All Chapters of My Martyr Complex Met an Overpowered Daughter‑in‑Law: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

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 man

Chapter 2

It wasn't enough to establish things verbally, so I requested that everything be put down in a contract.After signing it, Calvin immediately took me to the mall and bought me several outfits. He paid for everything.Before long, it was New Year's Eve. I went back to his home with him.After becoming a successful CEO, the first thing Calvin did was to buy a massive villa and have his mom move in.The two of us stood outside the villa. He took a deep breath before saying, "Prepare yourself, Ms. Sheraton."As the door opened, the elegant interior I'd imagined was nowhere to be seen. Instead, cardboard boxes and empty plastic bottles were piled everywhere.A faint but unmistakable stench lingered in the air.My smile froze on my face.This old lady was still hoarding trash despite living in a villa. She truly had some unique hobbies."Now you know how terrifying my mom can be," Calvin whispered."Cal! You're back!" His mother, Anne Thornton, hurried out from deeper inside the vi

Chapter 3

It was soon dinnertime.Calvin quietly reminded me to only eat the vegetables and avoid everything else.As I sat at the dining table, I thought the holiday feast actually looked decent. But I noticed a major problem upon closer inspection.Right in the center of the table sat a massive seafood platter with a whole lobster on display. However, the shell had turned dull and grayish, and the meat looked soft and watery. It was obvious it had gone bad.Several other dishes looked just as questionable. They seemed to have been reheated so many times that they'd turned into soggy, unrecognizable paste. There was no telling how many days those leftovers had been sitting around.The holiday ham, usually the centerpiece of a festive dinner, was already carved down to the bone. There was barely any meat left on it. I had no idea why it was even on the table.Perhaps Mrs. Hearth already realized that I wasn't easy to push around. She spun the lazy Susan and moved all the meat dishes in fro

Chapter 4

That night, Calvin gave me a thumbs-up.He said, "You're incredible, Ms. Sheraton. You actually got my mom under control. This is the first holiday feast I've ever enjoyed this much. Get some sleep. We'll be visiting my dad's grave tomorrow."Calvin had always been a thoughtful son. His father had originally been buried back in their village, but after Calvin made it big, he moved his father's remains to a prime cemetery plot in the city.…We were up before dawn the next morning. I was wondering why we would need to leave so early when Mrs. Hearth said, "It's a long walk through the hills. We have to start early."It was only then that I realized she was planning to walk to the cemetery despite having seven or eight cars parked in the garage."The soles on my shoes are lambskin, Mrs. Hearth. They'll be ruined if they get wet. I'm not walking. I'll be taking the car," I said.Calvin chimed in immediately, "That's right, Mom. Beryl grew up with chauffeurs taking her everywhere.

Chapter 5

I didn't want Calvin to drive when he was all worked up, so we swapped seats earlier. I gripped the steering wheel and stayed silent.After a while, I said, "You should calm down for now. This isn't your fault. Even if you'd gone with her today and stopped her from falling, she'd eventually end up in the hospital after eating some moldy leftovers again."Unless you're planning to stay by her side 24/7, the same thing is going to keep happening. Also, I'm fine with calling off our deal, but you'll still have to pay me."Calvin chugged a big bottle of water and finally calmed down. "You're right. We shouldn't call it off. Let's just get to the hospital and see how she's doing."…We arrived at the hospital soon. A nurse explained that Mrs. Hearth had fallen halfway up the trail. Luckily, a passerby had spotted her and brought her to the hospital.After a checkup, it turned out she'd broken a bone in her lower leg and would need surgery."You need to settle the payment before we ca

Chapter 6

That afternoon, Mrs. Hearth was wheeled into surgery. Afterward, she was placed on strict bed rest, so Calvin hired a caregiver for her.And everything was out of her own pocket.Mrs. Hearth's heart ached over the money spent. "Back in the village, people still worked even with a broken leg. Who needed surgery for something like this?"I said, "That's exactly my point, Mrs. Hearth. From now on, just take the car when you need a ride. Don't try to tough it out. None of this would've happened if you'd just ridden with us. Don't you think so?"Mrs. Hearth looked at me. Although she was reluctant, she had to admit that I was right. "You're right. I should've just gone with you."I arranged for her to receive a recovery meal plan and even made her chicken soup. Her complexion improved noticeably over the next few days.…The doctor cleared Mrs. Hearth for discharge several days later.Calvin bought her a motorized wheelchair with a control panel built into the armrest so she could o

Chapter 7

A few days back, when Calvin and I were paying the hospital bills, we noticed some strange charges on Mrs. Hearth's bank card. Some were just a few dollars, while others were tens of thousands.After checking with the bank, Calvin discovered that her card had somehow been added to his uncle's mobile payment apps. His entire family had been using it to pay for almost everything.That meant Mrs. Hearth hadn't been spending any of the money Calvin had been sending her every month. Instead, it had been going toward supporting his uncle's family.When Calvin asked her about it, she was completely unaware of what was going on. Mrs. Hearth vaguely remembered her younger brother visiting one day. He'd fiddled with her phone and asked her to scan her face. He told her it was just to sign her up for some membership program.There had been no news about it after that.Mrs. Hearth was too frugal to even use the money. She'd kept the bank card wrapped in a cloth pouch and kept it on her at a

Chapter 8

I said, "It's okay if you refuse to admit anything. There are security cameras everywhere nowadays. The police only need a few minutes to figure out where the money went. And don't even think about dodging responsibility. I've got plenty of time."If I remember correctly, your son works for some government office, right? My husband is rich. We can easily hire people to show up at his workplace every day and cause a scene until you pay every dollar back."I sat down on a chair, taking a slow sip from my coffee mug, completely unbothered.George had always been proud of his son being a civil servant. But it was also his Achilles' heel. Sweat broke out across his forehead when he heard my words."You're my older sister, Anne. Are you really going to just stand there and watch me get bullied like this?" Seeing how insistent I was, George quickly turned to the one person in the family he thought he could still manipulate."I don't care. I'm listening to my daughter-in-law. That money

Chapter 9

From what I'd observed, I also realized that Mrs. Hearth's extreme frugality probably had a lot to do with George.When she was growing up in the village, her family strongly favored George. Anything good automatically went to him first.She had to live like that for over a decade. Habits like that wouldn't disappear overnight.On top of that, she wasn't very educated and still struggled to use a smartphone. Calvin was often busy with work and didn't spend much time with her.As such, even though their financial situation had improved, Mrs. Hearth's way of thinking never really changed.George clearly knew that. He constantly put her down, telling her that she was from the village and was uneducated and that spending money on nice things was a waste on someone like her.Over time, Mrs. Hearth started believing it. Her low self-esteem made her think that she didn't deserve nice things.But today, she'd taken her first step in standing up to George and refused his unreasonable dem

Chapter 10

George tossed the documents down in front of Mrs. Hearth. They held information on my real identity.My parents were both college professors. Even though we weren't wealthy, we still came from an educated, respectable family.Calvin tried to salvage the situation. "Don't look at that, Mom. Uncle George made it all up!"He stepped forward and tried to grab the documents, but Mrs. Hearth stepped aside.While documents could be faked, there were also photos. And the truth was, I really wasn't some rich heiress."Is everything here true, Beryl?" Mrs. Hearth looked at me.Uncertainty flickered in my eyes at that moment. I wasn't sure if this was the right time to come clean.But then I thought about it. Mrs. Hearth's bad habits had already improved, and I would still get paid. Admitting the truth wouldn't really hurt me. If anything, it meant I could wrap things up sooner and go home."That's right, Mrs. Hearth. I did lie to you. My parents aren't businesspeople. They're college pro

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