"Oh well, I'm not welcome here, so I might as well leave, right?"

I glanced at my so-called family in front of me and said it straight.

I hadn't planned on coming back to this fucked up family. The only reason I'm here was because they insisted I come back.

But if they don't want me here, I'm not sticking around.

Just as I was about to leave, though, William suddenly grabbed my arm.

"No, Lucien, you can't just leave!"

His eyes locked on mine, and for a second, I caught a flicker of panic.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I looked at him. His expression—his whole vibe—felt off.

Yeah, something's definitely up.

"Son, we've been searching for you for years! You can't just leave now!"

Ingrid jumped in, her voice all shaky as she continued, "It's not like we don't want you here! It's just… well, that room belongs to Dave, and you can't just take it over."

"We don't have any other spare rooms right now, so, for now, you'll need to stay in the servants' quarters. Don't worry, tomorrow, we'll make the arrangements, alright?"

She was talking fast.

Then, she clutched my hand as she begged, "My son, it took me forever to find you. Don't leave me now, please!"

I looked at both of them, and it was obvious there was more going on here than they were saying.

In the end, I stayed. But there was no way I was staying in the servants' quarters.

They had no choice but to have the maid clear out Dave's piano room for me to stay in.

As I stepped into the room, I couldn't help but chuckle coldly.

Dave had a massive piano room just sitting here, and they wanted to stick me in the servants' quarters?

It was crystal clear—I, their real son, didn't mean half as much to them as their precious adopted kid.

I called my secretary and told him to dig into this family's situation.

I mean, they've always known I existed, yet they never tried to find me all these years.

So why are they suddenly so desperate to drag me back now? There's got to be something behind this.

My secretary assured me he'd look into it. I had just hung up the phone when Ingrid walked into my room.

"Lucien, you've only just come home. We're worried about how life outside might have affected your health, so we've arranged for you to get a full checkup."

She said it with her voice gentle.

But hearing that, I frowned.

"Don't bother. I'm fine."

I replied it flatly.

By this point, I could feel something wasn't right.

First, they drag me back here out of nowhere. Now, they're all fired up about getting me to a doctor? Yeah, no. There's definitely more to this.

When I refused, she got even more insistent.

"Lucien, it's just a quick checkup! It'll give us peace of mind!"

Her tone was tense, her eyes pleading. But as I looked at her, I felt a chill settle in.

"And if I say no?"

I asked, my voice cold.

She frowned, and then, seeing that I had no intention of going, she left without another word.

Not long after, William came into the room.

"The driver's waiting downstairs. Go to the hospital, get the checkup done, and then come back."

He said it in a loud, straightforward tone.

His words left no room for argument.

I turned to face him, and he looked straight at me, dead serious.

"Now! Get your ass outta here!"

"I said no. I don't wanna go!"

I kept my voice cold.

At first, I might've let this slide, but now? The way they're acting makes it painfully obvious—there's something shady going on.

The way I refused set William off. He grabbed me by the arm and barked, "I'm your dad! I'm telling you to get checked because it's for your own good!"

"Sorry, Mr. Graham, but I'm not ready to call you that."

I shot back, my tone sharp.

Hearing that, his face twisted with anger. He glared at me, his voice dripping with contempt. "You've been out there for years. Who knows if you picked up some contagious disease?"

"I'm making you get checked for your own damn health!"

He shouted it while trying to yank me along, but I wasn't having it. I shook his hands off me.

I met his glare with one of my own, snapping back, "And whose fault is it that I've been out there all these years?"

That stopped him in his tracks.

For a split second, panic flashed across his face.

"Son, listen to us. We're only thinking about your health. We're your parents—why would we ever hurt you?"

Ingrid looked upset, but I just let out a bitter laugh. "Whether you'd hurt me or not, I really don't know."

"But what I do know is this—Dave's your precious son, not me."

The second I said it, William's face darkened even more.

His eyes shot daggers as he warned, "I'm ordering you to go. If you refuse, I'll have you tied up and dragged there myself."

And with that, a squad of men stepped out from behind him.

I glanced at them, my expression hardening.

Yeah, something was seriously wrong here.

I didn't have much of a choice, so I got in the car with them.

At the hospital, they had me go through every possible test—bloodwork, scans, you name it.

My parents? They barely pretended to care.

As soon as the tests were done, they disappeared into the doctor's office, waiting like vultures for the results.

That's when my phone buzzed. It was my secretary.

"President, I've got the info."

"Dave is sick. He needs a kidney transplant."

On the other end of the line, he explained, "They already tested your blood behind your back and found you're a match. This time, they just wanted confirmation."

I clenched the phone tighter, my face growing colder by the second.

I always knew I didn't mean much to them, but I never thought they'd stoop this low!

They were ready to carve up their own son to save their precious adopted kid.

At that moment, whatever shred of warmth I might've felt for them was gone.

"Get the team to the hospital. Pull me out of here!"

I ordered, my voice sharp.

My parents' little charade was over. Now it was my move.

"Got it, President!"

My secretary replied without hesitation, hanging up immediately.

My men weren't far. By the time I stood up to leave, they were already parked out front, ready to go.

As I headed for the exit, a group of William's men stepped in my way.

"You can't leave yet, sir!"

One of them said, trying to sound tough.

But before he could finish, my men stormed in, quickly dropping them to the floor.

I turned, glancing back over my shoulder. Through the office window, I saw my parents still sitting with the doctor.

"Get me back to the company. From now on, I'm gonna destroy the Grahams' company!"

My voice was sharp and cold.