The company had just taken off when a project my wife, Lenora Peterson, was in charge of ran into trouble.

To ease her mind during her pregnancy, I went overseas in her stead, spending ten perilous years abroad before finally returning home, barely alive.

Instead of the joyful reunion I had imagined, she greeted me with cold detachment and thinly veiled disgust.

"Why are you back?" Lenora asked.

"Today is Nathan’s housewarming party," she added. "Let’s head there first—we’ll talk later."

We rode in silence the entire way.

When we arrived, a ten-year-old girl came dashing over and clung to Lenora affectionately.

“Mommy, why did you take so long? Daddy’s been waiting for you forever!”

Daddy?

My eyes burned with rage—until I saw my old friend Nathan Grant stepping out to greet us with a smile.

"Lily, come to Daddy. Mommy’s tired—don’t bother her now."

When I met Lenora’s eyes, the guilt I saw there told me everything I needed to know.

I turned away and texted my assistant, Morgan Williamson, to begin acquiring the company that, by right, had always belonged to me.

He soon reported back.

"Mr. Brooke, the acquisition process will be completed in three days."

I had waited ten years—what were three more days?

After my fingers danced across the screen and sent a single word [Okay], I looked up at the picture of domestic bliss before me: a perfect little family of three.

Nathan Grant paused for a second, then gave me a smug, pointed smile.

“Duncan, you came back at the perfect time! Lenora just bought me this place. Even with you staying here, there’s more than enough room!”

A sinking feeling crept into my chest.

I stepped back, avoiding the hand he tried to place on my shoulder.

“What do you mean, Lenora bought you this house? And what’s this about me staying here?”

When I had left, I’d asked Nathan to look after Lenora Peterson, my wife, and our unborn daughter. I never expected that my request would turn into houses and fatherhood.

Lenora has become his. How painfully ironic.

Seeing I wasn’t playing along, Nathan withdrew his hand awkwardly.

The fake warmth faded from his face and was replaced by a cold sneer.

“Exactly what you see. Lenora and I just need the paperwork done. Since you’re back, let’s get that divorce agreement signed tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Sure. I’ll sign it,” I said.

I had no interest in being with a woman who had betrayed me, who couldn’t stay loyal.

“But Lily is mine. She stays with me.”

A flicker of amusement passed over their faces as I spoke.

Lenora’s expression quickly twisted into anger.

“Impossible!” she snapped.

“I gave birth to her. You weren’t there for a single moment in ten years. What right do you have to fight me for custody?”

She stepped in front of Nathan.

She seemed to forget that her lax oversight had caused her project to fail, forcing me to take an overseas post.

In the initial period, I had eaten in the wind, slept on dirt, starved more days than not, and rarely drank a clean drop of water.

If I hadn’t accidentally reunited with my birth parents, I would’ve died at the hands of criminals long ago.

And now Lenora had the nerve to blame me for abandoning them, for not being there for Lily.

How utterly absurd.

“Because I’m her father,” I said calmly. “And because I can provide a better life than you can.”

Lenora stared at me, clearly confused.

“You… provide Lily with a better life?”

Nathan’s shoulders began to shake with laughter.

“Better life? Come on, Lenora, don’t let him fool you. I’ve been keeping tabs on Duncan’s situation abroad for years.

“He was living like a dog—filthy, desperate. You think he had time to build anything? This is just a ploy to trick you into handing Lily over. Don’t fall for it!”

His words dispelled the last of Lenora’s doubts and revealed something to me.

This so-called “friend” had been watching me suffer all along… and never once reached out a hand.

My chest tightened with a bitter ache.

Just then, Lily came running up and began pounding on me with her fists.

“You’re a bad man! Don’t bully Mommy! I wish you were dead!”

This was my child—my flesh and blood.

The little girl I had longed for all these years… and all I wanted in that moment was to hold her.

But Lenora stepped in front of her, shielding her from me.

“I know you don’t want a divorce, Duncan. That’s why you’re lying and trying to use Lily to force me into submission.

“For the past ten years, it’s been Nathan who stood by us. From the moment Lily could remember anything, she saw him as her father.

“She doesn’t feel anything for you. If you really care about her, then you should respect her wishes.”

There was a sliver of truth in her words.

I had suffered in her place, only to be repaid with betrayal and humiliation.

She had given Lily to someone else and cuckolded me.

Where was I supposed to take my pain?

Who would listen to my side of the story?

I looked at the three people in front of me, my heart bleeding.

I couldn’t understand how a family that once seemed whole had fallen so completely apart.

Before long, employees from the company, who had been waiting, began to come in.

Familiar faces lit up.

“Mr. Brooke, you’re finally back!” one longtime staff member exclaimed with joy.

Nathan cast a sharp glare in his direction, which caused him to lower his head in reluctant silence.

Those who didn’t recognize me began whispering among themselves:

“Who’s that guy? He looks like a beggar—how dare he show up at Mr. Grant’s housewarming party?”

“No idea. Maybe some freeloader scrounging off them.”

“Miss Peterson and Mr. Grant are too kind. If it were me, I’d have chased him two streets down with a broom!”

In my rush to return home, I hadn’t had time to change clothes.

Even so, the casual outfit I wore was clean and decent, not nearly as bad as they made it sound.

They flattered Lenora and Nathan blindly, hoping to win their favor.

I understood that well.

I laughed coldly.

“Let’s see if you still dare say that to my face in three days,” I challenged them.

Lenora, clearly irritated, interrupted with a frown.

“That’s enough, Duncan! The man who topped the Financial Power Index has the same name as you, but he built an empire while he was still young, and now he controls international trade routes.

“And you? All you do is talk big. What else can you actually do?”

The first place on the financial ranking Lenora mentioned was held by me.

After reconnecting with my parents, I used their resources to rise swiftly, monopolizing domestic and international trade routes.

My influence spread quickly across markets in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and entertainment.

I had carved out a place in almost every sector.

By the time my overseas assignment was complete, I had successfully claimed the top spot on the financial rankings.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I explained, Lenora and Nathan refused to believe me.

I would just have to wait and watch their faces three days from now.

Needless to say, the housewarming party ended on a sour note.

Once everyone had left, Lenora ordered the housemaids to clear out a storage room and impatiently said to me, “You can stay there.”

Her tone and attitude made it clear that I was not welcome.

My sleeping arrangement did not bother me as I only cared about getting closer to Lily.

After nodding in agreement, Nathan and Lenora exchanged looks, as if proud of themselves.

“See, Lenora? Didn’t I tell you he was just blowing smoke?

“He can even stay in the storage room and still pretend to be some big shot. If he’s a big shot, then I’m the King of the World! For heaven’s sake!”

Lenora smiled lightly and, changing into her pajamas, went to her room with Nathan.

Soon after, some suggestive sounds drifted through the walls.

They were so open about it, kissing and cuddling in front of me, completely indifferent to the fact that the divorce papers had still not been signed.

It felt like a knife slicing through my chest.

Slowly, I walked to Lily’s side, trying to cover her ears, but she swatted my hand away.

“Bad guy! Go away! Daddy says you’re here to steal Mommy from me! I don’t like you!”

She pushed me away, rejecting my touch.

It seemed she had become used to the closeness between Lenora and Nathan.

With a heavy sigh, I turned and went back to my room.

The next morning, Lenora, dressed sharply, tossed a contract at me.

“Since you came back so suddenly and there’s no vacant position in the company, you can start as a security guard.”

The words "Employment Contract" stood out, almost mocking me, stirring up old memories.

I remembered when I left, and Lenora had cried.

“Don’t worry, Darling, the company will always be yours. I’ll just help look after things and raise our child well,” she said through her tears.

Her words still echoed in my ears, but her heart had changed long ago.

I looked her in the eye.

“Do you remember what you said back then?” I asked her.

A flicker of guilt flashed across her eyes.

“I don’t remember,” she stammered.

Just then, Nathan came out and planted a kiss on Lenora’s cheek before turning to me.

“I spent all night thinking about this position. It wasn’t easy to come up with it.

“You didn’t turn into a spineless fool while you were abroad, did you? You’re not going to back down from this, are you?

“The security guard position is the first line of defense in our company…”

His endless chatter annoyed me. I glared at him.

Nathan faltered for a moment, sweat beading on his forehead.

Realizing the situation, his face twisted with rage.

“You useless piece of trash, you dare glare at me? Do you want me to make sure you can’t even work as a security guard, that you end up begging on the streets?”

“I’d like to see that,” I replied nonchalantly.

“Let’s see who ends up begging first, and who gets beaten to death.”

“That’s enough, Duncan! How can you speak to Nathan like that? He’s your superior, your… benefactor…”

She struggled to say the word under my intense gaze, her voice faltering.

Lenora, unwilling to back down, retorted, “What are you pretending for? Do you really think you’re the big shot Duncan?”

“I’m indeed that same Duncan,” I replied coldly.

I had hoped to quietly endure the days, but they came at me with one provocation after another.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I stated my identity plainly.

Nathan laughed so hard he nearly fell over.

“Give you a little power and you think you can run the show? You claim to be the famous Duncan? You’re really nothing but my loyal guard dog!”

I stood up, grabbed his throat, and slammed him against the wall.

I was about to put more force into it when Lily suddenly burst into loud, uncontrollable sobs.

“You bad man! Go away! Don’t bully Daddy, I’m going to kill you!”

“He’s not your father, I am!”

In my rage, I snapped back at her harshly.

But Lenora seemed to have found my weakness.

She picked up Lily and dangled her outside the window.

“Let go of Nathan. If you lay a finger on him, do you think I won’t throw your daughter down there?”

"Are you insane, Lenora? She's your daughter, too!"

We were on the 26th floor.

Panic surged through me as I let go of Nathan and rushed to the window.

I yanked Lily from Lenora’s grasp before she could do something stupid.

Suddenly, Lily’s palm crashed against my face.

"Let me go, you bad man! I want my Mommy and Daddy!

"Why didn’t you just die out there? Why did you make Mommy and Daddy suffer? Lily wants you gone!"

So, she knew who I was.

And those words… no ten-year-old could speak like that unless they'd overheard adults saying it first.

A deep unease settled in my chest.

I discreetly sent a message to my assistant, Morgan Williamson, instructing him to investigate every “accident” that had happened to me over the years abroad.

Just then, Lenora’s phone rang.

She answered, then hung up with a pale, stricken face.

Turning to Nathan, she said tightly, "Duncan is planning to acquire our company…"

They both stared at me, then quickly looked away.

Nathan frowned, baffled.

“We have nothing to do with Duncan. He shouldn’t even know we exist. Why would he suddenly acquire us?”

Panic flared in Lenora’s eyes.

“What if he is who he says he is, Nathan? What if Duncan told the truth?”

“No way!”

Nathan’s voice was steel, his gaze burning with disbelief.

“He’s trash! He couldn’t even figure out the traps we set for him. There’s no way he’s capable of something this big!”

By this point, I saw no reason to keep pretending.

“If you mean the intentional data errors you planted—I knew about those a long time ago.”

And then there was Lenora—easily swayed by a bouquet of flowers from Nathan.

She didn’t even glance at the documents before signing off during the audit.

I had known all of this.

But because they were the two people closest to me, I hesitated. I gave them a chance, hoping they’d come to their senses.

I hadn’t expected mercy to invite betrayal. Instead of remorse, they pushed the knife in further, even hiring someone to kill me.

Staring at the investigation report Morgan had just sent, rage surged through me.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone, trembling with fury.

Exposed, Nathan could no longer maintain his smug composure.

He exploded, his mask ripped away.

“So what if you knew?

“You’ve always been my dog since we were kids, Duncan. You belong on the ground, tail between your legs, begging for scraps. What gives you the right to surpass me?

“I don’t care if the company gets bought out. I’ll still be an executive. You? You’re just a damn security guard. Always beneath me.

“Now get back to your post and guard the damn door!”

Deluded by his version of the truth, Nathan convinced himself he still held the upper hand.

Drunk on petty triumph, he barked orders like a man desperate to feel superior.

Just then, a message lit up on my phone:

[Mr. Brooke, we’ve left for Zenith Horizon.]

Perfect.

[I’ll see you at the company, then.]

Suppressing a smile, I followed behind Lenora and Nathan’s car to the office.

The moment we walked in, Nathan couldn’t wait to show off.

He gathered the staff like a ringmaster before a show.

“This is our new security guard. Everyone, be kind to him.”

Someone whispered under their breath, “What a loser.”

Nathan smirked, encouraged by the insult.

Then he added with mock sympathy, “He’s been hiding abroad for ten years. Poor guy’s not used to normal life. If he messes something up, just be patient with him.”

“Oh… like a stray dog,” someone chuckled.

That venomous voice rang out again.

An older employee named Fred Dursley stepped forward to speak on my behalf.

“Mr. Grant, Zenith Horizon was built from the ground up by Mr. Brooke. How can you reduce him to just a security guard?”

It wasn’t that the job itself was degrading, but the contrast between that and being the company’s founder was staggering.

The humiliation was clear as day.

Nathan, unbothered, stood firm.

“I have Ms. Lenora’s full approval. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with her.”

“As for you… You’re fired. Pack up and leave.”

“You—!”

Fred pointed at him, shaking with fury, too stunned to form words.

Naturally, I couldn’t let someone who stood by me suffer. I spoke up in his place.

"Burn bridges today, and you’ll drown tomorrow."

My voice cut like ice.

"And this company? It’s mine. You’re in no position to bark orders.”

Once Morgan arrived with the acquisition contract, Nathan’s little kingdom would crumble.

In the meantime, he seemed to insist on digging himself into a deeper hole.

With a cold sneer, he grabbed someone’s breakfast, flung it to the ground, and crushed it under his shoe.

“If you lick up this pile of garbage clean,” he said, “I’ll let him go. How about that?”

“Mr. Brooke!”

The shocked cry was swiftly drowned out by another voice that cracked through the room like thunder:

“Hell no! Are you blind, you miserable wretch? How dare you insult Mr. Brooke! You must have a death wish!”