All Chapters of The Heir They Underestimated : Chapter 81
- Chapter 90
99 chapters
81
Victoria Sterling's media empire launched coordinated attack Monday morning. Not against Phoenix Foundation directly. Against Alex personally. Psychological warfare. Character destruction. Systematic dismantling. Every Sterling-owned outlet ran simultaneous stories. **Fox Business**: "Alex Chen's Messianic Complex: When Billionaires Play God" Psychological analysis. Expert commentary. Painting Alex as narcissist with savior complex. "Chen's aggressive expansion shows classic signs of megalomania. Believes he alone can solve world's problems. Dangerous delusion." **Wall Street Journal**: "Phoenix Foundation's Financial Opacity: What Are They Hiding?" Despite public financial reports, questioning methodology. Creating doubt. "While Chen released numbers, verification is impossible. Trust assets unaudited. Income projectio
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Friday morning brought unexpected development.Independent filmmaker released documentary."Phoenix Rising: The Alex Chen Story"Not commissioned by Phoenix. Not authorized by Alex. Completely independent.But comprehensive. Professional. Powerful.Two hours. Meticulously researched. Beautifully shot.Covered everything.Alex's five years undercover. Each city. Each test. Each transformation.Interviews with Sarah from Havenport. "He worked beside us. Really worked. Wasn't pretending. Wasn't slumming. He lived it."With Jennifer from Silverlake. "He saved VisionAI when no one else would. Risked everything to expose corruption. That's real leadership."With workers from every location. Kenya. India. Philippines. Brazil.All telling stories. Showing impact. Demonstrating change.Interspersed with criticism.Melissa's interview. Melissa had participated.
Last Updated : 2026-02-03Read more
83
Tuesday morning, Konstantin Energy made unexpected announcement. Full transition to renewable energy. Fifteen-year timeline. Complete abandonment of fossil fuels. "Konstantin Energy commits to 100% renewable portfolio by 2040. All oil and gas operations will be phased out systematically. Clean energy future starts today." Massive announcement. Unprecedented commitment. Industry-changing decision. Alex called Dimitri Konstantin immediately. "I saw your announcement. That's bold. Genuinely bold." "That's necessary. You were right, Alex. Climate change is existential threat. Fossil fuels are past. Clean energy is future. Time to adapt or die. I'm choosing adaptation." "What changed your mind? When we met in Switzerland, you wanted gradual transition. This is radical transition." Dimitri sighed. "Reality changed my mind. Last quarter, renewable projects
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The peace agreement with Rothwell and Sterling dominated news for exactly twelve hours. Then something else exploded. Derek Morrison's exposé. Published simultaneously across multiple platforms. Anonymous leak. Untraceable source. But comprehensive. Devastating. Personal. "The Real Alex Chen: Billionaire's Secret Vendetta Exposed" Detailed account of Derek's relationship with Melissa. The breakup. Alex's disappearance. Timeline showing Morrison Industries' collapse. Perfectly timed with Alex's emergence as heir. Evidence of Alex investigating Derek personally. Targeting him specifically. "This wasn't about justice. This was about revenge. Billionaire couldn't handle rejection. So he destroyed the man who 'stole' his girlfriend. That's not hero behavior. That's psychopath behavior."
Last Updated : 2026-02-05Read more
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Friday morning, peace agreement finalization meeting. Alex, Jonathan Rothwell, Victoria Sterling. Lawyers present. Documents prepared. Media waiting outside. But first, private discussion. "Derek's exposé complicated things," Jonathan said. "Public perception of you has shifted. Makes our association with Phoenix Foundation more controversial." "Derek's attacks were encouraged by Victoria. Before peace agreement. That was bad faith." Victoria didn't deny it. "Derek acted independently. But yes, I knew about it. Didn't stop it. Consider it insurance. In case peace negotiations failed." "They haven't failed. We're here. Finalizing." "Are we? Because your damaged reputation affects our reputation. Associating with controversial figure creates problems. Rothwell Banking has image to protect." Alex saw where this was going.
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Monday morning brought unexpected visitor. Security called Alex's office. "Sir, there's someone here demanding to see you. Says his name is Victor Zhao. But different Victor Zhao. Not our Victor." "Description?" "Mid-thirties. Chinese. Expensive suit. Armed security detail. Claims to be Dragon Seven. Says you'll understand." Alex understood immediately. The vacant Dragon position. Previously held by Victor's family. Someone had claimed it. "Send him up. With security escort. I'll meet him." Five minutes later, man entered. Looked like Victor. Same facial structure. Same bearing. Same intensity. But younger. Harder. More dangerous. "Alexander Chen. I'm Victor Zhao the Younger. Son of Victor's cousin. Heir to original Zhao Dynasty posi
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The Loneliness of Power The celebration was perfect. Phoenix Foundation's 250 millionth person served. Milestone achieved three months ahead of schedule. Ballroom filled with dignitaries. UN officials. Government ministers. NGO leaders. Media. Everyone important. Alex stood at podium. Gave speech. Said right things. "This milestone represents more than numbers. Represents lives changed. Communities transformed. Futures enabled. Thank you to everyone who made this possible." Applause. Standing ovation. Congratulations. But Alex felt nothing. Just exhaustion. Emptiness. Hollowness. He looked around the room. Sarah was there—talking with humanitarian workers. Jennifer—networking with tech leaders. Victor—negotiating with governmen
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Isabella picked Alex up at 9 AM sharp. Not in professional car. Not with security detail. Just her. Personal vehicle. Normal person doing normal thing. Alex climbed in. Felt strange. Vulnerable. "Where are we going?" "Somewhere you haven't been in years. Maybe never." "That's vague." "That's intentional. Just trust me." They drove for forty minutes. Out of city. Into countryside. Past suburbs. Past developments. To small town. Quiet. Unremarkable. Perfect. Isabella parked in front of café. "Breakfast first. Then walking. Then talking. Real talking. Not work talking." The café was local. Family-owned. No security. No protocols. No recognition. Just two people. Having coffee. Being human.
Last Updated : 2026-02-07Read more
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The week continued with increasing normalcy. Tuesday: Farmer's market. Alex bought vegetables. Actually bought vegetables himself. From actual farmers. Felt surreal. Revolutionary. Mundane. "This is what normal people do?" he asked. "Every week. They shop. They cook. They eat. They live." "Without changing the world?" "The world changes fine without them. They change their world. Family. Friends. Community. That's enough." Wednesday: Movie theater. Action film. Terrible plot. Excellent explosions. Alex hadn't seen movie in theater since before undercover years. Six years. No movies. No entertainment. No joy. Just work. Always work. "You're smiling,
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Alex sat in his office at Chen Global headquarters. Lucy stood across from him. Tablet in hand. "You're sure about this?" she asked. Alex looked out the window. The city stretched below. Glittering. Indifferent. "She needs to understand," he said quietly. "Understand what?" "What she threw away." Lucy studied him. "This isn't like you. The factory workers, the union, even taking down Morrison—those had purpose. This feels..." "Personal?" "Petty." Alex turned to face her. His expression was calm. Too calm. "Maybe it is. But she made choices. Actions have consequences." Lucy sighed. "What do you need me to do?" "Hire her. Temp work. Cleaning staff." "Here? At headquarters?" "Yes." "Alex—" "She's broke, Lucy. Living in
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