Chapter 6: Shut Up

Just another day at the office, or so I thought. But today, Eddie had something else in mind. He took me to a meeting with some government representatives, and as soon as I saw their faces, I knew something was off.

I quickly searched the news on my phone, and my suspicions were confirmed. These two men were corrupt, and they had come for a piece of Eddie's company's thousand-acre land.

"Sorry, Eddie, but we can't approve your permit unless you pay us some money," one of the politicians said, a man from the Anti-Corruption party. "One million dollars per person should be enough."

I was shocked. I had never seen such blatant corruption before. But Eddie remained calm, insisting that his land was legal and all the permits were in order.

"Eddie, have you forgotten who we are?" the politician continued. "We can easily cancel your farm's license."

Eddie shook his head and pulled out a stack of papers. "I've read the laws, ministerial regulations, and presidential regulations, and there's nothing in there that says I have to pay you."

The two politicians laughed, but Eddie didn't back down. "We're in parliament, Eddie. We can make new laws," said the other politician, a man from the People's Voice of Justice Party.

Eddie seemed unfazed by their threats. He looked them straight in the eye and said, "Really?"

I could only gulp and wait to see what would happen next. This was definitely something I had never experienced before, how politicians worked and how they intimidated certain company owners.

The two politicians were getting frustrated. "Alright, then. We'll have to find another way to get what we want," the first politician said. "We have evidence that you have committed environmental violations. If you don't pay us, we'll cancel your license and arrest you."

Eddie raised his eyebrows. "I want to see this evidence," he said. "What exactly have I done?"

The two politicians looked at each other, unsure how to answer. "Well, uh, we can't reveal that information right now," the second politician said.

I could see that they were bluffing, but it was still chilling to think about. Are all business owners under the same pressure as this too?

Eddie shook his head. "I won't pay you a dime until I see proof of the alleged offense," he said. "And if you try to cancel my license, I will take you to court."

Both politicians were furious. They whispered to each other for a moment, then the first politician stood up. "All right. We'll have to settle this matter on our own terms," he said. He nodded towards the door, and a heavyset policeman entered.

It was as if they had been waiting in the shadows all along, adding to the intimidation factor. But Eddie remained unfazed, as if the appearance of a police officer was just another day at the office.

The policeman looked at me and grinned, licking his lips. "Alright, alright, alright. What do we have here?" he said.

I felt a chill run down my spine. I knew what was going to happen next. The cop was going to try to take advantage of me.

But Eddie was faster. Before the policeman could even touch me, Eddie's hand caught his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

I was amazed at how quickly Eddie had reacted. It was as if he had already anticipated the policeman's move.

The policeman tried to struggle, but Eddie was too strong. He slammed the policeman into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

I was shocked and amazed for the umpteenth time. But not the politicians who had tried to scare and intimidate us earlier.

Both politicians were furious. "You'll be sorry, Eddie," said the first. "We will destroy your company."

It was a serious threat, especially coming from two politicians who were in charge of the parliament. They had the power to make good on their promise.

"Hey asshole..." Eddie said, his voice dripping with anger. "You may intimidate my company, but your actions are trying to harass my employees. That's not acceptable to me."

I saw Eddie's face contort in anger, unlike the calm Eddie earlier. It was as if Eddie was really angry about the police trying to grope my breasts earlier.

The two politicians didn't speak again, just spat on the floor and left the room.

Eddie and I did the same.

As we left the room, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. I knew that the two politicians wouldn't give up easily, and I was worried about what they would do next.

We walked out of the room and into the bright sunlight. I took a deep breath and looked at Eddie. "What's our next move?" I asked.

Eddie smiled. "We're going to take them to court," he said. "And we'll win."

I nodded, which made sense and was normal. But what shocked me was Eddie's next statement.

Eddie took me back to the office and into his office. Eddie sat in the cushioned chair and I sat in front of him.

Then after that Eddie spoke again.

"You know, Luna, our political system is broken," he said, leaning back in his chair. "It's full of corrupt politicians who only care about lining their own pockets."

I nodded, not knowing what to say. I had heard this before, but I had never really thought about it. Except that I had just seen with my own eyes how corrupt politicians were.

"But there is a way to fix it," Eddie continued. "We just need to get rid of the corrupt politicians."

That seemed like a radical plan. It's like wiping out criminal cases by killing all the candidates suspected by the state. It's a cruel act, I guess.

"Eliminate them? How?"

Eddie smiled. It was as if there was a big secret in this man's thinking.

"The quickest way is to destroy the reputation of those politicians," he said. "Once their reputations are destroyed, they won't be able to get re-elected, and they'll be forced to step down."

I was skeptical. "But how do you destroy someone's reputation?" I asked.

Eddie leaned forward. "I have friends in the media," he said. "They can make or break a politician's career. All it takes is one viral story, and their reputation is ruined."

I began to understand where Eddie was going with this. "But isn't that unethical?" I asked.

Eddie shook his head. "No, it's not unethical. It's just politics. And sometimes, you have to play dirty to win."

I was torn about this whole situation. On the one hand, I didn't like the idea of ruining someone's reputation. But on the other hand, I knew that there were plenty of corrupt politicians out there who needed to be exposed.

But I figured I didn't need to worry about it too much, since I was pretty sure Eddie was just joking around.

Boy, was I wrong.

The next day, I had the day off and was lounging in bed, scrolling through my phone, when I saw a breaking news story that had gone viral. Two politicians had been caught having an orgy with twenty women, and it was alleged that they had used state funds to pay for the party.

"One hundred XXL condoms were found at the scene, but the politicians' penises were only super small," I read from one of the more unique headlines.

"Two politicians with micro penises the size of a baby monkey's pinky arrested for sex party," read another headline.

"The orgy only lasted ten seconds because the politicians' small penises couldn't stand up any longer," I read from yet another headline. All of the news stories were relentless in their mockery of the two corrupt politicians.

I couldn't believe what I was reading. Eddie had actually gone through with his plan, and now these two politicians were facing the consequences of their actions. I felt a mix of emotions - shock, disgust, and a strange sense of satisfaction that justice was being served. But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about the whole situation. Was this really the right way to go about things? I wasn't sure. But one thing was clear - Eddie was not someone to be messed with.

**

As a temporary wife, I found myself doing household chores on top of my marital duties. I was in the middle of folding Ethan's clothes when I heard loud banging on the bedroom door. Startled, I dropped the shirt I was holding, and before I could react, the door swung open, revealing Ethan's parents with angry expressions on their faces.

"What's going on here, Luna?" Ethan's mom demanded, scanning the room with disgust. "This place is a mess! You're supposed to be taking care of my son, not lounging around all day!"

I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment and anger. I had been up since dawn, cleaning the house and doing the laundry. I had even made breakfast and lunch for Ethan, but it seemed that wasn't enough for his parents.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Duncan," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'll get right on it."

But before I could move, Ethan's mother grabbed a pile of old clothes from the basket and threw them at me. I stumbled backward, trying to shield myself from the onslaught of fabric. And then, to my horror, I saw Ethan's mom take out Ethan's used underwear and smear it on my face.

I gasped, feeling humiliated and disgusted. I tried to fight back, pushing them away.

"Mrs. Duncan, what are you doing?" I screeched in disgust at the abuse.

"Luna, you're my daughter-in-law, watch your tone!"

"But why are you abusing me?"

"I didn't do anything wrong!" I continued against Ethan's mother.

But it seemed that my shouting had just added more trouble to my life. Ethan's mother suddenly clutched her chest and let out a dramatic cry.

"My heart! My heart!" she wailed, then collapsed to the floor.

Ethan's father rushed to her side, while I stood there, frozen in shock. I couldn't believe what was happening. I had only been married to Ethan for a week, and his parents were already treating me like this.

And as if that wasn't enough, there was more to make it even worse. Suddenly, I heard Ethan's voice from the hallway. "What's going on here?" he asked as he rushed into the room.

His mother looked at him, her eyes glazed over. "Your wife, she's so lazy and disrespectful. She won't do anything I ask."

"Your wife Ethan, your wife scolds me," she added in a dramatic tone.

Ethan's gaze shifted to me, and I saw a flash of anger in his eyes. He walked over to me and scolded, "Luna, how could you do this to my mom? She is the most important person in my life. You're just my wife, you're second."

I felt like I was punched in the stomach. I couldn't believe Ethan was siding with his parents, after everything they had just done to me.

"But Ethan," I protested, "I've worked hard all day. I've done everything they've asked."

Ethan's mother let out a dramatic sob, and Ethan's father glared at me. "A woman's job is to bear children, eat, and have sex with her husband. That's all you're good at, Luna. You should be grateful that we let you stay in our home."

I felt my anger boil. How dare they speak to me like that? I was a human being, not a slave. Wasn't it yesterday that they were begging me to accept the request for a contract marriage with Ethan?

"I am not your slave," I said, my voice trembling with emotion. "I am your daughter-in-law, and I deserve to be treated with respect."

Ethan's parents looked at me like I was crazy. "Respected?" Ethan's mother sneered. "You don't deserve respect. You're just a gold digger, trying to take advantage of our son."

I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

"I'm not a gold digger," I said, my voice steady. "I married Ethan because you guys asked for it too!"

"Ethan, aghh... Ethan, your wife is evil," Ethan's mom said with tears in her eyes.

Ethan came near me, slapped me hard and made my lips bleed.

"Luna, we're only married for three months! Shut up like a rock and don't you make my mom sad," said Ethan, who turned away after hitting me.