All Chapters of How Dare You Steal My Father’s Legacy: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

"Are you out of your mind? That's ten million."Grayson Vale kicked the chair beside me aside and jabbed a finger at my nose. Around the table, his friends looked at me like I was trash."It's just the research of a bedridden man." Grayson sneered. "If it weren't for Maris, we wouldn't give a single penny."He said it as if it were obvious, arrogance plastered across his face. "Lucen, don't say I didn't warn you. I'll be at a national lab before long. What chance do you have against me? Your dad's model only really shines in my hands, understand?"Maris Dawn gave Grayson a reproving shove, then turned to me with a familiar, bored impatience. "Grayson's right. Don't be so stubborn. It's just a model. I'll find a way to help your father. Stop making a scene, okay?"I ground my teeth until my jaw ached. The hatred in my eyes felt like something that could be grabbed and held."A scene?" I spat. "I'm not asking for anything else. Return my father's AI model, and apologize to him publ

The ropes were ice-cold against my skin, biting into my wrists and ankles. Someone had shoved a filthy sock into my mouth. It reeked of sweat and humiliation.I struggled, choking out muffled cries, only to hear laughter that was sharp, cruel, and gleeful."Behave yourself when we get there. If Grayson's feeling nice, he might throw you a bone."The car sped through the darkness, and my heart sank deeper into the pit inside me.…They dragged me into my father's hospital room. The place was silent except for the steady beeping of the monitors. The sterile air felt suffocating.My father lay there, motionless, a breathing tube keeping him alive.Grayson ordered them to tie me to the foot of the bed. My knees hit the cold floor. Then, he pulled out his phone and switched to video mode."Come on," he said. "Look into the camera and tell everyone your father, Benjamin Ward, is a fraud."I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt. Not a word came out.Grayson clicked his tongue in irritati

A group of men in black suits barged in, their presence like a cold wind. The leader, a middle-aged man, barked in a low voice, "Everyone, stop!"His authority settled over the room like a weight.Grayson and his cronies instinctively loosened their grip on me and took a few steps back, faces pale. Maris went white, too, watching the uninvited guests with equal parts fear and uncertainty."Who are you? Who gave you permission to break in?" Grayson shouted, clutching his bleeding nose, his bravado thin and trembling.The leader didn't even glance at him. He came straight to my side and signaled for the others to help me up. He crouched, inspected my wounds, and frowned."Professor Ward's emergency call came from here. Where is he?" His eyes swept the motionless figure of my father on the hospital bed.Every chest in the room tightened.'An emergency call? That old man hasn't even been able to move, has he?'Grayson tried to keep his composure, desperate to cover up the truth."

Adrian wasn't just respected in academia. His family held tremendous influence across the country. The Vale family's wealth and standing were insignificant compared to his.Liora's anger flared."They're all rotten," she snapped. "Professor Locke told me that Grayson's father had a long history of academic misconduct, all of which was buried back then."Before she could say more, Maris' parents approached me.Usually critical to the point of disdain, barely sparing me a glance, they were suddenly unnervingly warm."Lucen, I know you've been wronged, but Maris is innocent!""It's all that brat Grayson's fault! He corrupted Maris!""She just loves you too much. She was confused and only told a few lies to protect him."Liora stepped back, making room. I pulled my hands free from theirs and laughed bitterly. "Innocent? My father was being tormented while she stood by and watched. That's innocent? When she uploaded those twisted, misleading things online just to destroy me, was t

Thanks to Adrian's relentless push, the case was covered by every major news outlet.Grayson's and Maris' crimes became a national scandal. People couldn't mention their names without disgust.The Dawn family's company stock plummeted overnight. Partners cut ties one after another, and before long, the company declared bankruptcy.Those who had once been silenced by the Dawns came forward, exposing even more of their corruption.In the end, Grayson was sentenced to life in prison for multiple crimes. Maris, as one of the masterminds, received twenty years. Their wealthy friends were also punished for their roles in the scheme.My father's name was finally cleared.With Adrian's help, his AI model was officially published under his own name, drawing attention from scientists around the world.But he himself could never again stand behind a lectern and speak with that calm, confident voice I'd grown up admiring.Adrian resigned from all his overseas positions and returned home to