Fake Heir, Real Boss

I'd run this company for two years. I still had some pull.They glanced at each other. For a second, no one moved."Does Luca still have something up his sleeve?""Now that you say it... I saw him at a banquet with the chairman and his wife. They treated him like royalty.""And he's actually good at this. In two years as CEO, the stock more than tripled..."Philip's face darkened. He pointed at me. "You got here by sucking up to my parents! Now that I'm back, you think they'll protect a fake like you?"I ignored him and looked at Clara. "End the pregnancy. Leave him. I'll act like none of this happened."She smiled and walked over.For a second, I thought she'd come to her senses. Something warm hit my chest. I reached for her—She slapped me. Hard."How are you still not getting it?" She blew on her palm, disgust all over her face. "I got fooled, that's why I ended up engaged to a fake like you."The fact I'm not asking for compensation is already generous. And you think I'

They talked tough, but the second they saw blood, they backed off.I wiped my mouth and looked around.Same faces.Some grinned, full of it.Others stared at the floor, too scared to meet my eyes.Today's quarterly meeting pulled in Lombardo Corp's top players—most of them I'd handpicked over the last two years.Before me, Montavia's Lombardo Corp was barely mid-tier.I took over and flipped everything. Cut the dead weight riding seniority. Gave the overlooked ones a real shot.Promotions. Raises. I broke rules to make it happen.Two years later, the company's value tripled. Industry leader.And yesterday? These same people were lined up outside my office, sucking up.Now?Not a single one spoke.Seeing them hesitate, he shoved Clara aside. "What are you scared of? I'm Lombardo Corp's CEO now—the real Lombardo heir," Philip said.He jabbed a finger at me. "And him? A fake. Exposing him's doing everyone a favor. Got a problem with that?"He lifted the signing board again.

I watched from a few steps away, a smirk tugging at my lips.Philip, cheek still red, wouldn't back down. "Who could he be? Just some nobody pretending to be me."He pointed at Martina, voice rising. "You're picking some adopted kid over your own son? After everything I went through, you're siding with him?"Martina clutched her chest, furious. "Who told you we adopted him?"She looked at Philip—still stubborn—and shook her head. "How did we end up with a son this stupid..."Clara swallowed and stepped forward. "Mrs. Lombardo, you and Mr. Lombardo don't know the full story. Luca insulted Philip first. That's why he fought back. Luca's manipulative. Don't let him fool you."Martina slapped her so hard she stumbled back."You're still stirring things up? You think I can't see through you, you shameless woman?" Martina shot her a glare. "If you hadn't gone after my son, none of this would've happened. You think you're marrying into this family? Keep dreaming."Clara covered her fa

Everyone froze. They stared at me, horrified."You were pretty good just now," I said. "All that flattery. I enjoyed it."I looked up, eyes cold. "So... everyone here is fired. No exceptions."The room blew up."Boss, we were wrong. Give us one more chance.""I'll take a pay cut. Any punishment—just don't fire me.""My family depends on me. If I lose this job, we're done..."They cried and begged. When I didn't budge, they turned to Nicolo like he could save them."Please, say something for us. We're the backbone of this company.""Yeah. We're not perfect, but we've put in years here."Nicolo clearly didn't want to lose them. He hesitated. "Sir... maybe we dock their bonuses? Make an example out of them. Or demote them, cut their pay?"I shot him a cold look. "People like that rot a company from the inside. Or have you been letting this slide the whole time?"Nicolo's face went pale. He clenched his jaw, then nodded. "Fine... we'll do it your way."Security rushed in and d

"Enough!" Philip snapped. "Dad, stop wasting time. Finish him before anything goes wrong!"I looked at Nicolo and Martina. "So this is it? You're really gonna kill me?"Martina dropped her gaze, avoiding me.Nicolo's voice went cold. "You died in an ACCIDENT."He stressed 'accident.'"It has nothing to do with us."No hesitation. No regret.I exhaled, shaking my head. "I gave you a chance."The next second, the basement door flew open.Several figures rushed in, slamming Nicolo, Martina, and Philip to the ground.Philip didn't even react—one hit, and he was out.Nicolo and Martina thrashed, panic setting in, but they were pinned tight.In my position, enemies are everywhere.So someone's always watching my back. I don't call them unless I have to.A private team my family trained in secret. They stay off the radar.My ace in the hole."Sorry we're late, sir." The team lead stepped forward, voice low.I gave a small nod, rolling my wrist. "Take them in. Then run a full