The Underestimated Son-in-Law

One morning in his modest house on the edge of town, Daniel was wearing a worn-out hat and shoes. "Where else am I going to find money?" he said with a sigh. Not long after, his mobile phone rang. "Mr. Daniel, we're expecting you at the hospital as we'll be reporting Mrs. Lina's treatment costs," said the nurse. "Yes, Nurse. I'll be there soon," Daniel replied with a broken heart. All this time, Daniel had to work hard to pay for his mother's treatment at the hospital. Lina's stroke meant she had to stay in the hospital for a long time. Daniel's job as a delivery boy meant that he had to think of ways to earn a lot of money. When Daniel was about to go to the bathroom, his mobile phone suddenly rang. "Hurry up and pay your debts now! Otherwise, I'll come to your house and destroy your entire house!" "Okay, I'll pay it within this week. Please give me more time!" Daniel said it with a trembling voice. "How many times have you asked for more time? I don't want to know. Anyway, you have to pay off your debt today." The man hung up the phone just like that. He was Jack, a loan shark who called Daniel all the time and threatened him if he couldn't pay his debts immediately. Yes, to pay the hospital bills every month, it was not uncommon for Daniel to borrow money from loan sharks. Daniel sighed. "Relax; everything will be fine." Daniel tried to calm himself down. At 8 a.m., Daniel walked to the convenience store to buy drinks and bread for his mother. "Help...!" Suddenly, a woman ran from behind. "Help me! I'm being chased by a madman." The woman looked panicked and tugged at Daniel's hand. "Hand her over to us!" snapped the man as he thrust a knife at Daniel. "Don't hurt him! He's my fiancé! Right? Aren't we getting married soon?" The woman winked and asked Daniel to do as she said. "Y-yes. We're getting married," Daniel said, feeling confused. The man looked very upset. He lowered his hand and walked away. "Huft! He finally left, too. Hi, my name is Clara. I'm sorry to have confused you, and I also thank you. Thanks to you, that crazy man finally believed me, and I'm sure after this he won't chase me anymore," said the woman while tying her long hair. Daniel watched her from head to toe. It was not Clara's beauty that stunned Daniel, but the rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets Clara wore were all made of expensive diamonds, and not everyone could buy them. The clothes Clara wore also showed that she was a highly educated person. "Hi, why don't you talk much?" Clara's question interrupted Daniel's thoughts. "Ah, sorry, I..." not yet finished answering, Daniel's mobile phone rang again. "Wait a minute. I'll be back." Daniel walked a little away. "Hello, nurse? It's me on my way to the hospital. I'll be there in ten minutes." "Sorry, Mr. Daniel, Mrs. Lina's condition suddenly declined. She is currently in the ICU." "What? Okay, nurse. I'll be right there." Daniel hung up the phone and walked over to Clara. "Sorry, I have to go now." "Wait! I have something for you." Clara handed him a letter. "What's this?" Daniel didn't immediately accept the letter. "Accept it. Open it and read it later, when you have time. Oh, yeah? Are you okay? You look nervous." "I'm fine." Daniel accepted the letter and walked away from Clara. "I'll go first." Arriving at the hospital, Daniel hurriedly ran in front of the ICU room. "How is my mother, nurse?" "Mrs. Lina is still in intensive care, and we are all fighting for her recovery." Hearing Nurse Sinta's answer, Daniel's legs felt weak. When Daniel was about to take his mobile phone from his pocket, something suddenly fell out. "This letter is from that lady." Daniel opened the letter and read it. "Hi, my name is Clara. I'm glad this letter finally reached you. After all this time, I've been looking for where to give this letter to the right person. I have a few things to say. At the age of twenty-two, my family is urging me to get married. Will you marry me? I know it must have taken you by surprise, but I'm sure that I didn't make the wrong choice. If you accept my offer, please contact me at the number listed below." "---Clara---" Daniel's mind seemed to stop. He didn't know what to do. Not long after, his mobile rang again. "Where are you? I was at your house, but you weren't home," Jack asked into the phone. "I'm at the hospital. I promised to pay you this week, so please be patient." "Do you think my patience has no limit? Hurry up and pay your debt right now! Otherwise, I'll take everything in your house." "No! Please!" "Thirty minutes; if you don't come, I'll take everything inside your house." Jack switched off the phone. Daniel was confused. He couldn't do anything. Suddenly, Daniel remembered Clara's appearance. "If I accept her offer, is it possible that I will get the money to pay the hospital fees and pay off all my debts?" Having no other choice, Daniel finally contacted Clara. The next day, they agreed to meet. The wedding took place. An unaccompanied Daniel walked down the aisle, holding Clara in his arms. Two weeks into the marriage, everything seemed fine. But suddenly, Merry, Clara's mom, walked in with a face full of anger. "Why don't you tell us who you really are?" Merry stood in front of Daniel and Clara, who were relaxing with their morning cup of coffee. "What did Mom say?" Clara moved away. "Clara, how could you marry someone who is only the son of a poor woman who doesn't work?" Daniel's heart was torn to shreds at Merry's words. "Sorry, what do you mean by talking like that?" "Don't call me Mom! I don't want to have a poor son-in-law like you." "Mum? Stop it!" Clara tried to calm her mother down. "What lies are you hiding from us, you poor pris?" Jessi, Clara's older sister, came in and threw the chat proof that she had printed into Daniel's face. Daniel looked at the scattered papers. "Jack? So this is all the loan shark's doing?" Daniel picked up the paper and read it closely. In the proof of the chat, there was Jack, who forcibly asked Clara's family for money to compensate for Daniel's debt so far. Jack also said that Daniel was actually a poor man who had nothing. Daniel then looked at Clara. "So you didn't tell your family about who I really am?" Clara shook her head. Daniel sighed. He didn't know what to do now. Would Daniel be expelled by Clara's family on the spot? Or Clara tried to explain it to her family.