My Cold-Blooded Father Exiled Me, Now I'm His Boss

The day my mother died of a hemorrhage while giving birth to my little brother.

My wealthy biological father was too busy pampering his mistress. He pulled every OB-GYN from the wing just to treat her mild migraine.

That night, my mother and my unborn brother died on the operating table. Shortly after, the mistress framed me and had me thrown out of the house.

Twenty years later, I am now the CEO of a billion-dollar conglomerate.

And the mistress's daughter, who helped ruin my mother's life, has ended up as an intern at my company.

On the day the return offers were announced, everyone assumed she had it in the bag.

But in front of the entire boardroom, I calmly slid the termination letter across the table.

"Amber Harrison, you didn't pass."

The room fell silent instantly.

The other four interns, holding their official contracts, stood frozen. They looked at Amber, completely lost.

My assistant was stunned too. Standing beside me, he frantically tried to catch my eye.

"Ms. Vance..."

I ignored him, my eyes locked calmly on the girl sitting across from me.

She looked so much like her mother. The same pretty face, the same clever eyes, and that sense of entitlement.

Out of everyone in the room, Amber was the only one who didn't panic.

She was startled for a fraction of a second, but she quickly regained her composure.

Slowly, she opened her leather portfolio and spread her performance reviews across the mahogany desk.

"Ms. Vance, I've interned here for three months. I managed four projects, two of which I ran entirely on my own, with a one hundred percent client satisfaction rate."

Her tone was polite but firm, highly professional.

"My quarterly evaluations have been perfect for two consecutive rounds. My sales numbers are the highest among all the interns."

She paused, looking up to meet my eyes.

"If you are rejecting me, I deserve a reason."

She tilted her chin up slightly. There was no vulnerability in her eyes, only the controlled indignation of someone who believed they were untouchable.

That kind of confidence came from her bones.

It was the kind of arrogance only a spoiled, wealthy girl with a perfect, loving family could possess.

I leaned back in my leather chair, watching her for a long moment before speaking.

"I don't need a reason."

Amber's face tightened.

"This is my company. I want you gone. It's that simple."

Her perfect composure finally began to crack.

Her face flushed, but she quickly forced a cold sneer.

"Ms. Vance, this is workplace bullying."

She snapped her portfolio shut, her voice dropping to a icy whisper.

"If I leak this to the press, I'm afraid it won't look good for Vanguard Tech's reputation."

I smiled.

"I'm not bullying you."

I looked at her, my face completely expressionless.

"If you think this is bullying, maybe the problem is you. Truly talented people never feel targeted. Only those with a guilty conscience do."

At those words, Amber's expression completely changed.

She was finally losing her temper.

My assistant whispered anxiously in my ear. "Ms. Vance, shouldn't we reconsider this? Amber's performance has been flawless. Plus, the board ran a background check. Her father is the CEO of the Harrison Group."

"Richard Harrison."

I raised a hand to cut him off, keeping my eyes locked on Amber.

"That's your father, right?"

Amber blinked, then raised her chin even higher, clearly proud of her family name.

"So, Ms. Vance has heard of my father."

Her voice was dripping with smug confidence.

"Since you know who he is, you should also know that keeping me here would secure a massive partnership between Vanguard and Harrison Group in the future."

She spoke with absolute certainty.

Over the past twenty years, although the Harrison Group had passed its prime, it was still a powerful old-money giant. To a normal company, their business was a dream.

"No, thank you."

Amber froze.

"I don't need anything from the Harrison Group."

I pushed the termination letter closer to her.

"Now, pack your things and get out."

Amber completely lost it. Her face flushed bright red, not from shame, but from pure rage.

She had been a princess her entire life. She had never been publicly rejected like this.

"Fine."

She glared at me with pure hatred, snatching the letter off the table.

"I'll remember this, Ms. Vance. I hope you won't regret it."

After she stormed out, I dismissed the other four interns.

My assistant was still panicking, desperately trying to talk some sense into me.

"Ms. Vance, why did you do that? The Harrison Group still holds massive market resources. Publicly firing Richard Harrison's daughter is not a smart business move!"

"Are you done?"

My voice was dead cold. The assistant immediately shut his mouth.

"Copy every single project file Amber touched during her internship and bring them to my office."

In the afternoon, right after my assistant delivered the files, my office door was slammed open.

I looked up. A meticulously preserved woman in a classic Chanel suit marched in, her high heels clicking loudly against the hardwood floor.

The diamond ring on her finger was blindingly large. Her makeup was so heavy you couldn't tell her real age.

Victoria Sterling.

Twenty years had passed, and she was living like a queen.

"Are you the owner of this company?"

She sat down across from me, tossing her Herms Birkin bag onto my desk like it was trash.

"Who gave you the right to fire my daughter?"

I ignored her, calmly picking up my mug to pour myself a fresh cup of coffee.

"Mrs. Harrison, you still have quite the mouth on you. It seems you've been living comfortably all these years."

Victoria paused.

She stared at my face for a few seconds. But she didn't recognize me.

Of course she didn't.

Twenty years ago, I was just a scrawny six-year-old child whom she banished from her sight with a single lie.

Now that I was the powerful CEO of a billion-dollar company, how could she connect me to that miserable little girl?

She assumed I knew her only because of her husband's status.

"Since you know who I am, let's not waste time," Victoria said, her voice dripping with the casual condescension of someone used to getting her way.

"Amber is my daughter. Working at your little tech startup is a favor to you. Honestly, with her talent, a regular position is insulting. Make her a department director immediately."

I smiled faintly.

"Does she deserve it?"

Victoria's face twisted.

"What did you say?!"

I set my mug down and looked her dead in the eye.

"I said, she doesn't deserve it."

Victoria bolted upright, her face turning pale with rage.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you! My daughter working here is a blessing for you. Do you have any idea how many projects the Harrison Group controls?"

"With one word from my husband, we could give you enough business to feed this company for a lifetime!"

Watching her ugly, arrogant face, I couldn't help but wonder.

Did she have this exact same expression when she threatened my mother to sign the divorce papers twenty years ago?

"I'm sorry, but I have no interest in the Harrison Group."

I pressed the intercom button on my desk.

"Security, get up here."

Two security guards entered the office and grabbed Victoria by her arms.

Her eyes widened in absolute shock. She clearly never expected anyone would dare to touch her.

Suddenly, the office door was kicked open again.

A tall, skinny young man rushed in. He looked to be in his early twenties, dressed head-to-toe in expensive streetwear.

He pointed a finger directly at my face and screamed.

"Who the hell do you think you are, putting your hands on my mother? I'll have my dad shut this pathetic company down by tomorrow!"

I stared at his angry, youthful face. His eyes and jawline were a carbon copy of Richard Harrison.

Suddenly, a memory flashed in my mind.

That rainy night twenty years ago, when I lost my mother and my unborn baby brother.

If that baby had survived, he would have been exactly this boy's age.

"Is this your son?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

"Of course," Victoria sneered, straightening her suit. "This is Jack, Richard's only son."

I stared at the two of them, and then, I laughed.

"Perfect."

I stood up and looked at Jack.

"Go back and tell your father. Tell him I'm waiting to see how he plans to shut me down."

The security guards dragged them both out.

I sat back down, picked up my lukewarm coffee, and drank the entire cup.

I knew this was just the beginning.

After throwing them out, I gave my assistant another task.

"Find out everything you can on Jack Harrison. I want every single detail."

An hour later, a file was placed on my desk.

Jack Harrison. Twenty-one years old. A college senior. Currently interning at the local TV network.

What a coincidence. The TV network?

I stared at the file for a long time before picking up my phone.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Sera? Why are you calling me now? I thought you said you were swamped today."

Hearing Marcus's voice, I fell silent for a few seconds.

He was my boyfriend, and also the executive producer at that exact TV network.

I didn't want to drag him into my dark past.

But he was the only one who could help me with this.

"Do you have an intern at your station named Jack Harrison?"

"Yeah," Marcus answered quickly. "I heard he's the heir to the Harrison Group. Why? Do you know him?"

I hesitated, but finally, I made my demand.

"I don't want to see him there anymore. Can you fire him?"

Marcus went quiet on the other end.

He knew me. He knew I was never unreasonable or petty.

"Sera, what happened?"

"Nothing," I whispered, not wanting him to know the painful details of my childhood yet. "I just really dislike the Harrison family."

Marcus didn't push. He just gave me a firm, comforting answer.

"Okay. Consider it done."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, a wave of warmth rushing through me.

"I'll pick you up from the station tonight."

After work, I drove to the TV station. As soon as I got out of my car, I saw Jack being held back by two security guards, screaming curses at the top of his lungs.

"On what grounds are you firing me? Just because I yelled at a coworker? I'm telling you, my dad is Richard Harrison! If you mess with me, you're messing with the entire Harrison Group!"

A manager was standing nearby, trying to calm him down.

"Mr. Harrison, please calm down. You physically assaulted a colleague. We are just following company policy..."

"Policy? I am the policy! If you don't fire that loser and make him apologize to me on his knees, I'll ruin this entire station!"

Just then, Marcus walked out of the building.

He spotted me immediately and walked straight toward me, naturally taking my hand.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just got here."

I smiled at him. Jack caught sight of us.

When he saw how close Marcus and I were, his eyes flared with understanding.

"You bitch! It was you! Firing my sister wasn't enough, so you had your boyfriend fire me too?!"

He broke free from the guards and charged at me with his fist raised.

Marcus's face darkened instantly. He stepped in front of me, shielding me, and delivered a swift, hard kick to Jack's stomach.

Jack collapsed, groaning.

"Get him away from here," Marcus ordered the guards, his voice dangerously low.

The two security guards grabbed Jack and dragged him away.

"You're dead!" Jack screamed as they dragged him down the street. "My dad is going to destroy you! Just you wait!"

Marcus turned to me, his eyes full of concern.

"Richard Harrison is one of the most powerful men in this city, Sera. What is going on?"

I shook my head, keeping my lips sealed.

That night, my phone rang. It was an unrecognized number, but the voice was deeply familiar.

It was Richard Harrison.

Twenty years.

Hearing his voice again made my heart stop for a agonizing second.

"Are you Sera Vance, the CEO of Vanguard Tech?"

On the other end of the line, his voice was heavy with arrogance.

"I am."

"Who gave you the permission to mess with my kids?"

I let out a dry laugh.

"Mr. Harrison, are you confused? Compared to Vanguard, your company is practically a relic of the past. Why would I waste my time targeting a failing business?"

"You arrogant brat!"

My words completely set him off. He had probably never been spoken to like this by a younger professional in his life.

I could hear his heavy, ragged breathing over the line.

"Fine! Very good! Let's see how long your precious Vanguard can survive after tonight!"

"I'll be waiting," I said quietly, and hung up.

Richard moved fast.

The next morning, my assistant burst into my office, holding his iPad. His face was pale.

"Ms. Vance, you need to see this!"

Trending at number three on Twitter was: #VanguardTechCEOScandals.

I scrolled down.

Several media accounts had posted long articles claiming that a woman in her early twenties couldn't possibly become a CEO without a wealthy sugar daddy.

Then, they posted several threads hinting that Vanguard's core technology was stolen, claiming our success was built entirely on fake marketing.

"Ms. Vance, several of our key partners are calling," my assistant's voice shook. "If we don't handle this, they might pull their funding."

Before I could speak, there was a frantic knock on the door.

A PR coordinator ran in with her laptop open.

"Ms. Vance, Amber Harrison just posted a video on TikTok!"

I grabbed the laptop.

In the video, Amber was sitting in front of the camera, looking professional and polished. She displayed her project reports one by one.

"These are the projects I completed during my internship at Vanguard Tech. I poured my heart into them, and my metrics were the highest. But Ms. Vance terminated me without any explanation."

She paused, her eyes turning red and tearing up.

"Later, I found out that two of the male interns had private meetings with Ms. Vance. I don't want to make assumptions, but the facts speak for themselves."

At the end of the video, she posted a comparison of her metrics versus one of the male interns who got the job.

The caption read: What did I do wrong?

My assistant slammed his fist on the desk. "This is absolute garbage! That male intern was working on backend infrastructure! He didn't even have client-facing metrics!"

The PR director wrung his hands in panic. "Ms. Vance, public opinion is completely against us. Everyone is calling us a toxic workplace. Should we release a statement?"

I nodded slowly.

"Yes. We definitely need to release a statement."

But I didn't release a clarification. Instead, I filed a lawsuit against Amber Harrison for defamation and corporate slander.

My retaliation pushed the Harrisons over the edge.

Within hours, Richard Harrison contacted a major TV network and arranged a live-streamed debate. He publicly challenged me to go head-to-head with him on air.

I was about to accept when Marcus stormed into my office, stopping me.

"Sera, don't go. Richard bought off the media. The host, the guest panel, they are all on his payroll. It's a trap. The moment you step on that stage, they will tear you apart live."

I listened quietly, then looked up at him.

"Marcus, can you get control of the broadcasting booth?"

He blinked, surprised.

"I can do that, but..."

"That's all I need."

I unlocked my phone and sent a message back to Richard Harrison.

"I'll see you there."

I put my phone down, walked into the executive bathroom, and looked at myself in the mirror.

I was wearing a sharp, charcoal-grey pantsuit. I stood tall and proud.

Twenty years. From the night my mother died until today, I had been waiting for this exact moment.

I looked at my reflection and whispered, "Mom, the day is finally here."