Elio did not go home that night. Instead, he stayed at the company and trained until midnight before finally going to bed. Knowing that his assistant Sunny was in the room next door made his heart flutter a little.However, he did not let it go any further. He reminded himself he was married and needed to stay true to his love. He could not let himself think about anything else.The whole top floor of Evamor Tower was like his own little kingdom. It was huge and private, and Elio was the king of it all. Now, he even had Sunny, a pretty aide, to help with his day-to-day life. It was just the two of them in that big space.When it was just past five in the morning, Elio woke up. He splashed water on his face and headed to the gym, still in his shorts. There was no one else around, and he had not gotten his workout clothes ready, so he just started exercising in what he had on.The gym was big, with all kinds of equipment. Elio ran on the treadmill first, burning off his extra energy.

Brownsville was a city alive with energy. In the late afternoon, just after three, Cullinan pulled into the Sunshine Grand Hotel's parking lot. He found a spot, parked the car, and Elio and the others stepped out and headed into the hotel. They made their way to the biggest room on the third floor.The room was already buzzing with people, all relatives from the Faust family. Ruby had planned a special banquet for her side of the family on the eve of the wedding. Dressed to impress as the soon-to-be mother-in-law, she wore a dazzling purple-red dress, a string of pearls around her neck, and a shiny gold bracelet. She looked like a lady who lived a life of luxury.The Faust family's grandmother was there too, her hair a beautiful silver at the age of eighty. She had lost her partner five years ago. She had four children: her eldest son, Quentin Faust; her oldest daughter, Ruby; her second daughter, Lana; and her youngest son, Yash Faust. They were all there, surrounded by numerous gra

Then it clicked for Elio. His mother-in-law Lana's preoccupation with wealth and disdain for the less fortunate stemmed from Madam Faust. This attitude pervaded the entire Faust family: if he were wealthy, he would be treated like royalty and universally liked; if not, he would be left to endure criticism at the whim of others.Hudson was grinning and looking at Elio like he was nothing. He said in a mean voice, "Did you hear that, you country boy? You won't listen to Grandma? Say sorry to me now."Yitty was being really bossy too. She said, "What are you waiting for? A guy who depends on his wife has no right to stand up to my man. Say you're sorry to my husband, or you'll be sorry!"Others started saying things like, "Come on, this is Brownsville, and Hudson is the boss here. If you make him mad, you're in big trouble.""You don't know how silly you look, acting all important when you're really not. You should be happy we're making you say sorry."That was what they called famil

Suddenly, the room went as quiet as a mouse. Everyone was frozen in shock, eyes glued to the necklace, and all they could hear was the sound of breathing!Evelyn stared at the necklace in disbelief. She had never worn fancy jewelry before, but something told her this was super valuable. However, could it really be worth $750,000, like Elio said?Yitty was really mad and yelled, "What kind of emerald necklace is this? It's gotta be fake, right? It looks just like glass. Don't be so shameless, trying to trick us with a phony necklace..."Lana felt the same way. Her face was stormy, thinking Elio was a fool for trying to impress them with a fake. She worried they would all end up looking silly in front of everyone.Howard, the father-in-law, saw things a bit differently. He was not sure about the price, but he thought the necklace might be real. He said, "You can't turn something fake into real or real into fake. Quentin's a pro at jewelry. He'll figure it out."Quentin, the top jewe

The feast was lavish, and Ruby invited everyone to eat and drink. Her smile, however, was forced and not as bold as before, making the mood a bit awkward. No one dared to look down on Elio, the son-in-law who joined the family, especially since no one else could give a gift worth $750,000.After a few rounds of drinks and a variety of dishes, Yash, with a couple of cups of strong liquor warming his belly, started to brag about his clout in society, the bigwigs he knew, and his influence in Brownsville, claiming that everyone had to show him respect.In reality, the forty-something Yash was nothing but a freeloader, always carrying a bag and driving his old Honda around town, mooching off others. When he was broke, he would shamelessly ask his mother for money, all while trying to look important, but he was really just full of hot air.The more someone like him talked, the more they boasted. Spittle flying, he boasted, "Just look at Drake Hughes, the boss of the Sunshine Grand Hotel,