Chapter 9: You Bet on the Wrong Horse

The woman in the white suit walked straight toward us, her expression calm and cold.

She stopped in front of Dad and looked at the whip in his hand.

Then she said, 'Put that thing down. You have no right to touch him.'

Dad frowned. 'Who are you to interfere in Fullerton family matters?'

She smiled faintly. 'The representative of Q Holdings.'

The moment those words left her mouth, the entire room went silent.

Simon's face instantly turned pale.

He hurried forward and forced a smile. 'There must be some misunderstanding. I am the heir of the Fullerton family and the person in charge of this project.'

The woman glanced at him. 'No, you are not.'

Simon froze.

She took out a document and placed it on the desk.

'Q Holdings has officially terminated all cooperation with Fullerton Group. Furthermore, every agreement signed under your authority will be reviewed immediately.'

Dad stared at the document in disbelief.

'Why?' he demanded.

The woman calmly replied, 'Because the person you appointed as your heir has neither the ability nor the authority to manage a project of this scale.'

Simon's breathing became heavier.

He pointed at me. 'It was Daniel who prepared everything. If something went wrong, it was his fault!'

I looked at him without saying a word.

The woman turned toward me.

'Mr. Daniel Quinlan, would you like to explain?'

Dad and Simon both looked at me.

I slowly straightened my clothes after the men released my wrists.

Then I picked up the documents scattered across the desk.

'There was never anything wrong with the proposal,' I said.

Dad's expression changed.

I continued, 'The problem was the signature Simon put on it.'

I pulled out another document and placed it beside the first one.

'The signature he used authorized Q Holdings to demand compensation if Fullerton Group breached the agreement.'

Simon's eyes widened.

'That's impossible!'

I smiled faintly. 'You signed it yourself.'

The room fell silent again.

The woman in white nodded. 'That is correct. Based on the terms, Simon Fullerton is personally responsible for the breach caused by his unauthorized decisions.'

Simon stumbled backward.

'Dad...' he whispered.

Dad looked at him, his face turning darker by the second.

For the first time, there was no pride in his eyes when he looked at his biological son.

There was only disbelief.

I watched them quietly.

For 26 years, I had lived according to the Fullerton family's rule that the strong survive and the weak are eliminated.

I had studied until others slept.

I had worked until my hands trembled.

I had built businesses while Simon wasted the money Dad gave him.

And despite everything, Dad had still chosen Simon.

Now they were finally seeing what that choice had cost them.

The woman in white handed another file to me.

'This belongs to you.'

I opened it and looked through the documents.

They contained the complete ownership records of my company.

The company I had supposedly built for the Fullerton family was never theirs.

I had established it under a separate holding structure years ago, using my own investments and resources.

Its current value had already surpassed several hundred million dollars.

Simon stared at the documents in shock.

'You lied to us...' he muttered.

I shook my head. 'No. You simply never bothered to ask.'

Stella suddenly stepped forward.

Her face was pale as she looked at me.

'Daniel, we are family. You cannot really abandon us like this.'

I looked at her for a long moment.

'You told me yesterday that I was nothing but an outsider.'

She lowered her head, unable to answer.

Nina stood behind her, looking equally embarrassed.

Marcus and the others who had mocked me at the banquet were now standing completely still.

None of them dared to meet my eyes.

Dad finally spoke.

'Daniel, come back.'

I looked at him.

He took a deep breath and continued, 'The Fullerton family still needs you.'

I almost laughed.

'You needed me for 26 years,' I said quietly. 'You just never needed to respect me.'

Dad's expression stiffened.

I placed the documents back on the desk.

'You made your choice at the succession ceremony. I am simply accepting it.'

Simon suddenly rushed toward me.

'Daniel, wait! You cannot leave like this!'

Two of the bodyguards stepped forward and blocked his path.

Simon stopped in place.

I walked past him without looking back.

At the doorway, I stopped for a moment.

I turned around and looked at the people who had once been my entire world.

'You all thought I had lost everything when Dad chose Simon.'

I smiled faintly.

'The truth is, that was the moment I finally became free.'

No one answered me.

I walked out of the Fullerton residence.

Outside, the morning sunlight fell across the driveway.

For the first time in 26 years, I did not feel like I was walking away from home.

I felt like I was walking toward my own life.

The woman in white followed me outside and stopped beside the car.

'Are you certain you do not want the Fullerton Group?' she asked.

I looked back at the mansion one last time.

'No,' I replied. 'I spent too many years trying to earn a place there.'

I opened the car door.

'Now I would rather build something that belongs entirely to me.'

She smiled. 'Then Q Holdings will be waiting for you.'

I nodded and got into the car.

As the vehicle pulled away, my phone began ringing repeatedly.

Messages from investors, executives, and business partners flooded my screen.

My new company was already preparing for its next expansion.

I turned off the notifications and leaned back against the seat.

The Fullerton family had spent 26 years teaching me that only the strongest deserved to survive.

They had simply made one mistake.

They had mistaken patience for weakness.

They had mistaken silence for surrender.

And most importantly, they had bet on the wrong horse.

I looked through the window as the Fullerton mansion disappeared behind me.

This time, I did not look back.

**THE END**