On New Year's Eve, my in-laws, Richard Prescott and Leona Reed, had flown back to have dinner at my place.

However, our butler, Rupert Williams, had only prepared two plates of cold lobster rolls even though I had specifically reminded him that Leona was allergic to lobster.

Rupert looked at me with his usual stiff expression and said, "Mr. Shaw, I understand that people from your background like to take advantage of situations. Your parents showing up for a free holiday meal doesn't surprise me."

He added, "But as Ms. Jaclyn Prescott's most trusted butler, I have a duty to protect the Prescott family assets from being touched by questionable individuals, even if it's just a dinner. That said, I'm not heartless enough to let two elderly people go hungry.

"Here are some leftover expired lobster rolls. Your parents can eat them and leave. Ms. Prescott is very busy with work, and I can't have her come home later only to deal with your poor parents."

I froze for a moment, then realized he had mistaken Jaclyn's parents for mine. He was deliberately trying to humiliate me like he always did.

I was about to explain when Richard and Leona, furious, turned to leave.

However, Rupert called for the security guards to block their way. "I can understand that people from rural areas might lack proper manners, but wasting food is still a bad habit. Since the lobster rolls have already been prepared, I insist you finish them before you go."

My father-in-law, Richard Prescott, held a powerful position for years, and no one ever dared to treat him like this. He exploded in anger on the spot.

He barked, "Jaclyn Prescott, that ungrateful brat! Has she forgotten who gave her every penny she has? How dare she let this pompous butler insult her own father? This is outrageous!"

My mother-in-law, Leona Reed, was equally furious. "Richard, we need to have a serious talk with Jaclyn when we get back. Since when does a butler get to overstep the man of the house and boss people around?"

The man of the house? I could not help but smile bitterly at that.

Ever since Jaclyn hired Rupert, I was treated worse than the servants. After we got married, she forced me to quit my job under the pretense that someone needed to manage the household, and now I had to submit a formal request to this butler just to get money for necessities.

Knowing Rupert, I knew he would not let this go easily. So, I positioned myself in front of Richard and Leona, trying to reason with him.

"Rupert, these are Jaclyn's parents. Her mother is allergic to lobster. If Jaclyn finds out you tried to feed her parents lobster rolls, she won't let you get away with it."

Rupert simply sneered. "Mr. Shaw, you don't actually think that just because you married Ms. Prescott, all your poor relatives automatically become her relatives too, do you?" Your two bumpkin parents actually dare to call themselves Ms. Prescott's parents? Where is your shame?"

As he spoke, Rupert's expression darkened.

He turned to the bodyguards and barked, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and make Ms. Prescott's parents eat the lobster rolls I specially prepared for them."

The guards only took orders from Rupert. Immediately, they yanked Richard and Leona out from behind me and shoved their faces down toward the lobster rolls.

Both of them were in their 50s and no match for the strength of these young, burly guards. In seconds, their faces were smeared with filling and bits of the rolls.

I shouted in shock, "Rupert, have you lost your mind?! I've put up with how you treat me all this time! But these are Jaclyn's parents! Tell them to stop right now!"

I rushed forward, trying to pull the guards away, but Rupert had his men hold me back.

He leaned close to my ear and whispered so only I could hear, "So what if a country boy like you married into a wealthy family? You're still under my control! Today, I'm going to make you watch how your parents cry and beg for mercy!"

Rupert barked at the guards again, "Are you deaf?! I said, make them eat those! Have they eaten yet?! Shove it down their throats! Especially Mr. Shaw's dear mother. She's allergic to lobster, isn't she? Well, as a nutrition expert, I'd like to see what kind of allergy can't be cured by force-feeding!"

The guards followed orders and began stuffing the lobster rolls into Richard and Leona's mouths mercilessly. Before they could even swallow what was in their mouths, more was crammed in.

Saliva, lobster filling, and bits of bread smeared all over their faces.

Richard's face turned bright red with rage, while Leona's breathing was clearly becoming labored.

Seeing Leona about to pass out, Richard somehow found the strength to break free from the guard restraining him and tried to reach her. Yet, the next moment, another guard kicked him hard and sent him crashing to the floor.

Rupert looked down at Richard as if he were trash. "I was kind enough to offer you food, and not only are you ungrateful, but you dare to resist, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"

He turned to the guards and shouted, "Beat this old fool senseless! I want to see if he's really as tough as he's acting!"

The guards immediately began punching and kicking Richard. Within moments, he fell silent and stopped moving.

Leona's breathing grew weaker. Yet, as she stared at Richard's motionless body, tears streamed from her clouded eyes.

I struggled desperately against the guards holding me back and screamed, "Rupert! Stop this! Are you trying to kill someone?!"

Rupert looked down at me calmly, almost smugly. "Mr. Shaw, so what if someone dies? Do you really think Ms. Prescott would send me to prison over your two hick parents?"

My heart raced with panic, but I knew deep down that Rupert was right. He was Jaclyn's most trusted butler, while my marriage to her was nothing more than an arranged engagement made by our grandparents decades ago.

After we got married, she treated me with complete indifference. For ten years straight, she let Rupert humiliate me at every turn.

Seeing Richard and Leona on the verge of death, I suddenly noticed a fruit knife in the bowl on the dining table. I broke free from the guards restraining me and lunged for it.

Before anyone could react, I grabbed the knife and pressed it against Rupert's throat, yelling to the guards, "Pull the car up to the front door, and get the two elders into it. None of you is allowed to follow!"

Rupert's face immediately turned pale with fear, and he quickly told the guards, "Do as he says!"

At the same time, he did not forget to threaten me through gritted teeth. "Ivan, if Ms. Prescott finds out what you've done to me, you're dead!"

With lives on the line, I ignored him completely.

Once the guards followed my instructions and got the two elders into the car, I dragged Rupert to the door, shoved him aside, and immediately drove off toward Jaclyn's hospital.

The Prescott family was one of Oakville's most prominent families. Richard and Leona adored Jaclyn so much that they did not force her to inherit the company. Instead, they allowed her to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor and even invested a fortune to build her a large private hospital.

I drove at breakneck speed, racing against time to reach the hospital. I told myself that as long as I could get them there, everything would be fine. After all, Jaclyn would not refuse to save her own parents.

At the same time, I called Jaclyn over and over while driving. Unsurprisingly, every call was rejected.

I did not expect anything different. Over all these years, I was only ever able to contact Jaclyn through Rupert, and she never once answered my calls or replied to my messages.

Finally, I pulled up to the hospital's emergency entrance and grabbed a passing nurse by the arm. "I'm Ms. Jaclyn Prescott's husband! Her parents need medical attention immediately! One was beaten unconscious, and the other is having a severe allergic reaction. Get someone to take them to the ER now!"

However, the young nurse just rolled her eyes at me. "Sir, you've got to be kidding me. Everyone at this hospital knows Ms. Prescott's boyfriend is Mr. Rupert Williams. If you want to skip the line, at least come up with a better story!"

I froze for a moment, but the situation was far too critical to waste time explaining.

I gripped the nurse's arm tighter and said, "Go find Jaclyn right now and tell her that Ivan Shaw sent you. Tell her everything I just said; she'll handle it!"

Seeing the urgency in my expression, the nurse did not dare delay any longer and hurried upstairs to find Jaclyn.

Before long, Jaclyn came down with her.

The moment she saw me, she snapped coldly, "What is wrong with you?! Rupert just called me. He was kind enough to offer your parents dinner, and instead of being grateful, you lied about your mother having an allergy and even attacked Rupert with a knife. You're getting more out of control by the day!"

I was stunned speechless by these false accusations, but there was no time to argue.

I pointed frantically at the car I drove. "They're not my parents; they're your parents! They're both unconscious in the car right now. You need to get them to the ER immediately!"

Jaclyn did not even glance at the car. She yanked her hand away from me and turned to leave.

She simply replied, "My parents? My parents settled abroad years ago and never came back. You'll say anything just to skip the line! Rupert has a PhD in nutrition, and he said your mother just overate. She's fine. I'm the hospital director, and you're my family, so I have to avoid any conflict of interest. I can't let you cut the line."

She added, "Go register and wait your turn like everyone else. Stop trying to use the Prescott family name to take shortcuts."

Realizing I could not count on Jaclyn, and knowing that waiting in line could take forever, I decided to drive Richard and Leona to the nearest public hospital instead.

Just then, hospital security suddenly set up barriers around the car.

I stared in disbelief. "What are you doing?!"

The guard looked at me with contempt. "Mr. Williams just called and said the car you drove here belongs to him. You took it without his permission, which makes it stolen property. Until Mr. Williams arrives at the hospital, I can't let you drive this car away!"

My face burned with anger. "This is my family's car! How can Rupert claim it's stolen property?!"

The guard remained unmoved. "I'm sorry, but Ms. Prescott has made it clear to all of us that Mr. Williams' orders are equivalent to her orders. Please don't cause a scene."

My vision blurred just thinking about the two elderly people lying unconscious in the car.

Rupert was basically committing murder!

I tried calling Jaclyn, but this time the call showed I was blocked. With no other option, I called the police and briefly explained how Rupert caused Richard and Leona to fall unconscious and how the hospital security was unlawfully detaining my car.

Before long, a police car arrived at the hospital. Just when I thought things might finally take a turn for the better, Jaclyn stepped in as the hospital director and spoke to the officers before I could.

"My husband, Ivan, had a little disagreement with our butler. The two elderly people just overate; he's lying about an allergic reaction to frame the butler. And that car at the emergency entrance isn't our family car. Although it used to be registered under my name, it was transferred to Mr. Williams a long time ago. Ivan did, in fact, steal someone else's car. I apologize on his behalf for wasting your time. I'm truly sorry."