CHAPTER 001

“You're nothing but a good-for-nothing and a useless leech!” 

The lady who was dressed in a classy cream skirt suit with silver streams in her hair, glared daggers with her eyes at the bowed head man before her, she couldn't stand the sight of him, as it was a repulsive sight as far as she was concerned,

Curling her lips at him, she went on with a sneer,

“I do not know why my beautiful and talented daughter had to get married and be ladened with a poor bastard like you! You're nothing but a leech, you and your sick mother!”

Looking at him disdainfully as he kept mute, she gave a long hiss before stomping her foot,

“Idiot, incompetent fool” she muttered, 

“Look at me when I'm talking to you!!! Leech!! Where are the items I asked you to get at the store?!” she demanded with an arch to her eyebrow, whilst curling her lips,

“Answer me fool!”

Alphonse lifted his head and stared at his mother-in-law, Magaret Robinson as she went on with her verbal attack, an attack he knew could go on for hours, with an inaudible he finally found his voice, and gave a response in a small voice that carried uncertainty, 

“I-its in the kitchen m-mother” he replied and pointed to the kitchen,

Margaret’s eyes turned bloodshot and she clenched her fist before scowling at the ant before her,

“Hey! Don't you dare refer to me as mother ever again in your life!! I'm not a bedridden fool! You know where and who your mother is and I'm not her! Or do I look anything close to a sick, poor, and bedridden woman?!” 

Still glaring at him, she demanded in a loud voice,

Alphonse could only shake his head in response, 

“No you don't, I'm sorry Ma’am” he replied in a low voice,

Hissing, Margaret rolled her eyes at him before she responded,

“You had better be!”

Alphonse had his head bowed once more, the constant insults and abuse at his person was disheartening, but there was little or nothing he could do about it,

As though the universe was against him, and determined to ruin his day further, he heard the approaching footsteps of another person in the home who was hell-bent on making the home unbearable for him; in person of his sister-in-law, Sophia, alongside her brother, Tyler and her boyfriend of the month, for she couldn't keep a man further than one month.

With a sense of resignation, Alphonse closed his eyes tighter, bracing for the inevitable barrage of criticism, and insults

When he dared to look again, his gaze fell upon Tyler, who nonchalantly held a stub of tobacco between his fingers.

 Tyler, the family's notorious troublemaker, was constantly embroiled in scandal, yet somehow, it was Alphonse who bore the brunt of their accusations and insults,

 The family's tendency to pin Tyler's numerous failings on Alphonse was both absurd and unjust, leaving him silently outraged yet powerless to defend himself.

Sophia looked at Alphonse and sneered, her eyes gleaming with malevolence,

“You're such an incompetent fool, a useless leech that only sucks one dry!!! You can't be addressed as a man, if you're in any place and they ask that all men should come out, please do not come out, as you do not fall under the category of being called a man!! Even our dog is way better than you are! Take a look at my man, and be made aware of what a real man looks like!”

While she spoke, she softly caressed the arms of her smug-looking boyfriend, while the other duo jeered at him. 

Both men, as well as his mother-in-law, let out a loud laugh, enjoying the ridicule, to the expense of Alphonse’s dignity and pride; in reality, he really didn't have any pride anymore, as it had been trampled upon time and time again.

The clanking of heels against the tiled floor had Alphonse lifting his head, and he smiled; relieved to see his beautiful wife Vivian enter, with her entrance came a new wave of hope and he felt on top of the world, like he could take up all the villains that were thrown at him,

“What's going on here?”

She asked in her sweet voice that had his heart smiling, before he could respond his beloved mother-in-law had beat him to it, 

“Oh nothing Viv, we were just about to tell Alphonse the good news before you came in”

As she spoke, she smiled sweetly at her first child, and then turned to the other two,

“Isn't that right?”

Without hesitation, the duo nodded their heads, hiding their smug smile. Vivian nodded hers as well in return and turned to finally acknowledge her burden of a husband, a small smile on her lips as she inwardly sneered at him.

Despite how she felt within, Vivian placed a saccharine smile on her face, and addressed her husband,

“Alphie, you know you're part of the family, and as part of the family were expected to contribute one way or the other to the growth or help of the family…”

She smiled sweetly at him and attempted to bat her eyelids, she could feel the bile rise in her throat and she swallowed, trying to push it down, Alphonse on the other hand, had his full concentration on her with an arched eyebrow, he wondered what it was that Vivian had to say, he could tell that for one reason or the other, she was stalling.

Needing to understand what she was driving at, he perked up and leaned forward, dismissing the various glares from his other family members, his eyes solely on his beautiful bride, staring at him, he couldn't help the blush that crept up his cheeks,

Alphonse cleared his throat, and in a low voice, spoke up,

“Wha…”

The question he aimed to ask got stuck in his throat at the sudden appearance of his formidable father-in-law, in the person of Thomas Robison who stared at him with daggers in his eyes, Alphonse found himself shuddering and cowering, almost faltering backward.

Me Thomas sneered at him, eyeing him with disdain, and with curled lips, he commanded without mining words,

“We're throwing our anniversary party, and you're going to serve on that day!”