The Discarded Heir's Ultimate Revenge

Chapter 6:

The crystal chandeliers of the Morrison estate's grand ballroom cast a golden glow over the assembled elite. Derek Morrison stood at the center of a cluster of admirers, his face heavily caked with makeup to conceal the bruising beneath.

"The Kidman family contract," Derek announced, swirling his champagne with exaggerated flourish, "will be signed within the week. They practically begged us to partner with them."

"Remarkable, Mr. Morrison!" A portly businessman gushed. "Your business acumen is truly unmatched."

Vanessa clung to Derek's arm, her red dress shimmering under the lights. "Of course they chose us. The Morrison name represents excellence in this city."

Richard Morrison nodded approvingly at his son, raising his glass. "This partnership will elevate Morrison Holdings to unprecedented heights. The Kidmans recognize quality when they see it."

"Your family's success is truly inspiring," a woman in pearls simpered.

Derek's chest puffed with pride. "It's all about knowing your worth. Understanding that some bloodlines are simply superior to others."

The crowd murmured agreement, champagne flowing as freely as their flattery.

Then the whispers started.

"Is that—"

"No, it can't be—"

"What's he doing here?"

All heads turned toward the entrance. Ethan walked through the grand doors, his posture relaxed, Rebecca beside him in an elegant black gown that radiated understated power.

Vanessa's face contorted with rage. Her champagne glass trembled in her hand. "You!" Her voice cut through the ballroom like a knife. "You have the nerve to show your face here after what you did?"

The crowd parted as she stormed forward, her ice-blue eyes blazing with fury.

"Look at him!" Vanessa gestured wildly at Derek's makeup-covered face. "My fiancé still needs makeup to hide what this animal did to him! He beat Derek so badly he can barely breathe through his nose!"

Gasps rippled through the assembled guests.

"He attacked me without provocation!" Derek shouted, touching his bandaged nose gingerly. "Like a rabid dog!"

Richard stepped forward, his expression carved from granite. "I told you never to come back." His voice dripped with contempt. "What's the matter, boy? Came crawling back on your belly like the pathetic little pet you are? Hoping we'll take pity and let you back in?"

"Street trash," Celeste sneered from beside her husband. "That's all you'll ever be."

The crowd's whispers grew louder, more vicious.

"Isn't that the Morrison son?"

"The worthless one who couldn't even keep his fiancée?"

"I heard he was a parasite, living off the family for years."

"Like a tick on a dog's back," someone muttered. "Sucking them dry."

A businessman in the corner stage-whispered to his companion, "Pathetic. Coming back here like a beaten mutt hoping for scraps."

"He's lower than the servants," another agreed. "At least they serve a purpose."

Richard's voice rose, commanding attention. "You're nothing, Ethan. A leech. A failure. You couldn't satisfy your woman, couldn't earn respect, couldn't even maintain basic dignity. Now you come here begging like the dog you are?"

Ethan's expression remained calm, almost bored. When he spoke, his voice was ice. "Begging? From a man who couldn't keep his pants on while his wife was dying?"

The ballroom fell silent.

Richard's face flushed. "How dare you—"

"How dare I?" Ethan's laugh was cold. "You parade your mistress around before my mother was even cold in her grave. You brought your bastard son into our home and replaced me within weeks. And you call me ill-bred?"

"You're insane!" Celeste shrieked. "Security! Remove this lunatic!"

"Everyone knows the truth, Father." Ethan's voice cut through her screaming. "About your affairs. About how you treated my mother. About how you—"

"ENOUGH!" Derek pushed through the crowd, his makeup-smeared face twisted with rage. "Don't listen to him! He's lying! He's just jealous because he was stripped of his inheritance for his crimes!"

"Crimes?" Someone in the crowd whispered.

"Yes!" Derek's voice rose triumphantly. "He assaulted me! He's been embezzling from the company! He can't accept that the Kidman family chose us over him! He's a pathetic, jealous garbage who can't stand to see us succeed!"

The whispers exploded.

"I knew something was wrong with him!"

"Criminal behavior—"

"The family must be mortified—"

"Like father, like son—wait, no, nothing like his father—"

"More like a sewer rat," a woman's voice called out. "Diseased and desperate."

"I heard he used to steal from the servants," another lied smoothly. "Took their tips."

A man in a navy suit sneered, "My company almost hired him once. Thank God we dodged that bullet. The boy's got all the spine of a jellyfish and twice the slime."

"Jellyfish have more dignity," his companion added. "At least they know they're spineless. He actually thought he deserved respect."

Vanessa's voice dripped with venom. "He's exactly what he looks like—worthless trash pretending to be something more. A cockroach in a cheap suit."

The crowd laughed, emboldened.

"Did he actually think anyone here wanted him?"

"The stench of failure follows him like—"

"Like the rot from a corpse," Richard finished coldly. "Which is fitting, given whose son he is."

Ethan stood perfectly still throughout the assault, his expression unchanged. Rebecca beside him remained equally unmoved, her cold indifference a stark contrast to the frothing crowd.

Then Ethan smiled.

"Interesting." His voice was soft but carried across the ballroom. "You talk about crime, Derek. Should we discuss how Celeste paid thugs to destroy my mother's grave? How did they urinate on her headstone? How they defaced it with spray paint?"

The crowd went silent.

"That's a lie!" Celeste shrieked, but her face had gone pale.

"Or should we discuss your company's fraudulent accounting?" Ethan continued, his tone conversational. "The shell companies? The embezzled funds? The bribes to city officials? I have documentation. Names. Bank records. Everything."

Richard's face was drained of color. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Ethan's smile widened. "The Morrison family built their fortune on my mother's suffering and the Kidman family's generosity. And this is how you repay it—by desecrating her grave and spreading lies about her son."

Derek lunged forward, his face purple with rage. "You're dead! You hear me? I'm going to kill you! I'm going to tear you apart with my bare hands!"

The ballroom erupted in chaos as Derek charged toward Ethan, murder blazing in his eyes.

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