I am not my parents' biological son. When they find their son and bring him back, he looks skinny and malnourished. My parents feel sorry for him, so they offer him compensation.

But Kenneth Lawson says, "I am your son. If you are going to compensate me, then give me the company."

My family persuades me by saying, "You are not related by blood after all. You should return the position to him."

With a smile, I hand everything over to him.

The next day, the company's biggest client, core technical team, and all distributors announce that they will only work with me.

My parents panic and rush to beg me.

I fold my arms and say, "Tell your biological son to come and beg me—the employee—to go back."

When Kenneth Lawson was finally brought home, he stood in the foyer, meek and hesitant. At the time, I had just secured a partnership with Matrix Corporation.

On the way back, my assistant, Morgan Baker, told me the Lawsons' biological son had been found.

My heart had pounded at first, then slowly steadied. Now that he was back, we'd take care of him. The Lawsons had more than enough money for that, after all.

What I hadn't expected was the way Kenneth looked at me. The moment he saw me, the fear in his eyes turned to jealousy.

"You want me to come back, don't you? Then he should give back what's mine! He's had my place long enough. I don't want anything else. I want the company."

At those words, I let out a chuckle. "I've been running the company for ten years. Are you sure you can handle that?"

Kenneth caught the disdain in my tone, and his face flushed with anger.

"So what if I don't know how? I can learn. If I had grown up here, I wouldn't be any worse than you!" he snapped.

Some of the relatives started chiming in. "Greg, just give it to him. He's the real son, after all."

I turned to look at my parents, Robert Lawson and Nancy Brooks.

Dad hesitated before speaking. "Greg, we owe him. Ken has been through a lot over the years."

Mom, on the other hand, held Kenneth tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Those damn traffickers sold him off to some remote place! If we hadn't found him, he might have had to spend the rest of his life…

"Greg, just agree to it. I won't treat you unfairly."

I looked at them and smiled. "Alright."

Right after I agreed, I moved to handing everything over. I'd always thought that even if the Lawsons' biological son came back, I would just stay in my lane.

I had never planned to fight him for anything. In fact, I felt sorry for him and had even picked out a gift. I hadn't expected to come back to a situation like this.

Well, since they wanted to make it up to Kenneth, I didn't want any of it anymore.

Right there, I had Morgan draft the transfer documents. Then, I signed everything and handed the company over to Kenneth.

The moment he took the papers, he lit up and threw himself into Mom's arms.

I took a deep breath and said, "That's everything. I'm heading upstairs to rest."

Only then did Mom look up. "Ken just got back. Let's have dinner together as a family."

"I'm tired. I don't feel like eating."

Kenneth looked at me, his eyes red-rimmed. "Greg, do you not want to see me? I just got back, and you already can't stand me?"

"Gregory Lawson!" Mom snapped. "Why are you being so immature?"

"I just got off a 20-hour flight," I replied evenly. "I'm exhausted. I haven't even adjusted to the time difference yet."

And only then did it seem to hit her that I had just come back from a business trip. When she saw how bloodshot my eyes were, she looked a little embarrassed.

Without another word, I went upstairs, ignoring the voices below.

Meanwhile, messages kept popping up in the family group chat.

After a shower, I checked my phone and sneered inwardly. One message read, "Kenneth's finally back! Rob, when are you hosting the welcome home dinner? This is a huge occasion for the family!"

Another text followed. "Exactly! Make it grand! And announce the company transfer while you're at it. On, and Gregory shouldn't be living at home anymore, right? What about the engagement? Should that be reconsidered, too?"

I ignored most of the snide remarks, but I couldn't overlook that one.

The Lawsons and the Shaws had an arranged engagement. But now that I was no longer a Lawson, where did that leave Victoria Shaw?

Messages kept flooding in. I lost interest and exited the group.

By their logic, I was no longer part of the Lawson family. Naturally, I had no place in that group chat anymore. Exiting on my own spared them the trouble of bringing it up.

Still, I needed to clear things up with Victoria.

Early the next morning, Kenneth went out with my parents. I, however, packed my clothes and prepared to move into my own place.

Just as I was about to leave, Victoria asked to meet.

"Gregory… there's something wrong with our wedding plans," she said over the phone.

I had known her for over a decade, so the moment the words left her mouth, I knew exactly what she meant.

"Do you want to call it off because I'm not a Lawson anymore?" I asked in a low voice.

Victoria didn't answer, yet those ten seconds of silence told me everything.

"Fine. But this isn't something we can end on our own," I said. "Both families will have to sit down and work it out. Don't you agree?"

After a long pause, she finally replied, "Okay."

When the call ended, I let out a long breath. It was as if a weight had been lifted off my chest.

For ten years, I had given everything to the Lawson family, raising the company to new heights. In truth, my engagement to Victoria had always been a matter of mutual benefit.

I considered myself a decent fiance, and Victoria and I got along well enough. We understood each other and never embarrassed each other in public.

I'd thought there was something real between us, so I hadn't expected everything to fall apart the moment my identity changed.

I took a deep breath, shook my head, and finished packing my things. I was just about to leave when Kenneth and my parents came back.

Money could really work wonders.

Just the day before, Kenneth had been timid and unsure of himself. Now that he was dressed in well-fitted clothes, he looked like a completely different person.

He was somewhat tanned, but soon enough, that would fade.

When Kenneth saw me with my bag, he froze. "Greg, are you leaving?"

I nodded. "It's not really appropriate for me to stay here anymore."

"I just got back, and you're already leaving. Are you mad at me or something?"

Mom's expression darkened as she asked, "What's gotten into you, Gregory? Ken just came home, and you're already giving him the cold shoulder?"

"Mrs. Lawson, let's drop the act, shall we? Weren't you all discussing in the family group chat yesterday about kicking me out? I'm just doing what you wanted. Is that a problem?" I shot back.

Her expression faltered at once. "I… They were talking nonsense. That's not what we meant. Our family can afford to keep you. But the way you're acting… Are you trying to humiliate us?"

"If that's not the case, then why did you inform the Shaws?" I asked, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "Victoria already called off the engagement today.

"I'll return everything to you. Moving out now is exactly what you want, isn't it? Or do you want people thinking the Lawsons have two sons? It's not like you gave birth to twins."

My words hit hard, and Mom swayed on her feet.

From the side, Kenneth spoke up. "Greg, there's no need for that. Mom meant well. But the place you're living in was paid for by our family. If you really want to cut ties, you can't—"

I stopped and turned to face him. My presence alone was enough to shut him up.

"The money I earn is mine to spend however I want. It doesn't matter if you can't tell whether I depend on the Lawsons or the other way around. I'll have someone explain it to you later."

Having said that, I turned and walked out.

Behind me, Mom shouted, "Greg! Greg!"

I didn't stop. They had forced my hand today, but there would come a time when they'd be the ones begging for my mercy.

What I hadn't expected was that I'd barely left before Dad called.

"Gregory, they're being unreasonable, but so are you. Let's not make this uglier than it needs to be, alright? Tomorrow is Kenneth's welcome home dinner. You have to come."

I smiled and said nothing.

As soon as Morgan heard I had left the Lawsons, he followed without hesitation. Everyone else on my team said they would stand by me, too.

"Mr. Lawson, wherever you go, we go."

What Kenneth didn't know was that the Lawson family hadn't held its ground all these years because of some old-money legacy they loved to brag about—it was because of me.

Even so, I was determined to attend his welcome home dinner.

…

The Lawsons had gone all out, hosting the dinner at Ravine Manor. All the big names were there, and so was I.

The moment I arrived, I spotted a few wealthy heirs I used to hang around with. Smirks played on their lips as soon as they saw me.

"Gregory? You've got some nerve coming here. You got kicked out, and you're still putting on airs. Aren't you embarrassed?"

Another added, "Exactly! Just look at the scale of this event. It's obvious who the real son is. You spent all these years building things for someone else, but now, you've got nothing."

"Why don't you beg me? Maybe I'll offer you a job." One of them sneered. "We happen to need a security guard, and you look decent enough. All you have to do is stand at the door, and you'll get eight thousand dollars a month. How about it?"

My gaze swept over them, and I scoffed. "No wonder your families would rather raise their illegitimate kids than hand the companies over to you."

As soon as my words settled, their faces twisted with rage. They were just about to come at me when Kenneth appeared, so they had no choice but to back off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to attend tonight's dinner," Dad began. "We've finally found our long-lost son, Kenneth. And from now on, we'll do everything we can to make it up to him."

Dressed in a tailored suit, Kenneth walked onto the stage.

It had only been a few days, yet he already carried himself with an air of refinement. Still, the look felt forced on him, like he was dressing up as something he wasn't.

When his gaze met mine, he straightened with confidence and announced, "Even though Gregory isn't the Lawsons' biological son, he's spent years working for the company. I'm willing to let him stay on."

Then, he addressed me, "Greg, stop making things difficult for Mom and Dad."

The moment he said that, everyone turned to me, their gazes heavy with mockery and disdain.

The corner of my lips curled into a faint smile. "No need. I'm not short on money."

"Of course, you're not short on money," Kenneth replied. "Unlike me… I had it rough out there, but I never gave up on my education.

"Greg, if possible, I'd like you to stay and work for me."

Just then, my parents approached me. "Greg, we won't hold it against you for moving out. But Kenneth is right. We raised you all these years, and it's time you gave something back."

"It took me ten years to build the Lawson family into what it is today. And you think that's not enough?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

I went on, "Work for Kenneth? I only work for myself. If a boss can't handle me, he shouldn't expect my loyalty. That's something you taught me, Mr. Lawson."

The instant Dad heard that, his expression darkened with anger.

Meanwhile, the Lawson relatives wasted no time piling on. "Look at him! He's so full of himself. Does he think he's still the heir?"

"He's nothing without the Lawsons, and he still has the nerve to run his mouth like that!"

Another said, "Rob, you're too kind. You should've kicked him out long ago. He's been taking Kenneth's place all this time and still isn't grateful!"

All the while, Kenneth looked down at me with smug satisfaction.

I laughed to myself. This idiot couldn't actually believe these people were on his side, could he?

"No need for you to throw me out. I'll leave on my own," I said with a sneer. "But just remember that once I walk out that door, I'll have nothing more to do with the Lawson family."

"Gregory Lawson!" Dad yelled before letting out a heavy sigh. "Don't blame us for being harsh. It's time you learned to rein in that temper."

"Fine. Then make it official. Announce to everyone that Kenneth is now in charge of Lawson Group. I'm done!"

With that, I turned to leave. As I walked out, I sent a message announcing that I had severed all ties with Lawson Group.

The moment I was gone, Kenneth flew into a rage. "Dad, Gregory is being way too petty! He—"

But before he could finish, Robert's phone rang. And it wasn't just his.

Phones began ringing all around the room, one after another.

"What? Matrix Corporation will only work with Gregory? The contract is void?"