything. Your money is Mercer money now.”
“You think my money belongs to you?” I asked quietly.
“Of course it does!” Aunt Patricia chimed in from across the table, sipping her vintage wine. “You married into wealth, sweetheart. Don’t suddenly act like you built this lifestyle on your own. You should be honored to contribute to the Mercer legacy.”
The cousins snickered behind their cloth napkins. The uncles nodded in solemn agreement. None of them knew the truth. None of them knew that every bite of steak on their gold-rimmed plates had been purchased by my private consulting firm.
Vivian smiled, convinced she had broken my spirit. She genuinely believed that dropping me to my knees was the final blow that would force me to surrender my bank accounts.
I pushed myself off the floor slowly, smoothing down the wrinkles in my tailored dress. I checked my bruised knees, took a deep, steadying breath, and looked directly into Vivian’s cold eyes.
Then, I smiled.
May you like
“Fine,” I said softly.
Vivian smirked, adjusting her pearl necklace. “Fine what?”
