Chapter 1

Tags: Disowned Heir Revenge, Cheating Wife, Birthday Banquet Twist, Billionaire Comeback

For decades, everyone bowed and called me Mr. Hayes. Overnight, I was branded a fake heir.

Exhausted, I dragged myself home, only to find my wife, Chloe, blocking the doorway. She hurled divorce papers right into my face.

Disgust dripped from every line of her face.

"Sign it."

"I can't believe I wasted so many years sleeping next to a fake. It makes me sick to my stomach just looking at you."

Even my five-year-old son, Leo, spat directly onto my cheek.

"Get out of our house, you filthy beggar!"

Chloe didn't scold him. Instead, she scooped him into her arms, beaming, and planted a proud kiss on his cheek.

"Good boy, Leo."

A second later, Carter Hayes walked out of the master bedroom wearing my silk bathrobe. He slipped an arm around Chloe’s waist with utter casualness. Carter was my cousin—the "real" heir who had spent years fighting me for the family crown.

"Well, well. Julian, isn't it? Guess I can't call you Mr. Hayes anymore."

"Tell you what, if you can’t find a job, I don't mind letting you clean the toilets at Hayes Enterprises. Out of old courtesy, I might even throw you a couple extra bucks an hour."

Chloe leaned up and dutifully kissed his cheek, casting a mocking, venomous glare in my direction.

In my pocket, my phone buzzed with an encrypted text.

*“Boss, the acquisition of Hayes Enterprises is complete.”*

I locked the screen, looked at the toxic pair standing in front of me, and smiled faintly.

"Sure."

My calm response caught them off guard.

Chloe’s perfectly manicured brows knitted together.

"What's with the act, Julian?"

"You're an imposter who stole twenty years of someone else's life. Do you still think you're somebody?"

Carter scoffed, pecking her lips right in front of me.

"Leave him alone, babe. Don't waste your breath on a useless bum."

Chloe giggled, pressing her body against him, her eyes dripping with malice as she glared at me.

"Pack your trash and get out of here right now."

She pointed a finger toward the front door.

"This mansion was put under my name, remember? It has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Your Porsche Panamera was transferred to me last month."

"And all the money you gave me over the years? Legally considered my separate pre-marital property now."

"You have nothing. Not a single cent."

Carter waved his hand dismissively, clearly annoyed by my presence.

"What are you standing there for, Julian? Waiting to watch us put on a show in bed?"

Chloe let out a high-pitched laugh, lightly punching Carter’s chest.

"Stop it, you're so bad."

Carter’s grin turned wicked and arrogant.

"I really should thank you for working so hard for me all these years."

"If you hadn't trusted Chloe with everything, handing over all those corporate secrets and sealed bids on a silver platter, how do you think I won every single board vote and took the throne?"

My head snapped up to stare at them.

So that was it.

All these years, Carter and I fought tooth and nail in the boardroom. Every single time, at the most critical turning point, my plans were exposed.

I thought it was bad luck. I thought I had made a miscalculation.

The whole time, the woman sleeping beside me was an insider planted by my worst enemy.

I turned my bloodshot eyes toward Chloe.

My hands clenched so hard that my fingernails cut into my palms, drawing blood. My voice cracked.

"Why?"

"Why would you do this to me?!"

Chloe didn't even flinch. Her tone was casual, laced with cold pity.

"Because Carter is the love of my life."

"Julian, did you honestly believe a girl like me could ever love a phony like you?"

"Getting close to you was Carter's plan from day one."

"You were so stupid. A few sweet words, and you handed over your entire world."

A sharp, suffocating pain tore through my chest, cutting off my breath.

Right then, something hard and sharp smashed against my forehead.

Pain flared, black spots dancing in my vision as I stumbled back two steps.

"Bad guy! Don't you dare yell at Mommy! Get out of our house!"

I blinked back the blurriness to see a small silhouette. It was Leo.

He held another toy in his hand, chest puffed out, glaring at me like I was his worst enemy.

My throat tightened with bitter sorrow. "Leo... I'm your dad."

Leo raised his arm, ready to throw the second toy.

Chloe caught his wrist with a smile.

"You're not my dad!"

The boy screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You're a loser! Carter is my real dad! He's going to buy me all the toys in the world!"

I looked down at the toy Leo had thrown at me.

It was a limited-edition collector’s Lego set. I had flown halfway across the globe to win it at a private auction just to see him smile on Christmas.

Chloe pulled Leo into her arms, grinning victoriously.

"Did you hear that, Julian? Everyone hates you. You're nothing but a pathetic failure!"

"Sign the damn papers and disappear!"

"Don't kill our vibe. Carter and I have a bottle of champagne waiting."

Looking at the boy—the child I thought was my only flesh and blood in this world—now weaponized into a little monster who hated my guts...

A wave of pure, destructive fury surged inside me, ready to tear this house apart.

No. I couldn't lose it now.

A cheap explosion wouldn't hurt them. I wanted them to lose everything until they were crawling in the dirt.

I took a few slow, deep breaths until my eyes went dead cold.

I walked over, picked up the divorce papers from the floor, and didn't even bother reading the clauses.

I flipped straight to the last page and scribbled my signature.

*Julian Vance.*