Chapter 1

The Fullerton family, which has dominated the business world for a century, abides by the rule that the strong prevail and the weak are eliminated. Thus, as the adopted son, I've spent 26 years clawing my way to the top.

But during the succession ceremony, Dad takes Simon Fullerton, his biological son, by the hand. He declares, "Simon will become the rightful heir of the Fullerton family!"

In that instant, every high-society guest in the banquet hall turns to look at me. After all, it is no secret that I gave my all to prove I could inherit the family business.

I adhere to a brutal, cutthroat education regime from the very beginning. Simon gets suspended for getting into fights and acting out, while I skip grades and breeze straight through a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate at a top university.

Having been given 50,000 dollars to start a business, Simon gambles his way into one million dollars of debt, while I exceed my business targets. He ends up going bankrupt and liquidating his company, while I expand mine into overseas markets, driving its market value well past ten million dollars.

I believe I have earned the title of being the strongest between the two and become the one to inherit the family business. I even look at Simon—a hopeless piece of work—and shake my head.

Dad, however, stands firm in picking Simon over me.

I bite my tongue lightly as I look at Simon's taunting grin, the metallic taste of blood snapping me right out of it. I suddenly realize that I have spent 26 years proving myself for nothing. Dad will still choose Simon to inherit the family business, no matter how impressive my achievement is.

I sneer inwardly, thinking that since they want to play dirty, they'd better not blame me for not showing them any mercy.

Chapter 1

"Do you see how pathetic he looks? Does he really think he's some kind of big shot?" said Marcus Lund, the heir of the Lund family. He swaggered over with two women by his side, looking completely pleased with himself.

"I guess I shouldn't address you in such a respectful manner now, huh? What am I supposed to call you now?"

I held my wine glass, barely sparing him a glance. "Who are you again?"

Marcus bellowed, "Why, you! You're getting kicked out any minute now! Who are you trying to act all high-and-mighty for?"

I looked at his distorted expression and suddenly recalled who he was. He had been the one kneeling outside my office the previous night, groveling and begging me to choose the Lund family for a partnership.

I rejected them outright then, thinking that the Lund family was too insignificant for me to bother with, yet now he actually had the nerve to push me around. It turned out Marcus really knew how to hold a grudge.

I let out a sigh, thinking that it wasn't worth wasting my time on a nobody like him. I was certain that Simon Fullerton, my adoptive brother, had orchestrated this.

I had seen enough of the father-and-son performance, so there was no point staying any longer. It was honestly a disappointing outcome.

I ignored Marcus, turned on my heel, and walked off.

"Hold it right there, Daniel! You're just going to leave? It seems like the once-untouchable Mr. Daniel can only tuck his tail and run away pathetically now!" Marcus blocked my path with a nasty grin on his face.

"Didn't that worthless company of yours make more than ten million dollars, Daniel? You might as well just hand it over to me. You're getting kicked out of the Fullerton family, after all. You see, I might just throw you a bone if you bring me something good to curry favor right now—like being my personal pet."

In that instant, the man beside him chimed in. "You only made ten million dollars? That's peanuts to the Fullerton family! Mr. Simon's allowance alone is worth more than that!

"Do you actually want someone like him by your side, Marcus? You've got a pretty weird taste! I wouldn't want him even if someone paid me!"

I then heard the chatter of a few women on the right carrying over.

I noticed one of the women rolling her eyes. "If I knew he was going to end up a nobody, I wouldn't have busted my ass working for him back then. I genuinely thought he was going to take over the company."

The woman beside her sneered. "You can only blame yourself for backing the wrong heir."

That woman shot me a displeased look and said, "I know, right? I'm off to find Mr. Simon right now to see if he's recruiting."

It was then that Peter Jacobson, one of the businessmen present at the scene, walked over with a champagne flute in hand, swaying slightly and smelling strongly of liquor. He raised the glass at me, then casually poured the champagne onto the floor by my feet.

I looked at my stained pant leg in distaste, feeling completely disgusted.

Mr. Jacobson flashed me a malicious smirk. "Oops! I didn't mean to spill it! You should know that the banquet organized by the Fullerton family isn't an event any riffraff can waltz into.

"You don't have to be discouraged, though, Daniel. You're so capable, so you can just hit up some random company and maybe make a comeback someday…"

He glanced at the people around him and deliberately left his sentence unfinished, prompting them to burst out laughing.

He turned around and clinked glasses with the crowd. "Do you really think an adopted son can establish a company worth tens of millions of dollars? He probably used his own money to inflate the numbers and make himself look good! His profits are so trash they wouldn't even cover the act.

"He might have already lost everything he had. He should honestly worry about whether he can even leave this room unscathed."

Those around broke into mocking laughter right in front of me again.

I stood there without any change in expression. "Get out of my way."

"Why are you in such a hurry, Mr. Daniel? Mr. Simon still has something to discuss with you."

They immediately swarmed around me.

Simon finally made his way down the stage, prompting the crowd to clear a way for him as they turned their attention to him. He sauntered across the room, his leather shoes clicking against the marble floor and making everyone tense.

He stopped in front of me and looked down, his gaze looking as cold as ever.

Then, he finally spoke up. He wasn't loud, yet the whole hall turned silent in a second from its earlier commotion.

"You should be eliminated, stripped of your status in the Fullerton family, subjected to our ultimate family law, and dumped into the black market to survive on your own, Daniel."

He raised his hand and placed it on my shoulder. He pressed his thumb down, digging deeper and deeper until it felt like he was crushing my bone. "You and I have been brothers for so many years, so I can't bring myself to watch you live on the streets, Daniel."

He withdrew his hand and took a step back, smiling as he looked at me. He acted as if he were doing me a favor. His mocking gaze lazily swept from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes, finally settling on my eyes. "You should just stick with me from here on out and do as you're told, Daniel."

Chapter 2

Those around fell silent for a brief moment before bursting out laughing.

"He'll make a fine lackey!"

"Congratulations on hitting two birds with one stone today, Mr. Simon!"

"Daniel should consider himself lucky to be able to follow Mr. Simon around as his lackey!"

They clinked their champagne flutes as waves of laughter rang out from every direction.

I looked at Simon amid the crowd, watching his arrogant display with a cold expression. I gradually looked at him with amusement instead of killing intent, smiling faintly.

Simon was essentially rushing toward his own death by keeping me next to him in the Fullerton family.

"I've already gotten Dad's approval. If you dare go against me, you're done for. Got that, Daniel?"

Simon threatened before he turned toward the crowd and took out a few checks. "I have a few checks here—and whoever snatches one gets one million dollars to celebrate my appointment as the heir of the Fullerton family!"

"Hurrah for Mr. Simon!"

…

The following morning at the Fullerton residence, Stella Fullerton, my adoptive sister, moved from her usual seat beside me to the one across the table.

She picked up her glass of milk and used that same sweet, whiny tone she always used with me. "You should stay away from me from now on, Daniel. I wouldn't want you dragging my reputation down."

"You'll never amount to anything as the adopted son. You should just do your part if you want to stay with the Fullerton family," Dad said as he turned a newspaper page, letting out a cold grunt without raising his head.

He eventually set the paper aside, stood up, pushed back his plates, and turned on his heel.

I looked at Stella, who was normally the picture of obedience. "What's this about, Stella?"

Stella rolled her eyes. "What are you looking at? I've always been like this. I just misjudged you back then, but now I see you're not even worth my time. I'm on Simon's side now."

"Got it."

I smiled wryly and took a bite of my oatmeal, finding it lukewarm as I felt the coldness emanating from the ceramic bowl. In the entire Fullerton family, a place where everyone devoured each other, Stella was the only one who always clung to me and had my back growing up.

I had sincerely regarded her as my own sister and protected her. I had never imagined that she had been pretending for 26 years as well.

I had originally intended to spare her, but now, it looked like every member of the Fullerton family would have to pay for what they did to me.

Simon sent me a message. "Go to the living room in half an hour."

I turned off my phone and slipped it back into my pocket. I then finished the last bit of my oatmeal, wiped my mouth, and rose from my seat.

There were a bunch of people sitting around the living room. Simon reclined lazily on the main couch, resting both of his feet on the coffee table. He cocked his chin at me and said, "You're finally here. Go stand over there."

I glanced at him, then did as he said and went over.

Stella walked out from the dining room and settled herself onto the couch Simon was sitting on. "You should have seen him at breakfast earlier, Simon. He didn't even dare to speak up in front of Dad."

Henry Guthrie, the heir of the Guthrie family, took a drag of his cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke. "You were just following right at Daniel's heels, calling out to him sweetly just days ago, right, Stella?"

"I'm sorry for not knowing any better back then, Simon…"

Simon patted Stella's head affectionately, his gesture no different from teasing a cat.

Stella loved the attention and threw her head back proudly. She had the same look as back when she used to stand up for me, but now she was against me. "I'm the heiress of the Fullerton family, Henry. Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?"

"Got it, Ms. Fullerton. That's what I get for liking you."

Stella sat with her legs crossed, scanning the room before fixing her eyes on a young woman in an apricot-colored dress. She then leaned toward her and patted her on the shoulder. "Didn't you say you liked Daniel before this, Nina?"

Nina looked embarrassed for a split second before brushing it off with a look of pure scorn. She sneered slightly and asked, "Who told you that?"

Stella turned to Simon and smiled sweetly. "Why not let Nina have Daniel, Simon?"

Simon smacked his own thigh, shifted into a more upright position, and jerked his head toward me. "Daniel!"

I raised my head and looked at him.

Simon asked, "How about we set up an arranged marriage for you and Nina? You'd still be marrying way up given your current state!"

I furrowed my brow, intending to refuse. After all, Nina couldn't afford to cross the group of people standing behind me.

Nina stood up before I could say anything, walking over to me with a look of disgust on her face. She then asked with a smile, "Who would want to be with someone like you?"

That smile threw me off for a second. She had pursued me passionately for two years, constantly bringing me white roses with "I like you, Daniel" written on every card.

I came back to my senses, finding only indifference in her eyes.

"I only cared about you back then because I thought you were worthy of being the heir of the Fullerton family. You should just drop your high and mighty act now, Daniel. Did you really think I'd pursue you my whole life?"

Nina then turned to Simon and said, "You should just hand him over to someone else, Simon. I absolutely have no interest in trash like Daniel."

Simon leaned back on the couch and flashed me a mocking look. "Did you hear that, Daniel? She's not interested in you, so we'll leave it at that for now."

I watched them put on their act, feeling completely unmoved. It was then that my phone buzzed twice in my pocket. I took it out and looked at the message.

"Here's the list of companies applying for business partnerships with us. Please review them, Mr. Quinlan."

Chapter 3

On the third day of Simon's takeover of Fullerton Group, a massive business opportunity appeared out of nowhere.

Q Holdings—the mysterious conglomerate from overseas—offered a cooperation deal valued at 300 million dollars.

Simon came rushing out of the office with his phone in hand, looking overjoyed. "It's that exact conglomerate, Dad! I actually landed us that 300-million-dollar project! I'll do my best and bring Fullerton Group to greater heights!"

Mom had tears in her eyes. "I knew you had it in you, Simon. What good did that adopted son do by working so hard for 26 years? You pulled it off in just three days!"

Simon tossed the documents onto the coffee table, causing the papers to scatter everywhere. He then collapsed onto the couch, crossed his legs, and tilted his chin toward me.

"Get over here, Daniel."

"You'd better watch your tone, Simon," I said as I rose from the chair by the window and walked toward him.

Simon was probably in a good mood, seeing as he was being unusually nice toward me. He lightly kicked the edge of the coffee table and said, "Do you see that, Daniel? Q Holdings is coming to me for a 300-million-dollar deal!"

I lowered my head and glanced over the documents spread open in front of me. I noticed the "D" initial on the bottom right corner of the signature line, gleaming slightly under the overhead lights.

Stella held her phone right in front of me, showing me the social media post on her feed that had nearly a hundred likes already. "Did you see that? What good did all your years of striving do, Daniel? Simon eventually bagged the massive deal!

"Mom was totally right. Simon and I are the ones who belong here, while you're nothing but an outsider greedily eyeing the Fullerton family's fortune. How greedy can you be, Daniel?"

I kept my gaze lowered.

Simon wiped the grin off his face and pushed the documents over to me. "You can handle this project, right, Daniel?"

Stella furrowed her brow. "Simon—"

"You'd better stay out of this, Stella," Simon said, cutting her off.

He then nudged my shin with his foot and continued, "You're supposed to be very capable, right? Didn't you transform that worthless company into something worth tens of millions of dollars? If even the lackey I raise has such ability, it means I must have done a great job raising it.

"You have three days to bring me a complete proposal, Daniel."

He paused for a moment, leaned closer, and hissed, "If you screw it up, I'll strip you down, kick you out of the Fullerton residence, and drag you through the streets for everyone to stare at, Daniel."

Simon's threat was piercing and ruthless.

Stella put her phone away and sank back into the couch, leaving absolute silence in the living room.

I lowered my gaze to the documents spread across the coffee table, then stared at the initial in the bottom right corner. "I'll do it."

Simon stared at me briefly. He was probably waiting for me to cry, get on my knees, and beg for forgiveness, but I remained completely expressionless instead.

Stella followed after Simon as he walked away. She walked past me, slamming her shoulder into mine as she passed without even glancing my way.

"Wait up, Simon!"

I was eventually left alone in the room. I stood by the coffee table and felt the thick stack of paper weighing down my hands.

Smiling faintly, I wondered if this was a blessing or a curse in disguise for Simon—and if he was prepared for what was coming.

Chapter 4

I was pulling three consecutive all-nighters at the office when Stella pushed open the office door, smirking.

"You're still pulling an all-nighter, huh? You're really working yourself to the bone as a lackey, Daniel. It's no wonder you've managed to stick around for so long."

Hunter, who was standing behind her, scoffed. "Simon put him in his place so hard he couldn't say a damn thing, yet he still acts as if he belongs in the Fullerton family."

I didn't waste my time on them and pulled the blanket over my head.

They both lost interest and left after realizing that they couldn't get a reaction out of me.

It was then that the janitor on duty walked in and left me a glass of warm water on my desk. She pointed to my eyes and said, "You should stop pulling all-nighters. Your eyes are completely bloodshot."

I looked up at her and smiled faintly. "Thanks. I'll be finished soon."

She sighed, then turned and left the office.

I smiled faintly, thinking that it would all be over soon. If I didn't have internal access, gathering this evidence would have taken much longer.

…

Simon was too busy partying and drinking when I handed him the proposal. He didn't even reach out for it.

He just kicked the coffee table and said, "Just leave it there."

I didn't budge. "I surely don't have to remind you that this is a 300-million-dollar project, right, Simon?"

"I don't need you to remind me of that," Simon said as he sat up with an irritated look.

He flipped through a couple of pages, picked up a pen, and signed it, leaving a blot of ink across the paper. He then looked up and let out a belch. "I've signed it, so get out."

I checked the signature again before hearing Stella's voice coming from behind me. "Aren't you worried about Daniel tampering with it, Simon?"

Simon replied firmly, "He wouldn't dare. He's nothing without the Fullerton family. He'll do whatever it takes just to stay by my side like a loyal lackey, no matter how much he hates it."

It was just a shame that things didn't go the way he expected.

The following day, before I could close my documents, someone kicked the office door open.

Simon stormed in, grabbed me by the collar, and hauled me to my feet. "What the hell did you do, Daniel?"

He pressed his thumb into the space above my collarbone, making it hard to breathe. "It's a 300-million-dollar project! What the fu—"

"You're the one who signed it. It had nothing to do with me, so let go of me. I still have some work to do," I said, cutting him off as I swatted his hand away.

I heard footsteps echoing down the hallway before Dad's solemn, indifferent voice rang out. "What's going on?"

He stood in the doorway, his secretary and Stella right behind him.

Simon explained, "Daniel's proposal had a problem, so the 300-million-dollar project has been called off!"

Having heard that, Dad scanned the documents scattered on the desk, then looked directly at me. "Daniel…"

I shifted my gaze toward him.

He didn't raise his voice, but each word landed like a blow. "Is this how you repay the Fullerton family after raising you for over 26 years?"

Stella joined in, yelling, "He did it on purpose, Dad! He simply can't bear the thought of Simon thriving!"

He took a step forward and stood right beside Simon, blocking my way on both sides. He tapped his finger on his desk and said, "Do you have any idea who they are? They're one of the biggest conglomerates around! You've completely humiliated the Fullerton family with a screw-up of this scale!

"Did you do it on purpose? You're actually willing to hurt yourself just to mess with the Fullerton family? Is this really where you put your smarts to work?"

Simon's fists tightened. "I don't give a damn how you do it, but you'd better drag yourself back there and win that project back, Daniel!"

He raised his other hand and swung a fist right at my head, only for me to counter it by grabbing his wrist. He froze for a moment, not expecting me to defend myself.

"How dare you block me, Daniel!"

Dad scowled deeply. "Have you forgotten your place?"

I pushed Simon's hand aside, an obvious smirk tugging at my lips. "You know very well that the proposal I submitted wasn't the issue, as well as where the real problem lies."

Dad gestured to the people behind him and snarled, "How dare you talk back to me! Grab him and hold him down—it's time to deal with him according to family rules!"

In that instant, two men rushed in from the hallway. I took half a step back until my back hit the edge of the desk. I had nowhere else to go. They eventually held my shoulders down and bound my wrists.

Then, Dad brought the barbed whip down on me with full force.

At that moment, someone bellowed, "Hold it right there! You're not allowed to lay a hand on him!"