Rise Of Undervalued Son-In-Law

Chapter 2

Ethan stared at his phone screen, his eyes slightly narrowed before a slow smile spread across his face.

"Finally, the family restrictions have been lifted..."

Ethan—or more precisely, the heir of the Callahan family—a super-wealthy dynasty with wealth so vast it was almost immeasurable. Even he himself didn't know exactly how much the Callahan family owned.

Once, he lost $50 billion in a single night due to gambling. At that moment, he thought his world would collapse, but his father’s response was surprisingly indifferent:

"Losing money is not a problem, but never bring shame to the Callahan family. I won’t lecture you anymore. Go reflect on your mistake. And yes, we’ve already recovered that $50 billion."

In less than a minute, the money he had lost was back in the Callahan family's hands. That meant billions of dollars flowed into their accounts every second.

With such an astronomical rate of wealth accumulation, even the Callahan family members themselves couldn't keep track of their total assets. Whenever someone tried to calculate it, the numbers had already changed the next second.

Three years ago, due to a mistake, Ethan was expelled from the family and forced to live under strict restrictions. He was not allowed to contact anyone from the Callahan family and was completely cut off from the family's wealth. This was his father’s way of punishing him.

During his downfall, he ended up living with the Whitmore family, becoming their so-called “useless son-in-law”—a status that earned him nothing but contempt from his in-laws.

But today, after three long years, the Callahan family had finally lifted his punishment.

That evening, the Whitmore family had dinner with Damian. As usual, the conversation ended with everyone belittling Ethan.

Sophia left for work that night.

Damian had already gone home.

Ethan walked into his bedroom, opened a drawer, and pulled out a wallet he hadn't touched in years. Inside, there were only his ID card and a legendary Black Gold Card.

This was no ordinary credit card. The Black Gold Card was the "King of all cards," an exclusive, world-class card owned only by billionaires, influential politicians, and global elites.

With this card, Ethan had unlimited privileges, access to elite VIP services, and entry to the most luxurious private clubs worldwide.

Every request from a Black Gold Cardholder was always given top priority.

Ethan held the card in his hand and exhaled softly.

"I’ve been married to Sophia for three years. During this time, she has endured so much humiliation and suffering because of me. It's time I made it up to her."

Ethan returned to the dining area and continued washing the dishes. In the living room, his mother-in-law was relaxing on the couch, watching TV.

When she saw Ethan, Madam Sonia glanced at him with disdain.

"Hey, go wash some fruit for me," she ordered sharply.

Without a word, Ethan turned back to the kitchen, washed some fruit, and placed it on the table in front of her.

"Mom, I’ve already made plans with Sophia tonight to watch a movie. I'll be picking her up from the office, so you might have to prepare dinner yourselves," Ethan said calmly.

Madam Sonia scoffed in irritation.

"You still have the audacity to go to the movies?!" she snapped.

"A grown man without a proper job! You’re just living off my daughter’s money! Shopping, dating, even watching movies—it’s always Sophia who pays for everything. Don’t you feel ashamed?!"

Ethan looked at his mother-in-law without any expression.

Inside, he let out a cold smile.

Madam Sonia glared at him with utter contempt.

"I really don’t understand why Sophia is so obsessed with you. She married trash like you."

Her voice was icy and full of hatred.

"I’m giving you three days. If you don’t find a job and start earning money to support this family, you’ll have to file for divorce with Sophia. Stop being a burden to my daughter!"

After saying that, Madam Sonia shoved the plate of fruit onto the floor. Then she got up and walked to her room, leaving behind an atmosphere filled with tension.

This wasn’t the first time Madam Sonia had insulted Ethan. Every time Sophia wasn’t home, she would find ways to trample on his dignity. She had even urged Sophia to get a divorce multiple times, but Sophia always refused without hesitation.

Only Ethan and Sophia knew the real reason why they wouldn’t separate.

Ethan sighed, picked up the scattered fruit, and walked out.

Inside a taxi, Ethan gazed out the window.

Samb City was one of the wealthiest cities in Edenia State. Its shopping districts were filled with international luxury brands.

But to Ethan, luxury items were no different from goods sold at a street stall.

Back when he was with the Callahan family, everything he ate, wore, and used was always the best in the world—many of which weren’t even purchasable with money.

Today, he wanted to buy a gift for Sophia. A small surprise for their date tonight.

As he walked past the Richard Mille boutique, his eyes landed on a watch.

He still remembered the last time he came here with Sophia.

At that time, Sophia loved that watch, but even the cheapest one in the store cost over $2 million—an amount unattainable for ordinary people.

Even though Sophia worked as a real estate agent earning $3 to $5 million per month, she prioritized saving money. She wanted to buy her own house so she could move out of her parents' home and escape the constant humiliation Ethan suffered.

Because of that, even though she could afford the watch, she chose not to buy it. She could only steal a longing glance before leaving.

Today, Ethan was determined to buy it for her.

He stepped into the Richard Mille boutique and stopped in front of the counter.

"I’d like to see this watch," he said casually to the store clerk.

Netty, a female teller at the store, raised an eyebrow and looked Ethan up and down.

His clothes were too simple—just casual wear that, if totaled, might not even be worth a few hundred dollars.

Disgust immediately flashed across her face.

"Sir, we only sell expensive watches here. If you can’t afford it, don’t bother trying," she said sarcastically.

Ethan frowned. "Who said I can’t afford it?"

Netty sneered.

"I’ve seen plenty of customers like you. Earning only two or three thousand dollars a month, yet coming in here just to show off."

"Most of them just try on watches, take pictures for social media to look rich, and then pretend it doesn’t suit them before leaving," she continued.

Ethan smirked slightly. He was too lazy to argue with the store clerk.

Instead, he simply pulled out his Black Gold Card and placed it on the counter.

"Swipe the card and wrap the watch," Ethan said calmly.

The room fell into silence!

Netty froze, then let out a mocking laugh.

"Stop pretending to be rich. Using a credit card to buy a luxury item? Do you realize you still have to pay it off later?"

"You might feel rich now, but you’ll cry when the bill comes!" she scoffed.

Before Ethan could respond, a woman with a ‘Manager’ name tag approached.

Her expression changed drastically when she saw the card in Ethan’s hand.

As the manager of this boutique, Lily had experience serving many billionaires and had received extensive training in luxury retail.

She knew exactly what the Black Gold Card represented—a card so rare that even many ultra-wealthy individuals couldn’t obtain one.

Lily immediately smiled respectfully.

"Hello, sir. I’m Lily, the manager of this store. How may I assist you?"

Netty was shocked at her boss’s reaction.

Ethan remained calm and pointed at the watch he wanted.

"I’ll take this one. Wrap it up and swipe the card."

Lily barely concealed her surprise, but she quickly composed herself.

"A young man with a Black Gold Card—he’s clearly no ordinary person," Lily thought.

"Of course, sir," she said respectfully, then turned to Netty.

"Netty, what are you waiting for? Swipe the card!"

With trembling hands, Netty processed the transaction.

A few seconds later, the purchase was successful.

Ethan took back his card and the neatly wrapped watch.

"Sir, do you require any additional services?" Lily asked cautiously.

Ethan shook his head. "No, that will be all."

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the boutique.

Meanwhile, Netty stood frozen, her face pale.

She had just insulted a man far wealthier than she could ever imagine.

And that… was her biggest mistake of the day!