I'm No Vixen, I'm Your Mother In-Law

I had returned from overseas to attend my foster son's wedding, already wearing my dress for the evening. My former high school classmates recognized me and pointed at me, laughing wildly. They tore my dress off me without hesitation. Ruby Saunders apologized to me, but it was all an act. She looked at me with malevolence. She had instigated her lackeys to strip me in public. When I tried to retaliate, she slapped me so hard that I fell to the ground. I closed my eyes and laughed coldly as I saw the cruel excitement on her face. She used to imitate me and accuse me of copying her, but I always endured it. However, today was my last straw. I would not allow her to marry into my family and turn me into her mother-in-law, no matter what! Chapter 1 I had returned from overseas to attend my foster son's wedding, already wearing my dress for the evening. My high school classmates recognized me right away, pointing and laughing. "Isn't that the copycat from our class? You used to copy everything Ruby wore, and you're still doing it today! Do you have any idea what today’s occasion is?" They tore my dress off me without saying another word. Ruby Saunders acted apologetic, but the look she threw at me was savage. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I tolerated you back then when you copied the way I dressed, but today is my wedding day. I can't let you continue stealing my style any longer.” She instigated her group of underlings to strip me in public. I struggled to escape, but she slapped me so hard that I fell to the ground. I shut my eyes and sniggered when I saw how savagely excited she was. Ruby was the one who had copied me, not the other way around, but whenever she accused me, I would just endure it. This time, however, I would not give in to her. I could not allow her to marry into my family, making me her mother-in-law! I had rushed to the hotel right after I got off the plane, having flown back from overseas. I quickly changed into the dress the domestic help had prepared for me for the wedding. It was my son's wedding today, and I was attending it. Despite describing him as my son, I was actually only three years older than he was. I held a very high place in my family’s generational hierarchy. When Connor Milford's parents passed away, he was brought to my family. My family practised strict generational rules. According to the family's official genealogy, I was the only person who was a generation higher than he was. That was how he was placed under my name as a foster son, and how I became a mother at a very young age. As we were close in age, we had a good relationship. I took my duties as a mother seriously and followed the family rules to discipline this boy, who once acted like a rich, arrogant brat. Who could have known that the rich brat from Lark City who once ran ragged through the streets and regularly got into fights would one day get married? I could not help thinking back on these memories as I admired the exquisite embroidery on my dress. Fortunately, the dress was quite modern. Otherwise, I would not have wanted to put it on. When the domestic help came in to take the clothes I had changed out of to the laundry room, I stayed in my room alone to tidy up my hair. I looked up to see my former high school classmate, Ruby, being ushered into the room while surrounded by a group of people. Her face was glowing. She was chattering away happily as everyone was busy flattering her. Ruby loved it. The more others envied her, the brighter her smile. However, her face fell when she saw the dress I was wearing. Something seemed off to me as well. It turned out the dress I was wearing was part of a set. They were dresses designed specifically for the wedding toast. "I wondered who that was. It's the copycat from high school! You've been copying Ruby since high school, and you're still doing it now? Are you that obsessed with her?" "Ruby didn't hold it against you because she has a kind heart, but that doesn't mean we'll let you get away with this!" Many of those in the group by her side were our high school classmates. They immediately noticed the dress I was wearing and looked me up and down with disdain. Ruby's bestie pinched her nose and looked at me like I was something dirty. "Our Ruby's rich husband hired a top designer to customize that dress for her. Do you think the knockoff version you have can compare to what she's wearing?" "Ruby’s getting married to Lark City's rich heir, Connor Milford, today. Did they even invite you to the wedding? Stop being so thick-skinned and throwing yourself at her. I can't believe you're even dressed like that. Who are you trying to seduce?" I could not believe Ruby was the woman my foster son was marrying. I felt horrible! She would always copy the way I dressed back in high school, but she got away with accusing me of being the copycat because she was popular among our classmates. I did not bother to explain myself as I did not want to end up in a meaningless fight. All I did was focus on producing enough work to help me apply for my studies overseas. However, the rumors got worse over time, and I ended up being bullied and avoided by everyone during high school. Even though I did not like Ruby, I had to show her some respect as she was the woman Connor loved. All I wanted to do was hurry home after getting through the wedding and their insults, but Ruby decided to block my way. It hurt tremendously when she stepped on the tip of my shoe. She pretended to move her foot away with shock, saying pitifully, "It's my wedding today, Chloe. Please don't steal the limelight from me on my big day by wearing the same dress as me! Can you take it off? You can copy whatever I wear after today. I’ll forgive you if you stop it right now!” Chapter 2 I looked incredulously at the dress I was wearing. It was designed for the wedding toast and looked low-profile yet respectful. It was not that similar to the dress Ruby had on. Moreover, her makeup had been done by celebrity makeup artists who helped make her bridal makeover look exquisite. Anyone who was not blind could tell right away that she was the bride. How could I be stealing her limelight? I frowned. I did not want to waste time arguing with them. "I'm wearing an official dress for the wedding toast. It's not appropriate to take it off." Before I could leave, Ruby suddenly grabbed my hand. She cried pitifully while tearing off my dress. "You heard what she said, everyone. She said it's an official dress for the wedding toast. She did this on purpose! I would’ve tolerated this on other days, but this is my wedding day! How can I let this slide?" When she grabbed my collar, she deliberately scratched me violently with her sharp, manicured nails. Blood splattered everywhere instantly, and I screamed with pain. Ruby cried even louder and pitifully when she saw this. She pushed me into the crowd out of panic. "I didn't do it on purpose! It's because you insisted on wearing that dress. My husband tailor-made my dress for me, and it means a lot to me. I can't allow anyone to take that away from me!" Her tears fell freely, and her underlings grew angry over the predicament she was in. Her group of besties started to grab my hands to hold me down while continuing to pull at my collar. Viciousness flashed in their eyes. "Don't dirty your hands, Ruby. Cheap women like her rarely have more than two dresses. It would be bad luck for you to even touch her!" "We'll help you tear the clothes off this b*tch. Who does she think she is to imitate you?" "Hey, any men around here who are strong enough should come help out. This b*tch is actually brazen enough to fight back!" Before I could react, someone's arm wound around my neck. I almost passed out from suffocation as my limbs started to go weak. It didn't matter how much I tried to fight back. I could not fight off the numerous hands grabbing at me. Tears filled my eyes as I shouted at them to stop, "I-I'm Connor's foster mother… Uff…" Before I could finish what I was saying, a bloody scratch appeared on the corner of my mouth. The group kept insulting me one after the other, not bothering to listen to what I had to say. The dress was soon torn off me. I was left cowering alone on the icy floor with wounds all over my body. My dress had been torn to shreds, and everyone brought chunks to Ruby as if presenting a treasure to her. Ruby did not even glance at them. All she did was stare straight at me. When I tried to say something, the person holding down my hand immediately slapped me. My cheek became badly swollen. I could feel the burning pain sear through my brain. Before I could react, I was dealt another slap. Cruel laughter rang in my ears. "Shouldn't you be grateful that I made sure your features were balanced with swollen cheeks on both sides?" The world spun around me when I heard Ruby's coquettish voice amid her sobbing. "Thank you, everyone. I'm sorry I let everyone see something so unsavory on my big day. It's all my fault for indulging her shenanigans. "But she's still a woman, after all. She won't be able to marry anyone if she has so many wounds. She won't be able to live a life of luxury like me once I become Mrs. Milford!" With that, Ruby picked up a glass of whisky and raised her hand to pour it all over me. "What a great coincidence that there’s alcohol here. I can help Chloe disinfect her wounds." When she saw me wince from the pain, her smile got wider as she said to me, while feigning being considerate, "Don't worry. Even though you can't afford such expensive whisky, it's my wedding, after all. I can use it however I want." It was the beginning of autumn, and I was left wearing only my undergarments. I could not help hugging myself tight as I shivered from the cold. I was like a fish out of water that was about to die. The group seemed to have found something interesting as they were encouraged to imitate what Ruby did by grabbing alcohol off the table. "Isn't Ruby creative? I want to have some fun too! I wonder if this bottle of 1982 Lafite would work well as a disinfectant." My tears mixed with the red wine as it flowed to the corner of my mouth. "Hey, don't sneak a lick of that wine! It's pretty disgusting now that it has blood in it." They looked at me maliciously and with disgust as they continued laughing while having their fun with me. They carefully observed my painful expression and described it loudly for Ruby. I could no longer speak. If I even attempted to speak, a slap would come for me. I was numb from the pain as the alcohol burned all the wounds on my body. It felt like I had just been grilled on a hot plate. When I tried to stand up to run away from this hellish room, I was pushed to the floor numerous times, helpless as everyone burst out into laughter. "Trying to escape? Not so fast. We gave you a chance before this, but you didn't take it." Ruby looked down at me with superiority. She kept stepping on my fingers with her high heels as she listened to my weak cries of pain. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Sam Chilton is here!" Chapter 3 Everyone instantly hushed as they looked worriedly between Ruby and me. Sam was the high school heartthrob. Everyone knew that he had a crush on me back then. He was also the reason why Ruby copied my fashion style. It was because she had a crush on him. Her expression turned savage as she coldly called for the taunting to stop. I thought the torture had finally ended, and I could have a moment of peace. I struggled to get up by holding onto the table leg and attempting to run out of the room, but the moment I touched the table, Ruby kicked me down. I fell heavily to the floor. The sound of leather shoes stomping toward us became louder. Ruby grabbed my hair to reveal my injured face. "Guess who this is, Sam. This b*tch tried to compare who looks better by wearing the same dress I did. Who do you think is prettier? Me or her?" Ruby grabbed my cheek and patted it with the back of her hand, chuckling playfully. Sam looked at my face carefully with a cold look in his eyes. He was suddenly taken aback by what he saw. I knew he had recognized me. I tried my best to blink at him, hinting crazily for him to save me, but he ignored me and even scoffed, "Who is this? I don't know her at all." The young man who had once disregarded Ruby now looked at her in a flattering and humble manner. "The bride is always the most beautiful woman at a wedding. Where did this ugly thing come from to have the courage to compare herself with you? She must be out of her mind. Ptui!" He spat cruelly right on my face. My heart sank as I was filled with despair. Chapter 4 Ruby let out a long, satisfied sigh. Her ego had been greatly fed today. My eyes turned red as I trembled. Back in high school, she used to make me her imaginary enemy, turning her group against me. However, their bullying had been limited to avoiding me and saying nasty things about me to everyone they knew, which did not affect me that much. I did not expect her to become even worse after finding out she would be marrying into the richest family in Lark City. My teeth almost broke from how furiously I was clenching my jaw, and I tightened my fists. Ruby Saunders! Now that I was going to become her mother-in-law, I could not let her bully me anymore, or I would be unworthy of the Henderson name. Her lackeys started to surround me. I knew that there were too many people against me. All I could do was listen carefully to whatever was happening outside the hall. Once a bodyguard passed by, I would immediately call for help. That was when Ruby suddenly crouched to the ground to pick up the shards of the smashed alcohol bottles. She played with the shards in her hand and pressed them onto my face hard. The shards sank deep into my cheek. "Argh!" Excitement appeared in her eyes when she heard me screaming, and she picked up another shard. Everyone started to heap praises on her. Some of them even applauded. "Chloe has always copied Ruby! This punishment is too lenient for her. And I can’t believe our Mrs. Milford is dealing out the punishment personally." "Be grateful. You won't be lucky enough to meet a rich wife like Ruby in the future, but it's different for us. We're Mrs. Milford's best friends!" "If you plan on copying Ruby again, just look at yourself in the mirror to ask if you're worthy enough! You should be grateful that she's willing to personally deal out your punishment. How can you glare at us?" Ruby was on cloud nine with everyone's enthusiastic bootlicking. I took the opportunity to use every ounce of strength I had left to announce my true identity. "I'm Connor Milford's mother. If he finds out how I was treated today, you'll all suffer the consequences!" They were busy trying to get on Ruby's good side because of how powerful Connor was. Connor controlled Lark City with a firm hand. He was the one who executed his parents' murderers swiftly and ruthlessly. They were part of a rival business. They were once the richest family in Lark City, but Connor destroyed them overnight. He created a storm in the business world. Anyone who knew of him would tremble at the mention of his name. Connor's personality mellowed a little after I taught him not to handle things so extremely. Otherwise, the women who tried to approach him over the years would not have had happy endings, and Ruby would never have had the chance to marry him. Everyone was taken aback by my words before they laughed even louder. "Have you been beaten silly, Chloe? How dare you claim to be his mother! I wouldn't even dare to dream of something so ridiculous." Ruby's expression turned cold as she figured I was just trying to taunt her. "How badly do you want to be my mother-in-law? Fine. We don't have many guests right now. Take her to my room! If she enjoys role-playing so much, I'll go along with her this time." Two of her lackeys came up to me. I had a bad feeling about this and quickly waved my hands hysterically to stop them. However, Ruby stepped on my mouth, grinding the bottom of her dirty shoe on it. "Open your mouth and lick it clean. Aren't you great at yelling? You should use that energy to apologize to me. I might let you go if you make me happy enough.” I shut my mouth tight as I shook my head in rejection, crying. This minor movement enraged Ruby. She screamed curses at me while choking me, and she slapped me dozens of times. I was already bleeding out of my nostrils, yet she was still not satisfied. Ruby picked up more empty shards to slash my naked body and left messy wounds on me with her long fingernails. "Sigh… You've dirtied my pretty nails when all I wanted was to teach you a simple lesson. You should’ve just apologized." She continued viciously as she accused me, "It's all because you were stupid enough to impersonate my mother-in-law. How can I tolerate you insulting my family? You deserve to be taught a good lesson. "Everyone knows how swift and ruthless my husband's foster mother is when it comes to making decisions. She's also a graduate of an Ivy League university. How can a cheap whore like you compare to a woman like that?" Someone started thinking about this and said, "Rumor has it that Connor Milford's foster mother is only three years older than he is. Could she really be…" Ruby interrupted the person with a sneer and pushed the glass shard in her hand into my mouth. "How is that possible? Shouldn’t I know what kind of person Chloe Henderson is? Being a cheap whore is in her DNA. "She was born this way, but has always been deluded into thinking she’s someone else. Why else would she copy me back in high school? She probably told people that she was the Saunders heiress rather than me!" She stuffed my mouth with a piece of my torn dress to stop me from calling for help. "This is the way things should be." Ruby sat prettily on the sofa while she watched the others kick me intermittently. She smiled happily at the sight. After a while, she got bored and picked up my phone, which I left at the side. She used my bloody fingers to unlock my phone. While going through my photographs, she found a picture of me with Connor. It enraged her, and she came running up to me to give me several hard kicks. "You vixen! I wondered what you were doing at my wedding. You're trying to seduce Connor because you're jealous of me marrying into a rich family!" She carefully picked out the sharpest piece of glass and started slicing my face with it. "You love to be slutty, don't you? Let's see how you’ll seduce men once your face turns to shreds." Ruby sliced up my face again and again. The sharp pain nearly reached my bones as my skin was cut up. I was about to suffocate from all the crying. All I could do was shake my head continuously as I begged her to let me go. Chapter 5 Ruby's besties were also commenting shrilly with malevolence. "That must be a photoshopped job. That vixen has gone crazy thinking about men!" "Who do you think you are to want Lark City's Connor Milford? Only someone as elegant and noble as Ruby is worthy of the Milfords. Have you gone crazy imitating her? Do you think you're good enough?!" Insults came flooding toward me, but I had no way of explaining myself as I was gagged. All I could do was grunt. However, they probably would not have listened even if I could speak. Ruby continued scrolling through my phone. She did not find any other information, aside from a few photographs I had taken with others. However, her anger did not subside. She glared at me savagely and looked like she was about to smash my phone. I tried to beg her through my gag as I crawled over to her with my hands frantically reaching out to her. Tears were about to flow from my eyes again. All Ruby did was burst out into a laugh. She ignored my begging and smashed the phone hard on the ground. She even went as far as to step viciously on it. "That's really good crawling you're doing. Keep going!" I could only watch as my phone was destroyed. It was already smashed to pieces, but Ruby still insisted on stepping on it crazily. It agitated me so much that I threw up blood, but the torn dress was still stuffed in my mouth as a gag, so I could only swallow it back down my throat. There was an important proposal on that phone that I had worked on while on the way to the wedding. With the phone smashed to pieces, the document might not be retrievable, even if the phone could be fixed. Moreover, the phone contained photographs with a childhood friend who had passed away. They were the last memories I had of him. He had put the phone together for me. It was the one thing he had left to me after death, and it was the only one of its kind in this world. Ruby got interested when she saw how much in despair I was. She kept flipping the pieces over to make sure every part of the phone was destroyed. She even went as far as to pour alcohol all over the pieces to soak them and ensure the phone could no longer be fixed or recovered. When she was finally happy with the results, she let out a long, happy sigh. "I'm just borrowing it for some fun. Here, you can have it back." She kicked the remaining pieces of the phone at me. My eyes were swollen from all the crying, but I still struggled to check if there was any chance of getting the phone fixed. My fingers trembled as I reached out to touch every piece carefully. The phone was as badly damaged as I was. I was drowning in pain and helplessness as I pressed the phone tight against my chest. I was in a lot of pain. My childhood friend had told me that the phone’s color was inspired by the sunset we watched together on the day he confessed to me. He had said its orange-pinkish color was just like my blushing face. The last of my memories I had of him were gone along with the man I loved most in this world… Ruby clicked her tongue. She looked delighted as she admired how pitiful I looked with a smile on her face. "Look at how swollen your cheeks are. You should stop crying, or you'll get disfigured. Don't say I didn't warn you." Someone poured her a drink while another massaged her hand. "You were incredible, Ruby. No wonder Connor Milford is mesmerized by you!" "Yeah! You taught that disrespectful vixen a lesson on Mr. Milford's mother's behalf before even officially marrying into the family. She'll be so proud of you." "Once you give the Milfords a big, fat baby boy, there will be no place for vixens like her to threaten your position." "We're going to get rich by sticking with Ruby!" Everyone did their best to fawn over her, and it cheered Ruby up tremendously. She gave everyone a big wave and promised to convince Milford Corporation to invest in their businesses. This got everyone going, and they stepped on me in excitement. "Don't worry, I won't forget about you. Since you love men so much, I'll introduce someone to you… Wait, no. One man might not be enough to satisfy you. Why don't I strip you naked and throw you to the beggars? You can seduce as many men as you want then!" Everyone laughed as they used me as the butt of their joke. Connor's voice finally came from outside the door as they were laughing. His strong, dignified voice sounded lighthearted as he asked, "What's the happy occasion here?" Chapter 6 Everyone immediately worked together to block Connor’s view of me as they stood in front of me frantically to greet him. "Hello, Mr. Milford!" Connor's expression cooled when he saw how messy the room looked. His curt words sent chills down everyone's spines. "What happened here? Why is it so messy?" Ruby was the first to snap out of it. She smiled coquettishly. "It's nothing. I was just having some fun with my friends." "Why is there someone lying down behind you?" I could not make any noise with the gag in my mouth. Ruby took the opportunity to make up stories to smear my name. "Oh, sweetie, that's just a slutty vixen. You have no idea how horrible she is. She's trying to seduce you by wearing a similar dress to mine! "Fortunately, my friends were here to protect me. Otherwise, she might’ve ended up replacing me in this wedding and marrying you." Tears filled her eyes as she leaned into Connor's arms coyly to get some comfort from him. Connor started to console his petite wife. His voice was filled with danger as he was prepared to execute anyone who had crossed her. "How did security allow a stranger to enter this place? Do they still want their jobs? How dare they allow such filth to dirty our wedding!" Ruby was satisfied with the outcome and wiped away her tears. "I'm fine now, sweetie. Don't be mad." She silently looked around to enjoy the envious gazes everyone was throwing at her. She would always parade her relationship around to satisfy her great ego. When her husband took her side, Ruby was even more confident that beating me up was the right move. After all, she had to fight off any potential love rivals, and I was the best candidate to be hung out to dry as a warning to other women. "All of my family members are here, baby. Come with me to meet my elders." Connor held Ruby's hand as he said, "By the way, my foster mother might be young, but she was the one who helped me behind the scenes with great advice when I was expanding my business. Everyone in my company respects her a lot. "She's part of the Henderson family. They have strict family rules and place great emphasis on etiquette. Make sure you don’t make any mistakes when you meet her." "Don't worry, sweetie. I just helped her teach someone who disrespected her a lesson. She will definitely love me." Ruby blinked at him innocently as she nodded her head in affirmation. As they were about to leave, I held back my pain to hit my head desperately against the table corner and was finally able to create some noise. Connor looked over at me. I was close to dying. Ruby stood in front of Connor coyly, and her cherry lips pouted. "She's the vixen who wanted to seduce you. You shouldn't even be looking at her. It would only disgust you." When Connor saw my disheveled clothes, he raised his hand to wave the bodyguards in with repulsion. "Get rid of anyone unimportant." As he brushed by me to leave, the phone that I was gripping tight in the palm of my hand fell next to his foot. He paused for a moment and stopped the bodyguard from dragging me out. He started questioning me sternly as rage filled his voice. "How did you get your hands on this phone?" I looked up at him. My face was covered with blood and bruises. I looked so horrible from my wounds that he could not recognize me at all. Connor instructed the bodyguard to remove my gag and continued questioning me about where my phone came from. I spat out the piece of glass that was covered in my blood and spit. The thin scab on the corner of my lips ruptured with this action, and a thin river of blood dripped all the way down to my chin. I looked up pitifully at Connor as I opened my mouth to call out to him hoarsely, "Connor…"