A friend of mine from the City Development Office told me that the house my parents bought for me might be part of an upcoming Urban Renewal Project. I was eager to share this good news with my husband and mother-in-law. But when I got home, I saw my father-in-law, who had been dead for ten years, sitting there. Mrs. Harrington told me that when Marshall had gone overseas for work, he lost contact. Everyone assumed he had died. Now, Marshall had made money in Switzerland and wanted to bring the whole family to enjoy a better life. When Marshall saw my skeptical expression, his face changed instantly. “Daughter-in-law, what’s with that look? Are you not happy to see me back?” I stayed silent, which only seemed to anger him more. “We’re family, and I’ve come back to give you all a good life. Do you think I’m lying?” But there was something about his face that struck me. I’d swear I’d seen it before on one of those Online Fraud Watch sites. That afternoon, I got a call from my old friend, Olivia, who told me that the area where my parents had bought a house for me was going to be part of the Urban Renewal Project. I was so excited that I went to the market and bought expensive lobster and king crab, intending to celebrate with Everett and Mrs. Harrington. When I got home, there was a stranger sitting on the couch. Mrs. Harrington took the groceries from my hands and pulled me over to the man. “Harper, this is Ben’s father.” Mrs. Harrington’s eyes were red and puffy, her voice hoarse, clearly having just been crying. I stared in shock at the man in front of me, then glanced toward the wall where Marshall’s memorial photo had been hanging. But now, the wall was bare. Seeing my wide eyes and disbelief, Mrs. Harrington sighed. “Back then, when Ben’s father went to Switzerland for work, we lost all contact with him. We thought he had died.” “You’ve only been married to Ben for three years, so you wouldn’t know what happened before.” At that moment, Ben came home with a huge grin on his face. “Hey babe, you’re back!” “Can you believe it? I never thought I’d see my dad again.” As he spoke, tears welled up in Ben’s eyes. Mrs. Harrington and Marshall were also caught up in the moment, the three of them crying and embracing each other. Meanwhile, I stood there, completely bewildered. When Ben and I started dating four years ago, he told me his dad had died long ago, and his mother had raised him alone. I had always felt for Mrs. Harrington’s struggles and was determined to treat her with respect and care. Fortunately, Mrs. Harrington was understanding, and in the three years since Ben and I had married, there had been hardly any conflicts. But now, with this sudden appearance of a father-in-law, I felt a bit lost. At dinner, Everett and Mrs. Harrington were constantly piling food onto Marshall’s plate. I sat there, biting my chopsticks, thinking for a moment before I cautiously asked, “Dad, what were you doing all these years in Switzerland? Why didn’t you ever get in touch?” Marshall raised his head, his eyes darting around before he hesitated and put down his fork, lowering his head so I couldn’t see his expression. “When I first arrived in Switzerland, I didn’t know anyone, and I was robbed of everything I had. I survived by scavenging.” Mrs. Harrington’s eyes were filled with pity. Ben’s eyes also reddened as he clenched his fists tightly. “Later, I found work as a janitor and managed to save up a little money.” At this, Marshall looked up with deep affection toward Mrs. Harrington. “I left promising to make big money and take care of you both, but I was a failure. I only had a few hundred dollars and didn’t have the courage to come back.” Tears streamed down Mrs. Harrington’s face as she shook her head, devastated. “Then, two years ago, I met my current boss and finally started making real money.” “I’ve returned to make up for the years of guilt.” I frowned, feeling like something was off. Even if he didn’t have money, surely making a phone call wasn’t that hard? And from what I knew of Mrs. Harrington and Ben, they wouldn’t have held anything against him, even if he came back empty-handed. Just as I was about to speak, Ben interrupted me. “Harper, Dad’s just gotten back. Let’s let him rest for now. There’ll be plenty of time later.” Before bed, I asked Everett, “Did your dad come back alone this time? Did he say what he’s here to do?” Everett, yawning and barely keeping his eyes open, mumbled, “I think he brought an assistant, but he didn’t really say what he’s here for.” I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, while Everett was already snoring beside me. This whole situation was just too strange. Besides, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen Marshall’s face somewhere before.
The next morning, I walked into the living room and saw Marshall returning with breakfast in hand. He beamed at me, inviting me to eat. He had brought a spread of grits with cheese, fried dough, and cinnamon rolls, all greasy and spicy food. “Harper, I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got what your mother-in-law and Ben enjoy.” I looked at the spread and forced a smile. “Dad, you still remember what they like to eat?” Marshall’s smile faltered for a second but quickly returned to normal. “Of course! We’re family, after all. How could I forget?” “Your mother and Ben always loved grits, especially with extra spice.” I sat down slowly, picking up a spoon and eating the grits absentmindedly. The flavor was fine, but both Mrs. Harrington and Ben were allergic to dairy. And in recent years, Mrs. Harrington had developed high cholesterol, so she couldn’t eat greasy food anymore. Ben couldn’t handle spicy food either. I once secretly put a tiny bit of hot sauce in his dish, and he turned bright red. Maybe Marshall didn’t know about Mrs. Harrington’s health conditions, but their allergy to dairy? That’s something they’ve had forever. ······ At first, I thought Marshall’s sudden return was part of some scheme. I observed him for two weeks, but all he did was take Mrs. Harrington shopping for clothes and jewelry, or give me and Ben cash gifts for no reason. Watching Marshall’s sincerity, I started wondering if I was being too suspicious. Could it be that he really wanted to make up for lost time? One day, when Ben and I were off work, Marshall brought home a man. “This is my assistant, Gabriel Sterling. He’s been busy with work, but he finally had time to come by today.” Gabriel looked a few years younger than Ben, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking well-mannered. “Nice to meet you! I’m Gabriel, Mr. Harrington’s assistant.” Marshall then told us that his boss was planning to open a branch of their company here and that he’d be made the general manager. Gabriel had been handling the company’s business over the past few days. Mrs. Harrington and Ben were overjoyed, clearly impressed that Marshall had climbed to such a high position. But something about it felt off. It all seemed too sudden. During dinner, Marshall kept praising Gabriel, calling him talented and giving him credit for helping out a lot. Gabriel, on the other hand, was humble, insisting it was all thanks to Marshall’s leadership. After dinner, Marshall pulled Ben into the office, saying they had some business matters to discuss. I felt increasingly uneasy and snuck to the office door to eavesdrop. I overheard Marshall say, “Ben, this is a rare opportunity. You need to stick with me on this.” Ben replied, “Dad, I know, but is this really legit?” Marshall lowered his voice. “Don’t worry. With Gabriel’s help, everything’s fine.” The more I listened, the more suspicious I became. I returned to the living room to find Mrs. Harrington and Gabriel chatting away. There was something unsettling in Gabriel’s gaze. That night, I shared my concerns with Everett, but he shrugged it off, saying I was overthinking things. Yet my intuition told me there was something more going on with Marshall’s sudden success and this mysterious assistant, Gabriel. Everett brushed it off, telling me to rest. I sighed as I lay next to Everett, who was already snoring away. If things kept going like this, Marshall could sell Ben out, and he’d still be counting the money. As for the Urban Renewal Project, I decided to keep that to myself for now, just in case.
Marshall continued pulling Ben aside for private conversations over the next few days. No matter how much I asked, Ben would just smile and tell me, “Good times are ahead.” For some reason, hearing those words made me nervous. I wanted to confront them and find out what they were hiding from me. But seeing how happy Ben and Mrs. Harrington were every day, I didn’t know how to approach the situation. Besides, I didn’t think Marshall would go so far as to deceive his own son. One day, I came home to find several strangers sitting in the living room. Ben, excited, pulled me over and proudly said, “Harper, we’re getting a bigger house soon.” I was completely confused. Ben and I were just regular office workers. The house we had now had taken years of saving to afford. The thought crossed my mind—did they know my house was part of the Urban Renewal Project? Marshall gave a huff. “Don’t worry, it’s not coming out of your pockets. I’m paying for the upgrade.” I looked at him, shocked. “Dad, you’ve only been back for a month. Where’s the money coming from?” Marshall coughed and gestured toward the two people on the couch. “I’m planning to mortgage this house to them and chip in some extra cash to get you a bigger one.” Seeing that I was still hesitant, Ben tugged at my hand. “Harper, Dad said he’s buying us a place in Silverwood Estates.” “Silverwood Estates?” Marshall assumed I was overwhelmed with excitement and gave me a dismissive glance. “That’s a prime location. Tons of people would kill to live there.” I knew full well how exclusive Silverwood Estates was, but it wasn’t a place people like us could afford. It had only recently been developed, marketed as luxury living, with prices around $1,500 per square foot, and all units were a minimum of 3,200 square feet. For people like Ben and me, living there was a pipe dream. I knew it wasn’t realistic and turned to Ben, hoping he’d snap out of it. “Ben, this isn’t something we can just rush into.” “We’ve only had this house for two years. It’s a good home for all of us.” Ben seemed to waver, looking at Marshall with uncertainty. “Dad, Harper makes a good point. We’re just regular folks, and we’re fine as we are.” Marshall looked irritated. “Ben, why are you so easily swayed?” “I’m the CEO of the company now. Do I need to answer to outsiders just to buy my son a house?” “It seems you’ve forgotten you even have a father.” Marshall was seething, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he breathed heavily. Mrs. Harrington and Ben rushed over to calm him down. In the corner, Gabriel suddenly spoke up. “Although the company is just starting, we’ve already secured several big contracts in under a month.” “And Mr. Harrington’s performance overseas has been stellar for years.” “The company’s chairman is even offering a bonus to Mr. Harrington to help him buy a house as a reward.” His gaze bore into me, as if trying to drag me into a dark pit. “Harper, your father-in-law only wants what’s best for you. Besides, don’t you still have that other house your parents left you?” Ben’s voice held a hint of reproach. Marshall’s anger shifted at Ben’s words, softening slightly. No matter how much they tried to persuade me, I refused to sell the house. “This house belongs to both Ben and me. My name is on the deed.” “Unless I agree, there’s no way you’re selling it.” I threw down those words and stormed off into the bedroom.
I had expected Marshall to pressure me more about selling the house, but days passed without any mention of it, as though the whole issue had never come up. Half a month later, as I was leaving work with a colleague, I saw Ben waving at me from a distance. Standing behind him were Marshall and Gabriel. My heart sank, unsure of what they had come to do this time. Sensing the tension, my colleague made a quick exit. With a heavy heart, I walked over to them. Before I could say anything, Marshall smiled warmly and said, “Sweetheart, I was out of line before. I’ve come to apologize.” I was taken aback, unsure how to respond. Ben chimed in, “Yeah, Dad’s been thinking about it a lot and realized he overreacted.” Marshall continued, “We can take our time with the house. We’re family, after all. We can talk things through.” Hearing this, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders, and my tone softened. “Dad, I’m glad you’re seeing it that way. We can always discuss things calmly.” Marshall then suggested we go out for dinner to talk more. At dinner, though, Marshall kept subtly probing about the location of the other house my parents had left me. My instincts went on high alert, and I answered vaguely. That house had been a gift from my parents when I got married. They were worried about me being far from home and having nowhere to go if anything went wrong, so they bought me a small second-hand house. Who knew that after just a few years, it would end up part of the Urban Renewal Project? Marshall seemed to pick up on my guardedness and lost interest, turning to drink with Gabriel. I frowned, watching Gabriel closely. Even though he was supposedly Marshall’s assistant, why was he attending a family dinner? Since Gabriel had arrived in our lives, Marshall treated him more like a superior than an assistant. The whole dinner felt like a game of hidden agendas, with only Ben getting drunk, blissfully unaware. Back home, I helped Ben to bed, and Mrs. Harrington handed him a large cup of honey water to sober up. I watched as Ben, his face flushed, tossed and turned on the bed. “Harper, I’m going to give you the best life,” Ben mumbled, half-asleep. I sat by the bed, gently patting his back to soothe him. “I believe you,” I whispered. But then he added, “Dad… I know… I know everything…” I froze, leaning in closer. “What do you know?” Ben rolled over and fell silent, refusing to speak. I gave him a frustrated nudge. I knew it. Something about Marshall’s return wasn’t right. Ben’s words kept me up all night. The next morning, as I dragged myself into work with dark circles under my eyes, my coworkers teased me about staying up late. At lunch, the colleague who had left with me the day before pulled me into the break room. She looked at me seriously. “Who were the two men with your husband yesterday?” I blinked in confusion. “That was… my father-in-law and his assistant.” She pulled up an article on her tablet and held it up for me to see. “Does this man and the younger one look familiar?” I stared at the screen and gasped. The man in the article was unmistakably Gabriel. Below his picture was the headline: “Business Fraud Suspect Still at Large.”
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