Knowing that their younger daughter was bringing home a rich boyfriend, Mike and Claire Ford both came down to wait. From a distance, they saw Madison sitting in the passenger seat of a Maserati heading towards them. Claire became excited.
"Mike, it's really true. Maddie is coming here in a luxury car." Mike couldn't deny he was also getting more excited. He straightened his collar and said, "Calm down! Look at the state of yourself."
Finally, the car stopped in front of the couple. The couple welcomed them enthusiastically.
"D*mn, Son. So, you're Madison's boyfriend? The traffic must have been terrible. Quickly, park the car. Then, we'll go upstairs, sit, and have a glass of water." The couple focused on Charlie. They behaved as if their daughter, Madison, didn't exist at all.
"Dad, Mom; you don't need to be too polite," said Charlie. This address quickly surprised Mike and Claire, but also pleased them. They were called mom and dad. It seemed he and their daughter got along well. He was able to buy a luxury car worth over ten million. He could spend another million to buy a luxury toy, just to please their daughter. That meant his family must be somewhat unusual. But they were probably a wealthy family. Once their daughter married him, their own family would benefit. They would soar; ready to spend the rest of their days sniffing incense and drinking hot chocolate.
"This isn't too polite. He came to visit his future family. How could we dare think of neglecting him? By the way, young man, what's your name?" "You can just call me Charles Pace."
Mike and his wife were struck by a bit of confusion. Charles Pace? They thought their eldest daughter married someone named Charlie Pace. What a coincidence. But the two had no relation. After all, there were many people with the last name Pace. It's not surprising they might meet another one.
"Good, good, Charles. Please, come inside. We should talk upstairs." Charlie went upstairs with Mike and his wife.
In the elevator, they passed several quite numerous neighbors. Every time they met someone, Claire made sure to introduce Charlie. She kept saying he was the boyfriend of their younger daughter. When the neighbors heard this, they looked at Charlie with astonishment in their eyes. That was because, in the community group chat, a photo of Madison getting out of the luxury car had spread like wildfire. Everyone thought she had a rich boyfriend.
Before the neighbors got off the elevator, they made sure to praise Mike and his wife. "Oh, Mr. Ford, it seems your Madison has hit the jackpot with this boyfriend. You will surely be blessed in the future." "Madison is different from her sister, that's for sure. She has found a good boyfriend!" "This young man, at first glance, gives me the feeling that he has good talent. He will most likely become a pillar of the entire country soon." "Mikey boy, when Madison gets married, make sure to let us know, eh?"
Madison couldn't take hearing things like that anymore. She stared at Charlie. Her heart was filled with doubt. What was her brother-in-law doing...? All she wanted him to do was clarify something. She didn't want him to act like he was actually her boyfriend.
What Madison didn't know was that Charlie knew he wasn't being acknowledged. That's why he deliberately didn't clarify many things. This way, he was bound to find out more about his in-laws' feelings about the situation. He wanted to hear more about what his in-laws might say about him and Kate.
The elevator stopped. Several people entered the next door once again. Claire scrambled to bring tea and water for Charlie. While Mike brought him fruit. Then, he said with a smile, "Mr. Pace, you are young, but you are doing far better than my son-in-law."
"Oh? And what's wrong with him?" Charlie asked.
Mike sighed and said, "I get angry just mentioning him and my eldest daughter. I don't know what's wrong inside her head, but she went and found the most random man and married him. That man isn't like you. He has the same last name of Pace, but that's where the similarity ends. You are miles away from him, in every other way," Mike continued.
Claire placed the water in front of Charlie and said, "Yes, I heard that he doesn't work or earn money. All he does is play games all day. But his wife still supports him. Charles Pace, you can't be compared to him at all."
Upon hearing this, fire flared up inside Mike. "I'm waiting for the day that son of a b*tch comes. I'll mop the floor with him!"
Charlie rubbed his nose. Seeing this behavior, Charlie had a clear feeling of what kind of man he actually was. His father-in-law claimed to want to deliver a hard blow.
Madison watched her father say bad things about Charlie to his face. She said, with dissatisfaction, "Dad, my brother-in-law isn't as bad as you think."
Mike scolded her, "Don't feed me your bllsht. If Charlie was a capable man, why is it always reported that your sister is taking care of him?" Claire joined the conversation again, adding, "That's right, Maddie. Why are you speaking up for him?"
Madison was the one who dropped the curtain. "It's because the person in front of you now is actually my brother-in-law."
Mike and his wife froze stiffly, but then they became increasingly angry. "You brat! You deserve a beating. How could you call your boyfriend your brother-in-law?" "That's right. How could you speak such vulgar nonsense? Charles Pace is your boyfriend. Your sister is with a man named Charlie Pace."
Madison wanted to say something more. But her father immediately shouted, "You shut your mouth!" Then, he smiled and praised Charlie. "Charles Pace, I've seen the news. You spent a million on a luxury item for Maddie. You also spent five million on dinner for people. You are truly something special."
"Yes, Charles. How much money do you make in a year?" Claire asked.
Charlie looked at them and answered, "I'm not too sure, maybe... tens or hundreds of billions?"
Charlie now had a system. In just a few days, he had already gotten over a billion. Looking a year ahead, he truly couldn't predict how much money he might have. But when that amount of money sounded from Charlie's mouth, Mike and Claire looked terrified.
"Good gracious! Tens of billions of dollars?" "Then, isn't your family a super big family?"
"Fortunately, no. It's just an ordinary family similar to yours," said Charlie.
"You're still young. I can't comprehend how you are so capable. Yet, you still speak so modestly, unlike our son-in-law Charlie Pace. He truly makes me angry!" Claire lamented.
Mike said, "Why are you mentioning that no-good person again? I get angry with every mention of him." Mike and his wife argued again.
But finally, it was time for dinner. Claire said she would make Charlie a delicious meal. But because there was no food in the house at the moment, they had to make a trip to the market. When Charlie heard this, he stopped Claire with his gaze and suggested they all go out to eat instead. For their first meeting together, it wasn't proper for his mother-in-law to exert herself cooking.
So, the four of them jumped into the Maserati and went to the city. Mike and Claire felt as if they were strangers in a foreign land. They both sat in the back of the Maserati. Their mouths puckered in an expression of several emotions.
"He is a very great man. No wonder this luxury car is worth at least ten million. These seats are far more comfortable than massage chairs."
"Mike, I never imagined that one day, we could ride in a car as luxurious as this. Our Madison has truly been blessed."
Mike corrected her. "What do you mean Madison has been blessed? This all depends on Charles Pace's excellence."