Philip smiled sheepishly and asked, “Mom, what’s the urgency?” Martha glared at him. “Stay here to add to our
numbers, pretend to protest. You don’t have to care about anything else.” Then, Martha and a few other
middle-aged men and women went to join the protest, screaming their lungs out. It was a shocking sight. Philip
got some info from the bystanders and understood a bit of the situation. This was a financial investment
company, and this group of older people had purchased some investment plans here.
They were supposed to get their returns today. However, the building was now empty, with only a few lower-
level staff left and one manager. By the look of things, that was probably an illegal fund-raising scheme! Here
was where the problem got serious. Companies like this usually targeted well-off middle-aged people, and
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtonce something took a downturn, they would run away, and the money would be gone. It was no wonder
Martha was so anxious. Philip felt a headache coming. He went over and asked, “Mom, what did you buy?
How much did you invest?” If it was only a small amount, Philip was not too worried. He was just afraid that his
mother-in-law had invested a huge amount. Martha’s voice was almost gone from all the screaming. She
glared at Philip but told him nonetheless, “I invested with that house your father and I live in. They said that the
house was good for retirement and could rake in huge returns. If we invested this year, we could have two
houses next year.” “What? Mom, you invested with the house?” Philip shouted. He knew that it was over this
time. His mother-in-law was a retired university instructor, so how could she be so muddled?
When Martha heard Philip’s exclamation, her face instantly went red, and she went up and hit his head.
“What are you shouting for? Don’t you think it’s already embarrassing enough? If it weren’t for you
being useless, would I have had to put the house up for investment? I’m just trying to ensure a better
life for the future. Or what, should we rely on trash like you to take care of your father and me?” As
Martha scolded, she felt panicked inside.
That was the house she had with her husband. If the company had really run off with her money, they
would lose the house. How could she not be anxious? Especially at a time like this when Philip still had
a nonchalant look on his face, which made her even more furious. “Don’t you tell Wynnie about this.
Just stay here and shout. I’m calling Addy over. He should have a solution.” Martha gave Philip a
warning glare before she turned to give Aiden a call. “Hello, Addy. It’s me, your Aunt Martha. Are you
free right now? Can you come over to Rivercross Street? Yes, yes, there’s something urgent.” Martha’s
flattering tone right now made Philip a little annoyed. He was her son-in-law, but she did not treat him
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmas kindly as she did an outsider.
But he could not blame her, because, in her eyes, he was trash. When the call ended, Martha was
smiling happily. She then rolled her eyes at Philip and scolded, “What are you, a piece of rock? Start
shouting!” Philip grunted a reply and then mimicked the group of older people as he shouted
hysterically. Upon seeing Philip this hardworking, Martha finally felt better.
But she still looked down on him as she mumbled, “Good-for-nothing brat.”
After that, Martha went over to her friends to announce cheekily, “Don’t worry, I’ve called our Addy, and he’ll be
over in a bit.” “You mean Aiden Grant? Oh my, he’s a really good boy. His family owns a business, so he must
have great connections. I heard they earn tens of millions a year.”
“Martha, look at us, we’re all old folks. When Aiden gets here later, can you get him to take a look for us as
well?” Martha’s friends started fawning over her. This pleased Martha. “Oh yes, Aiden is a really good kid, but
we have to see if our Wynnie wants to marry him. After all, there’s still that useless Philip.” Martha chuckled.
She did not mind belittling Philip to raise her daughter and Aiden to a higher status. In Martha’s eyes, Aiden
was a rich son-in-law, her future treasure vault. Comparing Philip to him was like comparing mud to gold.