Overhearing Her Mother-in-Law’s Conversation, the Daughter-in-Law Decided to Teach Her Husband’s Family a Lesson
Alina met Nikolai at university. She was a delicate blonde with cornflower-blue eyes—boys always noticed her. Alina was the life of any gathering, a lively spirit, and simply beautiful. Nikolai was handsome too—tall, with black hair. But girls didn’t chase after him because he was quiet and reserved. Their friends used to joke: how could such a lively girl like Alina fall for someone so silent? But she paid them no mind—you can’t fool the heart.
Though Nikolai wasn’t showering her with compliments, he treated her with special tenderness and care. He was always there for her when she felt down, supported all her ideas, even the craziest ones. So, it came as no surprise to anyone when, after graduation, they got married.
Nikolai’s family was wealthy and quite conservative. They received Alina rather coolly. Nikolai’s mother, Viktoria Pavlovna, was a commanding woman with aristocratic manners. She made no effort to hide her skepticism about her son’s choice.
— «Vika, why are you so negative toward her?» — Nikolai’s father, Viktor Andreevich, once tried to reason with her. — «She’s a good girl. And she loves our Kolya sincerely.»
— «Good girl? How did she even get into an elite university? She’s a provincial girl, just a plain country bumpkin! She’ll never fit into our society,» — Viktoria Pavlovna replied.
Despite this, Alina tried her best to please her husband’s relatives. Whatever Viktoria Pavlovna asked for, Alina was quick to help. She even tried learning bridge, her mother-in-law’s favorite game.
But Viktoria Pavlovna remained displeased. She constantly found faults—Alina’s skirt was too short, her makeup too bright. Her style was «too provincial.» Her laugh was too loud. And it wasn’t just Viktoria Pavlovna. Among Nikolai’s relatives, only his father treated Alina kindly.
Nikolai, seeing how hurt Alina was, tried to comfort her.
— «Don’t pay attention, my mom has always been like this,» — he’d say, hugging her. — «But I love you very much.»
And Alina believed him. She hoped that in time, the family would warm up to her.
Three years passed. During this time, Alina and Nikolai had a beautiful daughter, whom they named Masha. One would think the arrival of a granddaughter would soften Viktoria Pavlovna’s heart—but it didn’t. Alina blossomed as a mother, pouring her heart into raising Masha, who adored her in return, greeting her at the door with pure joy. But Viktoria Pavlovna criticized her yet again, claiming Alina was failing to develop the child properly.
One day, during a visit, Alina and Masha were building a tower out of blocks, laughing joyfully, when Viktoria Pavlovna entered the room.
— «Is this all you do all day?» — she asked sarcastically, peering over her glasses. — «Just playing?»
Alina froze, not knowing what to say.
— «Masha is a big girl now,» — continued Viktoria Pavlovna. — «She needs intellectual development, logical thinking! Blocks are fine, but where are the educational flashcards? The puzzles? You don’t want her to grow up slow, do you?»
— «Viktoria Pavlovna, she’s still little, just a child. Children need to play,» — Alina replied quietly.
— «She just doesn’t want to put in any effort!» — snapped Viktoria Pavlovna. — «At her age, I was already reciting poems and doing arithmetic!»
At another family dinner, Viktoria Pavlovna once again criticized Alina’s parenting.
— «Nikolai, you should spend more time with your child,» — she said, ignoring Alina completely. — «Teach her something useful, show her educational films. Otherwise, she’ll turn out just like her mother,» — she muttered under her breath, but Alina heard her clearly.
— «Mom!» — Nikolai finally snapped. — «Enough! You know perfectly well that Alina is a wonderful mother! Stop comparing her to yourself!»
Viktoria Pavlovna was shocked by her usually reserved son’s outburst and went silent, folding her arms in disapproval.
Later, when Nikolai left on a business trip, Alina decided to visit Viktoria Pavlovna with little Masha. Approaching the house, she noticed Viktoria’s car parked outside. As she got closer, she realized her mother-in-law was talking to someone inside the car. Alina wasn’t intending to eavesdrop, but what she heard rooted her to the spot.
— «Can you believe it? She didn’t even think to buy a new dress for the designer’s visit!» — Viktoria Pavlovna was ranting. — «Said she already had enough clothes! And don’t even get me started on the nursery—still can’t pick a wallpaper color! She has no idea how to raise a child. Complete disaster!»
— «Yeah, Vika,» — sighed Viktoria’s sister, Irina Pavlovna. — «Remember how she showed up at your birthday in that… what was it, a sundress? She made it herself! Imagine that—sewed it herself instead of buying something proper. How she bewitched Kolya, I’ll never know!»
Viktoria Pavlovna nodded.
— «And remember how she didn’t even properly unwrap our gift for Masha?» — continued Irina Pavlovna indignantly. — «Said Masha was too young for expensive things. What nonsense! As if we’d give our granddaughter something bad!»
Alina stood frozen, heartbroken. Three years of trying, and this was what they thought of her? Only contempt and ridicule. No, she wouldn’t stand for it any longer.
Gripping Masha’s hand tightly, she turned away.
— «Mommy, aren’t we going to Grandma’s?» — asked Masha in confusion.
— «No, sweetie. Grandma’s busy. Let’s go get some ice cream,» — Alina replied, struggling to keep her voice steady. Enough! she thought. I’ll show them what I’m capable of!
That night, after putting Masha to bed, Alina opened her laptop.
— «Let’s see… modeling agencies…»
Her friends at university always praised her looks—her height, figure, and long blond hair. Even after giving birth, she quickly regained her shape. She sent her photos to several agencies. The first few replies were rejections, cooling her enthusiasm a bit. Maybe I’m overestimating myself? she thought sadly.
But the next morning, Glamour Agency called. She passed the casting and was offered a contract.
Later, at a family gathering, Alina proudly showed off her photos. Viktoria Pavlovna, adjusting her glasses, stared in disbelief.
— «What… what is this?» — she stammered, barely recognizing her daughter-in-law as a glamorous model.
— «That’s me,» — Alina said calmly. — «I’m working as a model now. I’ll be featured in magazines and shows.»
— «A model? That’s… indecent! What will Nikolai say?»
— «He’s fine with it,» — Alina shrugged. — «I’m an adult. I make my own decisions. And the pay is good.»
Viktoria Pavlovna sat in stunned silence. She had always thought of Alina as a naive simpleton—yet here she was, transformed.
Inspired by her success, Alina didn’t stop there. She had always loved sewing. As a child, she made clothes for her dolls, then for herself. Now, she decided to create her own designs. Soon, her dresses started appearing in fashion magazines.
One day, while flipping through a new issue, Viktoria Pavlovna spotted a stunning dress she considered ordering for herself—until she saw the designer’s name: Alina Vorontsova.
— «Unbelievable!» — she cried, slamming the magazine shut.
It seemed her daughter-in-law wasn’t so simple after all.
