Chapter 1

I was a foodie, and my father-in-law, Richard Lane, was an even bigger foodie.

Our biggest mission every day was to hunt down the best food in the world.

Whenever the Evans Ladies, both boss ladies with icy demeanors, saw us bursting out laughing as we enjoyed our food, they'd shake their heads helplessly, then turn around and hand each of us an unlimited black card.

One day, while we were debating whether sweet or savory silken tofu was better, a message popped up in the Son-in-law Chat Group.

Someone: [The Grant Men are coming back home. Word is, they're the Evans Ladies' dream guys, the ones they could never have.]

Another: [Back then, Grace Evans nearly had her legs broken by Grandma Evans for wanting to be with Edward Grant. And Charlotte Evans went on a wild midnight drive, almost crashing into a mountain, to get a smile out of Edward's son.]

Someone else: [I bet those two foodies are about to get kicked out of the Evans Family.]

Richard and I exchanged a glance, then went upstairs to check what we had.

Three days later, we boarded a flight to Gallia with everything we owned.

*****

As I was about to head upstairs, Lucas Grant's post popped up on my feed. [I'm back. This time, I'll cherish you.]

The photo showed him in his school uniform, cheeks flushed, leaning toward Charlotte Evans.

Actually, I was in the photo too, but he'd photoshopped me into a giant third wheel.

I passed my phone to Richard so he could see the post.

He did the same, handed me his phone, and sure enough, Alex Grant had posted the exact same caption and photo.

But what really blew my mind was that both Charlotte and Grace Evans, my mother-in-law, had actually liked both posts and even dropped a "Welcome" in the comments.

Those two barely ever say a word online. Richard and I post food pics every single day, and they've never even liked our posts, let alone commented.

My heart ached as I looked around the villa, and I couldn't hold back my tears.

Richard, startled, quickly handed me a tissue. "Why are you crying? We were cast aside by our own families and gave up our dignity when we married into this family as sons-in-law. We should have expected this."

I stammered, about to say something, but let out a burp, the taste of sweet silken tofu still lingered in my mouth. "I'm not heartbroken over them. It's my food, my watch, and my cash that I'm mourning.

"Dad, do you think we'll ever get to eat all the world's best food again after we get kicked out?"

Richard let out a heavy sigh, unable to hold it back.

We always knew each of the Evans women had someone she'd never gotten over.

But Grandma Evans never approved of the Grant Men.

By some twist of fate, the Evans Ladies ended up marrying us instead.

So to them, we were there to keep the family name going. Whenever they saw us, they'd sigh and barely say a word all day.

Luckily, we were both food lovers, and the Evans Family was rich and generous, unlike our own families, who only gave us a monthly allowance that was barely enough to get by.

The living room was eerily silent, the only thing I could hear was Richard and me sighing, one after another.

Suddenly, Richard jumped up, grabbed my arm, and stared at me with determination. "We can put all the clothes, watches, and cars we've collected over the years up for sale online. That way, we'll have some cash to get by."

Yeah, but as I started to feel a bit hopeful, my mood crashed again.

Richard's been the Evans Family's son-in-law for thirty years, but me? Only three.

Richard caught the sadness in my eyes and comforted me softly. "Once we walk out of this house, we're not son-in-law and father-in-law anymore. We're brothers, sticking together no matter what.

"And since we're brothers, there's no way I'd leave you behind. What's mine is yours, always."

My eyes sparkled, and I hugged Richard Lane tight. "From now on, you're my real big bro."

Richard patted my head. "Relax, Ben. We're foodie bros for life. Nothing's ever gonna tear us apart."

As Richard and I were about to swear brotherhood, we heard a noise at the door.

The Evans Ladies, Grace and Charlotte, stood there with icy faces, looking us up and down, a hint of confusion in their eyes.

Richard and I exchanged a glance, then hurried over to help them with their bags and coats, trying to be extra attentive.

Grace shifted uncomfortably, dodging our help. "You don't have to do that. The maid takes care of all this."

Charlotte pulled her hand away too. "Are you eyeing something to eat again? Running low on cash?"

I gave an awkward smile. Tonight, I was being way too attentive. Normally, even if Charlotte walked right up to me, I'd barely notice her. I was always too busy focusing on whatever delicious food was in front of me.

I grabbed her bag anyway. "No, no, it's nothing."

Fearing we'd soon be evicted, I smiled ingratiatingly. "I found a special king crab recipe, but the crab must be flown in fresh from the US that morning. I'm not sure if..."

Before I could finish, my phone buzzed with a text notification.

I opened it and counted the zeros. There were six in all, about 330,000 dollars.

Meanwhile, Grace sent Richard some money too. Judging by his hearty laugh, it was definitely a hefty sum.

We gave each other a thumbs-up, grinning from ear to ear.

After dinner, it was time for our weekly conjugal duty, the one night we had to play our part as husbands.