Chapter 1: The Cold-Hearted Imani
1630 Words
Chapter 1: The Cold-Hearted Imani
“Hurry up, babe. My husband is coming back soon!”
Inside a spacious house in Platinum City, a voice urged someone in the bedroom as Marcus Kane stood before the door. The voice belonged to his wife, Imani Kane, and it made his stomach tighten.
“He’s just a spineless man. So what if he’s back? I’ll make him swallow his pride even if he sees us,” a man said hoarsely.
Marcus trembled with rage outside the door. His anger nearly made him lose control. He kicked the door open, the wood cracking loudly against the wall.
A man and a woman with disheveled clothing were visible inside the room. Marcus glared at Imani, who was on the bed fawning over the man next to her, and fury filled every part of him. Tears rolled down his cheeks without his permission.
“Imani, why are you doing this to me?” Marcus asked through gritted teeth, his look carrying a wrenching pain.
Imani showed a brief moment of panic, but she regained her composure quickly. She put on a cold, impassive look. “Since you have already found out, I will not hide it anymore,” she said flatly.
“Why are you treating me like this? I have lived a miserable life in your family for 3 years! I always listened to whatever you said. I would never stand if you asked me to remain seated. So why did you betray me?” Marcus bellowed as tears drenched his face.
Imani said coldly, “No woman would like a spineless person who accomplishes nothing in life like you.” She turned to look at the burly man beside her. “Do you know who this man is? He is Terrence Banks, the young master of the Banks family. To be honest, I have been seeing him for a long time. If not for my grandfather, I would have divorced you and kicked you out on day 1.”
Tears streamed down Marcus’s face without stopping. “I have spent every day in fear, always afraid of making you upset. I would wake up at midnight to prepare you a hot meal whenever you were hungry. I would ride the motorcycle all the way to Southside just to pick your favorite flower for you. I—”
“That is enough!” Imani interrupted, her voice thick with annoyance. “Do you think doing these small things is sufficient? If not for my grandfather insisting on our marriage, I would not even spare a glance at a useless man like you. Know your place, weakling.” She then pointed at Terrence. “You should learn from Terrence. He has built a fortune of nearly 100 million at such a young age. He is signing deals with the Holloway family from Crown City. Can you even comprehend what that means? Those people can turn us into the nouveau riche with just a word.”
Terrence said mockingly, “Why are you telling him all this? A cuck like him could never understand the Holloway family from Crown City.” He looked at Marcus with open contempt.
Marcus forced a bitter smile onto his face. He knew nothing about the business world, but even he had heard of Crown City’s Holloway family. The news about them had dominated Platinum City’s media lately, so it was impossible for him not to know.
Gazing at Imani’s beautiful yet deadpan face, Marcus wept in silence. “I have been serving you faithfully for 3 whole years. One would even have feelings for a dog after such a long time,” he said with a sniffle.
Imani said with a sneer, “You are worse than a dog.”
Terrence said in a snobbish tone, “Hey, loser. Be smart and forget what you saw today. Then the 3 of us can continue living happily, and you will still get to serve your wife. But if you try anything funny, pack your stuff and get out.” He spoke with the authority of someone who owned the place.
Marcus felt a wave of weakness. Old Mister Kane, the grandfather who was obsessed with fortune telling, had once prophesied that Marcus would bring good luck to the family. That was why he had married Imani to him. No one else in the family had ever respected him during his 3 years as a live-in son-in-law. His inferiority complex had only deepened, and he tried his best to please everyone, fearing their irritation. Yet all his efforts were rewarded with betrayal.
“I am really hopeless, aren’t I?” Marcus said in a self-deprecating tone, the corner of his lips lifting. “After 3 long years, I should start to grow a spine, right?” A glint of hostility flashed in his eyes as he glared at the two before him.
Terrence taunted, “What, you can’t take it?” He wore a satirical smirk.
Marcus fixed his stare on Terrence and clenched his fists. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, “You son of a b***h, I will kill you!” He dashed toward Terrence, but a puny man like him was no match. Before he could land a blow, Terrence kicked him to the ground. The pain in his abdomen was so sharp he could not stand.
“b****y hell! How dare you raise your hand against me?” Terrence was overflowing with wrath. He strode over and beat Marcus without mercy. Marcus lay on the floor, receiving every blow. ‘What a pathetic life I have led,’ he thought, covering his head. ‘I could not even take my revenge. I guess I do not deserve to live anymore.’ Blood spilled from his mouth from the relentless hits.
“It is alright. Just forget about him. Hitting a useless maggot like him is beneath you,” Imani said coquettishly, pulling Terrence’s arm.
Terrence spat on Marcus’s face. He pointed toward the door and threatened, “Get lost right now, or I will beat you to death!”
Marcus struggled to his feet and trudged toward the exit. His heart burned with hatred for the pair, but he hated himself even more for being unable to fight back. He was reluctant to accept the humiliation and leave. He turned around and said, “Imani, I promise you will regret this.”
Terrence pointed and shouted, “Buzz off! You hear me?” Wiping the blood from his lips, Marcus plodded out of the house.
As he reached the main entrance, he stumbled upon his mother-in-law, Loretta Kane, who had just returned. Noticing the luxury sedan parked outside, Loretta seemed to understand the situation immediately. “Mother…,” Marcus greeted with grievance heavy in his voice.
Loretta glanced at him with an emotionless look. She waved her hand in vexation and said, “Now that you know, you know what you have to do. To tell you the truth, all of us agreed to kick you out of this family.”
“Did grandfather agree too?” Marcus asked.
Loretta retorted, “His opinion is irrelevant. The Banks family has signed deals with the Holloway family from Crown City! If we can ride the wave of the Holloway empire, we will finally elevate ourselves among the elites. This involves the development of our family business on a macro level. An old man’s superstitions about your so-called good luck mean nothing.”
Marcus remained silent. The family’s heartlessness left him completely disheartened. He strode out of the house, and the physical pain and mental shock proved too much. He collapsed on the sidewalk of the main road.
Out of nowhere, a Maybach with a Crown City license plate came to a halt before him. The window rolled down, revealing a long-haired, elegant-looking young woman frowning at Marcus on the ground. ‘So this is the guy grandpa betrothed me to?’ Aiyana Holloway thought, her eyes holding open disdain as she studied the unconscious scruffy man.
A bodyguard in the car said with knitted brows, “Miss, perhaps you have mistaken him for someone else? Surely Old Mister Holloway would not match you with a dull commoner like this guy.”
Aiyana remained silent for a moment. She made a gesture and ordered, “Bring him into the car.”
“Yes, Miss.” The bodyguards stepped out and carried Marcus into the vehicle.
Her furrowed brows deepened as she looked at the unkempt man. ‘Grandfather, do you really want me to marry this good-for-nothing man?’ she thought with a sigh. Her grandfather’s words before she left Crown City replayed in her mind.
“Aiyana, our family owes him a great debt. Without Marcus’s father, the Holloway family would not exist as it does today. His father left him a keepsake, and I gave my word to return it when he turned 30. That man was extraordinary, and I believe his son will prove the same. You must treat Marcus with care.”
Aiyana sighed softly. ‘If he proves to have hidden potential, I will accept this arrangement. But if he is just a worthless man, I will not go along with it.’ She rubbed her fingers against the turquoise jade pendant, the keepsake her grandfather had entrusted her to return. She placed the chain around Marcus’s neck and turned her head away. ‘The debt is paid,’ she thought.
She did not notice the pendant pulse with a faint light the moment it made contact with his skin. It dissolved instantly, the turquoise shimmer vanishing as it was absorbed into his body at a speed no human eye could track.
[Inheritance key accepted. Host synchronization initiated.]
End of Chapter 1
- Writer
