The Forgotten Heir's Payback

Chapter 2: The Return of the Young Master

The rain poured down heavily, splashing against the shiny black cars lined up along the quiet street. On the covered porch of the Vance family house, Chloe, Julian, and Beatrice stood frozen in total disbelief.

Their eyes were wide, and their mouths hung open as they watched the scene unfolding right before them.

A rich old man in a expensive suit was kneeling in the cold mud, bowing his head to Lucas. Behind him, twenty tall bodyguards in black suits stood in neat lines, holding black umbrellas with deep respect.

Chloe rubbed her eyes hard, thinking she was dreaming. "What is going on? Who are those people?"

Julian’s face went pale. He recognized the emblem on the old man’s lapel pin. It was a golden dragon. That was the official seal of the Grand Dragon Financial Group, the giant bank that controlled all the money in the city.

"Young Master Lucas," Butler Thomas said again, his voice clear and strong despite the falling rain. "Your grandfather's three-year test is complete. All your accounts have been restored. The entire Grand Dragon Group is ready for your orders."

Lucas stood tall in his wet clothes, looking down at the kneeling old man. The soft, quiet husband who had cooked and cleaned for three years had completely disappeared. In his place stood a calm, sharp man with eyes like iron.

"Get up, Thomas," Lucas said softly. "You do not need to kneel in the mud."

Thomas stood up quickly and gestured to a bodyguard, who immediately opened a large black umbrella over Lucas's head. Another guard stepped forward, holding a sleek black velvet case.

Thomas opened the case, revealing a dark card made of pure obsidian metal with golden dragons carved on the edges. It was the Sovereign Black Card, a card with no credit limit, owned only by the true head of the Grand Dragon Group.

"Your card, Young Master," Thomas said respectfully. "Along with full executive control over every subsidiary, hotel, and land development company in the city. Your grandfather left you controlling shares in every major corporate entity here."

Lucas took the cold black card and slipped it into his pocket. He turned his head slightly and looked back toward the porch.

Chloe felt a sudden chill run down her spine as Lucas looked at her. Her heart started beating fast with a strange, dark fear.

Julian quickly stepped in front of Chloe, trying to hide his own rising panic. He shouted down the driveway, trying to sound brave. "Hey! What kind of cheap show are you playing, Lucas? Did you hire these actors to impress us before you leave?"

Beatrice snorted loudly from the porch, crossing her arms. "Of course he hired them! That loser probably spent his last savings to hire fake cars and old actors just to save face because my daughter dumped him!"

Julian laughed out loud, feeling relieved by Beatrice's words. "That must be it! Nice try, Lucas! But a beggar is still a beggar, no matter how many fancy cars you rent for an hour!"

Lucas did not bother to reply. He simply looked at Julian with a quiet, icy stare that made Julian's laugh die in his throat.

Lucas turned around, stepped into the back seat of the main Maybach, and sat down on the soft leather interior. Thomas closed the door with a quiet click. The ten black cars started their powerful engines together and drove away smoothly into the rain, leaving the Vance family standing on the porch in silence.

Two hours later, the rain had stopped, and the sun shone brightly over the city.

Inside the Grand Dragon Financial Building, the grandest skyscraper in the middle of the city, executive staff lined up along the red carpet in the lobby. Managers, directors, and head auditors stood in perfect silence, holding their breath as Lucas walked past them wearing a sharp, custom-tailored dark suit.

Thomas walked right beside him, holding an iPad and a stack of leather folders.

"Young Master, as per your grandfather's master plan, you hold sixty percent of the shares in all tier-one companies in this region," Thomas explained as they entered the private executive elevator. "That includes the commercial bank that provides financial backing for Sterling Enterprises."

Lucas looked at his reflection in the clean elevator glass. "So Julian's family business relies on our money to survive?"

"Entirely, Young Master," Thomas replied with a cold smile. "Without our credit lines, Sterling Enterprises would collapse within a single month."

Meanwhile, across town at the Grand Palace Restaurant, the most expensive dining venue in the city, a private celebration was taking place.

Julian had booked the central dining hall to celebrate his engagement to Chloe. The room was filled with rich young heirs, socialites, and business leaders from the city's high society.

Chloe sat next to Julian, wearing a sparkling diamond necklace Julian had bought her earlier that afternoon. She smiled as her female friends surrounded her, showering her with compliments.

"Chloe, you are so lucky!" one socialite girl squeaked. "Julian is so handsome and rich! You finally dumped that stay-at-home loser husband of yours!"

"I should have done it much earlier," Chloe said, taking a sip of her expensive champagne. "Lucas was useless. He spent three years doing nothing while Julian works hard every day to build an empire."

Beatrice sat nearby, eating rich food and boasting to the other mothers. "My daughter deserves only the best! Julian is taking Sterling Enterprises to the top of the city!"

Julian stood up, tapping his glass with a gold spoon to gather everyone's attention. The room went quiet as all eyes turned to him.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming today!" Julian said loudly, raising his glass with a proud, arrogant smile. "Today is a double celebration! Not only am I engaged to the beautiful Chloe Vance, but my family business is about to reach the absolute top!"

The guests clapped enthusiastically.

Julian puffed out his chest and continued boasting. "As you all know, business requires massive capital. Yesterday, I personally met with the senior directors of the Grand Dragon Financial Group. I have successfully secured a fifty million dollar business expansion loan for Sterling Enterprises!"

Gasps of surprise echoed through the room. A fifty million dollar loan from Grand Dragon Bank was something only the top elite families could ever dream of getting.

"Fifty million dollars!" Beatrice shouted in joy, clapping her hands wildly. "Did you hear that, everyone? My new son-in-law is a true genius!"

Chloe looked at Julian with admiration, her eyes shining bright. "Julian, that is amazing! With that money, we can buy the waterfront property we wanted!"

"Of course, my love," Julian said smugly, waving his hand as if fifty million was just pocket change to him. "The paperwork is already finished. The bank directors told me that the contract is sitting on the main desk at headquarters right now, just waiting for the final master approval stamp. By tomorrow morning, the money will be in my company account!"

The crowd cheered, raising their glasses to toast Julian's grand success. Julian stood tall, feeling like the king of the entire world, completely unaware of what was happening on the top floor of the Grand Dragon Building.

At that exact moment, inside the massive top-floor office, Lucas sat behind a large mahogany desk. Huge glass windows behind him showed a clear view of the whole city skyline.

Thomas stood near the desk, placing a thick leather folder right in front of Lucas.

"Young Master," Thomas said in a quiet, serious tone. "Julian Sterling has been boasting all over the city about his new fifty million dollar loan application."

Lucas picked up the thick folder and opened it slowly. The first page showed Julian's full name, his company details, and a big loan request for fifty million dollars.

Thomas reached into his pocket and placed a clear plastic folder right next to the papers. Inside was a heavy red stamp used exclusively by the bank's true owner.

"As I mentioned, Sterling Enterprises is completely dependent on this funding," Thomas added, his eyes sharp. "Julian's father spent all their cash reserves to buy machinery ahead of time, expecting this money to arrive tomorrow. If this loan fails, their stock will plummet, and their business partners will pull out immediately."

Lucas looked at the application paper, then picked up the heavy red stamp.

Thomas leaned down slightly and handed Lucas the file, pointing to the bottom line of the document. "Julian's fifty million dollar loan application is sitting right on your desk, waiting for a single red rejection stamp from you."