The Heir's Ascent: From Rags to Fortune.

CHAPTER THREE

The silence that followed Victoria's words was deafening. 

I stared at her extended hand, my brain failing to connect the dots. CEO of Meridian Corporation. Works for me.

"I'm sorry, what?" I finally managed.

Victoria's smile widened slightly, like she was used to this reaction. "I understand this is a lot to process. Perhaps we could speak somewhere more private?" Her gaze flicked to my adoptive parents, who were watching with expressions of confusion and growing alarm. "Away from... whatever this is."

"Now hold on just a minute—" my adoptive father started.

"I wasn't speaking to you," Victoria cut him off without even looking at him. Her voice was polite, but there was steel resolve underneath. The kind of resolve that came from years of crushing boardroom opposition with aplomb.

She turned back to me, and her expression softened again. "I received a call from your father's attorney two hours ago. He explained the situation and asked me to come immediately. I apologize for not arriving sooner."

"The situation," I repeated numbly.

"Yes. The transfer of Meridian Corporation into your name." She reached into her jacket and pulled out a tablet, tapping the screen a few times before turning it to face me. "These are the ownership documents. As of 9:47 PM tonight, you became the majority shareholder and legal owner of Meridian Corporation. I report directly to you now."

I looked at the document on the screen. My name—Ethan Cole—was right there in black and white, next to words like "controlling interest" and "sole proprietor" and numbers with so many zeros they made my head threaten to shut down.

"This is insane," I muttered.

"This is real," Victoria corrected gently. "I know it's overwhelming. That's why I'm here—to help you navigate this and transition seamlessly."

"Wait, wait, wait." Dylan's voice broke through my shock. He stepped forward, ice pack still pressed to his jaw, his expression indignant. "Meridian Corporation? The Meridian Corporation?"

Victoria's gaze finally shifted to him, cool and assessing. "I'm not aware of any other."

"But that's... that's one of the biggest companies in the state," Dylan sputtered. "There's no way this owns it.” He said looking at me with the same condescension he has over the the years.”This has to be some kind of high level scam."

"I assure you, it's not." Victoria's tone could have flash frozen water. "Though I'm curious why you seem so invested in your brother's affairs."

"He's not my brother," Dylan said automatically. "He's just—"

"An orphan your family graciously took in?" Victoria finished for him. "Yes, I'm aware of that story. It's interesting how wrong it turned out to be."

My adoptive mother had been silent up until now, but she finally found her voice. "What do you mean, 'wrong'?"

Victoria looked at her like she was something unpleasant on the bottom of her shoe. "I mean that Ethan is not an orphan. He never was. He's the biological son of one of the most powerful families in the country. You've been... caring for him under false pretenses."

"That's ridiculous," my adoptive father scoffed, but I could hear the uncertainty in his voice now. "We adopted him legally. We have paperwork—"

"Forged paperwork," Victoria said calmly. "Or more accurately, paperwork based on false information. The details are complicated, but the short version is that Ethan was separated from his real family as an infant, and they've been searching for him ever since. They found him two weeks ago."

She turned back to me. "Your father wanted to come himself, but as I mentioned, the family's situation is... delicate. There are people who wouldn't be happy about a long-lost heir suddenly reappearing. So for now, he's asked me to act as liaison. To help you adjust."

My head was spinning. "I don't... I can't..."

"Breathe," Victoria said softly. "I know it's a lot. But right now, I need to ask you something important." She glanced at the garbage bags scattered across the lawn, then back at the Blake family standing on the porch. "Do you want to stay here tonight?"

I looked at my adoptive parents. At their cold, hostile expressions. At Dylan's smug face. At the bags containing everything I owned, thrown out like trash.

"No," I said quietly. "No, I really don't."

"Then allow me to offer you a better accommodation at the Grandeur Hotel. It's one of Meridian's properties. The penthouse suite is available."

"The penthouse..." I trailed off. Of course it was. Because apparently my life had turned into some kind of fever dream.

"Excellent." Victoria gestured to one of her bodyguards, who immediately began gathering my garbage bags. "We'll have your belongings moved to the hotel. In the morning, we can arrange for proper accommodations—a house or apartment of your choosing."

"Now wait just a damn minute," my adoptive father said, his voice rising. "You can't just waltz in here and—"

"I can, and I am." Victoria's voice cut through his protest like a bullet. She pulled a business card from her pocket and held it out. When he didn't take it, she let it drop onto the porch. "That's my direct line. If you have any legal concerns about Ethan's belongings, you're welcome to call. Though I should mention that Meridian Corporation employs some of the best lawyers in the country, and they're all now working on Ethan's behalf."

The threat was implicit but clear. My adoptive father's face turned red.

"This is outrageous," my adoptive mother hissed. "We raised him for eighteen years—"

"And did a poor job of it, from what I understand." Victoria's tone was conversational, but her eyes were dead cold. "Making him sleep in a storage closet? Forcing him to work multiple jobs just to afford basic necessities? Treating him as free labor while lavishing attention on your biological son?" She shook her head. "I've seen the photos of this property, Mrs. Blake. You clearly have some money. The fact that you chose not to spend any of it on Ethan tells me everything I need to know about your… parenting."

My adoptive mother's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

Victoria turned back to me and her expression softened once more. "Shall we go? You've had a difficult evening, and you should rest."

I nodded, still feeling like I was floating outside my own body. As we started toward the limousine, Dylan called out.

"Ethan!" 

I stopped and looked back at him.

He was staring at me with an expression I'd never seen before. Not smugness. Not contempt. Something closer to... uncertainty. Maybe even fear.

"This doesn't change anything," he said, but his voice lacked conviction. "Sarah still chose me. And you're still—"

"Nobody?" I finished for him. I felt a strange calm settle over me. "You know what, Dylan? You're right. Up until about two hours ago, I was nobody. I was the broke kid wearing grubby clothes and eating ramen every night. The one you could push around because I had nowhere else to go."

I took a step toward him, and he actually flinched.

"But things change, and they have," I continued softly. "And you know what the funny thing is? All those years of treating me like garbage, of rubbing your wealth in my face, of taking everything I had just because you could..." I smiled, and it wasn't a nice smile. "You just made an enemy of someone who can actually fight back now."

Dylan's face went pale.

"Sleep well," I said. Then I turned and walked to the limousine, where Victoria was waiting.

As we pulled away from the Blake house, I looked back one last time. My former family was still standing on the porch, looking small and uncertain in the darkness.

Good.

"How are you feeling?" Victoria asked.

I let out a long breath. "Honestly? I have no idea. This morning I was worried about making rent. Now I apparently own a corporation and have a hundred million dollars in my bank account. It doesn't feel real."

"It will," she assured me. "Give it time. And in the meantime, try to enjoy it a little. You've earned this, Ethan. More than you know."

I wanted to ask what she meant by that, but exhaustion was suddenly crashing over me in waves. The adrenaline that had been keeping me going since I'd walked in on Sarah and Dylan was finally wearing off.

"The penthouse has a full kitchen and bar, as well as a private bedroom and bathroom," Victoria continued. "I've arranged for dinner to be waiting when we arrive. You should eat and then get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll sit down and discuss everything properly—your new role, your assets, how you want to proceed."

"Okay," I said quietly.

She was right. I needed food and sleep. Everything else could wait until morning.

But as the city lights blurred past the limousine windows, I couldn't help replaying the look on Dylan's face. The

fear in his eyes.

For the first time in my life, I had power.

And I had no idea what I was going to do with it.