The Last Successor

01. The Golden Cage

The grand ballroom of the Grand Hyatt was blindingly bright. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling and casting sharp light on the city’s most powerful people. Tonight was the 70th birthday of Edward Sterling, the patriarch of the Sterling family. Men in tailored suits and women in diamonds filled the room, laughing and sipping expensive wine.

In the corner of this magnificent room stood Adrian Veyron.

He did not fit in. While everyone else wore clothes that cost more than a car, Adrian wore a cheap black suit from a local mall. His tall and athletic frame made the suit look decent, but it could not hide the cheap fabric. His gray eyes were calm, watching the crowd without any envy. On his left wrist, he wore a scratched, old mechanical watch. It was his father’s watch—the only thing he had left of his family's past.

"Look at him," a sharp voice whispered nearby. "The stray dog of the Sterling family."

"I still don’t understand why Edward let his daughter marry a former delivery guy," another voice replied with a chuckle. "He is just an embarrassment."

Adrian heard them clearly, but his face did not change. He was used to it. For three years, he had been married to Elena Sterling. For three years, he had been the family's punching bag.

"Adrian, go get more red wine from the cellar," Vivian Sterling, his mother-in-law, suddenly commanded. She stepped into his line of sight, her face covered in thick makeup and her eyes full of disgust. "The guests are waiting. Don't just stand there like a statue. You are ruining the view."

"Yes, Mother," Adrian said quietly.

He turned and walked toward the kitchen. As he passed the main table, he saw Elena. She looked breathtakingly beautiful in her dark blue evening gown. Her long black hair fell perfectly over her shoulders. But her face was as cold as ice. She was talking to a business partner, completely ignoring Adrian’s existence.

"She doesn't even want to look at me," Adrian thought, a faint bitter smile touching his lips. "Well, I can't blame her. She was forced into this marriage by her grandfather's old promise before he passed away. To her, I am just a mistake."

Adrian walked down the long corridor to the VIP wine cellar. He picked up three bottles of vintage Bordeaux, each costing thousands of dollars. As he carried them back toward the ballroom, he ran into Raymond Sterling, Elena’s older brother and the current CEO of the Sterling Group.

Raymond was already drunk. His tie was loose, and his face was red. He was holding an empty glass, walking unsteadily. Behind him was Chloe, his younger sister, who was holding her phone, live-streaming the party to her thousands of followers.

"Oh, look who it is! The family servant!" Raymond laughed loudly, blocking Adrian’s path.

"Raymond, let me pass. The guests are waiting for the wine," Adrian said calmly.

"Don't use that tone with me, loser," Raymond snapped, his eyes flashing with sudden anger. "You think because you married my sister, you are equal to us? You are nothing! Your father was a failure who died of stress, and your mother is a dying burden in a hospital bed!"

Adrian’s grip on the wine bottles tightened. His knuckles turned white. He could tolerate insults directed at himself, but hearing his parents mocked made a cold fire burn in his chest.

"Move, Raymond," Adrian said, his voice dropping a few octaves, becoming dangerously deep.

Raymond flinched slightly at the sudden change in Adrian's eyes, but his pride took over. "What did you say? You dare order me around?"

Suddenly, Raymond stepped forward and grabbed Adrian’s shoulder, intending to push him. But because he was drunk, Raymond tripped over his own shiny leather shoes. He staggered backward, his arms flailing wildly. In his panic, he struck the tray Adrian was holding.

The three expensive bottles of wine flew through the air and crashed heavily onto the marble floor.

Smash!

The deep red liquid exploded everywhere, splashing across the floor, onto Adrian’s cheap trousers, and directly onto Raymond’s white silk shirt and expensive Italian shoes.

"Ah! My shirt!" Raymond screamed.

Chloe gasped loudly, her phone screen shaking. "Oh my god! Adrian just attacked Raymond!"

The loud crash silenced the nearby ballroom. Dozens of heads turned toward the corridor. Edward Sterling, the patriarch, walked out with a dark, furious expression on his face.

"What is going on here?" Edward’s voice boomed with absolute authority.

Raymond immediately fell to the floor, pretending to be in pain, pointing a shaking finger at Adrian. "Father! Adrian did it! I just asked him to be careful with the wine, but he got angry and threw the bottles at me! Look at my clothes! He did this on purpose to ruin your birthday!"

Vivian rushed forward, gasping in horror. "Oh my god, Raymond! Are you hurt? Edward, look at this! This animal is trying to destroy our family's reputation in front of all our guests!"

Adrian stood amidst the broken glass and red stains. He looked at Raymond, then at the gathering crowd. He knew no one would believe him.

"Grandfather, I didn't push him. Raymond tripped," Adrian said, his voice steady, looking directly into Edward’s cold eyes.

"Shut up!" Edward roared. The old man’s face was twisted in rage. "A man without money has no right to speak in this house. You are nothing but trouble, Adrian!"