If there is one person in this world I truly despise, it is my brother-in-law (40M, let’s call him “Steve”). Steve married my elder sister (36F) five years ago.
Steve is the quintessential “all-talk-no-action” Singaporean hao lian (boastful) guy. He drives a leased second-hand Audi, wears fake Rolex watches he buys from Bangkok, wears branded polo shirts with huge logos, and constantly brags during family dinners about his “multi-million dollar crypto investments,” “venture capital connections,” and “upcoming property flipping projects.”
To the rest of the extended family—my parents, aunts, and uncles—Steve is seen as the successful, generous son-in-law. Why? Because during Chinese New Year or family birthdays at fancy restaurants, Steve will loudly wave his hand, grab the bill from the waiter, and yell: “Everyone put your wallets away! Dinner tonight is on me! Small money only!”
Here’s the dirty secret that nobody else in the family knows: Steve is utterly broke, and I have been secretly financing his fake lavish lifestyle for the last 3 years.
It started small in 2023. Steve texted me privately on WhatsApp: “Bro, my crypto funds are locked in cold storage verification for 3 days. Can lend me $1,500 cash first to clear some urgent supplier invoice? Will pay you back on Monday with 10% interest.”
Being family, I PayNowed him $1,500. Monday came and went—no money. When I chased him, he gave a long winded story about banking delays.
Then came the second time: “Bro, urgent! My Audi road tax due today, my credit card limit hit max. Lend me $3,000 first, my client paying me $20k cheque this Friday.”
Then the third time, fourth time, fifth time…
- “Bro, need $4,000 to cover my daughter’s international school fees.”
- “Bro, lend $2,500 to pay monthly condo maintenance, if not management seal my gantry card.”
- “Bro, lend $1,800 fast, I need to pay for tonight’s family dinner bill first, my primary card got declined!”
Whenever I hesitated or threatened to refuse, he would play the emotional manipulation card: “Bro, if I lose face in front of your sister and your parents, your sister will cry. You want your sister to suffer meh? We are brothers, help each other out lah!”
Over the past 36 months, through endless small transfers ranging from $500 to $5,000, Steve has accumulated a total unpaid debt to me of $43,500. I have every single WhatsApp record and PayNow receipt saved.
The breaking point happened last Sunday during my mother’s 60th birthday dinner at a seafood restaurant.
The bill came up to $1,200. Steve stood up as usual, patted his chest arrogantly, slapped a credit card down, and announced loudly to all my relatives: “Ma! Happy 60th Birthday! Tonight I treat! $1.2k is nothing, as long as Ma is happy! Ah Seng (me) works a regular office job, salary small, so no need to let him pay!”
My relatives all clapped, praising Steve: “Wah, Steve is so filial! So rich! Your sister really found a good husband!”
Ten minutes later, while everyone was walking out to the carpark, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a private WhatsApp text from Steve: “Bro, my credit card got declined just now, so I secretly paid using your supplementary card that you gave me last time. Help me cover this $1.2k dinner bill first can? Next month I return you all $44k altogether, promise!”
I literally saw red. The sheer audacity of this man boasting in front of my entire family that he is treating my mother, while secretly charging the bill to MY card!
I walked straight back to the carpark where all my relatives were standing around his Audi, pulled out my phone, connected to a portable Bluetooth speaker, and opened our WhatsApp chat history.
I shouted loudly: “EH STEVE! You brag so much about treating my mom to a $1,200 dinner, but why did you just charge it to my credit card again? And when are you going to return the $43,500 you borrowed from me over the last 3 years?!”
The entire carpark went dead silent. My sister gasped, my mother almost fainted, and my relatives stared at Steve in total shock.
Steve’s face turned completely purple. He tried to laugh it off: “Haha bro, why you make joke like that in public…”
I immediately held up my phone screen showing the Excel sheet of 32 PayNow transaction records, complete with his name, dates, and amounts, and broadcasted his desperate begging voice notes over the speaker.
He scrambled into his Audi, locked the doors, and sped off, leaving my sister standing there crying in embarrassment.
Now my sister is mad at me for “humiliating her husband in public,” but my parents finally see Steve for the fraud he is. I am filing a formal claim with the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) and pursuing legal action for the remaining debt. To anyone dealing with a freeloading hao lian in-law: DO NOT lend them a single cent. Expose them publicly before they bleed you completely dry!