Heir to an Indispensable Family

Chapter 7

At that moment Sarah walked back toward the stage with her head held high, acting like nothing embarrassing had just happened.

But James stayed behind. He had some things he wanted to get off his chest before this whole mess was over.

“Listen here, you pathetic loser.” James stepped closer to Hector, his voice low and threatening.

“Even if you hadn't stupidly donated all that jewelry just now, I'm still way richer than you'll ever be.”

He puffed out his chest like a peacock showing off its feathers.

“My family was worth a hundred million dollars two years ago. And that was just the beginning.” James's voice got louder and more arrogant.

“Right now, we're worth somewhere between 170 and 250 million dollars. Maybe even more.”

He pulled out his phone and waved it in Hector's face.

“I could buy everything you just gave away with one phone call to my parents. All I have to do is ask, and they'll transfer the money immediately. That's the difference between real wealth and your once in a life time pathetic lottery win, and now you're broke again.”

Hector stared at James with a mixture of amazement and pity. This fool had no idea what he was talking about. He was bragging about fake money that didn't even exist, acting like he was some kind of billionaire prince.

But Hector decided not to correct James's delusions. Why ruin the surprise? James would learn the truth the hard way soon enough.

Hector turned his back on James and started walking toward the exit. He'd heard enough stupidity for one day.

But James wasn't done running his mouth. Seeing Hector walking away made him even angrier.

“Hey! Don't you dare walk away from me!” James's voice got louder and nastier.

“Don't forget about the defamation case! I'll see you in court tomorrow, and I'm going to make sure you pay through your blood if that's what it takes to get my money!”

He kept shouting threats and insults, but Hector didn't even turn around. He just kept walking toward the door like James was invisible.

When Hector reached the entrance of the hall, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The person on the other end picked up immediately.

“Sir?” The voice was professional and respectful.

At that moment Hector voice came out smooth and calm, completely different from the desperate man everyone thought they knew.

“Cancel the surprise the Ross family had planned for Sarah Hendrix. And put the assessment of Fashion Icon on hold indefinitely.”

Hector ended the call with a single tap of his finger. But he wasn't done yet. There was one more piece of business he needed to handle.

He scrolled through his contacts and made another call. The phone rang twice before someone answered.

“Young master, how can I help you?”

Hector's voice was calm but filled with purpose.

“I want you to announce the Ross family's 25 million dollar lottery at my school - Crown High University. Make sure the entire campus knows about it. And I want you to pick a lucky winner from the student body.”

He paused for a moment, a small smile forming on his face.

“I'll be the one delivering the check to whoever wins. And that's where I'm going to reveal my real identity to the whole school.” His voice got stronger.

“They're going to find out who I really am - Hector Ross, the young master of the Ross family. Son of a multi-billionaire.”

At that moment Sarah and James climbed back up onto the stage, trying to regain control of the situation. The whole room was still buzzing with whispers about what had just happened with Hector, they couldn't believe he won a lottery and gave the money away.

Sarah cleared her throat and smiled at the crowd like a professional.

“I apologize for that... unexpected interruption. Let's get back to what we're really here for - Fashion Icon.”

James stepped up to the microphone, puffing out his chest with confidence.

“I'm the one who created this app and brought all these designs to life. Everything you see here today came from my vision and my hard work.” He looked around the room at the tech investors.

“We're willing to discuss selling, but ultimately, Sarah is the CEO of this company.”

Sarah's smile got bigger as she took back the microphone.

“Actually, I've decided I don't want to sell Fashion Icon. I'm looking for investors instead. People who believe in what we're building here.”

She looked directly at the group of well-dressed investors sitting in the front row.

“I got some very exciting messages this past week from multiple investors who are sitting here today. Including one that really surprised me - the almighty Ross Group.” Her voice got excited.

“The Ross Group reached out to me personally, saying they wanted to invest in my company. They told me it was already a done deal.”

Sarah's confidence was through the roof. Compared to all the other companies that had messaged her over the past few weeks, they were absolutely nothing next to the Ross Group. She wouldn't have even bothered coming here to present today if the Ross Group hadn't specifically asked her to come so they could finalize their deal in a grand style.

She had been extremely happy about this whole event until Hector showed up and ruined her mood. But regardless of what that loser did, he couldn't stop her joy today. This was her moment.

Today she was going to sign with the Ross family and become a millionaire.

“So, who would like to invest in my company?” Sarah asked with her biggest, most confident smile yet.

She looked out at all the investors sitting in the front rows, waiting for them to raise their hands like she knew they would. These were the same people who had been messaging her all week, begging for meetings, begging for space in today's event.

But the room was dead silent. Everyone just stared at her like she was performing in some weird movie scene on stage.

Sarah's heart started beating a little faster, but she kept her smile plastered on her face.

“This is the time you raise your hands,” she said with a nervous laugh, trying to make it sound like a joke.

Her heart was now racing like a drum in her chest. The silence was getting uncomfortable.

Finally, one of the tech investors slowly stood up from his seat.

“We are not partnering with you, Sarah Hendrix.”