My Daughter-in-Law Deserves Better

Before my best friend, April, threw herself into the pages of that trashy billionaire romance novel, she made me a promise. She swore, with the kind of confidence only a woman with a plan can have, that conquering the corporate ladder would be childs play.

She bragged that shed secure a three-hundred-million-dollar payout within a year and come back to take me on a world tour. I actually believed her. I thought shed breeze through the plot, collect her check, and be home for Christmas.

I didn't expect the story to go completely off the rails.

Instead of being the powerful fiance to the CEO, she was being systematically dismantled by a manipulative, "pick-me" secretary who seemed to make it her lifes mission to see April destroyed. The girl had nearly lost her job half a dozen times. But the breaking point? The secretary had forced Aprilwho was shivering with a 102-degree feverout into a torrential downpour to inspect a stalled, skeletal construction site just to torment her.

I was beyond livid. I forced the System to bridge me in. I didn't care about the cost; I was going to drag my friend out of that hellscape myself.

The System gave me two choices. I could inhabit the body of the CEOs "Inaccessible High School Sweetheart"the classic tropeor the companys CFO.

I rejected both. I played my highest-tier authority card.

The second I materialized in that world, the air shifted. A chorus of disciplined voices rang out around me, synchronized and heavy with respect.

"Good morning, Madam Beaumont!"

...

The elevator doors slid open to a sea of tailored suits. The elite of the corporate world froze in their tracks, bowing their heads in unison.

"Madam Beaumont."

"Welcome back, Madam Beaumont."

I gave a curt nod, my eyes fixed straight ahead as I strode through the lobby. I didn't have time for pleasantries.

As I approached the CEOs corner office, a voicesugary-sweet and utterly fakedrifted toward me.

"Oh, Madam Beaumont! What a wonderful surprise! If Id known you were coming, I would have arranged a proper reception."

It was Linda, my "son" Xanders executive assistant. She rushed forward, her hands reaching for my designer tote with an eager, practiced smile.

I pivoted slightly, letting her hands grasp thin air. "Where is April?"

That was the only thing that mattered.

Lindas hands stiffened for a fraction of a second before she pulled them back, her smile never wavering. "Miss Dalton? Oh, shes currently on-site at the Riverside Project, conducting a safety inspection."

"An inspection? Today?"

I glanced at the floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, the sky was a bruised charcoal. Rain hammered against the glass, blurring the skyline of the city into a gray smudge. Even the construction crews would have been called off in this weather.

What the hell was she "inspecting"?

"Go get her," I said, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous register.

Linda hesitated, her expression turning into a mask of faux-concern. "Madam, Im afraid thats not possible. Mr. Beaumont personally assigned this task. He was quite clear: Miss Dalton is to remain on-site for five hours to oversee the perimeter."

She checked her watch. "Its only been two and a half hours. If we bring her back early, Xander... well, he won't be pleased."

"I will deal with Xander myself," I snapped. I ignored her and looked past her at the senior management team hovering in the hallway. "Go to the Riverside site. Bring April Dalton back. Now."

The executives scrambled. "Right away, Madam. Well send a car immediately."

I nodded, satisfied. It seemed that even though I had stepped down from the Chairmanship three years ago, no one had forgotten whose name was on the building's foundation.

"Don't bother with a company car. Use mine."

I wasn't waiting another minute. I signaled my head of security with a look and turned on my heel. The suit-clad entourage followed me like a wake behind a ship.

The Beaumont Matriarch heading to a muddy, unfinished construction site in a storm? If I so much as tripped, half the board of directors would lose their jobs.

Ten minutes later, the car pulled up to the skeletal remains of the Riverside Project.

The site was a graveyard of steel and concrete. In the middle of the mud stood a lone figure: April. She was huddled under a concrete pillar, holding her leather handbag over her head as a pathetic shield against the rain. She was soaked to the bone, her frame trembling so violently I could see it from the car. Her lips were a terrifying shade of blue, her eyes glazed over.

I threw the door open before the car had even fully stopped. I draped my cashmere coat over her, pulling her against me. "April! Stay with me!"

"Im taking her to the hospital," I barked.

My security detail moved like a well-oiled machineone holding a massive umbrella, another handing me a warm towel, a third already on the phone with the nearest ER.

I gripped her ice-cold hand, guiding her toward the car, but Linda had followed us. She stood nearby under her own umbrella, letting out a heavy, performative sigh.

"Madam Beaumont, I really must say, Miss Dalton is being a bit... fragile, isn't she? If she cant handle a little rain, how can she expect to carry the Beaumont name as Xanders wife?"

I stopped. I turned to her, my gaze cold enough to freeze the raindrops mid-air. "Linda, who told you that the price of admission into this family was physical torture?"

Linda blinked, momentarily stunned. "Miss Dalton has always been pampered, I only meant"

"I was married into this family for thirty years," I cut her off. "And in three decades, no one ever told me I had to stand in a thunderstorm at a dead construction site to prove my worth. You, however, are an assistant. Since when do you set the rules for the Beaumonts? Who gave you that authority?"

Lindas face went bone-white. "Madam, I didn't mean"

Just then, a black Maybach roared into the site entrance. A man stepped outtall, sharp-featured, and radiating a cold, arrogant energy. Xander Beaumont.

He didn't look at April first. He looked at Linda to make sure she wasn't wet, then turned his frown toward me. "Mother? What are you doing here? Whats going on?"

I looked at him. This was the hero of the bookthe "cold CEO" who had been putting my best friend through a meat grinder. My supposed son.

Before I could speak, Linda threw herself toward him, her eyes instantly welling with tears. "Xander! Madam Beaumont is trying to take Miss Dalton away. I tried to explain your orders, but she... she told me I had no right to speak."

Xander patted her hand absently, his irritation shifting toward me. "Mother, Linda is my personal staff. Please show her some professional courtesy. The inspection was my idea, not hers."

"I wanted April to build some character," he continued, his voice devoid of empathy. "She needs to understand the grit it takes to run a company like this. Its for her own good."

I looked down at April in my arms. Her face was flushed with fever, her head lolling against my shoulder. She was barely conscious.

"Character building?" I asked, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Checking a stalled site in a fever, in a stormis that grit, or is that abuse, Xander?"

Xanders expression remained stony. "Mother, when you and Dad started this company from a garage, you dealt with worse. If she wants to be my wife, she needs to handle it. If a little rain gives her a fever, it just proves shes too soft."

He cast a fond look at Linda. "Linda grew up in the foster system. She knows what real hardship is. She wouldn't be complaining."

Linda looked down modestly. "Im just used to it, Mr. Beaumont. Its no big deal."

I felt a sharp, bitter laugh bubble up in my throat. "Xander, your father and I worked hard because we were poor and had no choice. But the Beaumonts aren't poor anymore. We don't need to 'harden' our family members by inducing pneumonia. This isn't character building. Its cruelty."

Xanders jaw tightened. "Mother!"

I smiled, though there was no warmth in it. I turned my focus to Linda. "Actually, Linda, youre right. You are much more accustomed to hardship, aren't you? Since April is clearly too 'fragile' and is heading to the hospital, you can take over her shift."

Lindas eyes went wide.

"The Riverside site needs an eight-hour daily inspection. Thirty days a month. Rain or shine," I said. "Id love to see what 'real grit' looks like on you."

Lindas face drained of all color.

Xander stepped forward, scowling. "Mother, Linda is a woman. She can't be expected to stand on a muddy site all day. Its too much."

I scoffed. "Oh? So you do realize its hard for a woman? Is April not a woman, Xander?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it, finding no retort. Linda bit her lip, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Xander, I think Madam Beaumont just doesn't like me..."

Xander waved a hand dismissively, his tone becoming clipped and frustrated. "Fine. Whatever. Just take April to the hospital. Itll be bad for PR if she actually gets sick on company grounds."

"I have a contract to negotiate," he added, turning back to his car. "Linda, youre with me."

He didn't look back as they climbed into the Maybach and sped away.

I immediately got April into my car. As we pulled away, I looked at her sleeping, pale face. Hang in there, April, I thought. Im taking over from here.

The ER light stayed on for twenty minutes before the doctor came out. He told me that if wed been thirty minutes later, she would have been headed straight for the ICU.

I stationed two of my personal guards at her door and called in Mrs. Gable, my most trusted housekeeper.

"Mrs. Gable, pay attention," I said. "April hates cilantro. She won't touch radishes or green peppers. Her stomach is sensitive, so she needs small, frequent meals. Treat her like shes my own daughter. Because shes going to be the next Mrs. Beaumont, whether my son likes it or not."

Mrs. Gable nodded solemnly.

I stepped into the hallway to make a call, but my guard approached me quickly. "Madam, Linda is here. She says shes here to visit Miss Dalton. She brought 'healing soup'."

I paused. A visit? This quickly?

I turned back toward the room. As I pushed the door open, I saw Linda sitting by the bed. She was holding a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, pressing it against Aprils weak lips.

April turned her head away, her voice a thready whisper. "I don't want it..."

"Miss Dalton, please," Linda said, her voice a soft, melodic coo. "I made this broth myself. Its for your stomach. Youre sick; you have to eat."

She shoved the spoon forward again. April pushed it away, and some of the hot liquid splashed onto Aprils hand. Her skin instantly turned a bright, angry red.

Linda didn't even flinch. She just smiled and scooped another spoonful. "Its okay. Lets try again. Open up"

"Put it down."

Linda looked up, her expression a mask of innocence. "Madam Beaumont! I just wanted to bring some soup for Miss Dalton. I felt so bad about earlier."

I ignored her and looked at Mrs. Gable. "Smell it."

Mrs. Gable leaned in, her brow furrowing deep. "Madam... this has Asarum and Pinellia in it."

My heart skipped a beat. For someone with a high fever, those herbs could cause a dangerous spike in heart rate or even respiratory distress.

Lindas face shifted slightly. "Mrs. Gable, don't be dramatic. I just found a recipe online for wellness. Im trying to help."

I looked at her with pure disdain. "We both know what youre trying to do."

Linda bit her lip, her tone suddenly hardening. "Madam, youre only targeting me because Xander values my work. But Xander is a man with his own mind. Hell choose who he wants to marry. You don't get the final say."

I let out a soft laugh. "Watch me."

A few minutes later, the door swung open and Xander stormed in. He saw Lindas red eyes and his face darkened. "Mother, what now? Linda texted me saying you were berating her again."

I pointed to the bowl of soup. "She brought a 'wellness broth' laced with herbs that are toxic to someone in Aprils condition."

Linda shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Xander, I didn't know! I just searched for something healthy online. I was only trying to be nice!"

Xander turned to me, his voice dismissive. "Mother, Linda isn't a doctor. She probably just made a mistake. Theres no need to make a federal case out of a bowl of soup."

"If its so harmless," I said, pointing to the bowl, "have her drink the rest of it."

Xander didn't move. After a tense silence, he turned to Linda. "Don't bother trying so hard next time. Some people don't deserve your kindness."

Linda nodded, looking small and victimized. "Im sorry, Xander. I just wanted to help. Maybe... maybe I should stay and look after her? To make up for it?"

"No," Xander said, sounding bored. "Lets go. We have the merger meeting in the morning."

Linda followed him out. As she passed me, she tilted her head just enough for me to see the smirk playing on her lips. Her eyes said it all: See? Hell always choose me.

The door clicked shut.

I walked to the bedside. April was half-awake, her eyes unfocused, her cheeks burning with fever. This wasn't the April I knew. My April was a firecracker. She had a laugh that could fill a room and enough ambition to move mountains. Now, she was drowning in an oversized hospital gown, her wrists so thin they looked like they might snap.

I tucked the blanket around her. In her delirium, she murmured, "...Im sorry. I was useless."

I clenched my fists.

Xander. Linda. If you want to play this game, Im going to flip the table.

Two weeks later, April was discharged. Her parents came to see me, their faces etched with worry. "Madam Beaumont, we appreciate everything youve done, but... maybe we should just call off the engagement. We don't want our daughter to suffer anymore."

I looked them in the eye. "I understand. But I give you my word: as long as I am breathing, April will be the one standing at the head of the Beaumont family."

The wedding remained set for May 18th.

The day of the ceremony, the hotel was a fortress of white roses and champagne. The elite were out in full force. April sat in the dressing room, a vision in custom lace, holding her bouquet with a quiet, steady hand.

I stood by the window and checked my watch. 9:15 AM. The grooms motorcade should have arrived at the Dalton estate by now.

My phone buzzed. It was my head of security. "Madam, Mr. Beaumont hasn't left. The motorcade is still parked at the hotel entrance."

"Where is he?"

"At his private villa in Emerald Bay."

I didn't hesitate. I drove straight there.

Inside the villa, Linda was sobbing as if her heart were breaking. Xander was holding her, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

"Linda, stop crying. Please."

Linda choked out a sob. "Xander, if you marry her today, Ill have nothing. I grew up with no one, and then I found you... If I lose you, I don't want to live."

Xander pulled her closer. "I won't marry her. Youre the only one I love."

I walked into the room without knocking. They both bolted upright. Xanders face went stiff. "Mother? What are you doing here?"

"The wedding starts at noon," I said calmly.

"Im not going." Xander tightened his grip on Linda. "The wedding is off."

Lindas sobbing slowed, a flash of triumph in her eyes.

"Xander," I said, staring him down. "Im going to ask you one last time. Are you coming?"

He leaned back, his tone arrogant. "Maybe. If you agree to give Linda a ten-percent stake in the company. Shes the one I truly want to be with. April is just a business arrangement you forced on me. Ill give her the title of Mrs. Beaumont, but the real power stays with Linda."

I let out a cold snort. "Ten percent? Beaumont Group is valued at eighty billion dollars. You want me to hand over eight billion to an assistant?"

"She deserves it," he insisted.

"April is the one who deserves it." My smile vanished. "Linda will never see a dime of Beaumont money."

Xander laughed, a jagged, ugly sound. "Then we have nothing to talk about. We both know why the Daltons want this marriage. If I don't show up today, April becomes the laughingstock of the city. So does our family. She can't afford that humiliation. Neither can you."

He actually thought he was the prize. He thought without him, the world stopped turning.

I didn't argue. I turned and walked toward the door. At the threshold, I looked back at him. "Xander. Don't regret this."

He reclined on the sofa, pulling Linda into his lap. "I won't."

Thirty minutes later, Xanders phone rang. It was his best friend, Marcus.

"Xander! Man, your mom is a legend! Thirty percent of the voting shares and the official heirship? All tied to the marriage? If you marry April, youre officially the King of Beaumont Group. Congrats, man!"

Xanders hand froze on the phone. "What?"

"Wait, are you playing dumb? The whole city knows. Oh, and I heard your younger brother just landed from London. I see him there now..."

The voice on the other end faded into static as Xander bolted upright. "Get the car! Were going to the hotel! Now!"