Ruin My Mother's Life, Now I Ruin Yours

"Dad, this is Simon, my boyfriend. I figured it was time for you two to meet."

I averted my attention to Simon Lowe. Sure, he ticked all the boxes of a proper man, but I couldn't ignore the air of arrogance that came with being spoiled rotten.

He presented me with a gift, his hands outstretched, his voice bright. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Gardner. This is a little something from me."

I didn't take it. An awkward silence dawned upon the vast living room.

My daughter, Josie Gardner, looked at me, then at Simon. She cooed, "Dad?"

I glanced at her. "Josie, why don't you head upstairs first? I'd like to talk to Simon in private."

She hesitated briefly before nodding. "Okay."

With that, only Simon and I remained in the living room.

Once Josie was gone, the layer of civility on Simon's smile peeled immediately. He tossed the gift to the coffee table and sized me up and down rudely.

"Mr. Gardner," he said, still in the same even tone, though it now dripped with superiority. "Did you just send your daughter away so you could throw your weight around?"

I stayed silent.

"Fine," he huffed. "We'll have a conversation man-to-man. I heard you came from a small town with no connections in Crownyork. The only reason you managed to marry the eldest daughter of the Harrisons was that you got lucky."

He continued, "I know all about men like you. You claw your way up from nothing and get jealous of people like me, who were born with a silver spoon. You're afraid that if I marry Josie, you'll lose your standing in the Harrison family.

"Deep down, you know it, too. The Harrisons may have never said it outright, but you're nothing more than a live-in son-in-law who married into the family. Don't tell me you actually think you call the shots in the richest family in the country!"

Simon looked down at me pompously. "But I'm different. My grandpa is the head of the Lowe family, one of the most powerful families in Crownyork. I grew up surrounded by the city's most elite circles.

"Josie and I are a perfect match. We're equals in every sense. You're just a man who married into his wife's family, so you don't get a say in this!"

He paused deliberately, as if giving me time to absorb everything he had said.

"I looked into your background, Mr. Gardner. Your parents passed away years ago, didn't they? There's no one left to back you up. You only got into the Harrison family because their daughter fell for you.

"But feelings don't last forever. There are plenty of men out there who are younger and better-looking than you. What makes you think you can compete with all those fresh-faced men out there?

"I'm nothing like you. I have the Lowes behind me. Even if things don't work out between Josie and me someday, I'll still be the eldest grandson of my family. No one would dare lay a finger on me.

"And you? Once you lose your place as their live-in son-in-law, you'll have nothing left. Am I right?"

Simon looked at me as if I were someone to be pitied.

"Be realistic, Mr. Gardner. If I want to marry Josie, there's nothing you can do to stop me. Instead of making things ugly between us, why not do me a favor now? Once I become part of the family, I might still show you some respect."