From Disgraced Son-In-Law to Billionaire King

Chapter 7: The Awakening

“Mr. Ramirez, welcome. Please, come in.”

Cayden stepped through the door, his clothes still damp from the rain. His hair clung to his forehead, and dark circles sat under his eyes. He sat down slowly, gripping the edge of the chair as though to steady himself. The lawyer even look at him with pity, yet shocked, maybe because his grandfather is so rich that he didn't expect Cayden to look like this.

“You said yesterday that my grandfather passed away,” Cayden said in a hoarse voice. “And that he… left everything to me. I need to hear it again, face-to-face.”

Attorney Lopez folded his hands on the desk. “Yes, Mr. Ramirez. Your grandfather, Mr. Zayn Ramirez, passed away early yesterday morning. His will was read, and you are the designated heir. This is not speculation, it is a fact.”

Cayden’s hands clenched on his lap. “I don’t understand. He never told me. Why keep something like this hidden?”

“Your grandfather had his reasons,” Lopez explained. “He believed that if you knew too soon, you might rely on wealth instead of building resilience. He valued strength forged through hardship. That is why he never revealed your position until now.”

Cayden looked down at his soaked shoes. His voice cracked. “All this time… they called me useless. They mocked me. Even Isabella turned her face away. And yet… I was the heir to everything?”

Lopez pulled a folder from the desk drawer and laid it open. Inside were several documents stamped and signed. “These are the legal records. This is the official will. Here are the property deeds, the company registrations, the accounts. Each bears your name as the sole successor.”

Cayden leaned forward, staring at the papers. His eyes moved slowly across the lines. “This company… this estate… all of this belongs to me now?”

“Yes,” Lopez said firmly. “You are now the head of the Ramirez holdings. Your grandfather left you everything, businesses, land, assets both domestic and international. It is all legally yours.” He can't believe all of this, yesterday is full of heaviness of pain, yet now, it seems like the world want to give him everything he's lack of.

Cayden’s throat tightened. His fingers brushed against the paper, then pulled back as if he was afraid it might vanish. “Why me? He had other options. Why put this on me?”

Lopez adjusted his glasses. “Because you were the only one he trusted. He believed you would not squander what he built. He believed you could lead with patience, not arrogance. In his eyes, you were the true Ramirez heir.”

Cayden closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling heavily. Memories rushed through him: years of humiliation at family dinners, the sound of laughter as relatives mocked him, Isabella whispering that she had married a useless man.

“I thought I was nothing,” he muttered. “All these years, I believed their words.”

“You were tested,” Lopez said calmly. “And you endured. That was his measure of you.”

Cayden lifted his head, staring at the lawyer. “So what happens now? What am I supposed to do with all of this?”

“You must decide whether to accept,” Lopez replied. “This inheritance is vast. It will change your life completely. But it also comes with responsibility. Hundreds of employees, partners, and families depend on the Ramirez empire. It will require strength and clarity.”

Cayden’s hands trembled. “I don’t know if I’m ready. Yesterday, I was begging my wife not to leave me. Today, you’re telling me I own an empire.”

“Life changes in moments,” Lopez said. “Your grandfather knew this day would come. The only question is whether you will embrace it.”

Silence settled between them for a long while. The ticking of the clock on the wall filled the office. Cayden’s mind swirled with disbelief, and grief.

“Show me everything,” he said finally.

Lopez nodded. He opened another file and spread the contents across the desk. “This is a list of the properties. Several estates, including the Ramirez villa, commercial buildings, and international holdings.” He flipped another page. “Here are the financial statements. As of the last quarter, the net value of the Ramirez assets is beyond billions.”

Cayden’s breath caught. His eyes widened as he scanned the figures. “This… this can’t be real.”

“It is real,” Lopez assured. “And it belongs to you.”

Cayden leaned back, pressing a hand to his forehead. “I spent years as the errand boy son-in-law. They laughed while I stood in grocery lines. They sneered as I carried their bags. I thought I had nothing. And now… this?”

Lopez watched him calmly. “That is why your grandfather kept it hidden. He wanted you to understand both power and humility. Few men could survive what you endured. He believed you were capable.”

Cayden lowered his hand and looked at the lawyer with unsteady eyes. “So you’re saying… everything I thought about myself was a lie?”

“Not a lie,” Lopez corrected. “A hidden truth. One that has finally come to light.”

Cayden gripped the edge of the desk. His knuckles whitened. “If I take this, I won’t be the man they mocked anymore.”

“No,” Lopez agreed. “You will be the man they underestimated. And now you will hold everything they once denied you.”

Cayden’s pulse quickened. His heart thudded in his chest. He thought of Isabella’s cold expression as she signed the papers, Antonio’s smug smile, his in-laws’ laughter. The image burned in his mind.

He whispered, almost to himself, “They’ll see. One day, they’ll see who I really am.”

Lopez studied him. “Mr. Ramirez, the decision is yours. Do you wish to step into this role, to claim what is rightfully yours, and begin the life your grandfather prepared for you?”

Cayden swallowed hard. His chest tightened, but his gaze steadied. He had been crushed, humiliated, discarded. Yet now, he was given an armor he can use to make them all pay.

He looked straight at the lawyer.

“Tell me what I need to do.”