Chapter 2

I found his impassioned tirade laughable.

Since I was a child, even when I was selling pancakes and dealing with the most troublesome thugs, no one dared to call me a parasite to my face.

I stared at him coldly, my voice steady. "I'm afraid you might be mistaken. I spent the money from my personal dividend account tied to my shares, not the company's operating funds. What's wrong with using my own dividends?"

Daniel didn't back down. Instead, he smirked contemptuously. "Your dividends? Theo, how are you so shameless? You're just an illiterate who has never been to college and sells pancakes on the street. What makes you think you're worthy of receiving dividends?

"If it weren't for Ms. Langford working tirelessly to run the company, we would've already gone under. Where do you think the money comes from? You only got those shares because you were fortunate enough to be born into the family. Are you even a man? How could you face Ms. Langford after everything she's done for the company?"

The executives and employees began to whisper among themselves when they heard his words.

"Daniel is right. Ms. Langford has worked so hard."

"Yeah, who can stand watching some clueless rich kid waste the money we work ourselves to the bone to earn every single day?"

"Does he really think he's something just because he's a Langford? Without Ms. Langford, he's nothing."

Looks of disdain, jealousy, and amusement were all fixed on me.

Holding the insulated food container in one hand, I turned to look at Lila, who had appeared at the entrance to the CEO's office at some point.

She was wearing a tailored suit, quietly watching as everyone criticized me.

I called out to her, "Lila."

I thought she would help me out like she normally did in front of my parents and tell everyone that the money was left to me by Grandpa.

But Lila just walked past me and stepped in front of Daniel. She massaged her temples, looking at me with exhaustion and helplessness in her eyes.

"Theo, Daniel just graduated. He's straightforward and righteous. He just wants to stand up for me because he notices how tired I am. Don't use your status to make things difficult for him, okay?"

I looked at her blankly.

Make things difficult for him?

I had only managed to say one thing, yet Daniel humiliated me in front of the entire company.

Lila turned toward Daniel and said softly, "Alright. It's none of your business now. Get back to work."

Daniel poked his head out from behind her and gave me a provocative, smug look.

Lila sighed and waved at me. "Go back first. I have a meeting. If it's nothing important, don't come to the company again. It's bad for our reputation."

I looked at her silently for a few seconds, then set the insulated food container down hard on a nearby table and left.

The next morning, I went to the company to retrieve an old document Grandpa had left in my office. But when I reached that floor, I caught a strong smell of smoke and looked up.

The nameplate on my spacious, brightly lit office had been taken down and replaced with a brand-new one that read, "Smoking Lounge".

The door was open, and Daniel was inside, directing a few workers to sweep the items on my desk into cardboard boxes.

"Hey, that ornament is poorly made. Just toss it out. It's taking up space."

I walked in and stared at him coldly. "What are you doing?"

Daniel, holding a half-smoked cigar between his fingers, turned around. Rather than looking panicked, he smirked when he saw me.

"Mr. Langford, you're right on time. Space is tight in the office, and since you never handle any business here, leaving this office empty would be a waste. I asked Ms. Langford to let us turn it into a VIP lounge, and she approved it."

He walked over to me and told me in a voice only the two of us could hear. "Oh, by the way, I've already submitted a request to the finance department to cancel all supplementary credit cards under your name and cut off your expense reimbursement allowance.

"The company doesn't support useless people. If you want money, go work in sales, or go back to selling pancakes on the street."

I took out my phone, and as expected, there were several text messages saying my bank cards had been frozen or had their spending limits reduced.

Employees who wanted a taste of the spectacle had gathered outside the door. Everyone was whispering, waiting for me, the good-for-nothing young master, to throw a tantrum and run off to Lila to complain.

I looked at the messages on my phone. I wasn't angry at all. If anything, I was strangely calm.

I nodded and left the office without saying a single word, heading to the elevator.