The Man They Blame

Inheritance

“Young master?” one of them muttered until silence finally filled the VIP corridor.

They froze in place, trying to process why the butler from Jacob West’s main residence had addressed a stranger—whom they considered common folk—as “Young master.”

They couldn’t imagine that the pale, injured firefighter in a hospital gown was Jacob West’s biological son, who had been missing for over twenty years.

Fae turned her head, furrowing her brow as she looked at Derek in a different way. She hadn’t expected that the person who had helped her support the elderly patient downstairs was actually the “true heir” whose return had kept her on edge all day.

“So you’re Master West’s son?” The expressions on their faces changed.

Their attitudes shifted instantly. Their arrogance and contempt vanished, replaced by feigned enthusiasm. “Our master has been waiting a long time for your return.”

One of them even stepped forward and took his hand. “It’s wonderful to see you finally back. Sir Jacob has been searching for you for years, and all of us in the West family have always hoped you’d return.”

Derek stared at them coldly, finding their behaviour deeply ironic. He clearly remembered how he’d nearly been thrown out of that room just a few minutes ago—even Fae, whom they knew, had been treated just as contemptuously as he had.

An older West family member pulled out some documents. “We’re so glad you’re back, but there’s something we need to take care of first, sir West.”

Derek tried to keep himself from snorting when he was addressed as “Sir West?” then looked at the documents.

“Sir Jacob is currently in critical condition, and the West Group cannot function without an interim decision-maker. Since you’ve returned, you must immediately sign these documents as Jacob’s biological son to stabilize the company.”

Derek took the documents and opened them. At first glance, the documents seemed reasonable, but their contents were extremely dangerous. The first document stated that Derek authorized the board of directors to temporarily assume some of Jacob’s personal authority.

The second document suspended the authority of Jacob’s personal staff, including the white-haired butler and several key assistants.

The third document revoked Fae’s right to be involved in Jacob’s medical decisions or family matters on the grounds that she was not a blood relative and her continued involvement could lead to an inheritance dispute.

Fae, who was still standing right next to Derek, inadvertently read everything, and her face turned pale.

Finally, Derek realized that these people didn’t just want to get rid of him.

They intended to exploit Jacob’s vulnerability and Derek’s ignorance of the family to simultaneously eliminate everyone loyal to Jacob.

If Derek signed that document, Jacob would be isolated.

“Don’t sign any part of that document,” Fae warned Derek. Realizing what was happening, she glared at them with bloodshot eyes. “You people are truly shameless.”

One of them pointed at her. “Watch your mouth,” he snapped. “You’re an outsider compared to us, so you have absolutely no right to interfere in this matter.”

One of them deliberately told Derek that “Uncle Jacob has spoiled her for years, to the point where this woman has forgotten who she is.” A man not much older than Derek chimed in.

The man glared at Fae fiercely; the two clearly weren’t on good terms. His gaze toward her was filled with hatred. “Living under the West family’s wing has certainly made her afraid of losing her position, now that the rightful heir has returned.”

Fae fell silent and was momentarily unable to respond.

Derek looked at her. Suddenly, he remembered what Fae had said in the elevator.

He lowered his gaze to the documents, still overwhelmed by confusion. Everything seemed to be closing in on him even as he was still trying to process it all. If he continued to insist that he wasn’t their Young Master, they would divide Jacob’s power, oust Fae, and reduce him to nothing more than a figurehead they could control.

Fae saw his inner struggle.

She no longer tried to defend herself and simply said softly, “If that name was stolen from you, rejecting it will only help the people who stole it.”

Derek’s fingers clenched into fists.

Those words struck him right in the heart.

All this time, he had rejected the West family name not because he doubted the DNA test results or because he had no feelings for Jacob. He rejected it because he was afraid to acknowledge its true meaning.

If he accepted that he was Jacob West’s son, then he would also have to accept that those twenty years of suffering were not the life he was meant to live—and now he felt he didn’t want to let anyone take anything away from him or let anyone win over him.

At that moment, an alarm sounded from inside Jacob’s room.

Jacob seemed to hear the argument outside. Weakly, he tried to sit up, making an indistinct sound from behind his oxygen mask.

The head butler’s expression changed. “Master Jacob…” he hurried in to calm him down.

Derek looked through the glass and saw Jacob’s pale face.

Derek saw a man who had just survived a fire, yet continued to stare toward the door, waiting for his son who had just returned after more than twenty years.

Finally, Derek made up his mind. He no longer wanted to retreat into uncertainty. He took the documents.

“That’s right, sir. We are the ones you can trust.” The West family members who witnessed this assumed Derek had taken sides, so he continued, “Because we are your real family.”

Smiles of triumph appeared on their faces. Until finally, those smiles turned to blank stares of rage as they watched the documents being torn right in front of them.

“What are you doing?” Some of them, unable to contain their anger, reacted.

Derek looked up and said in a soft but cold voice, “My father is still alive. No one is going to divide his power right outside his bedroom door.”

That was the first time he had willingly referred to Jacob as “my father.”

The butler’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

Fae looked at Derek, and something began to shine in her eyes.

The West family members were furious and began using family rules and the board of directors to pressure him.

Derek didn’t argue.

He took out the black ID card and handed it to the butler. “Block their access to this floor,” he said, growing fed up with them.

The butler fell silent in shock.

Derek continued, “Check everyone who entered my father’s room after the fire. No one is allowed to touch his medical team. No one is allowed to remove Fae.”

That last sentence left Fae completely stunned.

She never expected that the true heir’s first action upon returning would be to protect his own position.

“You have absolutely no idea what you’re doing right now!” one of them snapped at Derek.

Derek looked at them and gave a faint smirk. “Don’t worry about me figuring out what I’m doing—just worry about your own lives.”

After saying that, he signalled the staff to hurry and secure the area. They were furious, but for the time being, they didn’t dare force their way into Jacob’s room.

Once they were shooed away, the hallway finally fell silent again.

Instinctively, Fae took a step back.

All her life, she had learned to yield, especially now that Derek was back. She believed she should cede her place by Jacob’s side to his biological son.

Derek looked at her.

“You don’t have to leave.”

Fae froze.

“If he gave you the name West,” Derek said, “then you belong here too.”

Fae’s eyes welled up with tears; what she had feared all this time turned out to be wrong. Derek wasn’t asking her to step aside.

Derek looked at Fae, then at Jacob, who lay weak inside the room.

At that moment, he realized he could no longer live his life as he had before—rushing into the flames to save others, then letting fate drag him wherever it pleased.

Now he was Jacob West’s son.

If he remained passive, Fae would be cast aside, Jacob would be controlled, and the people who had stolen his life would continue to laugh in the shadows.

That was when his cell phone rang.

Christian called, and Derek answered.

“You’d better not show up again. The fire department doesn’t need a coward like you who abandons his post,” he said sarcastically on the other end of the line.

“I did my duty until I ended up being treated here,” he retorted, denying that he had run away from his responsibilities.

Laughter could be heard on the other end. “The person you saved is lying in the hospital—that means you did a lousy job.” After saying that, the call ended.

“What happened?” Fae asked, noticing the change in Derek’s expression.

Derek shook his head. “I might get fired.”

Victor, the butler, furrowed his brow. “How dare that department treat you like this when you saved a life by putting your own life on the line! Even master Jacob has sent a five-million-dollar donation to that agency—they have absolutely no idea who they’re dealing with. I’ll cancel all those donations.”

“No.” Derek gently pushed his shoulder. “Let me go check and see for myself what’s happening there".