How the Tables Turn

Chapter 1 Matrilocal Son-In-Law After getting drunk that one time, I, Andrea Slater, slept with Gideon Lane. After that, he became my husband, marrying into my family.

No matter what my family and I did to humiliate and degrade him, he never got angry. Instead, he remained perfectly docile and virtuous.

However, just as I was gradually falling for him, he asked me for a divorce.

He used to be so meek and kind, but he seemed to have changed without warning.

Something changed overnight, and my family fell to ruin while he made a fortune. The meek husband I once trampled under my feet suddenly turned into my sugar daddy.

…

Gideon was a matrilocal son-in-law. I’d originally liked his younger brother, Terence Lane. However, at a class reunion, Gideon had taken advantage of my drunkenness and slept with me.

In the end, everyone had learned about that incident. My dad, Winston Slater, had no choice but to give Gideon my hand in marriage. There had been one condition, though—Gideon had to become our family’s matrilocal son-in-law.

Gideon was born from his father’s first marriage. Ever since his father, Jefferson Lane, had divorced and remarried, he’d never cared much about Gideon.

Meanwhile, my family had been quite well-off, and I’d been the apple of my parents’ eyes since childhood. So of course, Jefferson had readily agreed when Gideon was asked to be our matrilocal son-in-law.

That was how Gideon and I had gotten married.

Still, I hadn’t been happy about it. The man I’d truly liked was Terence, after all.

Filled with resentment, I’d kept picking on Gideon. I’d told him to sleep on the floor and never allowed him to get in bed.

During meals, my brother, Joshua Slater, and I had mocked and bullied Gideon all the time. We’d even tried to stop him from getting food on his plate.

Whenever I’d gone out with my friends and it rained, Gideon would thoughtfully come over with an umbrella. Even so, I’d scolded him.

Either way, scolding him had been the only way I could vent my dissatisfaction.

Strangely enough, Gideon had been something of a weirdo. He hadn’t seemed to have a temper at all. No matter what my family and I had done to bully and degrade him, he’d never gotten angry. He’d maintained his gentle demeanor like usual.

Now that I thought about it, he was quite good-looking. However, when we had been in school, he’d just been too introverted. He’d had terrible academic scores too, and he’d kept having to repeat grades. He’d generally been a disappointment in school.

Terence was a different story. He was outgoing and handsome, and he’d had excellent grades as well. He’d been very popular in school.

When I thought of Gideon snuffing out the budding romance between Terence and I, I felt upset again.

Once, I’d gotten out of bed in the middle of the night and approached Gideon, who’d been sleeping soundly on the floor. I’d kicked him awake, complaining that I was thirsty.

He’d been efficient about it, instantly getting up to fetch some water for me.

He’d even been quite thoughtful. It had been nearing fall back then, and he’d been smart enough to get me some warm water.

However, when I’d recalled him taking advantage of me on the night of the class reunion, anger had welled up within me. Raising my hand, I’d splashed the whole glass of water on his face.

Even so, Gideon hadn’t expressed any anger. He’d simply gone to the bathroom in silence.

I’d gazed at his tall and wordless silhouette, surprised at the hint of remorse creeping into my heart. However, as soon as I’d remembered how he’d destroyed my happiness for life, the remorse had instantly vanished.

Hence, I’d bullied and disgraced him for three years.

Still, many things could happen in three years. For example, my family had gone bankrupt, I’d fallen for him a little, and… he’d asked me for a divorce.

When he handed the divorce agreement to me, he said that his first love had returned.

I had to admit that I felt awful at that moment. I felt like a large hand was gripping my heart, suffocating me.

Still, having been spoiled since young, I had a strong sense of pride. I didn’t express any disappointment or sorrow in front of him. Instead, I signed the divorce agreement without hesitation.

After I signed my name, his cool yet gentle voice rang out beside me. “Shall I send a driver for you?”

I was stunned for a moment before coming to my senses.

Right—even though I lived in this mansion for more than two decades, it was no longer my home now.

My family went bankrupt, and we sold everything we owned.

As for Gideon, the guy who’d played dirty tricks to marry me, the live-in husband my whole family despised—he’d quietly started a company behind our backs. His company was thriving, and he’d now purchased this mansion.

However, I had no right to blame him, nor did I have the right to ask for a portion of his wealth. After all, he’d been hiding and enduring everything for years. He’d earned his wealth through his own efforts, and he’d never used a single cent of ours.

He didn’t push me to answer. Instead, he just gazed at me quietly.

It was exactly his tenderness that reminded me of what I’d done to him in the past. I was surprised by the shame I felt.

After all, I’d fallen to ruin, and he’d made a fortune. Under such circumstances, it only made sense for him to repay me double for the humiliation he’d suffered back then.

Instead of doing that, he remained as gentle as he used to be.

I hastily said, “It’s okay. I can get home on my own.”

With that, I ran outside in a panic.

Behind me, his calm voice sounded. “Did you come here for something?”

“No.” I dashed out of the yard without looking back.

It started raining. I tightened my grip on the gift in my hands.

Today was the third anniversary of our marriage.

I’d never treated him well before, but after realizing my feelings toward him, I’d wanted to properly celebrate our anniversary for once.

Unexpectedly, I’d been met with a divorce agreement instead.

I smiled in self-deprecation as the rain poured onto me, drenching me.

…

The next day, I fell sick. I stayed in bed, and I couldn’t get up at all.

Then, I heard a noisy ruckus outside.

As I dragged my weak body outside, I saw Dad sitting on the peeling balcony wall, announcing that he didn’t want to live anymore.

We were now living in an old residential building. It was a dirty and messy place, but the rent was extremely cheap.

My mom, Melinda Brown, was sobbing tragically as she spoke to Dad. She said that if he jumped, she would jump as well. She didn’t want to stay alive, either.

Despite my splitting headache, I tried to coax Dad out of it. I reasoned that we’d only gone bankrupt—as long as we were still alive, we’d still have hope.

All of a sudden, Dad stared intently at me. I felt my heart drop when I noticed his fiery gaze.

Right after that, he said, “Can you please ask Gideon to help me out? He’s our son-in-law, so I’m sure he’ll help us.”

Mom hastily added, “That’s right. We weren’t exactly nice to him in the past, but I’m sure he’ll lend us a helping hand for your sake. Just plead with him, okay?”

I smiled bitterly. My parents still had no clue that he’d dumped me.

I didn’t want to plead with that man, but Dad threatened me with his life. In the end, I had no choice but to agree.

Before I set out, Mom spent our last bit of money on an outfit for me. I was dressed in a deep V-neck dress paired with sexy leather heels with pointed toes. Mom even got someone to do my makeup beautifully. I was given a gorgeous makeover.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, a self-mocking smile flitting across my lips.

I didn’t look like I was going to plead with Gideon at all. Instead, I was all decked out as if I was about to seduce him.

But even if I stood completely naked before him right now, he probably wouldn’t spare me a glance.

Even now, I couldn’t understand why he’d slept with me on the night of the class reunion. Had he gotten drunk as well and mistaken me for his first love?

I decided to ignore my troubling thoughts for now. I had to appease my parents, so I went to plead with Gideon, even if it was just for show.

I received word that Gideon was at work right now, so I went to his company in the seductive getup.

My parents stayed on the ground floor of the company, awaiting my “good news”.

As I gazed at the expectant looks on my parents’ faces, I didn’t know what to say for a moment. I only felt my heart aching.

When I arrived at the floor Gideon was on, I received tons of judgmental stares. I could also hear harsh criticism and mockery all around me.

I pretended not to hear them as I straightened my back and went right to Gideon’s office. However, the second I saw him, I chickened out. I even shrank back a little.

At that moment, he was sitting on the chair, looking all noble and dignified as he gazed at me with a smile.

I wrung my fingers as I explained my intentions shamefully.

His gaze suddenly darkened a little as he asked with a smile, “Why do you think I’d help your family?”

I knew that I wouldn’t succeed anyway, so I smiled wryly and said, “Just pretend I never came here, then.”

He was right. Judging by how we’d treated him back then, we should be grateful that he hadn’t already sought revenge on us. He wouldn’t possibly help us out.

How haughty could I have been to come here and plead with him?

The more I thought about it, the more embarrassed I felt.

I wanted to run away, but he called out to me. “But tell me, what are you giving me in return? If the price is right for me, I don’t mind helping your family out a little.”

I was stunned. I racked my brain for ideas, but I couldn’t come up with anything I could give him in return.

My body?

Ha! If he actually had any desire toward me, he’d had all the chances in the world back when we’d been married for three years and spent countless nights in the same bedroom.

However, in those three years, he’d never even gotten close to me.

I lowered my head, saying in embarrassment, “Just pretend I was never here.”

To my surprise, Gideon suddenly walked toward me. He was a whole head taller than me as he stood before me.

He leaned in a little and let out a low chuckle in my ear. “With an outfit like that, why are you even pretending to be modest?”

My blood froze in my veins, and embarrassment overwhelmed me. I wished I could just escape right away.

He suddenly wrapped an arm around my waist as he put on a knowing smile. “We’ve been married for three years, and I’ve slept on the floor for the same amount of time. I haven’t tasted you in a long while. Why don’t you… give yourself to me in return?”

Chapter 2 Humiliation I widened my eyes, wondering if I was hearing things. I asked Gideon, “What… did you just say?”

Gideon stared intently at me, his gaze as deep as the ocean. It made me panic for some reason.

He didn’t say anything, though. He just lowered his gaze as his slender fingers hooked around the strap of my slip dress. Then, he pulled it downward.

My face instantly turned red, and I quickly shoved him away.

I said in anger, “If you’re not going to help us, forget it. I never expected you to help my family, anyway. But even if you’re not helping us, you have no reason to humiliate me like that.”

Gideon looked at me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher. He looked like he was mad, but he also seemed to be smiling.

He asked, “Did you think I was humiliating you?”

“Aren’t you?” I retorted.

His heart belonged to someone else, so with his actions now, what was he doing if not humiliating me?

Gideon suddenly turned around and sat back in his office chair. When he looked up at me again, I was surprised to see a hint of coldness in his gaze.

Smiling, he said, “Your outfit seems sincere enough, but there isn’t a shred of sincerity in your attitude. Well, if that’s the case, you can leave now.”

I’d already surmised that he wouldn’t help my family, so I turned around and left without another word.

As soon as I walked through the main entrance of Gideon’s company, my parents came up to me.

Dad asked anxiously, “How did it go? Did he agree to help us?”

I shook my head.

Dad immediately cursed in fury, “What an ingrate! He’s pretending he doesn’t know us now that he’s rich! I should never have let you marry him in the first place. This is too much!”

Mom also said angrily, “Exactly! He’s usually so polite and submissive. I never thought he would be such an ingrate!”

I sighed in exasperation. “Please don’t say such things about him. He never made use of our connections or our wealth, so you can’t really call him an ingrate. Also, it’s actually reasonable that he doesn’t want to help us. We used to treat him horribly, after all.”

My parents pursed their lips. They didn’t say another word, but worry was written all over their faces.

I felt even more troubled at the sight of their expressions.

That night, Joshua called up every one of his close friends, hoping that they could help us out.

Sadly, even though those guys would rush over without hesitation when Joshua called them for a drink before, none of them dared to answer Joshua’s calls now.

Joshua was so mad that he threw his phone on the floor, cursing those guys for their disloyalty.

Curled up under the blanket, I comforted him. “Forget it, Josh. Relationships don’t mean much these days.”

Mom was sobbing nearby.

Judging by our family’s current situation, it was impossible for us to return to power. The tricky part was settling the debts we owed.

As of late, people came over and urged us to pay up almost every day. Those debt collectors were so annoying that we couldn’t even live a normal life anymore.

Dad tried to persuade me again. “Andrea, why don’t you try talking to Gideon again? He’s rich now, so it should be fine if you borrow some money from him, right?”

Mom added, “That’s right. Even though you’re divorced, you can still get some of his assets, right?”

I curled up into a ball under the blanket. I didn’t dare tell them that Gideon had kicked me out with nothing to my name. If not, they would definitely curse him like there was no tomorrow.

Joshua said furiously, “Enough! Can’t you stop asking Andrea to make a fool of herself? We treated Gideon like dirt back then, and now you’re asking Andrea to plead with him? That’s no different from getting her humiliated!”

Mom seemed to have realized something. She hastily asked, “Gideon didn’t humiliate you earlier, did he?”

I hastily shook my head. “No, he didn’t.”

Mom muttered to herself, “That makes sense. Gideon has always been so honest and simple, and he used to do everything you said. We may have fallen to ruin now, but it’s also true that he adores you. He wouldn’t possibly humiliate you for real.”

I smiled awkwardly, staying silent.

Dad sighed forlornly as he gazed at the open balcony. Once again, he began saying things like he didn’t want to live anymore.

As soon as Dad said that, Mom burst into tears again.

I felt my head aching at the sight of them. Our main priority right now was to collect funds. We had to pay back as much debt as possible.

…

Several days later, I began looking for work as soon as I recovered.

Normal jobs only offered low and slow pay, but I knew that liquor promoters at certain luxury clubs could earn a lot. When I used to go to clubs with my friends for drinks, we would tip the liquor promoters generously when we felt like it.

I went to the club I used to frequent.

The manager at the club knew me. He quickly hired me for the sake of old times, and he even arranged for me to be in charge of the private rooms influential figures booked.

If I served drinks to those prominent figures, I could definitely get tipped a lot.

However, I never thought that I would bump into Gideon in the private room.

He never used to come to places like this. At the very least, he’d never done it in the three years we’d been married.

He’d even strongly opposed me coming to such places. When I’d come here with my friends back then, he’d even tried to stop me several times, telling me that I shouldn’t frequent such shady places.

Of course, I’d degraded him every time and yelled at him until he’d left.

When I recalled the past, I realized that Gideon was really great at playing the role of a responsible and caring man.

But at that moment, Gideon was sitting in the center of the room. He crossed his slender legs while holding a cigarette between his fingers. There was a half-smile on his lips, and he looked darkly seductive.

As it turned out, he’d merely been putting on a submissive and polite front back then.

Gideon looked quietly at me, his high-and-mighty attitude making me feel a little embarrassed.

If I’d known that he was in this room, I wouldn’t have come.

While I was overwhelmed by awkwardness, wishing I could just disappear, several playful whistles rang out in the room.

I subconsciously turned to look. It was only then that I realized that the people around Gideon were the same guys who used to hang out with Joshua.

Oh, so they were all sucking up to Gideon now, huh?

They all knew that I’d mistreated Gideon back then, so now, to get on his good side, they would definitely try to humiliate me.

I knew then that my best odds were to just walk away.

I pushed the drink cart, intending to leave as if nothing had happened. Just then, a man spoke up.

“Well, well, if this isn’t Ms. Slater, Gideon’s sweet little wife! What’s the matter? Are you here for a drink? Hold on… If you’re just here for a drink, why are you wearing the staff uniform?”

As soon as he finished speaking, laughter resounded in the private room.

I tightened my grip on the cart. Then, I took a deep breath.

Forget it. They’d already bumped into me anyway, and since they were set on humiliating me, I couldn’t escape even if I wanted to.

I decided to just grit my teeth and face them head-on. I figured I might even get some tips from them.

The debt collectors had been showing up every day, and Dad kept saying that he didn’t want to live anymore. Mom was also crying every day, and Joshua was always out and about doing food deliveries. Why would I care about fleeting things like pride and dignity?

I pushed the drink cart over to them, trying my best to maintain my stiff yet polite smile.

I smiled at them. “What a coincidence! Since you’re all here, do you mind supporting my business? If you enjoy the drinks, feel free to tip me.”

Jake Carter immediately clicked his tongue, shaking his head as he chuckled.

Back then, he would always suck up to Joshua and I, trying to act like we were close friends. But now that our family had fallen to ruin, he was acting all gleeful about it. I wished I could just slap him across the face.

Still, this wasn’t the time for whims. My utmost priority was earning money.

I didn’t say a word as I remained smiling.

Suddenly, Jake leaned in close to me. Then, he said in a gloating voice, “Look at her! Is this still the same Ms. Slater, who used to be so arrogant? What happened to you while we weren’t looking? Goodness…”

In an instant, laughter burst out in the private room again.

Chapter 3 Charity David Lewis gave me a sinister smile as well. “You mentioned supporting your business just now. Considering where we are, were you perhaps referring to physical business?

“Ha, if it really is something physical, you should take off your clothes first so that we can inspect the goods. If the goods are too disappointing, it would be a loss for us, wouldn’t it?” He burst out laughing.

I gripped a wine bottle tightly as I glanced at Gideon.

He continued smoking in silence. He didn’t seem to have heard their foul language, or maybe he didn’t care at all.

I lowered my gaze. As I placed the bottles of wine on the bar counter, I smiled and said, “You’re getting the wrong idea. When I said business, I was referring to the liquor business. For the sake of old times, you can order drinks from me so that I can get higher commissions.”

“Dang, the high and mighty Ms. Slater is really tight on cash right now, huh?” Jake suddenly flung a card onto the bar counter. Then, he said to me as if he were doing charity, “Here’s 30 thousand dollars. If you get on all fours and bark like a dog, the money is all yours. How about that?”

As soon as Jake finished speaking, laughter rang out in the private room again. This time, I could even hear some cheeky whistling mixed in.

The group of onlookers stared at me in amusement. Even Gideon was looking at me as well. The expression on his face was calm, but as usual, his gaze was so deep that I didn’t dare probe further.

For a long time, I didn’t move a muscle. David suddenly flung another card onto the bar counter. “Here’s another 100 thousand dollars. If you bark like a dog and play with us for the night, you can take all the money.”

I stared at David in shock.

My family might have fallen from grace, but I was still his boss’ wife. Gideon was sitting right there—how could David dare to ask for something like that?

But then again, Gideon might have told them about our divorce, and he might even have said that he hated me. If not, these guys wouldn’t have dared humiliate me like that, not with Gideon around.

“What’s the matter? You need money, don’t you? If you can’t let go of your dignity, why are you even here?” David scoffed and said, “We’re offering you a good price. If you try to sell yourself elsewhere, who knows how many times you’d have to do it to get this much money?”

Yes, I needed money, so I shouldn’t care about unrealistic things like dignity. However, casting my dignity aside didn’t mean that I’d have no boundaries.

I felt disgusted when I saw the wicked and leery smile on David’s face.

Picking up the card with 100 thousand dollars in it, I flung it back to David and said on purpose, “Do you seriously think you can have me for a night just for 100 thousand dollars? If you really mean it, you should at least offer 10 million dollars!”

I knew David’s character very well. He wasn’t really rich, and he was always lounging around doing nothing. He put on a generous front, but in reality, he was a terribly stingy man. He used to follow Joshua and I around to freeload meals, and he was even too stingy to buy his girlfriend a new bag.

Even 10 thousand dollars was too much for him to part with.

But now, he was willing to give up 100 thousand dollars just to humiliate me. It was obvious how much he hated me.

I couldn’t help but reflect on my past actions. Had I really been that awful of a person back then?

“Haha! David, you’re so stingy! She used to be the esteemed Ms. Slater, after all. How could you only offer her 100 thousand dollars for a night?”

In an instant, there was mocking laughter in the private room.

David’s face immediately turned red. He glared at me with hatred and said in disdain, “The way I see it, 100 thousand dollars is too much for someone like her.”

Ignoring David’s mockery, I turned around and picked up Jake’s card with 30 thousand dollars in it. Then, I said to Jake, “Do you really mean what you just said? I only have to bark like a dog to get 30 thousand dollars?”

Jake was stunned for a moment. By the looks of it, he hadn’t expected me to take it seriously.

Just like David, Jake was a real miser. That 30 thousand dollars was probably the entirety of his wealth.

Jake’s expression contorted as he said, “You’re a proud and arrogant woman. How could you possibly bark like a dog in front of us? Quit joking.”

As Jake spoke, he tried to take his card back.

Avoiding his outstretched arm, I said to him in a serious tone, “I wasn’t joking. It’s not that hard to bark like a dog, anyway. If I can get 30 thousand dollars just by barking, it’s a fantastic deal no matter how I look at it.”

A troubled look instantly appeared on Jake’s face as he glared at the card in my hand. He probably wished he could just snatch the card out of my hands.

David said in a gloating voice, “Hurry up and bark, then. Show us how the great Ms. Slater gets on all fours and wags her tail to beg for pity, just like a dog would!”

I no longer had any pride left in me. My mind was filled with the ferocious faces of the debt collectors, the despairing scenes of my parents seeking their own death, and thoughts of Joshua working himself to the bone.

Taking a deep breath, I said, “Alright.”

However, as I slowly lowered my body, a large hand suddenly supported me by the elbow.

I looked in surprise to see the deep gaze in Gideon’s eyes. My heart suddenly skipped a beat.

“Get out, all of you.”

Gideon’s voice was calm. He was talking to the other guys in the room.

All the other guys instantly went outside, fearing that they might offend him somehow. When Jake was leaving, he even wrestled his 30-thousand-dollar card out of my hands. What a joke.

Gideon stared at me with his dark eyes. “Are you really that desperate for money?”

I pulled my elbow out of his grasp and put some distance between us. “You know the answer very well, Mr. Lane.”

After my family fell to ruin, we were knee-deep in debt. Everyone in Streamford knew that. I refused to believe that he was completely oblivious.

“Mr. Lane?” Gideon chuckled as he repeated those words in amusement.

I didn’t know what he was thinking, nor did I have the time or energy to deal with him.

Pointing at the liquor on the bar counter, I said, “Mr. Lane, here are the drinks you ordered just now. I’ve delivered them, so if you’re satisfied with my service, I’d love it if you could tip me.”

Gideon stared at me silently. I could never fathom what he was thinking.

In reality, I wasn’t serious about the tip—I never counted on him paying me.

Smiling, I was about to leave when Gideon suddenly said, “I’ll give you 10 million dollars.”

I suddenly paused in my tracks. Then, I looked at him in disbelief. “What did you just say?”

Gideon walked up to me, looking at me with his deep, dark gaze. “I’ll give you 10 million dollars to spend the night with me.”

Feeling annoyed, I wished I could just tell him that he was out of his mind.

Unfortunately for me, he was rich now. He was no longer the naive and honest fool anyone could bully.

Suppressing my urge to shout at him, I smiled stiffly and said, “Mr. Lane, please don’t tease me. I have something else to attend to, so I’ll be off now.”

“If David can do that, why can’t I?” Gideon suddenly asked in a dark tone. There was a hint of coldness in his voice.

I frowned. “What do you mean by that? What are you talking about?”

“You told David just now that you’d spend the night with him if he paid you 10 million dollars. I’m offering you 10 million dollars right now, so why won’t you spend the night with me?”

I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes.

I’d only said that because I knew that 100 thousand dollars was the most David could afford and that he’d rather die than pay someone 10 million dollars. I’d mentioned 10 million dollars on purpose just to piss David off; I’d never expected Gideon to take that seriously.

Gideon walked up to me. Taking a drag from his cigarette, he puffed as he said, “Your family is in dire need of money, right? If you spend the night with me, 10 million dollars is yours for the taking. What do you think?”

I discreetly clenched my hands at my sides.

I knew why he was doing this all too well. He was humiliating me with money.

Trying my best to suppress the bitter feeling welling up in my heart, I smiled coldly at him and said, “Do you think you’re all that just because you’re rich? You’re right—my family is really desperate for money, but I refuse to earn it this way.”

With that, I hastily ran out of the room. Tears were already blurring my vision.

Emotions could be really interesting. The people I used to hang out with were humiliating me now, but I never felt upset about it.

However, Gideon was different. When he humiliated me, it took no time for the humiliation to induce a numbing bitterness and pain in my heart.

I ran all the way to the lobby on the first floor. To my surprise, I saw Jake, David, and the others surrounding and degrading Joshua, who was wearing his delivery uniform.

For the sake of cash, Joshua was kneeling before them.

In an instant, the dignity and pride I’d been upholding instantly crashed to the ground. I covered my mouth as tears streamed down my face continuously.

Joshua was willing to go this far for money, but I only had to be humiliated by Gideon to get 10 million dollars. What was I defending my pride for?

I suddenly turned around and dashed upstairs, hoping that Gideon hadn’t left yet.

When I dashed into the private room, I immediately spotted Gideon sitting on the couch.

He was smiling like he knew I’d come back.

Walking up to him, I asked, “You hate me, right? You hate me because I kept degrading you in the past, don’t you?”

Before Gideon could say anything, I continued, “Fine. As long as you can help my family clear our debt, you can humiliate me however you like and for as long as you please.”

Gideon lowered his gaze, looking at the wine in his glass. Smiling, he asked, “So I can ask you to be my lover too?”