Spoiled? Try Me

The Gray family was one of the most affluent families in Imperia's elite circles. They were also the sort of family that placed great importance on family hierarchy regardless of age. Perhaps I was being biased because my father somehow had me at the ripe old age of 80. As a result, I became one of the highest-ranking members in the Gray family ever since I was born, despite my very young age. During my full-month celebration, a 60-year-old real estate tycoon cooed at me, waving a deed, "Aw, little great-aunt. Don't cry, and I'll give you three estates." A 50-year-old medical expert quickly slid on surgical gloves. "Stay away from our great-aunt! Don't suffocate the baby!" My entire family spoiled me rotten. And so, I still acted like a spoiled princess even though I was already 20 years old. One day, I was hit with a sudden whimsy of following the trend by going on blind dates… only to run into a massive mama's boy. I looked at the crabs and quietly asked, "Can you crack them for me?" He slammed the plate and barked, "You don't get to act spoiled here! My mother told me I should find a wife who can work! If you can't even crack crabs, then you can't possibly cook or clean for us!" The guy had speakerphone on, allowing his mother to chime in, "If she wants to latch on to our family, she needs to learn how to serve us!" My eyes turned teary as I opened up my family's group chat and sent a voice message, my voice sobbing. The entire Gray family heard me cry. "Some uggo wants me to marry him just to serve his family!" Chapter 1 Rude Man Right after I sent that voice message, Zach rapped the table impatiently. He tugged on his expensive tie and spoke to me like I was beneath him. "Snitching to your useless friends already? Don't push your luck, Jessica. You should feel honored that you got me as your blind date." His phone's screen was still lit up. Sure enough, his mother, Lina Hausen, added shrilly, "Bring her right home, son. I've never seen anyone who can't even crack a crab. Who does she think she is? A princess? I will not bless this marriage until she does all the dishes!" I sniffled, tears swirling in my eyes. I had never once had to do such menial tasks, even when I was a kid. So, doing the dishes wasn't exactly my forte. Besides, my house was filled with antiques, and my nephew always looked like he'd kill himself if I broke a single one by accident. I had it on good authority that he'd rather strangle himself with his hair than ask me to wash them. "I'm not going." I put my hands under the table. My voice was soft and nasally. "I'm going home." The chairs here were hard enough to make my back sore, and the AC's wind was blowing in the wrong direction. My head was spinning due to the restaurant's terrible environment. Staying here for even a second longer was definitely not on my agenda. I was going to leave, but Zach's face fell. He shot up from his seat, his chair scraping against the marble ground so harshly that the screeches seemed to tear through the air. He grabbed the Birkin bag I placed on the table and tossed it to a waiter. "Don't play hard to get. I bet this bag's a fake, too. Did you rent it? Or borrowed from a friend just to see me?" He went around the table and tried to grab my wrist. I was caught off guard by his impropriety as I dodged away. Alas, my back hit the chair, causing me to gasp in pain. "Don't touch me!" My skin was delicate, and his rough fingers just scratched the back of my hand. Just as I expected, red welts appeared right then and there. Fiery pain burned through my flesh, and my tears rolled down my cheeks. Sadly, my obvious distaste for him only fueled his anger, and his chest heaved. "How dare you! You should feel honored that my mother is asking you to do the dishes! She's teaching you the rules of our household! "You think looks can coast you through life? Once we're married, you will serve my parents. You will wake up at 6 a.m. to cook for us, and you will give all the money you make to my mother for safekeeping!" Zach turned to the manager and snapped his fingers. "Get the bill, Clark, and it's on Ms. Gray." The manager came over obsequiously, holding a POS machine in his hand. Chapter 2 Harsh Mother "Of course, Mr. Shaw. I know." The manager turned to me, his smile was now gone and replaced by a cold expression. A flash of disdain flickered in his eyes. "Your total comes up to 186 thousand. Cash or credit?" I froze, my cries stopping. Zach was the one who wanted to meet here, and he was the one who ordered that 180-thousand-dollar wine, but now he wanted me to pay for it? What the hell? I answered honestly, "I don't have any money on me." My nephew had my card, and I never had to pay for anything myself as I always had a group of bodyguards ready to do all the menial tasks for me. My father had told them not to dog my steps today because he didn't want to scare my date, and also because he didn't want my date to find out who I was, worried that this unknown man would try to charm my money out of my purse. Frankly, none of us expected a guy as unbelievable as Zach to become my date. Zach sneered. He looked at me as if I were a clown. "If you have no money, you shouldn't be acting like a princess. You have two options. Come home and apologize to my mother, and I'll pay for this meal. Or two, you stay back and do the dishes until you clear your debt!" Lina's laughter rang through the phone. I could smell the stench of harshness even though she wasn't here. "That's my boy! You should never show these gold diggers any mercy! And take her phone just in case she calls the cops on us!" Zach's arm immediately lashed toward me like a snake. I clenched my phone tight enough for my knuckles to turn white. The chat group was already filled with furious messages, but I didn't have the luxury to check what was being written. "Let go!" Zach growled, his face twisted with something fierce. He was too strong, and I was just a girl who couldn't even open a water bottle. So, it was no surprise that Zach managed to snatch my phone away, locking the screen. Then, he straightened his expensive suit and said matter-of-factly, "Keep an eye on her, Mr. Folx. I'll get my car. She's coming to my house even if she has to crawl on all fours." The manager led a group of burly guards and blocked the room's exit. I sat back down, my hand still screaming in pain. My tears wouldn't stop coming. No one had ever raised their voice at me my whole life, but now someone had just snatched my purse, my phone, and wanted me to do the dishes just to clear some debt that I didn't even accrue in the first place. All in all, I felt like crap. My heart wouldn't stop thundering, and my childhood disease flared up. I started hiccuping uncontrollably. The manager pinched his nose in disgust and stepped back, looking at me like I was trash. "Drop the act. You should feel grateful Mr. Shaw took a liking to you. Wipe your tears and get ready to live with the Shaws." I hiccuped, my tears still flowing down my cheeks like a broken faucet. I thought in bemusement, 'Given how explosive my nephews can be, they're going to rip this manager and that uggo a new one.' The door was ajar. … Right after Zach was gone, hurried clops that could only belong to heels rang in the air. Then, the door was flung open like a rag doll. A middle-aged woman in an obnoxious ferret fur coat and a necklace filled with comically large pearls came barging in. I knew who that was the second I saw her. She had to be Zach's mother. Apparently, she had been in a salon in the mall next door. When her son called her, she came right away just to drill her so-called family rules into me. She had come in such a rush that her face mask was still on. "So, this is the princess who can't even crack a crab?" Lina sized me up in derision. I could feel the venom in her gaze and the harsh critique that was at the tip of her tongue. The manager quickly simpered. "Mrs. Shaw. She's still being stubborn even though she can't pay for the meal." Chapter 3 Robbery Lina scoffed, stalked toward me, and jabbed a finger at me. "You've got no money, and you came on a blind date here? Do you really think just anyone can marry into my family? You'll have to pay up if you want to marry my son!" I covered my mouth and tried my best to swallow my hiccups. "I'm not marrying him," I argued, but my voice came out as soft as a whimper. Even worse, my retort earned Lina's ire. Her eyes went wide with rage, and she reached out to twist my ear. "How dare you talk back to me! Clearly, your family has failed to teach you any manners!" I jerked my head away, but her long nails scratched up my cheek, leaving a red trail behind. It burned. "Don't touch me!" I panicked and tried to run, but the burly guards stood in my way like human walls. Lina hated the fact that I dared to turn my back on her and flee, so she cursed, "How dare you run, you bitch! I'll make you submit, or my name isn't Lina!" She yanked my wrist, and her eyes were immediately glued to my left hand as an exquisite emerald bracelet sat there. It was a beautiful piece. My father got the gemstone during a bid and had a top artisan make it into an heirloom for my full-month celebration. Lina's eyes shone with greed as she salivated over the bracelet. "You don't have money to pay for your meal, but you have enough for a fake luxury item?" She swallowed, her eyes never leaving my bracelet. "This thing hurts you if you wear it for too long. It's filled with radiation. I'll take it off your hands." She gripped my wrist as if she wanted to yank it off. Then again, she probably did since everyone with eyes could tell that she had her eyes on my bracelet. "Ow, let go!" I screamed in pain. The bracelet was small. My nephew had lathered three layers of lube on me and still barely managed to slide it on my wrist. And that happened back when I was still a child. So, it was impossible to take it off without a pair of pliers. Lina couldn't care less for my discomfort as she pulled with all her might. She yanked at it so hard that my wrist started to turn purple. Soon, I could feel my arm turning cold and numb. "You're a stubborn mule, aren't you, you brat?" Lina was breathing heavily after all the exertion. Unfortunately for her, the bracelet was stuck on the back of my hand, refusing to come apart under her violent ministration. Lina lost it as she roared at the manager, "Get me some dish soap, Clark! I will take this fake off her hand even if it kills me!" The manager nodded and left for the dish soap. I stared at my swollen wrist with wide eyes as my tears splattered against the rug. "My father gave this to me. You can't take it away…" "Your father did?" Lina chuckled in disdain. "You can't even afford a meal here. So, there's no way your father could've bought this. I bet you stole it, you thief!" She yanked at it again, and this time… something cracked. However, it wasn't the bracelet. Instead, she'd dislocated my wrist, causing a wave of pain to shoot up my body. I nearly blacked out right then and there. My legs buckled, and I crumpled to the ground. "Ow…" I clutched my limp left hand. Now, I didn't even have the strength to cry. That didn't stop Lina at all. If anything, she thought I was being dramatic and faking it. "Don't even try that with me! I know what a scam looks like! Listen here! I couldn't care less if you drop dead right now! That bracelet will be ours!" She raised her leg, and the back of her heel came straight at my calf. I closed my eyes in resignation, wondering if I would actually lose my life under this raving lunatic's hands. Just then, the private room's door swung open, and in came Zach with his jingling car keys. Chapter 4 Under Duress Zach saw my prone form on the ground, but he didn't stop his mother. Instead, he frowned in distaste and said, "Don't waste your time talking to her. Just make her sign this contract." Sign what? I pushed through the pain and opened my eyes only to see Lina taking out a document from her bag. It read, 'Prenuptial Agreement.' Lina hurled the papers into my face. The sharp edges cut my forehead and left a red line across it. Lina put her hands on her hips and acted like she had all the power over my fate. "If my son weren't so eager to marry you for your face, women like you would never be fit to join my family! You'll sign this agreement whether you like it or not!" My right hand was still working. So, I picked up the agreement with that lone shaky hand. The first clause stated that I would give Lina all my premarital possessions for safekeeping. The second said in black and white that I must do all chores. I was not to hire a housekeeper or even complain about the workload. The third said that I must bear a child for them within a year. If I were to give no children at all, Zach had the right to get a divorce without paying me a dime, while I'd have to pay them 5 million for wasting their time. The fourth explicitly wrote that my parents were not allowed in their house, in case their stench of poverty lingered. Zach came over and looked down at me imperiously. "This is for our own good, Jessica. Women are gold diggers. I can't be sure you actually love me and not my money unless you sign this." He spoke as if he were doing me a great favor. Everything was happening so fast that I could only gape at his audacity. "Sign this, and I'll pay for the meal. Also, I'll give you 2,000 every month. No one in Imperia's elite circle is as generous as I am. You should be honored!" I stared at the smug Zach, who thought the world revolved around him, and felt disgusted. I tore the papers up and hurled the pieces back in his face. "Screw you! I'm not marrying you even if that's the last thing I do!" Zach's face fell immediately. He raised his hand but eventually held back the urge to hit me. "So, you want to do this the hard way, huh?" He clenched his teeth and stepped back. "You can handle this, Mom." Lina sneered and took out a small box of red ink pad. "Have the guards pin her down, Clark. No one's leaving until the papers are stamped!" The manager shot his guards a look. Two burly men stepped forth and pushed my shoulders down. I struggled and thrashed against their brutish grip, but my dislocated hand was useless. It definitely didn't help that the bodyguard had already pinned my one good hand to my back. "Let go! This is against the law!" I shrieked until my throat was almost raw. Lina held the ink and a backup agreement. She approached me and gripped my thumb, forcing me to stamp the ink. "My family's words are law in this circle! My husband just signed a billion-dollar deal! Even the police chief has to bow to his power! You're just a nobody. Who do you think you are to go against my wishes?" Her crimson, venomous nails wrapped themselves around me like bloodthirsty little snakes. I fought against her punishing hold as hard as I could, but she ripped my nails out instead. The pain I was feeling from my dislocated wrist and the air brushing against my raw nailbeds made me shiver. "My father will destroy you. My family will…" My vision was blurry as I gasped through my angry, pained tears. Zach was holding up his phone, recording a video of my terrible state. "Look at the camera and smile, Jessica. This will prove that you signed this willingly. You won't be able to do anything to us even if you take this to court." Chapter 5 The Helpers Come I could see Zach's face peeking out from behind his phone, and he was shamelessly grinning at me. "Your father?" Lina cackled with even more gusto. "Your father is nothing to us! I'm still going to make you do the dishes even if he goes down on his knees and begs me not to!" Lina's strength was more terrifying than I thought. My thumb was already bright red with ink, and it was less than an inch away from that humiliating agreement. Hopelessness drowned me along with my tears. I closed my eyes and bit my lip until the skin broke and I tasted metal in my mouth. Right before my thumb would touch the surface of that paper, a loud, thunderous explosion tore through the room. The thick, bulletproof door was smashed to pieces from a single kick, and the wooden shards blasted through the room like bullets. Before the guards who were pinning me down knew what was going on, the wooden shards had already hit them, causing them to barrel across the air, screaming. Lina's hand froze in her shock, and the ink pad fell against the ground with a clatter. Zach's phone plopped onto the carpet, its screen turning dim. Dead silence descended upon the room. Everyone was staring at the entrance in shock. When the cloud of dust eventually settled, the sight that met us made Zach and his mother gasp. That was because they were greeted with the sight of hundreds of top-tier bodyguards, clad in black suits and white gloves, standing outside. The bodyguards were marching around securing a tight perimeter around the restaurant, so much so that not even a fly could leave the establishment without getting a swat to the head. This was a lot more terrifying than any turf war shown in movies. After a while, the men parted like the Red Sea, leaving a wide path for someone to saunter through. The first one who came storming down the path was a real estate tycoon in his 60s. He was my nephew, Jason Gray. His walking stick, made out of pure gold, thudded loudly against the ground, and the dragon's head adorning it glinted under the lights. He radiated the undeniable air of an experienced leader. Following him was a well-respected man in the medical field, Jonathan Gray. He was in his 50s, and he, too, was my nephew. He had a silver first-aid kit in his hands. Still, his usually firm and steady, were now shaking with rage, and his eyes radiated murder. The final man to show up was my father, Gregory Gray. He was in a custom-made wheelchair and was being slowly pushed into the room by a couple of his closest bodyguards. He was playing with two priceless trinkets, making them clang crisply. His hair was as white as snow, and his wrinkles definitely betrayed his age. Nevertheless, his eyes were still bright and piercing. There wasn't a trace of senility in them. These men commanded the respect of Imperia's elite circle, and they had all come here for my sake. Now that they were finally here, I felt as though a dam had been broken. All the injustice I'd been feeling broke through as I sobbed, "Dad, Jason, Jonathan…" I cried as though I were an abandoned kitten as my dislocated left arm hung limply by my side. The edges of Jason's eyes went red as he slammed his stick against the ground. "It's alright, great-aunt! I'm here!" Jonathan tossed his first-aid kit away and skidded over to me on his knees. He was crying from heartbreak. "What happened to your arm? Who did this to you?" My father didn't leave his wheelchair, but his eyes had found the agreement on the ground. His gaze flitted over the words, the broken ink pad, and finally, the pale Zach and Lina. He stopped playing with his trinkets, and the air around us seemed to get colder. My father didn't yell when he finally spoke. Nonetheless, it was filled with undeniable pressure as he demanded, "Who dares make my daughter do the dishes?"