The Billionaire's True Son, No More Mercy

At our prep school’s centennial gala, the housekeeper's son was busy masquerading as me—the son of the richest man in the city.

He was wearing a bespoke suit and a milliondollar watch, sitting in the center of the hall, chatting amiably with the school board. "This is just my housekeeper's kid," Christian said, pointing at me. "If I hadn't begged my dad to sponsor him, he wouldn't even have made it past the front gates of this school." He kicked his foot out, looking down his nose at me. "Come here and wipe my shoes clean, Ethan.

Otherwise, I’ll tell Chloe, and you know how that ends." If this were my past life, I might have meekly obeyed. But now...

I smiled, and planted my boot right into his smug, hypocritical face. Christian went flying backward, chair and all. Beside him, Mr.

Harrison, our homeroom teacher, went pale with shock. "Are you out of your mind, Ethan?!" Harrison shrieked. "How dare you kick Mr. Vance's son?

I’ll make sure the headmaster expels you today, you absolute trash!" Just because Chloe had grandly presented Christian to the school on day one and donated a brandnew library building on behalf of our family, Harrison had become Christian's ultimate bootlicker.

And because of Christian’s subtle hints, the teachers and my classmates spent the entire year bullying and isolating me.

It drove me into a deep depression, eventually causing me to bomb my SATs and miss out on college.

In my past life, I endured it all in silence because Chloe told me she loved quiet, obedient brothers who didn't cause trouble. But now, I just sneered.

I looked Harrison dead in the eye and said, "Open your blind eyes and take a good look at who the real heir is. Whose father actually paid for that library? Expel me?

Try it, and I’ll have my dad tear this entire school down to the ground." Harrison was stunned for a second.

But when his eyes swept over my cheap, ordinary clothes, his face twisted into sheer disdain. He clearly thought I had lost my mind.

Just then, Chloe spotted the commotion from across the hall. She rushed over, her stilettos clicking sharply against the marble floor.

She immediately knelt down, wrapping her arms around Christian to help him up. When she saw the muddy footprint on his face and the blood gushing from his nose, she lost it.

Before I could even blink, she stood up and slapped me hard across the face—twice. "Christian was doing you a favor by letting you clean his shoes, Ethan!" Chloe screamed, her face contorted with rage. "How dare you lay a hand on him?

I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!" She raised her hand to strike me again, but Christian caught her arm.

Looking utterly victimized yet incredibly magnanimous, he choked out, "No, Chloe, don't. Let it go.

I don't want to cause a scene and embarrass the Vance family." Seeing how "sensible" her precious Christian was, Chloe’s disgust for me only deepened.

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, chin tilted high, and looked down at me like I was dirt. "Since Christian is kind enough to plead for you, I won't touch you.

But you are going to get down on your knees and beg for his forgiveness right now." The surrounding classmates immediately started chiming in, eager to please the "heir." "Look at how noble and forgiving Christian is!

A parasite like Ethan should just get on his knees and apologize!" Harrison stepped forward, grabbing my shoulders to force me down. I violently shook him off.

Pointing straight at Christian, who was still clinging to Chloe, I sneered, "A housekeeper's son expects me to kneel and apologize?

What kind of garbage is he supposed to be?" A collective gasp echoed through the crowd. "Is he insane? Did he just call Christian a housekeeper's son?" "Look at Christian's outfit!

His watch alone is worth millions. How could he be a housekeeper's son?" I had always preferred to live quietly and blend in, so I never cared about flashy clothes.

Because of that, our housekeeper and Chloe had taken all the bespoke suits and luxury watches from my walkin closet and handed them directly to Christian.

They had even stolen my very identity, treating it as theirs by default. In my past life, I didn't care enough to fight back, which eventually led to my agonizing death.

But now that I’ve been given a second chance, I won't let them run wild for a second longer.

I stepped forward, grabbed the lapels of Christian's expensive suit, and ripped it down the middle.

Then, I yanked the luxury watch off his wrist and tossed it straight into the nearby trash can. "A servant’s son playing master?

Know your place." Christian let out a strangled shriek of agony and scrambled toward the trash can to fish out the watch. Beside him, Chloe was shaking with rage.

Her eyes turned icecold as she hissed a threat at me. "Shut your mouth! You’re just jealous of Christian, so you’re making up these disgusting lies.

If you keep this up, don't blame me for having you kicked out of the Vance Group!" Chloe pulled her executive ID badge from her purse. "As the General Manager of the Vance Group, I officially declare that Christian is the one and only true heir to the Vance family!" I burst out laughing at her utter shamelessness. "Chloe, did earlyonset dementia rot your brain, or are you just blind?" I mocked. "You can't even tell the difference between your own brother and a housekeeper's son?

If you don't need those eyes of yours, you should donate them to science." Chloe never expected that I, the brother who used to hang on her every word, would dare challenge her in public.

Her chest heaved with fury as she whipped around to face the headmaster. "What are you standing there for?

Expel this delinquent and throw him out of this school immediately!" Headmaster Sterling hesitated for a second before signaling the security guards to escort me out.

I cast a cold glance at him. "Headmaster Sterling, they might be blind, but surely you haven't lost your mind too?" Unlike Harrison, the headmaster actually knew who I was.

My father had personally introduced me to him when I enrolled.

Yet under the heavy pressure of Chloe’s executive authority, Headmaster Sterling looked at me with a pleading expression. "Just... get down and apologize to Christian, Ethan," he muttered quietly. "Otherwise, my hands are tied.

I’ll have to kick you out." He waved his hand, signaling the security guards to move in.

"Who dares?!" I roared, stepping up onto the stage.

I glared down at the headmaster and the crowd. "My father didn't fund this school's new library just so I, the actual heir, could be bullied here.

If anyone touches a single hair on my head today, I'll see you in court." The moment the words left my mouth, Harrison slammed his hand on a table, scoffing loudly. "You really are delusional!

Ms. Vance herself just confirmed that Christian is the heir of the Vance Group. And yet you’re still here spinning these pathetic lies?

You must be desperate to play prince!" The crowd quickly chimed in. "Seriously! Christian is so rich and yet so humble.

He was nice enough to have his family sponsor Ethan, and this is how Ethan repays him?

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!" Several students pulled out their phones, recording the drama live on Snapchat and TikTok.

Chloe raised her chin triumphantly. "Ethan, if you get on your knees right now and beg for—" Before she could finish her sentence, I silenced her with a resounding slap across the face. "Did you sit at our table for so long that you forgot who you really are?" I sneered.

The truth was, Chloe was adopted from an orphanage. My mother passed away when I was very young, leaving me quite lonely.

Fearing I would grow up isolated, my father adopted Chloe to be my companion and older sister. I still remembered her back at the orphanage.

She was wearing dirty, tattered clothes, clutching a stale piece of bread. She had knelt on the floor, tugging at my sleeve, begging me, "Please let me be your sister.

I promise I’ll protect you and love you forever." It was because of those words that out of all the kids there, I chose her. Yet in my past life, she turned on me for Christian.

She forced me to sign over all my shares, locked me in a dark basement, and let me starve to death.

Chloe clutched her burning cheek, staring at me in utter disbelief. "You... you dared to hit me?" After all, after years of her psychological manipulation, I used to do everything I could to please her.

I would never have dared to raise a hand against her. I spat on the floor. "I’m hitting an ungrateful parasite." That slap sent shockwaves through the hall.

Headmaster Sterling rushed over to pull me back. "How could you strike Ms. Vance?!

She’s the General Manager of the Vance Group!" Christian shrank behind Chloe, shouting in powerless fury, "Ethan, you’ve gone too far! I’m calling the cops on you right now!

Enjoy prison, you psycho!" I laughed mockingly. "The only one going to prison is you, fraud. How many girls at this school did you ruin by pretending to be the Vance heir?

Do you think I don't know?" Christian had been playing Chloe for her money while simultaneously using the "billionaire heir" title to prey on vulnerable girls at school.

If any girl rejected him, he’d have his gang bully them until they dropped out. Seeing his secrets laid bare, Christian’s face went pale.

He quickly turned to Chloe, stammering, "I didn't! He’s lying! He’s trying to frame me!" Chloe patted his hand reassuringly. "Christian was raised with impeccable manners.

He would never do such a thing. But you, Ethan—you’ve become an arrogant monster. I am going to teach you a lesson today." Chloe ordered the beefy security guards to pin me down.

Then, she snatched a leather belt from one of the guards and handed it to Christian, gently stroking his hair. "Go on. Get your revenge.

Whip him until he kneels down and begs for your mercy." "With pleasure," Christian sneered, taking the belt with a sickening grin.

Just as he raised the belt to strike, a sudden commotion rippled through the crowd near the entrance. "Oh my god, look! It’s Mrs. Vance, the wife of the billionaire!

I've seen her on the news!"

The crowd parted instantly, making way for a middleaged woman with pale skin and immaculate makeup. It was Victoria Vance—my stepmother.

Yet this woman, who had lived under the same roof with me for years, didn't even look at me.

Instead, she rushed straight to Christian, cradling his bruised face with deep concern. "Oh, my poor darling!

What happened to your face?" Christian’s smug grin vanished, instantly replaced by a pitiful pout. "Who else could it be?" Chloe spat, pointing an accusing finger at me. "It was Ethan, that coldhearted snake.

He’s so jealous of Christian that he publicly assaulted him!" Victoria stared at Christian's swollen cheek, her eyes blazing with fury.

She whipped around and slapped me across the face. "You absolute animal! How dare you lay a finger on Christian, the heir of the Vance Group?

You must be tired of living!" The sharp diamond ring on her finger caught my cheek, leaving a thin, bleeding gash.

I stared back at her coldly, suppressing the urge to tear her fake face to shreds. After my mother died, my father married her because he wanted me to have a mother figure.

As a child, I had idolized Victoria, treating her as my protector and mentor.

Yet in my past life, she secretly embezzled company funds for Christian and tricked my father into signing over his estate.

Ultimately, she drove the company into bankruptcy, and my father was brutally murdered by debt collectors. I used to wonder why she would do something so monstrous.

But right before I died, they stood before my cage and gloated about the truth. Victoria was sleeping with Christian. She was even pregnant with his child.

My father and I were nothing but stepping stones for their happilyeverafter...

With the billionaire's wife herself confirming the heir's identity, the surrounding crowd erupted in outrage. "He still claimed he was the heir! Caught redhanded!

Let's see how he tries to lie his way out of this one!" A few of Christian's brownnosing lackeys eagerly stepped forward to suck up to Victoria. "Mrs.

Vance, please don't upset yourself. Let us handle this imposter for you." The boy raised his fist and swung at me.

I wrenched myself free from the guard's grip and delivered a swift, powerful kick to his ribs, sending him crashing to the floor.

All those years of private martial arts lessons weren't for nothing.

I might not be able to take on multiple professional guards, but dealing with a rich, pampered high school kid was a piece of cake. The boy writhed on the floor, groaning in pain.

I looked coldly at Victoria and Chloe. "Aren't you afraid of what Dad will do when he finds out about this?" Chloe scoffed, tossing her hair. "Dad is currently overseas handling a massive acquisition.

He won't be back for at least a month." No wonder they were so bold. My father was out of the country. I glared at them and lowered my voice. "You know exactly who the real heir is.

Everything you’ve done to me today, I will report to Dad. You will reap what you sow." Christian’s breath hitched, and he barked, "You wouldn't dare!

Do you want to be expelled?!" Chloe’s eyes flashed with a momentary panic too.

But Victoria calmly patted Christian’s hand. "Don't worry, honey," she reassured him. "No matter what anyone says, you are a Vance.

The Vance Group will be yours one day." She turned her gaze to the headmaster. "Ethan has assaulted his classmate, insulted school officials, and displayed atrocious behavior.

He is a disgrace to this institution. I expect the school to handle this accordingly." Headmaster Sterling immediately bowed and scraped. "Of course, Mrs. Vance.

Effective immediately, in front of the entire student body, Ethan Vance is officially expelled and blacklisted from this school." He cleared his throat and added, "And to compensate Christian for his emotional distress, we will award him the school's sole earlyadmission spot to Yale." So that was their game.

They needed the "Vance heir" title to secure the prestigious Ivy League recommendation spot. It made sense.

Christian was useless at everything except playing the boytoy and hitting on girls. His grades were trash.

Without a massive backdoor bribe, he would never set foot in a decent college. In my past life, I didn't know how to fight back, so they succeeded.

But in this life, I’m not letting them have a single thing.

I snatched a stack of files from the desk, slammed them right into the headmaster's face, and grabbed the microphone lying on the podium. "Attention, everyone!" I shouted, my voice booming through the speakers. "The headmaster is abusing his power!

He’s giving our school’s only Ivy League recommendation to Christian Miller—the guy with the lowest GPA in the entire senior class!" The microphone carried my voice to every corner of the campus.

The crowd immediately began whispering and murmuring in outrage. Headmaster Sterling went pale. He lunged forward to grab the mic.

I shoved him away and kept talking. "I, Ethan Vance, am the true heir of the Vance family!

As the sole successor to the Vance Group, I am officially exposing this school’s corrupt administration—" Before I could finish, the back of the hall fell into chaos as several police officers marched in.

The lead detective flashed his badge. "We received a call. Someone in this school is suspected of major grand larceny and financial fraud.

Please step forward." Seeing the police, Christian puffed out his chest, stepping forward with an air of righteous authority. He pointed directly at my face. "Officers, that's him!

That's Ethan! He assaulted our teacher, beat up students, and even slapped the General Manager of the Vance Group! Take him away and lock him up for a few years.

The Vance Group will make sure your department is wellfunded." Christian actually patted the officer on the shoulder.

Looking at his smug, idiotic face, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Christian frowned, confused.

But before he could speak, the officer swiftly grabbed his wrists and slapped handcuffs on him. "Christian Miller, right?

You are under arrest for identity theft and multimillion dollar bank fraud. Come with us." The detective’s words sent shockwaves through the room.

Chloe panicked, rushing forward to block the officers. "You’ve got the wrong guy!

You should be arresting Ethan, not Christian!" Victoria also frowned, her voice dripping with ice. "Christian is the heir of the Vance Group.

If you touch him, you can kiss your careers goodbye." She shoved me violently toward the officers. "Arrest this trash instead!

Otherwise, as the wife of Richard Vance, I will make sure your chief personally fires you!" Victoria commanded her security guards to grab me.

Just then, a commanding, thunderous voice echoed through the entrance. "How dare you! Let's see who dares touch my son!"