Unexpected Inheritance

Chapter 9

David spent countless days studying his family’s business empire, piecing together every detail he could find. His father had built something extraordinary—a network of companies, assets, and ventures that spanned industries. But now, instead of flourishing as it once had, much of it was divided, fractured, and under his uncle’s control.

 Each document David reviewed revealed another piece of the empire that had been stripped away by his uncle's greedy hands. Anger simmered in him as he thought about everything his parents had built and how ruthlessly it had been taken from them.

He leaned back in his chair, the stacks of files spread out across the desk, and clenched his jaw. His uncle wasn’t just a thief; he was a traitor to the family. 

David swore silently, vowing to make him pay for every bit of it. The thought of reclaiming his father’s legacy fueled him, pushing him to dig even deeper to understand every aspect of the empire.

While going through records from a smaller branch, the Knight Corporation, David’s eyes caught something that made him pause. Among the list of associated businesses, he saw a familiar name—Thompson Industries. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized it.

Isn’t this the company Alex was running?

A surge of anger and curiosity flooded David’s mind. He’d spent so long thinking about Alex, the man who had taken Lara from him. Now, here was a chance to confront him face-to-face. After a moment of contemplation, David made up his mind. He would go there himself, see what Alex was doing with the company that now bore his family’s name.

The next morning, David dressed carefully, putting on a crisp, well-tailored suit. He looked different from the man he had been months ago—more refined, composed, and unmistakably confident. When he arrived at the Thompson Industries headquarters, he was ready.

As he walked through the lobby, people turned to look at him. David’s presence commanded attention, and he felt a quiet satisfaction in that. He made his way to the elevator, his determination evident in every step.

Just as he was about to reach the main office area, he spotted Alex down the hallway. Alex didn’t recognize him at first; David had changed too much since they last met. But as recognition dawned, Alex sneered and scoffed.

“Well, well, look who decided to crawl out of the gutter,” Alex taunted, his voice dripping with mockery as he looked David up and down. “What’s wrong, David? Couldn’t find a real job, so you came here begging?”

David clenched his fists, keeping his rage in check, though his jaw tightened visibly. This was the same man who had taken Lara, humiliated him, and flaunted it in his face. But David kept silent, his gaze never wavering, refusing to rise to Alex’s bait.

Alex seemed to take David’s silence as a sign of weakness, and he chuckled, a smug, condescending grin spreading across his face. “You must really be desperate, huh?” he sneered, leaning in closer. “Lara told me everything about you—how you were too pathetic to keep her satisfied. She wanted more, David. Someone who could give her a real life. You were too busy playing the hero to realize you were nothing to her. A stepping stone, that’s all.”

David’s fists tightened even further, his knuckles turning white, but he said nothing. Alex's taunts grew nastier, his voice dripping with cruelty as he fed off David’s silent fury.

“Keeping her a little saint, weren’t you?” Alex laughed, shaking his head as if the thought was absurd. “Guess what? She was a lot tastier than you’d ever know. I made sure she knew what she was missing. Every time she came to me, she couldn’t get enough. She didn’t even think twice about leaving you.”

David’s jaw twitched as Alex’s words struck him like a series of blows, each one cutting deeper than the last. But Alex wasn’t finished; his expression darkened as he pressed even further.

“You really are pitiful, you know that?” Alex sneered. “Standing here, looking like some lost puppy. She’s with a real man now, someone who can give her the world. And all you can do is watch. You were nothing to her, David. Nothing.”

That was it. David’s restraint shattered. Without a single word, he raised his hand and delivered a slap with all the force he could muster. The sound echoed through the office like a crack of thunder, and Alex staggered back, clutching his face. 

His smug expression wiped clean as he stumbled, nearly losing his balance. His eyes widened in shock as he felt something in his mouth—a loosened tooth. He spat, and a small smear of blood marked the floor, along with a chipped tooth that had come free from the impact.

“You… you’re going to regret that,” Alex seethed, his face contorted with fury as he wiped the blood from his lip. He tried to recover his composure, but his anger flared, pushing him to action. Turning to the security guards nearby, he barked, “Get him out of here. Now.”

The guards moved in, closing around David, who remained calm, his gaze cold and unyielding as he stared Alex down, refusing to let the threat faze him.

Alex glared back, his face red with a mixture of embarrassment and rage. “This is my place now, David. You don’t belong here. You’re just a nobody, a has-been, trying to play in a league far above your head.”

David’s expression didn’t change, but his silence spoke volumes, a defiance that made Alex’s fury grow even more.

One of the guards reached for David’s arm, but before they could lay a hand on him, a commanding voice rang out, sharp and clear, cutting through the tension in the room like a blade.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on him.”

The security guards froze, the authority in the voice stopping them in their tracks. David turned, along with everyone else, to see Arthur standing in the doorway. 

His posture was firm, his expression steely, his eyes flashing with a cold, unmistakable authority that silenced the room. Alex’s confidence faltered as Arthur’s gaze fell upon him, his presence alone more than enough to stop any further action.

Immediately, he lowered his head. “Master Arthur, you're here.”

Arthur ignored him and walked up to David. “Master, David. Did any of them touch you?”

He asked immediately, and the color from Alex's face was drained.