Chapter 9

Gloria stumbled back, her mother-in-law's words hit her like a storm.

"Why are you acting shocked?" Her mother-in-law asked, sipping her champagne nonchalantly. "If you want to continue living the soft life, then you have to stick with my son. Go on your knees and apologize for your mistakes, kiss his feet if needed, or else once—"

"Even if he is cheating on me with different women and rarely comes home to his family?" Gloria asked. Cutting her mother-in-law off.

Perhaps her mother-in-law was saying such words because she didn't know that her son has been torturing Gloria emotionally for the past eight years, Gloria thought.

Gloria wanted to say another word, but someone knocked on the door. A young shirtless man in his late twenties entered the room. He flashed a flirty smile at her mother-in-law.

"Here you are, baby. I have been looking for you everywhere." The young man said as he walked straight to her mother-in-law and kissed her.

Gloria couldn't believe her eyes at what she was seeing. The young man raised her mother-in-law's leg and started massaging it. For a while, they both ignored her as Gloria sat there awkwardly looking at the scene before her.

"So where were we?" Her mother-in-law asked Gloria, as she finally remembered that she was still there.

"Ah, yes, I remember. You see, powerful men like Victor need to relax after a hard day at work, even from his responsibilities as a husband. And I know my son very well, he's just like his father. One woman, especially a plain and uninteresting woman like you, won't be enough for him to satisfy his sexual needs."

Gloria was shocked. She knew her mother-in-law never liked her, but saying this to her was too extreme.

"Mother, are you saying that you don't see anything wrong if Victor is continuously cheating on me with different women?" Gloria asked, her voice cracking.

"There's nothing wrong about that. It's regular behavior for men, especially a successful one like him. Your husband is a millionaire and he's very handsome too. Do you know how many ladies throw themselves at him daily? You don't expect him to be fucking only you for the rest of his life. If you feel that it's going out of control, just ignore it and live your life as usual. You can also get yourself a boy toy like my baby right here." Her mother-in-law said, pinching the nipples of the young man who was still massaging her legs.

"Mother! Are you advising me to cheat on your son?"

Her mother-in-law nodded. "Just find someone to help you satisfy your sexual needs. That's what we elite women do. You know, even my late husband often cheated on me so many times in his life, maybe more than Victor. And he even brought a bastard home for me to take care of. But I didn't care. I did not divorce him because of that. Loyalty didn't matter as long as he gave me the money and luxury I needed and wanted. Isn't that the most important thing for us women? We need money to get through life. Victor has the money, you just need to be obedient to him and stop complaining about him cheating."

"Mother... I'm not like you or those other ladies," Gloria said. She clenched her fist, furious at her mother-in-law's words. "I don't want to live my whole life trapped in a loveless marriage. Victor doesn't love or respect me; he's torturing Annabel and me emotionally every day. I don't want to live like this anymore."

"Whatever, Gloria. You are so immature and ungrateful," her mother-in-law shrugged. "My son has given you money and a luxurious life, and you're still whining and complaining. I don't want to listen to you any longer. My baby wants to help me relax, so leave now, and do whatever you want."

"Fine, you don't need to say it twice. I already wanted to leave this God-forsaken place in the first place," Gloria said as she stood up to leave. When she reached the door, she turned to look at her mother-in-law one last time, but the older woman was already lying down in bed and her toy boy's head was buried in between her legs.

Gloria wanted to throw up as she ran out the door. "I won't stay in this family a minute longer. I need to get my daughter and leave this place for good," she muttered to herself as she was running.

She felt so powerless as she realized that she had no support in the Anderson family. Even her mother-in-law was no different than her son.

"This will be the last time I will entangle with this crazy family!" Gloria said, running down the hallway, until she hit something.

"What the fuck!" Gloria fell to the ground after hitting something tough in front of her. She thought she had stumbled into a wall, but when she saw expensive shoes and slim-fit black trousers right in front of her, she looked up instantly. She saw Lukas, her brother-in-law, again.

He stared down at Gloria with such a deep gaze that would drown anyone in an abyss of fantasy. "Why is he everywhere?" she muttered to herself. This is the second time he had caught her in his arms today.

"Sister-in-law! Are you alright?" he asked in his deep and somewhat husky voice. He didn't even bother releasing his grip on her waist.

Gloria could feel his hot palm radiating warmth on her skin because her dress exposed her back. What's more, Lukas even slid his finger between the strings that tied the dress from behind! His hand was gently moving to her ass.

"I-I'm fine," Gloria muttered. "Can you let me go now?"

Lukas smiled and put his hand away after her words. "Yes, sister-in-law, I just wanted to make sure you are okay." He said, flashing Gloria a smile. "And be careful while running; you are wearing high heels."

"Thanks for standing up for me earlier and for catching me now," Gloria said.

"Oh, it's nothing, sister-in-law. That's what a gentleman is supposed to do." He said.

His eyes were still fixed on Gloria, and that made her uncomfortable.

"So tell me something. I saw you crying after leaving my stepmother's room. Did something happen? You know she's like the wicked stepmother in Cinderella's story," Lukas said.

Gloria didn't know when she started laughing.

"That's more like it. I have succeeded in making you laugh, so tell me what's wrong."

"Ah, it's... it's nothing, just a little argument there," Gloria replied as she quickly said, "I will just go now. I have something I need to do urgently."

Gloria turned to leave. She just wanted to run away from the Andersons as soon as possible, but Lukas suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Sister-in-law, wait!"

Gloria turned around to face him. "Please stop calling me sister-in-law. You can call me Gloria."

Lukas smiled. "Too late for that. I love calling you sister-in-law."

Lukas fished his business card out of his pocket and put it on Gloria's palm. "We've never talked even after my return to the state. I want to catch up with you. Maybe you can call me later? I can always help you if you need anything, and I mean anything at all."

Gloria frowned. "Why would he want to help me? Did he know about what's happening between me and Victor?" She shook her head. As far as she knows, Lukas and Victor don't get along, especially after what happened with the Will. He must have sensed it with the way Victor and his secretary behaved toward her earlier.

"Well, sister-in-law, if you need anything, call my office. I'll be off to see my stepmom now. Take care, sister-in-law."

"I-I think you should wait a bit before going to see her. She's somewhat busy now," Gloria said. She did not want Lukas to barge in on her mother-in-law and her toy boy.

"Alright, sister-in-law, I will see her some other time. I have an important business to attend to, and don't forget to give me a call," he said as he walked away. Gloria looked at his back until he disappeared from the hallway.

"Why did Lukas suddenly come back to the Anderson family and even attend his stepmother's banquet? Something is not right," Gloria said as she looked at the business card Lukas had shoved into her hand. She tossed it into her purse. She knew she would not contact Lukas or ask for his help. She was done with this crazy family.