My Martyr Complex Met an Overpowered Daughter‑in‑Law

Calvin Hearth sat across from me in the cafe, looking troubled.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Sheraton. I booked this cafe last minute. I hope you don't mind that it's a little basic," he said.

I glanced around before replying, "At least you're aware that it's mediocre."

My previous blind date had immediately pulled a long face when he heard me say that. He'd even insisted on splitting the bill.

But to my surprise, Calvin's eyes lit up, as if he were happy. "I'll cut to the chase, Ms. Sheraton. I've heard about your situation from the matchmaker, and I think you fit exactly what I'm looking for. Would you be willing to come home with me for New Year's to meet my parents?"

I felt like things were progressing too quickly, so I turned him down without hesitation.

Calvin's expression faltered, then he gave a wry smile. "I'll be honest with you. Even though I run my own company and make millions a year, my mom is driving me up the wall. I really need someone like you to keep her in check."

He managed to pique my interest, and I listened to his explanation.

It turned out Calvin had lost his father when he was young.

He'd grown up in the village, and he and his widowed mother were constantly bullied. That experience made her extremely frugal, and she stretched every penny as far as it would go.

His mother's frugality made sense back when they were still poor.

Later, Calvin worked his way up into a multinational corporation, then started his own business. Now he was a CEO, yet she remained just as frugal.

She couldn't bring herself to spend money whenever he took her abroad. She even took over 20 buns from home, surviving on nothing but buns and hot water.

When Calvin bought her organic superfoods to improve her health, she couldn't bear eating them. She ended up letting them go bad, then tried to cook them for him.

As a result, he got gastroenteritis that landed him in the hospital for two weeks.

Frustrated and exhausted, Calvin asked his mother why she'd done that. She looked hurt when she said, "You guys should eat good things like that instead. An old woman like me doesn't deserve something like that."

No one would believe a CEO like him actually had a mother like that.

Whenever Calvin tried to correct her ridiculous habit, his family would scold him for being rude.

He said, "That's why I want you to come with me. You're the only one who can help me now. I really need this favor, Ms. Sheraton. If you can fix my mom's horrible habit, I'll give you a million—no, five million!"

I wasn't in it for the money. I genuinely wanted to help.

I said, "I can try. But if your mom gets a heart attack, it's not on me."

Calvin nodded. "A heart attack is better than her dying from food poisoning after eating rotten food."