Chapter 1

I was the fake heir. When the real one was found, he was thin and dark. My parents felt so bad for him they immediately offered compensation.

But he said,

"I'm their biological son. If you're going to compensate, just give me the company!"

My whole family tried to persuade me:

"You're not their real son after all. It's time to give him back his place."

I smiled, nodded, and handed everything over.

The very next day, the company's biggest client, the core technical team, and all channel partners announced they would *only* work with me personally.

My parents panicked, rushing over to beg me.

I crossed my arms.

"Tell that real heir to come beg me, the 'employee,' to come back."

When Justin was found, he stood in the living room, looking timid.

At that moment, I had just finalized a major deal with MC.

On the way home, my assistant, Liam, had told me the family's biological son had been found.

My heart hammered, then settled. *They found him? Good, we'll raise him well. We've got plenty of money.*

But I never expected that when the real heir saw me, the timidity in his eyes would suddenly morph into raw jealousy.

"I'll come back, but he's taken my place for so long, it's time he gave it back!"

"I don't want anything else, just the company!"

I just laughed.

"I've managed the family business for ten years. Are you sure you can handle it?"

My dismissive tone was too obvious. He flushed with anger, his voice rising.

"I can learn! If I'd grown up here, I wouldn't be any worse than you!"

My relatives also tried to persuade me.

"Alex, just give it to him. He's the real son after all!"

I looked at my parents. My dad, Robert, spoke with difficulty.

"Alex, we owe him. Justin has had a really tough life these past years."

My mom, Sarah, was hugging Justin, weeping.

"Those damn kidnappers sold him to some village! If we hadn't found him, Justin might have been lost forever..."

"Alex, just agree. Mom won't treat you badly!"

Watching them, I smiled.

"Alright!"

I agreed. I'd hand everything over to them.

I had thought that even if the family's biological son returned, I'd continue to be myself. I never intended to fight him for anything.

I even felt sorry for him and bought him gifts.

But I never expected to face this situation upon his return.

Compensation, huh? Fine, I don't want any of it.

Right then and there, I had Liam draft the handover documents. I signed everything over to Justin.

Justin practically vibrated with excitement, clutching the company papers, then throwing himself into Mom's arms.

I took a deep breath.

"It's all done. If there's nothing else, I'm heading upstairs to rest."

Mom finally looked up.

"Justin just got back. We should all have dinner together, as a family!"

"I'm tired. I don't feel like eating."

"Are you saying you don't want to see me, Alex? I just got back, and you're already treating me like this!"

Justin's eyes were red as he stared at me.

Mom looked annoyed.

"Alex! How can you be so insensitive!"

I said calmly,

"I just got back from a twenty-hour flight. I'm pretty exhausted. And I haven't adjusted to the jet lag yet."

Hearing that, she finally remembered I was indeed just back from a business trip.

Seeing my bloodshot eyes, she looked a little awkward.

I ignored the sounds downstairs and went straight up.

But the family group chat on SnapChat kept buzzing with new messages.

I showered and glanced at my phone, a cold laugh bubbling up inside me.

"Justin's back! When is Alex throwing a party? This is huge for our family!"

"Yeah, it should be a big one! And they can announce the company news at the same time. Oh, by the way, Alex shouldn't be living at home anymore, right? And what about his engagement? Should that be reconsidered too?"

I didn't care about the others taking cheap shots, but that last message, I couldn't ignore it.

I wasn't the family heir anymore, so what would Victoria's stance be?

The group chat kept refreshing, endlessly. I found it boring and just left the chat.

According to them, I wasn't family anymore, so I had no place in the group. I left on my own, saving them the trouble.

But I still needed to clarify things with Victoria.

The next morning, Justin went out with Mom and Dad. I packed a few clothes, planning to move into my own place.