Chapter 3 The Company Is Mine

I walked up to Logan, his face deathly pale. My lips curled into a cold smirk. "Dad, did you just accuse me of stealing money from you?"

I pointed to the ownership chart on the big screen.

"Three years ago, one of your investment decisions went disastrously wrong, and it nearly cost you Rivers Group. I had to sell the two properties I owned and secure venture capital to cover the losses you incurred.

"In exchange, both of you signed an agreement that you're voluntarily transferring 90% of your shares to me. In other words, Rivers Group is now mine and mine alone. The company is mine. Naturally, so is the profit I've earned from it."

Logan's lips trembled. "How dare you put all this up there! Do you have no shame?"

I scoffed at him. "Did you give a damn about me when you publicly condemned me for stealing from you?"

I didn't bother waiting for them to recover as I switched to the next slide. It showed a list of expense records.

"These are your spending records from the past six months. Two million dollars on luxury bags, three million lost at the casino, and this so-called designer suit you bought for Landon? It's a knockoff that only costs you a hundred thousand dollars maximum."

Mocking titters rippled through the crowd.

Landon looked down at his suit, his face flushed with humiliation.

My expression hardened. "I let things slide in the past because you raised me, but that changed when you crossed the line by trying to send me to prison for an idiot like him."

Logan forced a fatherly smile onto his face.

"Come on, Louis. Why are you getting so worked up? We were just upset and weren't thinking straight. Let's talk it out at home. Why make such a scene in front of everyone? We don't need to become the evening's entertainment. Turn off the projector."

Joanna quickly chimed in, "Exactly, Louis. I was only acting out of concern for Landon. He just came home, and I was afraid he'd be mistreated. You've always been understanding and forgiving. Surely, you won't hold this against us, right?"

Sadly for them, I wasn't going to touch whatever they were selling, even with a foot-long pole.

"Why didn't you suggest settling things privately when you accused me of theft? Did you ever stop to think that I was also your son when you tried to send me to prison?"

Logan's expression darkened instantly.

"Louis! Don't push your luck! Everyone will call you an ungrateful bastard if an adopted son like you sends us, his adoptive parents, to prison! Who's going to want to do business with you after that?"

Just then, Julianne's phone rang.

It was George. He had been spending most of his time abroad recovering. That was why he wasn't in attendance tonight.

Julianne immediately answered and put him on speaker.

Then, she started complaining with a smug grin on her face, "Grandpa! Louis has completely lost his mind! He humiliated me in front of everyone and pushed Landon down the stairs! I've already called off our engagement. I'm marrying Landon instead!"

George's voice shook with fury on the other end as he bellowed, "You damned fool!"

Julianne's hand shook at the force of his undeniable fury, and she nearly dropped her phone.

"Who gave you permission to call off the engagement? You useless idiot! You've never accomplished anything. Even worse, you've always managed to make things worse!"

Julianne froze. "Grandpa? But Louis was being cruel—"

"Shut your trap! Louis is the man I want as my grandson-in-law. If you can't fix this engagement, you can kiss your position in the Brooks family goodbye!"