All Chapters of They Thought I Was a Beggar, But I Own the Group: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The ballroom laughed.The Ross family had been around for nearly a century and had its hands in every kind of business imaginable. The head of the family, old Mr. Ross, was eighty-two and had been in a wheelchair for ten years.The Whitmore family owed them a billion dollars, and I, their biological daughter who had been missing for sixteen years, was going to be married off to settle the debt on the very day I came home.Celeste recovered first. "Evelyn, do you even know who the Rosses are? Even the Vail Group might not want to touch them."The laughter died down. Everyone on the East Coast knew the name Vail.Two years earlier, it had come out of nowhere and risen to the top as the richest and most powerful group on the East Coast. Its chairman was said to be young, capable, and ruthless. Plenty of families wanted to marry their daughters to him. The problem was that he remained a mystery and had never once shown his face.Celeste glanced at my faded coat. "Evelyn has probably spent

We had the family portrait taken at the house. The photographer waved me over. "Stand between your parents."Spencer spoke up. "Put Celeste in the middle. That's where she stands every year."My mother hesitated. "But today was supposed to be for Evelyn..."Celeste stepped back. "It's fine, Mom. I'll stand off to the side."Every one of them gave me a hard look. In the end, my father pulled Celeste into the middle and settled the matter. "We're all family. What difference does it make where anyone stands?"I looked at him. "If it makes no difference where anyone stands, why can't she stand at the side?"My mother looked back and forth between us. She clearly wanted to say something, but in the end, she only took my hand. "Let's do it this way for now. Later, we'll take one with just the two of us. All right?"The portrait was supposed to be for me in the first place, yet I was still the one asked to step aside.The old me never let anyone take something from me a second time.But this

My father reacted first, his expression hardening with anger. "Evelyn? What are you doing here?"Spencer took a step forward. "Have you lost your mind? That's the Vail chairman's chair. Get out of it now!"Celeste put a hand over her mouth. "Evelyn, did you sneak in here? This is Vail headquarters. You're going to cause trouble for Dad."My father clearly thought the same thing. He rushed at me to drag me out of the chair!But my assistant stopped him.My assistant addressed me respectfully. "Ms. Vail, the Whitmore family is being disrespectful. Would you like me to have them removed?"My father struggled to get the words out. "What... did you just call her?""This is Ms. Vail, chairman and founder of the Vail Group."I couldn't be bothered to explain. I lifted a hand. "Send them in."A dozen or more Wardens dressed in black rushed in.My father's face changed.Everyone on the East Coast knew the Vail Group had a private security unit that never worked for outsiders.No politician or b

They arrived at the venue early that evening but couldn't even get onto the main floor.People who used to walk up and toast them at Whitmore parties now passed them without stopping.Celeste stood outside the barrier in a carefully chosen gown.I walked in surrounded by people, and the compliments and flattery never stopped.They finally saw what the Whitmore family's so-called old-money status had really been worth all those years. Next to the Vail Group, it counted for nothing.After the signing, I walked out, and my father called after me. "Evelyn."The room went quiet. I motioned to the crowd, and they opened a path."What happened before was our fault. But give your father a chance to make it right."The next day, he came to my office with a lawyer.The Whitmore family was nearly bankrupt, and by then, neither the title of heir nor shares in the family business were worth anything.The only assets I actually took back were the last two properties that had been transferred out of

My mother's head snapped up. "What did you just say? You've lost your mind!"My father gestured around the room. The window wouldn't even close. "Look at this. We don't even know where we'll be living next month. And Evelyn? She's twenty-two years old and controls the entire Vail Group!"Julian slowly raised his head.My father continued. "We're her only next of kin! If she dies, the Whitmore family will inherit at least part of the Vail Group!"My mother came to her feet. "Have you lost your mind?"The more he spoke, the calmer he became. "We won't do it ourselves. Plenty of other people want her dead."Julian was quiet for a moment before saying, "If they do it, nothing will lead back to us."Spencer followed his lead. "Vail's old enemies must know her weaknesses better than we do."My mother went rigid."Enough!" She slapped my father hard across the face."She's your daughter! She suffered out there for sixteen years and barely made it back alive."Her voice grew hoarser as she con