“Alright, so picture thismy husbands family kept looking down on me because they thought I was broke. Little did they know, my grandads loadedlike, billionaire-level loadedand this whole thing was just a test to see how theyd treat me.
So there we were, at their place, and my mother-in-law, Margaret, gives me this look like Ive just walked in wearing a bin bag. ‘Good grief, Simon, what on earth is she wearing?’ she says, all fake sweet. ‘That dress looks like it came straight out of a charity shop. I swear I saw one just like it for a fiver last week.’
I just adjusted the collar of my simple blue dressnothing fancy, but comfy. That was part of the deal with my grandad: no designer labels, no flashy stuff. Just me, living like a normal person.
Simon, my husband, cleared his throat and looked away. ‘Mum, leave it alone. The dress is fine.’
‘Fine?’ his sister, Gemma, chimed in, stirring the pot. ‘Simon, your wife dresses like she shops at the bargain rack. What do you expect from someone who grew up in some tiny village?’
She gave me this once-over, her eyes lingering on my wrists. ‘Couldnt even bother with a bracelet, could you? Oh waityou dont have one, do you?’
I just looked at her, cool as anything, like she was some specimen in a lab. In my head, I made a note: Subject No. 2Gemma. Aggression: high. Motivation: pure envy.
Margaret sighed dramatically and plonked herself next to me on the sofa. ‘Emily, love, were not against you. We just want whats best for you. Its just our Simons got a proper job, a reputation. And you well, you know.’
She paused, waiting for me to crumble. But I just watched.
Where was the Simon I fell for? The confident, funny bloke who didnt care what anyone thought? Now he just sat there, letting them walk all over me.
Then Margaret had a *brilliant* idea. ‘I know! Youve still got your mums earrings, havent you? The little ones with the fake gems? You never wear them. Lets pawn them.’
Simon choked. ‘Mum, be serious. Those were her mums.’
‘Oh, come off it,’ Margaret waved a hand. ‘Whats the point in keeping them? Well use the cash to get Emily a decent outfit. And maybe a new barbecue for the garden. Win-win.’
Gemma jumped in: ‘Yeah! Those earrings look ridiculous on her anyway.’
They had no clue they werent humiliating methey were just showing me exactly who they were.
So I played along. ‘Fine,’ I said quietly.
Dead silence. Even Simon stared at me.
‘What do you mean, *fine*?’ Margaret asked.
‘Ill sell them,’ I said with a small smile. ‘If itll help the family.’
They exchanged looks, then lit up like theyd won the lottery. Mistaking my patience for weaknessclassic.
Next day, Margaret dragged me to the pawn shop. Gemma tagged along like it was a day out. Simon drove in silence, his jaw clenched.
The pawnbroker, a bloke who looked like hed seen it all, took the earrings and squinted at them. ‘Gold, yeah, but the stones are cubic zirconia. Best I can do is fifty quid.’
Margarets face dropped. Gemma scoffed: ‘*Fifty*? That wont even cover a pair of boots.’
I played my part perfectly. ‘Maybe we shouldnt? Theyre sentimental and fiftys not much.’
‘Oh, shut it, Emily!’ Margaret snapped. ‘Take the money!’
They split it right therethirty for Margaret (‘for the barbecue’), twenty for Gemma (‘for a manicure’).
‘What about my new clothes?’ I asked softly.
Gemma burst out laughing. ‘Dont be daft. With that? Maybe a second-hand jumper.’
They left, smug as ever. Simon just mumbled, ‘Sorry.’
But the real kicker? When I got home, my laptop was gone.
‘Wheres my laptop, Simon?’
Gemma strutted in, grinning. ‘Oh, that old thing? Mine broke, so I took it. You dont even workwatch telly on your phone.’
I didnt flinch. Just pulled out my burner phone and dialled. ‘Mr. Harrison, its Emily. Observation phase complete. Initiate Protocol Consequences. Start with the sister.’
Gemma froze. ‘Who the hell are you talking to?’
‘Youve got ten minutes to return my laptop. Exactly as it was.’
She laughed. ‘Or what?’
‘In nine minutes, your big work project will vanish from your companys servers. Five minutes after that, your boss gets a full report on how youve been leaking trade secrets.’
Her face went white. Her phone rangher bosss name flashing. She scrambled to the wardrobe and threw the laptop at me. ‘Take it! Just stop them!’
‘Too late,’ I said.
Simon finally found his voice. ‘Emily, what have you done?!’
I turned to him, done pretending. ‘You still dont get it? You thought I was some charity case you could bully? That Id just sit there and take it?’
I nodded to the window. A black car was waiting outside.
‘My name isnt Emily Smith. Its Emily Chadwick. My grandad owns Chadwick Holdings. And this whole year? A test. To see why you married me.’
Simons mouth hung open.
A knock at the door. Mr. Harrison walked in, handing them each an envelope.
‘Gemmayoure fired, and theres a lawsuit coming. Margaretyour mortgage just got called in. Simonthis flats owned by Chadwick Properties. Youve got 24 hours to leave.’
I walked out without looking back.
Six months later, Im in my office at Chadwick Tower, sipping tea.
‘You were harsh,’ Grandad said.
‘I was fair,’ I said.
Gemmas working at a supermarket now. Margaret lost her garden. And Simon? Last I heard, hes back in his hometown, suitcase in hand, realising too late what he lost.
Turns out, the real power isnt in the money. Its in knowing exactly who people are when they think youre nothing.
And my next experiment? Oh, its going to be even better.”
