C1 Soninlaw Eustace!

In the kitchen, Eustace was a whirlwind of activity, expertly washing, chopping, and stir-frying vegetables. His proficiency in the culinary arts was evident in every swift movement.

Laughter echoed from the living room intermittently, where Eustace's in-laws were enjoying a lively conversation with their prospective son-in-law.

Eustace, too, was a son-in-law of the Phelps family, having married in—a decision that placed him in a less favorable position. Without a job or notable family lineage, he found himself on the fringes of the Phelps family's esteem.

All household chores, from laundry to cooking and cleaning, fell squarely on his shoulders.

Despite his efforts, his in-laws remained unimpressed. Corbin, Eustace's father-in-law, beamed as he said to Arno, "Your engagement to Eztli is almost a done deal. We just need to meet with your parents to iron out the specifics."

Eztli, Eustace's sister-in-law, shared her name with the girl in question. Arno, her boyfriend, had been in the picture for less than three months, yet wedding bells were already ringing. His visit today was to formally meet the family.

"Sure thing, Uncle," Arno responded. "Whenever you and Auntie are available, my parents can make the time."

Just then, Eustace set the final dish—a succulent sweet and sour carp—on the dining table. "Dinner's ready," he announced to his in-laws. "Please, let's eat."

Arno, intrigued, asked, "Eztli, who is this gentleman?"

With a dismissive toss of her head, Eztli replied, "Him? That's Eustace, my sister's husband. He's jobless, living off my sister, a real leech in our household."

Eustace's frown deepened at her words. Despite the disrespect, he was still her brother-in-law. He had little influence in the Phelps home, where his in-laws doted on Eztli, leaving him to often hold his tongue.

Today, of all days, with Eztli's boyfriend visiting, Eustace chose not to stir the pot with retorts that could sour the mood—especially not wanting to cause discomfort for his wife, Dagny, upon her return home.

Eztli suddenly asked, "What time is it now? Why hasn't my sister come home yet? Mom, didn't you tell her that I was bringing my boyfriend over today?"

Just then, the door swung open, and Dagny, clad in sleek black professional attire, stepped in.

"Sorry for being late. I had to meet with a client unexpectedly after work."

Arno was visibly impressed as he complimented, "Eztli, is this your sister? You're quite beautiful yourself, but your sister is stunning as well."

"Nice to meet you, sister. I'm Arno, Eztli's boyfriend."

"Oh, hello. It's clear to see that Eztli's boyfriend is quite the catch."

At 26, Dagny was a vision of elegance with her tall, shapely figure and her long, slender legs that turned heads wherever she went.

Corbin chimed in, "Now that Dagny's here and dinner's ready, why don't we eat and talk? We're having simple home cooking. I hope you don't mind, Arno."

As everyone settled into their seats, Eustace and Dagny sat down together. He served her a piece of fish.

"Dagny, try the sweet and sour fish I made. Let me know what you think."

Eztli took a bite of her fish but immediately spat it out.

"Yuck, this is awful. Eustace, is this fish even fresh? It doesn't taste like it."

Dagny sampled the fish without detecting anything amiss.

"Eztli, what are you talking about? The fish is perfectly fresh."

Eztli tried a piece of celery next, only to spit it out as well.

"This celery is so tough, it's inedible."

With a smug look, Eztli boasted, "Dad, you've heard of Riverbend Retreat, right? That's Arno's family's place. They run a four-star hotel with a head chef who used to work at a Michelin-starred restaurant abroad. Their food is out of this world."

Arno offered with a smile, "Uncle, Auntie, how about we dine out? I can have the hotel's chef prepare some signature dishes for you to enjoy."

Eustace's face fell as he realized that Eztli was deliberately trying to embarrass him today.

Back in the day, Eztli used to praise Eustace's cooking, claiming it was even better than her mother-in-law's. But today, she was picking apart every dish, just to flaunt that her boyfriend's family owned a hotel.

Dagny chimed in quickly, "Eustace went to the trouble of preparing all this food; it would be a shame to let it go to waste. Let's plan to visit another day. For now, let's all just make do."

Kori, Eustace's mother-in-law, huffed, feeling embarrassed in front of Arno. She berated Eustace, "You're out of work, and you can't even cook properly. What good are you?"

Arno sampled a dish and, with a condescending air, commented, "This meal is somewhat lacking. Once we're family, Eustace, if you have an interest in cooking, I could set you up with an apprenticeship in the Riverbend Retreat's kitchen. You'd pick up a trade and earn a little something—maybe one or two thousand yuan a month to help with household expenses."

Kori fixed Eustace with a stern look. "Arno's offering you a favor. Aren't you going to thank him?"

Eustace's fists balled up with rage. Arno's offer wasn't kindness; it was an insult.

Eztli gently tapped Eustace's clenched hand under the table, signaling him to keep his cool. He slowly unclenched his fist.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not interested in becoming a chef."

Eztli, stoking the flames, said, "What's the matter? Too proud to be an apprentice? Just look at yourself, too poor to afford pride. When you and my sister go shopping, she's the one who foots the bill, right? Have you ever bought her a single piece of clothing or jewelry?"

She then flaunted a necklace, its gems glittering in the light.

"Take a good look. Arno bought this for me—38,800 yuan. You couldn't afford it in a lifetime! You didn't even buy a diamond ring when you married my sister, and now you're just mooching off her at home."

"Eztli, enough already!"

Dagny's anger had drained the color from her face. Regardless of how ineffective Eustace might be, he was still her husband.

Arno wasn't even married to Eztli yet. Officially, he was still an outsider.

Mocking Eustace in front of an outsider was not only humiliating for Eustace but also for Dagny.

"Your brother-in-law has always been good to you. What's gotten into you today, spouting all this nonsense? Have you forgotten who braved the rain to walk you home? Who carried you to the hospital in the dead of night when you were sick?"

Eztli responded dismissively, "Oh please, he only walked me home in the rain and carried me to the hospital because he's broke. If he could afford a car, would he have bothered?"

"From now on, whether it's raining or I'm sick, I won't need his help because Arno will be there to drive me, right, Arno?"

Arno grinned and replied, "Absolutely. Once we're married, I'll even get you your own car to drive."

"Thank you, sweetheart!"

Eztli planted a kiss on Arno, unabashed in front of everyone.

"This meal is awful. Let's not eat at home today. You've already met my parents, so why don't we go out instead?"

Eztli tugged Arno to his feet, and they both headed out the door.

"Mom, Dad, I might come back late tonight. Don't wait up for me, just get some rest early!"

Corbin let out a sigh and said, "Fine, let's just eat."

Kori slammed down her chopsticks and exclaimed, "I've lost my appetite with all this drama. Why bother eating?"

And so, the family feast concluded on a sour note.

Dagny tried to console Eustace, "Don't let it get to you. Eztli isn't a bad person. I don't know what got into her today, talking all that rubbish."

Eustace offered a wry smile, "It's okay. I won't hold it against her."

Dagny said, "I need to head back to the office. I've got a client meeting this afternoon. How about we catch a movie together tonight?"

"Sounds good!"

Eustace saw Dagny to the door, then turned to tackle the mess of dishes.

Just then, his phone buzzed with an incoming text message.

"Master Hugh, the three-year term has ended. The Phelps family's restrictions on you have been lifted."

"Effective immediately, your Swiss bank account has been unfrozen, and your Centurion Infinity Card is now active. Should you require any assistance, feel free to contact the family's internal hotline at your convenience."