Heir to Their Ruin

At the family dinner where the division of family assets was decided, I tore up the inheritance waiver my father wanted me to sign in front of everyone.

As the least-favored second son, it was the first time I had ever openly rebelled.

My father slammed the table and shot to his feet. You ungrateful bastard! Without my money, youre worse than a dog!

Adrian fanned the flames beside him. Dad, dont be mad. Let him starve for two days, and hell come crawling back to beg you.

But none of them knew that the secret fund my grandmother left me had completed a controlling acquisition of their companys biggest rival last week.

Family dinners at the Bennett house were always suffocating.

At the long mahogany dining table, my father, Richard Bennett, sat at the head, while my older brother, Adrian Bennett, sat on his right.

I sat at the very end.

Expensive dishes filled the table, but I had no appetite.

Today was not a simple family gathering, but a trap set specifically for me.

Ethan, sign this agreement.

My fathers voice came over without the slightest emotion.

A document was pushed in front of me, its title printed in bold: Voluntary Waiver of Inheritance Rights.

I looked at those words and found them ridiculous.

Adrian spoke, his tone gentle.

Ethan, dont blame Dad for being harsh. The company is at a critical stage right now, and we need to consolidate all our resources. You dont understand the companys business, so those shares are useless in your hands. Why not transfer them to me? I wont treat you badly in the future.

He was always like this, saying the most considerate words while doing the cruelest things.

The other relatives at the table also began speaking one after another.

Thats right, Ethan. Your brother is doing this for the good of the family too.

Were family. Dont draw the lines so clearly.

Would your father ever hurt you?

I ignored them.

My gaze stayed only on Richard.

Dad, what if I dont sign?

Richard slammed his fork hard on the table.

You have no right to negotiate with me. The Bennett family raised you all these years, and now its time for you to contribute to the family.

His tone was filled with unquestionable authority.

Everything I gave you, I can take back at any time. If you sign, youll still get a monthly allowance. If you dont, Ill cut off all your cards immediately and throw you out with nothing.

I picked up the agreement and read it from beginning to end.

The terms were so harsh they were almost laughable.

Not only did I have to give up all my shares and assets, but even the old house my mother left me had to be handed over too.

Holding the agreement, I stood up.

Everyones eyes focused on me.

Richards eyes carried a warning, while the corner of Adrians mouth hid a smug smile.

In front of everyone, I tore the agreement into pieces.

Shreds of paper drifted down like snow.

The entire dining room fell silent.

You!

Richard sprang to his feet, pointed at me, and trembled with rage.

You ungrateful bastard!

I looked at him calmly.

I said I wont sign.

Good. Very good! Richard laughed in fury. From today on, I, Richard Bennett, will pretend I never had a son like you! Id like to see how you survive without my money! Youre worse than a dog!

Adrian immediately stepped forward to support him, putting on a fake show of concern.

Dad, dont be angry. Its not worth ruining your health. Ethan is just confused for the moment. Once he hits a wall out there and starves for two days, hell naturally know to come back and beg you.

I did not want to watch their hypocritical performance any longer.

I turned and left the home that had always made me feel like I could not breathe.

When I reached the door, I heard my father and Adrian talking inside.

Dad, dont worry. Ive already contacted the banks. As long as you say the word, all of Ethans accounts will be frozen.

Good. That bit of pocket money he has wont last him a week. I want him to know what happens when he defies me.

He was spoiled rotten by Grandma and always thinks hes so capable. Without the Bennett family, hes nothing.

I stood outside the door as the icy wind blew across my face.

I could not feel the cold.

My heart was colder than the winter night wind.

I took out my phone and dialed a number.

Claire, its me, Ethan. The plan can begin.

When my father called, I was reading a business report.

My phone vibrated on the desk, and the word Father flashed on the screen.

I did not answer.

I let it ring until it hung up automatically.

He thought freezing my bank cards would force me to give in.

He did not know I had stopped needing the money he gave me long ago.

Many scenes from the past flashed through my mind.

I had known since I was little that my father did not like me.

He gave all his favoritism to Adrian.

Adrian had good grades, knew how to talk, and could always make my father happy.

As for me, I was introverted and bad with words, so in his eyes, I was just a useless, dull mute.

I remembered one time when I spent a month making a startup proposal for a smart home project.

I excitedly brought it to my father, hoping to receive even one word of praise from him.

He merely flipped through it casually before tossing it aside.

Kids playing business. Completely unrealistic.

I was devastated at the time.

But what hurt me even more was that a month later, I saw Adrian confidently presenting an almost identical proposal at the companys board meeting.

That proposal received praise from every director.

My father publicly announced that Adrian would be fully responsible for the project and allocated five million dollars in startup funding.

I rushed into my fathers office and confronted him.

Dad, that was clearly my proposal!

He did not even raise his head as he looked at his documents.

Whats yours or mine? Youre a Bennett, so your things belong to the Bennett family. Your brother is more mature and steady than you. I feel more at ease giving the project to him.

But...

No buts. He cut me off. Your brother is the future heir, and he needs achievements to convince people. As his younger brother, shouldnt you help him?

At that moment, I understood.

In his world, the only value of my existence was to become Adrians stepping stone.

Another time was my eighteenth birthday.

My family held a birthday party for me and invited many guests.

My father gave me a gift in front of everyone, a sports car.

Everyone looked at me with envy.

But when I took the car keys, my father leaned close to my ear and said something.

This car was bought for your brother. Its only under your name for now. Hes been drawing too much attention recently and needs to lay low. Remember, dont touch what isnt yours.

That night, Adrian drove away in the car that was supposed to be my birthday gift, taking his friends with him.

And I sat alone in an empty room and finished the piece of birthday cake no one cared about.

There were many more things like that.

Stolen credit, ignored effort, and the humiliation of being treated as a stand-in.

I had once longed for his approval too, desperately trying to prove myself.

But disappointment after disappointment had completely killed my heart.

My phone rang again, and this time it was Adrian.

I hung up directly.

Then I opened Snapchat.

I found the group chat named The Bennett Family.

There were dozens of people in it, all relatives from the Bennett family.

At that moment, they were discussing me heatedly.

Ethan is so immature. He actually dared to talk back to his father in public.

Exactly. Without the Bennett family, what is he?

Adrian is right. Let him starve for two days, and hell behave.

I looked at those familiar profile pictures as they spoke the most hurtful words.

Not a single person spoke up for me.

Calmly, I pressed the delete and leave button.

Next came my fathers, Adrians, and every relatives contact information.

One by one, I blocked and deleted them.

After doing all of that, I felt like the whole world had become quiet.

I would never turn back again.

From the moment I tore up that agreement, I had nothing to do with the Bennett family anymore.