The Pitiful Son-in-law's Secrets

To mark Sally Watkins' seventieth birthday milestone, the esteemed Watkins family from Florisa orchestrated an extravagant celebration. They booked the most luxurious five-star hotel in Floria, decorated it beautifully, and invited lots of guests to join the celebration.

Sally's grandchildren all presented her with expensive gifts.

"Grandma, this jade is for you. It's worth five hundred thousand dollars..."

"Grandma, I bought this ginseng for eight hundred thousand dollars as a birthday gift for you."

After giving their gifts to Sally, they bowed and said respectfully, "Happy birthday, Grandma!"

"Get up, kids." Sally laughed heartily. The atmosphere in the hall was getting more and more harmonious.

Right then, the door of the banquet hall was suddenly pushed open. Everyone subconsciously looked over.

Holding a simple cake, Nolan Valdez, the family's son-in-law, raised his head and shouted, "Whose birthday is it today?"

However, as soon as he saw the scene in front of him, he immediately shut his mouth.

Everyone recognized Nolan, and the cheery atmosphere instantly turned extremely awkward as the room fell silent.

Nolan stood frozen in a delivery guy's uniform, a stark contrast to the elegant suits and gowns and the luxurious setting of the five-star hotel!

"Useless! Today is my seventieth birthday. Are you trying to ruin it?"

Sally, who had been smiling moments ago, suddenly frowned in anger when she saw Nolan. She pointed at him with her cane and roared at him.

Just then, a stunning woman with a figure like a model stepped in.

It was Naomi Watkins, the most beautiful woman in Florisa, as well as Nolan's wife.

Naomi's face fell. She walked up to Nolan and wanted to bring him away. "Grandma invited so many guests, all of whom brought precious gifts. How could you bring a cheap cake? Come with me!"

Three years ago, for some reason, old Mr. Watkins insisted on marrying his granddaughter, Naomi, to Nolan, who was poor and incapable.

Not long after their marriage, old Mr. Watkins passed away due to illness. Since then, the Watkins family had been treating Nolan as a servant.

Nolan's position within the Watkins family was undoubtedly lower than that of a doorman!

"Naomi, I..." Nolan opened his mouth, trying to defend himself.

He knew it was Sally's birthday today, but he didn't know where the party would be held. He worked today solely to earn extra money. He sent a cake there because he received a very generous order.

A customer with the username of Mr. Bates gave him a hundred dollars and requested him to deliver the cake to the hotel.

Clearly, someone had tricked him on purpose.

"Mr. Harvey Bates, the President of Funmaker Media, is here!"

The banquet hall door swung open again before a tall, handsome man entered, carrying a gift box.

When Harvey Bates walked in, the Watkins family, who had been mocking Nolan, instantly smiled. Sally, too, showed a warm smile.

Even though Harvey owned only an agency company, his sister was a department manager at Honory Group.

Honory Group was a prominent enterprise in Florisa; even the Watkins family had to admire and seek favor with them.

"Mrs. Watkins, I brought you a gift! Happy birthday!" Harvey opened the gift box in front of everyone, pulled out a check, and raised it high for all to see.

"1, 880, 000!" someone exclaimed.

In Florisa, such an amount was usually for marriage proposals.

"Mrs. Watkins, I'm here to propose marriage today. I hope you'll consider it. Let Naomi divorce that loser and marry me!" Harvey said loudly with a smile.

He left the cash check and smiled at Naomi, who was standing in the crowd. Then he turned around and walked away.

As he brushed past Nolan, he cast a sidelong glance at the latter and sneered disdainfully, his eyes filled with sarcasm.

"It's him! He's Mr. Bates, the man who purposely brought me here! He not only embarrassed me in front of everyone but also wants to take my wife away!"

Nolan was shocked, having figured everything out.

Hearing the proposal, everyone was stunned. As soon as Harvey left, they started wagging their tongues about it.

"Mr. Bates' sister is the investment manager of Honory Group. I heard Mr. Bates doesn't need to do much; with his sister's connections, he can easily make a lot of money."

"The Watkins family is so lucky! Many people are eager to establish a connection with Honory Group through Mr. Bates. If Mrs. Watkins agrees to marry Naomi off to him, the Watkins family will multiple their wealth!"

Sally's face lit up. Obviously, she was tempted by Harvey's proposal.

Tightening her grip on her cane, she called, "Guards!"

Right then, a group of burly security guards walked in.

Tossing a stack of money to the guards, she pointed at Nolan and ordered, "Throw him out now!"

The leader accepted the money and gestured to his subordinates, who forcefully dragged Nolan out and threw him down the steps.

Nolan felt pain all over. When he finally landed at the bottom of the stairs, his body was covered in bruises, and he couldn't stand up at all.

But the pain was nothing compared to the anger inside of him.

"Sally Watkins, I've worked like a slave for you for the past three years, and yet you humiliated me like this!" he roared in anger. "I will make you all regret it!"

Right then, his phone rang.

Turning around, Nolan fumbled to retrieve his outdated phone. The screen displayed an unknown number.

As soon as he picked it up, a voice came through.

"Congratulations, sir! The test is completed; you will receive the reward for the first stage trial-the Honory Group!"

When Nolan heard that, he tried hard to suppress the excitement in his heart.

"Okay," he replied faintly.

He struggled to get up because of the intense pain all over his body. Upon taking a few deep breaths, he finally managed to rise to his feet.

Even though he was still marked with wounds, he had mostly healed from his internal injuries.

"It has been three years! The tolerance test is finally over. I can use my family aces now!"

He clenched his fists tightly.

As the heir to Elwood's most prominent family, he had to undergo a series of demanding family trials, as dictated by the long-standing generational rules, before he could assume control of the family business!

Since he was a child, he had been learning all kinds of family aces. He excelled in various fighting techniques, mastered a wide range of weapons, understood medicine, and possessed exceptional driving skills.

For the past three years, Nolan had endured scorn and bullying from the Watkins family. Even after being kicked down the stairs just now, he didn't resist or fight back.

Adhering to the tolerance test rules, he refrained from using the family aces. Otherwise, these guards wouldn't pose any challenge to him at all.

After spending some time in the wind for a while, Nolan regained his composure. "So it's Honory Group? What a coincidence!" He sneered.

The Honory Group, a revered entity in Florisa, held a prestigious status among all families. The Watkins family's motive for marrying Naomi to Harvey was to establish a connection with the influential Honory Group through him.

The tables had turned. Harvey, who had been arrogant in front of him earlier due to his sister's managerial position in the Honory Group, was now nothing more than a joke in his eyes!

"Harvey Bates and the Watkins family, I will let you pay one day!"

After casting a final glance at the hotel, he turned around and left.

Upon returning to the Watkins family's residence, Nolan took a shower and changed into clean clothes. Then he began packing up, getting ready to leave.

Naomi walked in without a word. She didn't bring up what had happened earlier, nor did she ask about why he was packing his things.

"Come with me to Delia and Mr. Holland's engagement ceremony tomorrow night. Get yourself an outfit. If you don't have one, we can shop for one now."

Nolan continued packing up. "I'm not going."

Lindy Watkins, his mother-in-law, slammed the remote control and narrowed her eyes at him.

She sneered coldly. "Who do you think you are to refuse it? If Naomi had married Harvey, he would have easily resolved the issue with a simple phone call."

"What issue?" Upon hearing this, Nolan turned to Naomi. "Considering our three years together, I'm willing to help you one last time. Why didn't you tell me?"

He was no longer the same person he used to be. As the president of the Honory Group, there was no issue in Florisa that he couldn't resolve now.

Before Naomi could say anything, his sister-in-law put down her phone and said with disdain, "What's the use of telling you? She needs five million dollars to settle her cosmetics company's crisis. You wouldn't be able to make that much money even if you worked as a delivery guy for your entire life!"

Lindy pondered for a moment and then spoke in a feigned gentle tone. "Nolan, despite your financial situation, Naomi has never mistreated you all these years. If you are really a man, stop dragging her down anymore. Only by marrying Harvey can she live a happy life. You have to understand that sometimes love means letting go!"

A trace of mockery flickered in Nolan's eyes. He couldn't resist saying, "It's just five million. If I can provide the money, will you apologize?"

Lindy laughed, and it took her some time to stop.

She leaned against the couch with her legs crossed and sneered.

"I'm not looking down on you, Nolan. But if you have that much money, show us, then. I can even kneel before you, let alone apologize!"

The next morning, Nolan went to the headquarters of Honory Group.

Being one of the top companies in Florisa, Honory Group had strict security measures.

There were cameras positioned everywhere, and vigilant security guards patrolled the doors, elevators, and offices. To access any area, everyone had to swipe a card.

"I haven't used this for three years. Thank God that it's still valid."

Nolan cast a look at the black card he was holding and pressed it against the elevator scanner.

The elevator doors parted, unveiling the opulent decor within.

It was an elevator exclusively designed to access the CEO's office on the top floor, a privilege granted to only a select few within the group.

Nolan stepped in and headed to the top floor.

Upon arriving at the CEO's office, he opened the door with the card again.

"Mr... Mr. Valdez!"

A beautiful woman in a suit was sitting on the couch, waiting anxiously. The moment she saw Nolan enter, she immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to him.

"Shelly, just call me Nolan like you did in the past." He took a seat on the couch, looking at the woman with a smile.

She was his close cousin, Shelly Tucker.

In the last three years, Nolan's absence due to a tolerance test meant that she received little attention within the Valdez family. Despite her outstanding abilities, she was relegated to the position of vice general manager at the branch company of Honory Group.

Now that the trial was concluded and Nolan had received Honory Group as a reward, Shelly was promoted from vice general manager to deputy CEO.

"That won't do, Mr. Valdez."

Shelly didn't act arrogantly around him despite being his cousin. On the contrary, her demeanor grew increasingly respectful after what he said.

When Shelly put the cup of coffee she made for him on the table, Nolan saw her cleavage and could not help but say, "I haven't seen you for a few years. You've blossomed well."

"What?" She looked up at him in confusion.

Nolan quickly averted his gaze from her chest and smiled. "I mean, long time no see."

It had been years since he last saw his cousin. He didn't expect her to have become so beautiful. She not only appeared attractive but also carried herself with the aura of a leader.

On top of that, she exuded a noble presence, making her seem out of reach for many men.

Yet at the moment, she was at his command.

Thinking of what happened yesterday, Nolan heaved a sigh.

"Mr. Valdez, this is the company's business report." After exchanging pleasantries, Shelly handed him the documents she had prepared.

It had detailed business information about the company and specific information regarding each project.

When Nolan was almost done reading them, he received a call from the butler.

"Mr. Valdez, congratulations again for passing the test! The upcoming challenge is the intelligence trail. Over the next five years, you must increase Honory Group's market value from ten billion to one hundred billion, using any means necessary!" the butler said respectfully.

After hanging up the phone, Nolan tapped the table and thought for a while before saying, "I've got a brief understanding of the company's current situation. There are some adjustments I'd like to make."

He then elaborated, "First and foremost, eliminate all unprofitable projects and dismiss individuals who were hired due to nepotism. Additionally, reach out to major media outlets and publicly announce that Honory Group will invest ten billion dollars in promising projects and companies! All companies and suppliers, regardless of their size, will have the opportunity to collaborate with us!"

Shelly took out a notebook and jotted down whatever Nolan said.

"Mr. Valdez, now that you've taken charge of the company, do you want to meet with all the department managers and introduce yourself as their new leader?"

Nolan waved his hand casually. "No, it's fine. I prefer to maintain a low profile and just want to oversee things from behind the scenes. I trust you to handle everything. You have the power to make decisions. If there are problems, just come to me for help."

"Alright."

Shelly nodded and looked at him with admiration.

She felt that Nolan was truly an ambitious leader, poised to achieve significant accomplishments. His aspirations simply extended beyond Honory Group.