Ruined To Ruthless: Rise Of The Broken Heir

Chapter 2: The Inheritance

Brian stepped out of the prison gate. The sunlight burned his eyes. He had not seen the sky like this for a long time. 

For years, it felt like the sun had abandoned him. Now it shone, but it did not feel warm. It felt like a warning.

A man stood in front of him. Tall, straight-backed, wearing a black suit. His hands were folded in front of him. 

His face was calm, but Brian could feel a strange power in the way he stood. “Who, who are you?” Brian asked, his voice shaking.

The man bowed slightly. “I am Mr. Gray,” he said. “I was your father’s butler. I have waited for this day for a long time.”

Brian’s eyes widened. “My, my father?” His voice cracked. “He is dead. He can’t, ”

“Yes,” Mr. Gray said, nodding. “He is gone. But he left you something. Something very important. Not just money, but a chance to change everything. To take back what was stolen from you.”

Brian shook his head. “I don’t understand. I have nothing now. I was in prison. I…I am nothing.”

“You are not nothing, young master,” Mr. Gray said gently. “You just do not see it yet.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a large envelope. It was thick and heavy, with a golden seal. He handed it to Brian.

Brian’s hands trembled as he took it. “What, what is this?”

“This is your inheritance,” Mr. Gray said. “Seven companies. Seven hundred million dollars. Your father made sure it would go to you. But money alone is not enough. You must use your mind. You must plan. You must be careful. The people who betrayed you are still watching.”

Brian opened the envelope slowly. The papers inside were real. Names, numbers, companies, accounts. He ran his fingers over them, disbelief and hope mixing in his chest.

“Money, all this, it’s mine?” Brian whispered.

“Yes,” Mr. Gray said. “It is yours. But do not be careless. Your wife, Clarissa, and her father, Richard, think they have power over you. They do not. You have the chance to show them the truth.”

Brian’s mind began to spin. Memories of prison, of Clarissa laughing at him, of Richard’s cold eyes, came rushing back. 

He felt his heart beat faster. The anger that had been sleeping for so long woke inside him.

“I, I will make them pay,” Brian said quietly. His fists clenched around the envelope. “Every single one of them.”

Mr. Gray’s eyes softened. “Good. But remember. Do not rush. Be careful. Observe. Wait for the right moment. They will make mistakes. And when they do, you must be ready.”

Brian looked out at the busy city. People walked past him without noticing. Cars honked. Life went on as if he did not exist. But he existed. He existed, and soon, they would see it.

“How do we start?” Brian asked.

Mr. Gray gestured to a black car parked nearby. “First, we secure your assets. Make sure you are safe. Then we watch and plan. They will show their weaknesses. And you, you will strike when the time is right.”

Brian nodded. The sun reflected on the glass buildings, making the city shine. But it no longer felt like a prison. 

It felt like a chessboard. Every street, every office, every rich man and woman could be a piece in his game. “I will not be weak again,” Brian said, his voice steady. “Never again.”

Mr. Gray opened the car door. “Your suffering made you weak once. That weakness is gone. Now, the world will see the man you were always meant to be.”

Brian sat inside the car. He leaned back in the soft leather seat. He looked at the envelope again.  All this power. All this money. 

And the people who had mocked him, laughed at him, and betrayed him… they would see it. “They will pay,” he whispered. “And they will not see it coming.”

The car started moving. The city moved past in a blur. Brian felt something he had not felt in years. 

Not fear. Not despair. Something else. Something sharp and bright. Hope. And the first taste of power.

He imagined Clarissa at a party, smiling and laughing. Soon, she would see that the man she humiliated was no longer powerless. He would face her. He would make her bow.

He imagined Richard Davenport reading reports, thinking he still controlled the company. Brian smiled, coldly this time. Soon, Richard would learn the truth.

“Mr. Gray,” Brian said quietly, “I will make them regret every moment they treated me like I was nothing.”

Mr. Gray nodded. “Good. But remember, patience, timing, and precision. Your enemies are clever. You must be smarter.”

Brian held the envelope close. He did not yet know how he would do it. But he knew one thing. He would.

And the people who betrayed him…They would never forget the name Brian.

The car moved into the streets of the city. Brian felt a strange excitement, mixed with fear. 

It was a feeling he had not known in years. A feeling that the worst was over, and the beginning was here.