The name Shen Tucker, malaysian Indian, never meant anything in his own home. To his family, he was invisible, a shadow eclipsed by the brilliance of his younger brother, Zac.
No praise.
No warmth.
No love.
They doted on Zac like he was the crown prince of the Tucker lineage, while Shen was little more than a scapegoat. Whenever Zac failed, Shen was blamed. When Shen succeeded, he was ignored. Even when he earned ten scholarships from prestigious private universities across ten countries, not a single soul in his family clapped, congratulated, or even looked his way.
Instead, when Zac was accepted into an average, third-rate college, the family threw a celebration as if he'd been crowned king.
"Tch... Enough."
At seventeen, Shen made his choice.
"I'm done chasing acceptance. I'll live for myself."
Those were his last words to the Tucker family.
With the help of mentors, brilliant, powerful men and women who saw his untapped potential, Shen shed his old name and chose a new one.
Goddem
A symbol. A warning. A rebirth.
By age 19, Shen Goddem had already graduated at the top of every university he attended.
By 21, he was fast-tracked through military and naval academies.
By 23, he was feared across the underworld for dismantling crime syndicates with precision and ruthlessness.
And by 25, he had built an empire from nothing, a black glass skyscraper in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the crown jewel of his multinational firm:
B.D.G. — The Black Dragon Group
The richest, most powerful investing and trading firm in Malaysia, and soon, the world.
But Shen didn't seek fame. He wanted something far rarer: peace.
A quiet life. Maybe even love.
So he dated.
He dressed in plain clothes, blending into crowds to escape the shackles of his wealth.
Yet every woman saw only his money. Not a single one looked into him.
Just when he was ready to abandon the charade, to go off-grid for good, his phone rang.
The name on the screen made his blood boil.
Hana Tucker
His mother.
He blocked it.
Another call. Different number. Same voice.
"Tch… Even after all these years, you still cling like parasites," he muttered.
He answered.
"Shen…?"
The voice trembled with desperation.
He scoffed. "The hell do you want, failure of a mother?"
"I… we need your help…"
"Give me one good reason."
"Zac... he's in jail. And you're the only one capable of inheriting the family. The woman Zac was supposed to marry... the Monroe girl..."
He burst out laughing.
"Puhahahaha…! Zac? In jail?! That clown? That's rich! I should send him a fruit basket for finally living up to my expectations."
"You don't understand—Ryona…"
His laughter stopped cold.
His gaze narrowed.
"...What about Ryona?"
His voice dipped into something darker.
"Ryona Monroe. Twenty-four. Beautiful. Japanese-american. Raised in Louisiana after moving from here…" Hana began. Her voice was filled with caution, knowing she had triggered something volatile in Shen.
Ryona. His childhood friend. With a southern belle accent and charm. His only ally back then. The girl who stood by him when no one else did.
Together they had dominated the junior karate circuit, five-time champions before Shen turned nine.
His expression changed.
"Meeting. I'll Send the location on a private number."
An hour later, Hana Tucker arrived at the Black Dragon headquarters. Intimidated by the sheer scale and power emanating from the black-glass monolith, she hesitated.
A striking woman with a confident walk greeted her in the lavish lobby. She was tall, curvy, and carried herself with the grace of a panther.
"Greetings, Mrs. Tucker. I presume you are the boss's mother?" the woman asked.
"And you are…?"
"Xin Yin Jin. Age 36. Executive secretary to Mr. Goddem."
Hana scoffed, flipping her hair. "I bet you got here with looks alone."
Xin adjusted her glasses with a calm smirk, tapping her tablet. "I've been called worse. But I'm also the one arranging dinner next month for the Queen of London with Mr. Goddem, so you'll forgive me if I don't bite."
She led Hana to a packed elevator.
"There's no executive lift?" Hana asked, annoyed.
"Mr. Goddem treats all employees equally," Xin replied dryly. "Unlike some people."
Hana grit her teeth. The mockery wasn't subtle.
Thirty minutes later, the elevator dinged to the top floor. Hana stepped into a sprawling office with a panoramic view of the city.
Shen stood there, tall, sharp, and cold, in a tailored black-on-black custom suit. His back to her.
"Sit."
She obeyed without thinking.
He turned.
"How are y—"
"Save the pity," he cut her off.
"Ryona. Now."
Hana swallowed her pride and began explaining.
The Tucker estate was collapsing. The family had arranged for Zac to marry Ryona Monroe to consolidate wealth and status. But now Zac was in prison for embezzlement and fraud.
"So now you want me to marry her in his place?"
Hana nodded slowly.
"It wasn't my decision. It was your grandmother's."
Shen chuckled bitterly. "Of course. That hag always loved Zac more. Remember when I was five and she brought that fortune-seeker? Said one of us would rise, one would fall, but it depended on the family's nurturing?"
He looked his mother in the eyes.
"Well... You chose. And now the one you picked rots in jail, while the one you threw away stands above you."
Shen turned to the skyline, the city lights reflecting in his obsidian eyes. His voice softened, but only slightly.
"I'll meet Ryona."
He didn't say more.
And he didn't need to.
Because now, The CEO Son In Law had been chosen.
And this time, Shen Goddem would write the terms.
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Chapter 1 — End.