I Kicked Them All Out After the Legacy

At our engagement party, Michael walked on stage hand-in-hand with a pregnant woman. In front of all the high-society guests in the room, he called off our wedding. “Chloe is carrying my heir,” Michael declared. “I won’t let her suffer. You, you can stay as my side chick.” The crowd erupted into laughter. Michael’s friends cheered, passing cash around. “Told you!” one snickered. “That desperate loser won’t ever leave him. I won the bet!” “Everyone knows she’s a broke nobody. Without Michael, she’s nothing.” Michael handed me a black card with a smug smirk. “Be good, and I’ll still take care of you.” I looked at his arrogant face and almost laughed out loud. Yes, I gave up everything for him. I let him strip me of my pride. But five minutes ago, my lawyer called. My estranged billionaire father just died. And he left his entire fortune to me. Chapter 1 My former best friend, Chloe, pretended to act out of concern. "Don't be reckless, Evelyn," she murmured smoothly. "Michael is actually giving you a lifeline here. Just swallow your pride and take it." All the people laughing and placing bets nearby were my childhood friends. When did they cross over to his side? Seeing me stand frozen, they closed in on me, hiding their smirks behind fake sympathy. "She’s right, Evelyn. Michael is only keeping you around because he’s loyal." "Chloe isn't even complaining about you staying. What are you throwing a fit for?" "Don't ruin this. If you burn this bridge, you won't even have a roof over your head." I stared at their familiar faces. It felt like a blade was being dragged slowly across my back. I had been blind. While I spent months meticulously planning every detail of this party, I was nothing more than the punchline to their joke. I forced back the prickle of tears in my eyes. Before I could speak, Michael shoved the black credit card into my hand. His face radiated casual entitlement. "Evelyn, you know the state of the company better than anyone," he said smoothly. "Only her family's funding can save us right now. “You don't want to see our hard work go down the drain, do you?" He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Besides, she doesn't mind you staying by my side. It’s a win-win. What else could you possibly want?" "Why today?" I asked softly. My voice was raspy. Michael smiled, thinking I was giving in. He reached out and patted my head like I was a loyal pet. "She's starting to show," he replied softly. "She won't look good in a wedding dress in a few weeks. “You already prepped everything for today anyway. You won't need it, so passing it to her is just efficient." Every argument choked in my throat. He had completely forgotten. Today was the seventh anniversary of the day we met. It was the day I severed ties with my family just to be with him. The day he promised me the grandest wedding in the world. Now, he was taking everything I bled to create and handing it to another woman. And then casually telling me I didn't need it anyway. I loosened my fingers. The black card hit the polished floor with a sharp clack. "What if I say no?" Michael raised an eyebrow, entirely unbothered. "Evelyn, you've been with me for seven years. I know your habits better than anyone. Whenever you say 'what if,' you just want me to coax you." He grinned down at me with lazy arrogance. Looking at my tiny reflection in his cold eyes, I wanted to laugh out loud. Seven years of devotion. Seven years of absolute loyalty. All reduced to a pathetic joke. Every concession I ever made, every step backward I took to give him an out. To him, everything was just playing hard to get. All he had to do was pat my head and drop a few sweet words. And I would instantly shut my mouth like a programmed machine. Easy to manage. Easy to trick. Easy to use. That was my entire value to him. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips. "Fine," I said, meeting his eyes head-on. "Then allow me to wish the happy couple a long and prosperous marriage.” Chapter 2 Michael seemed taken aback by how easily I walked away. Before he could speak, I turned around and headed for the door. Explosive laughter instantly erupted behind me. Someone shouted about transferring the title of the sports car. Others sneered, saying they thought I would put up a fight this time, only to run with my tail tucked between my legs. All the shock Michael had, quickly dissolved into the noise. He bent down, picked up the black card, and spoke with absolute certainty, as if he was reassuring himself. "She cut ties with her family years ago. She has no friends left in the business world, either. "Where else could she possibly go without me?" --- As I pushed the heavy doors open, a notification from my lawyer popped up on my phone. It was a detailed asset portfolio, along with a proposed investment plan. I had originally planned to use my own funds to cover Michael's corporate debt as an engagement present. Now, that was completely unnecessary. My finger tapped the screen as I sent a quick text to my lawyer. “Cancel the investment plan. Prepare a hostile takeover strategy for the Wesley Group instead.” The reply was instantaneous. “Understood. Both the inheritance transfer and the acquisition plan will be finalized within a week.” I locked my phone and walked into the night without looking back. I was eager to see who would really be left with nowhere to go. --- When I unlocked the door to my apartment, a velvet gift box was sitting on the console in the entryway. An attached handwritten note bore Michael's handwriting. “Happy 7th Anniversary. Don't lose it this time.” I opened the box. My breath hitched. It was the first real gift Michael had ever bought me since seven years ago. Back when I severed ties with my family to build a business with him from scratch, he bought this necklace after hitting our first million. Later, the company ran into a severe cash flow crisis. We couldn't even meet payroll. I wanted to go back to my father for help, but Michael refused to let me bow my head. "If you go back, we lose," he argued. "What were the last three years even for?" Desperate, I went behind his back and visited pawnshops across town. The final pawnbroker warned me, "The quality is average. If you sell this, you won't be able to buy it back." I hesitated, but signed the papers anyway. It was the night before payday, and our corporate account had been completely drained. I thought I would never see it again. --- Thunder rumbled outside. The humid, pre-storm air weighed heavily on my chest. My phone buzzed with a message from Michael. “By the way, make sure you clean up the press releases about tonight. Chloe is sensitive right now because of the pregnancy. Don't let her see any trashy headlines.” I set the velvet box back down without touching it further. Once something had been lost, picking it back up would only leave you holding something stained by someone else. The rain finally poured down. I sat on the living room couch, listening to the downpour until dawn. The rain was heavy, then light, then heavy again. The front door never opened. My phone never lit up. At sunrise, I splashed cold water on my face. As I wiped my skin dry, a VIP notification flashed on my screen. It was an update from Chloe. The photo showed Michael carefully wrapping his arms around her. In front of them sat a custom cake that read, “Happy Marriage, Mr. & Mrs. Wesley.” I zoomed in on the image. The foundation work was exquisite, it was identical to the cakes Chloe used to bake for me every year. Her caption read, “Handmade by Michael himself! Our sweet Chloe is so blessed!” I casually tapped the like button, then removed both of them from my VIP contacts. Every year on my birthday, I used to beg Michael to learn how to bake a cake for me from Chloe. Even just a single cupcake. He always frowned, claiming he was too clumsy to learn. When I pushed too hard, he simply bought out an entire bakery to quiet me down. I genuinely believed he just hated tedious chores. I locked my screen in silence. Looking at my red-rimmed eyes in the mirror, I grabbed my laptop, ready to leave for my meeting with the lawyer. Just as I reached the lobby downstairs, Michael's caller ID flashed across my screen. Chapter 3 My thumb hovered over the screen for two seconds before I finally tapped accept. "Cooled down after a full night, haven't we?" Michael's voice carried a comfortable air of superiority. "Did you see the gift I left you? Honestly, you should really thank Chloe. "Back then, I bought two of those necklaces, one for each of you. “Now, out of the goodness of her heart, she was willing to part with hers so you could have it back." I stood frozen in the quiet lobby. The rest of his words blurred into static. One for each of you. All those years, I thought that gift was a symbol of our unique bond. In reality, his affection had been mass-produced from day one. I cleared my dry throat, forcing my voice to stay level. "Keep the gift. I'm not interested in shared property. "Not the necklace. And certainly not you." Before he could respond, I hung up. --- Michael's name flashed across the screen over and over again. I didn't answer a single call. Finding the constant ringing tedious, I powered off the phone entirely. I had far more important things to handle, taking over my father's vast estate, auditing the liquid assets, and finalizing the takeover strategy for the Wesley Group. When my father was alive, he favored his illegitimate children and used Michael as an excuse to drive my mother and me out of the family fold. Yet, in the end, every last cent of his empire was transferred to me. A line in his will read that this was his way of making amends for everything he owed us. I stared at those printed words for a long time. Some people are truly baffling. When they had you, they would treat you like trash. Once you were gone, they would put on a grand performance of eternal affection. --- After three days of non-stop work with my legal team, we finally nailed down every key clause. My lead attorney, Mr. Sawyer, closed the final folder, pulled off his glasses, and rubbed his weary eyes. "Miss Jackson, every step is cleared," he said softly. "The moment the notary office opens in an hour, all documents take official effect." "Thank you for everything," I said sincerely. Noticing his bloodshot eyes, I offered to walk down to the luxury mall next door to pick out a thank-you gift for his team. On the way, I turned my phone back on. A barrage of notifications from Michael flooded in, making the device vibrate frantically in my grip. “Why are you throwing such a huge tantrum lately? “If you don't like the necklace, I'll buy you something else. “How long are you going to keep this act up? “Chloe has severe morning sickness right now. Can you stop stressing me out?” “Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment, Evelyn? I read through every single message. A sudden pang of pity washed over me, for my past self. He was so used to me swallowing my pride first. He was entirely convinced I wouldn't last three days before crawling back to him. Too bad for him. I was never turning back. --- I didn't expect to run into Michael and Chloe as soon as I entered the high-end jewelry section. They were standing by the glass display cases, browsing engagement rings. My stomach churned with disgust. Just as I turned around to leave for another floor, a voice called out sharply. "Evelyn?" Chloe raised her chin proudly, waving at me with a sweet, rehearsed smile. "Since you're already here, come help me pick! There are so many options, I'm getting dizzy." Michael's brows knit tightly before resolving into a mocking sneer. "And here I thought you actually had some backbone," he scoffed. "Turns out you followed us all the way here." "Oh, stop it, Michael," Chloe said, tugging lightly at his sleeve before turning back to me with a generous facade. "Don't be afraid, Evelyn. Don't be so stubborn either. I'm not the type to push people out. "As long as you don't compete with my baby, Michael and I will make sure you're well taken care of." She gestured toward the glass counters. "Why don't you pick a piece of jewelry for yourself too? Consider it a welcome gift for joining our family." A bitter laugh almost escaped my lips. Neither the Wesleys nor the Millers were anything more than mid-tier strivers trying to claw their way into high society. My father's illegitimate children wouldn't have even spared them a glance. Yet here they were, posturing and putting on a grand show in front of me. I really had given them way too much respect in the past. Chapter 4 Seeing me stay silent, Michael snapped impatiently. "Enough. Chloe isn't even holding a grudge, so lose the attitude! "Come back with us like a good girl. A major investment firm is stopping by later to discuss funding. "Their representatives explicitly demanded that you should be present for the meeting." I glanced sideways at my lawyer. He gave me a subtle, knowing nod. Everything clicked. The ‘major investment firm’ was me. "And who is this?" Michael followed my gaze, his eyes landing on my lawyer’s tailored designer suit and luxury wristwatch. His expression twisted. A dark rush of anger flushed across his face. "Evelyn, no wonder you haven't been answering my calls. "Is this who you’ve been sleeping with every day? You have already found yourself a new sugar daddy? "Or did you hire him just to get back at me over the news leaked online?" I blinked, thrown off by his absurdity, but caught the core detail. I quickly unlocked my phone. I had been so buried in inheritance paperwork over the last few days that I hadn't paid attention to the news. Unsurprisingly, my name was trending near the top of the local tabloids hashtag. #EvelynJackson Disowned: The Scandalous Truth #BrokeHeiress Exposed: Unfiltered Private Life #EvelynJackson Multiple Affairs Clicking into the articles, I found endless posts from ‘anonymous insiders.’ They claimed I was kicked out of the Jackson family due to a wildly inappropriate personal life. They even alleged that while helping Michael build his business, I was sleeping with multiple corporate partners. The articles framed Michael as a long-suffering victim who finally walked away to be with Chloe. Yet every date and location listed in those posts corresponded to client dinners and business trips where I had accompanied Michael. One article even claimed I suffered a miscarriage from reckless behavior. In reality, that was the night I drank until my stomach bled and had to be rushed to the ER for emergency surgery. No one else knew those intimate details. Except Michael. My voice trembled slightly. "You did this? Why?" Michael shrugged nonchalantly. "I told you to clean up the press after the engagement party, but the internet was still labeling Chloe as a homewrecker. "She’s going to be my wife and stand by my side as Mrs. Wesley. She’s pregnant, how could I let her suffer that kind of slander? "You, on the other hand, don't have a reputation to protect anymore. You'll be living off my payroll anyway, so a good reputation is useless to you." Chloe chimed in with fake gentleness, "Exactly, Evelyn. Don't worry. Once you help us clear this hurdle, I'll make sure you're well taken care of." An icy chill seeped through my chest, turning into a dull, stabbing pain. I never imagined two human beings could be so shamelessly vile. "Stop standing around," Michael pushed, shoving my shoulder impatiently. "It's almost time. Move. We can't keep the investors waiting." I stood my ground, unmoved. The clock on my phone screen clicked over to exactly 10:00 AM. Every single one of my takeover contracts had just officially cleared notary review. Michael frowned, his patience running out. "Haven't you thrown enough of a tantrum? "Do you still think you're the rich heiress you used to be? "Your reputation is completely ruined. Aside from me and the Wesley Group, who else in this city would ever take you in?" I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "You? The Wesley Group? What are you even worth? "Do you want to bet that I can force you into bankruptcy right now?" Michael and Chloe exchanged an amused look, their faces dripping with contempt. Chloe leaned heavily into Michael’s chest, giggling. "Evelyn, have you not been sleeping well? You're starting to talk nonsense." Michael sneered in agreement. "If you were still the heiress of the Jackson empire, I might take that threat seriously." "But right now…" Before he could finish his sentence, his phone suddenly rang out loud.