Chapter 2
What happened next was the kind of thing that would make most people need a moment to process.
But the Sweetwell family's reaction was way beyond what anyone would call normal.
The woman introduced herself as Grandmaster Raven, the Grandmaster of the Shadowmire Clan.
She spent a full five minutes, going on and on, explaining in painful detail just how much that Hex-Bug King meant to her clan—priceless, one-of-a-kind, and the result of a hundred and thirty years of blood, sweat, and tears.
Then she laid out her terms for compensation.
"Shadowmire Clan rules are simple," Grandmaster Raven said, her gaze sweeping over the Sweetwell family. "If a woman screws up, the men take the fall. One of your guys is coming with me to Shadowmire Village—he'll be my servant for thirty years."
The living room went dead silent again.
But this time, the silence felt different—heavier, more suffocating.
Stanley was the first to move.
He stood up with such smooth, practiced ease.
Then, with a speed I'd never seen from him before, he made a beeline for the bathroom.
Click.
He locked himself in.
In three seconds flat, the man of the house was gone without a trace.
Damn, that was fast. He never moved that quick even when he was dodging the IRS.
Florence's face flashed with a complicated expression only for a second.
She set the cucumber down, straightened her hair, and looked right at me.
I knew that look.
For three years, whenever there was something nasty or tough to do, she'd give me that exact look.
"Grandmaster Raven, right?" Florence flashed a smile so phony it made supermarket sale signs look sincere. "The guy you want? We've got one ready for you."
She jabbed her finger right at me.
"That one. My son-in-law. Go ahead, take him off our hands."
The garlic slipped from my hand again.
"Mom—!" Tina shot to her feet.
A wave of warmth washed over me.
When it really counts, my wife's got my back.
"Mom, don't do this—" Tina frowned, pausing for a solid three seconds. Then she turned to me, her eyes starting to well up.
"Babe, just treat it like a vacation, alright?"
The warmth I felt just now vanished in an instant.
It was like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.
And they even tossed in extra ice cubes, just to rub it in.
"Willow Springs has some beautiful views," Tina's voice got quieter and quieter. "You've always said you wanted to go there"
I said I wanted to go on vacation—not end up as somebody's slave!
Suddenly, a voice came from the corner.
"Wait a sec—"
Everyone turned to look at Sammy.
Sammy, the sixteen-year-old, finally looked up.
I thought he was about to speak up for me.
Instead, he whipped out his phone and pointed it right at me.
"Nick, move a little to the left. The lighting's better over there."
What?
"This is priceless!" Sammy grinned, practically vibrating with excitement. "I've already got the headline: 'My Brother-in-law Gets Hired at Shadowmire Village—Check Out the Pay and Perks!'"
I took a deep breath.
I looked at Florence, finger aimed at me like she was picking out produce at the market.
Then I turned to Tina—her eyes were red, still trying to sell me on this whole "vacation" thing.
Next, I glanced at Stanley, who'd disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.
And finally, I saw Sammy, phone out, recording like he was at a movie premiere.
A chill I'd never felt before shot straight from my toes to the top of my head.
It wasn't fear.
It was a cold, bone-deep sense of disappointment.
Grandmaster Raven watched the whole circus unfold, a sarcastic grin tugging at her lips.
"I always thought you mainlanders were all about sticking together as a family," she said with a cool sneer. "Guess that's just a myth."
Florence kept her smile plastered on. "Oh, no, no, we treat our son-in-law like royalty. He eats well, dresses well—he's premium, guaranteed. You can take him with confidence."
She even took a step forward.
"Want me to toss in a couple packs of Royal Gold Cigarettes?"
Grandmaster Raven stared her in disbelief.
I was speechless.
Ten minutes later, I was hogtied and left standing outside the Sweetwell family's front door.
Behind me were the two 6'3" brutes.
And right in front of me, the security door was locked tight.
Florence's voice floated out from the crack in the door, one last time.
"Nick, make sure you work hard over there—maybe they'll knock a few years off your sentence!"
Then I heard the lock click from inside.
Ten minutes later, Sammy posted the video in the family group chat.
The title read: [Brother-in-law's off on assignment today—duration: 30 years, no PTO.]
He even added a laughing-crying emoji.
I stood there at the door, tied up, the cool breeze of early autumn brushing against my face.
Weirdly enough, I just felt calm inside.
Three years, I thought I was part of this family.
Turns out, I was just the family's backup plan—someone they could toss aside whenever they felt like it.
Even when Lucky, the family dog, went missing, they spent three whole days looking for him.
And me?
From the moment Grandmaster Raven walked in to the second they shoved me out the door, it took all of eight minutes.
I wasn't even worth as much as a dog.
Grandmaster Raven stood off to the side, watching me for a moment, her eyes flickering with a look I couldn't quite place.
"Let's go," she said, her voice flat.
The two hulking guys gave me a rough push forward.
I glanced back at the closed door. No regrets. Not even a little.
Alright. Thirty years as a slave. Sweetwell family, you better hope I never come back.