Reborn Billionaire Heir，I Ruined My Ungrateful Family

My father was a titan of the business world, and my mother was an internationally renowned business mogul. Yet, my two older cousins threw themselves at a literal beggar to win his favor, even letting him usurp my identity. When my father decided to hand his empire over to me and threw a grand gala to celebrate, Julian—the beggar—blocked my way. "A pathetic loser like you doesn't deserve a gala this grand," he sneered. "Victoria and Chloe already promised that I would take your place as the sole heir. You’d better crawl back to your doghouse before you embarrass yourself further." In my past life, I was so afraid of being rejected by my cousins that I let Julian walk all over me. But now, I have been reborn. Looking at Julian’s smug face, I kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling to the floor. "Who the hell do you think you are to stand in my way?" No one expected the normally submissive Ethan to fight back. The guests gasped in shock. I immediately turned to the butler. "Throw him out." The butler, Thomas, glanced at Julian with hesitation. In the end, he helped Julian up instead. "Ethan... Julian is the one in charge of the household now. Why don't you go back to your room and rest?" I glared at Thomas, a cold smirk playing on my lips. "Julian in charge? Last time I checked, I am the only heir to the Sterling family." Thomas trembled, his eyes darting to Julian, who was scrambling up in a rage. Without waiting for Thomas to say another word, I kicked him to the ground too. "You’re just a butler. How dare you tell me what to do? If you don't want the job, pack your bags and get the hell out." In my past life, this old butler ignored my father's orders and sided with my cousins, abusing his power to torment me. He didn't just cut off my food and basic necessities; he actively helped Julian lock me out in a freezing blizzard, leaving my body to rot in the woods like a dead stray dog. Thomas was terrified. He fell to his knees, knowing that being fired by the Sterlings meant he would be blacklisted from the entire industry. "You can't do this to me! I was only doing what Julian told me to do! If you fire me, Victoria and Chloe will be furious!" But Julian, the adoptive son, put on a fake act of sympathy. He helped Thomas up and looked at me with a pained, lecturing expression. "Ethan, you are just an adopted stray. How dare you act so arrogant in the Sterling house?" Before I could reply, Marcus Davis—Julian’s loyal lackey and the heir to the Davis family—rushed forward, pointing a finger at my face and screaming. "Who do you think you are, disrespecting Julian? Today is Julian's big day—he's taking over the family business! How dare you make a scene here?" The other guests at the gala began to whisper among themselves. "Isn't that the Sterling family's adopted son? Talk about an ungrateful viper." "The Sterlings adopted him from an orphanage just to keep Julian company when they were kids. Julian is so kind. He never bullied him and even shared his wealthy lifestyle with him." "He's just an orphan. To challenge Julian like this is social suicide." How laughable. Back then, I was the one who pitied Julian and brought him home. But my cousins, Victoria and Chloe, took one look at him and fell in love with his pity-me act. Whenever there was a major high-society event, they would bring Julian and leave me behind in the dark. But now that I’ve lived through it once, I see things clearly. My dad is a business titan. My mom is an international tycoon. Why should I let an adopted stray and two leeching cousins walk all over me? I swept my gaze across the crowd, my eyes cold and sharp. "And who the hell are you, Marcus? Even if your father were here, he wouldn't dare utter a single word about my family’s business!" Marcus’s blood boiled. He never expected me to talk back in public. In a fit of rage, he lunged forward to kick me. I dodged him with a swift sidestep and countered with a brutal kick to his ribs, sending him crashing into the banquet tables. Marcus shrieked in agony. "You bastard! How dare you! I'm going to ruin you!" Julian’s eyes burned with fury. "Where the hell is security? What are you standing there for? Get him!" I glared at the security guards stepping onto the stage, my expression sharp as a blade. "I am the only biological son of Arthur Sterling. Touch me, and you’re dead." A flash of panic crossed Julian’s face. "What rubbish are you spouting? Everyone here knows I’m the one who represents the family at every major gala! You're just an adopted parasite trying to steal my inheritance!" The guests nodded in agreement. "I can vouch for that. Every time there’s a major event, Victoria and Chloe are always with Julian. That other kid is a liar and a thief!" "To think someone would try to hijack the Sterling succession gala like this. How shameless." I let out a soft chuckle and turned to my assistant, Toby. "Go tell my dear cousins that Julian is publicly claiming my inheritance. Ask them if they want him to end up in federal prison." Toby hesitated, looking at me with worry. My cousins spoiled Julian to a ridiculous degree. Even when Julian was clearly in the wrong, they would always blame me and make me apologize. I patted Toby on the shoulder, giving him an assuring nod. "Go. Now." Julian sneered. "You really don't know when to quit, do you? You actually want to bring Victoria and Chloe into this?" He knew that the moment my cousins arrived, they would blindly side with him, no matter the truth. In my past life, Julian locked me out of the mansion in the dead of winter. I had begged my cousins to open the door, but their eyes were only on Julian. I remembered how my body grew numb, how the icy cold seeped into my bones, and how I died in agony. Now that I’ve crawled back from hell, I will make every single one of you pay.While we waited for my cousins, another figure suddenly burst into the gala hall. It was my childhood friend, Seraphina Hart. She was holding a beautifully wrapped gift, clearly meant to celebrate the inheritance. "Ethan, once you take over the company, we can finally get married!" Marcus, who was still groaning on the floor, felt his heart drop. Was Seraphina here to back me up? I looked at Seraphina with a cold smirk. When we were kids, she used to follow me around, constantly begging me to marry her when we grew up. But the moment Julian was adopted, she became his most loyal dog, taking pleasure in humiliating me alongside him. Sure enough, Seraphina ran straight past me and went to Julian. She tenderly straightened his collar before turning around to glare at me with pure disgust. "You ungrateful leach! Did you really think you were the young master of the Sterling family?" "Know your place, Ethan! The man I'm marrying is the true heir, Julian Sterling, not a lowlife like you." With just a few words, Seraphina completely stripped me of my identity in the eyes of the crowd. The guests looked at me with renewed disgust. "Julian is far too kind to this snake. That's why he got so arrogant!" "Seriously, a stray living off the Sterlings' charity should have been kicked out years ago!" A smug grin spread across Julian’s face. Looking at the two of them, I smiled. I pulled out a flash drive, plugged it into the system, and projected its contents onto the massive screen behind the stage. It was a signed letter from my father, explicitly declaring me, Ethan Sterling, as the sole heir to the Sterling empire! I looked at Julian coldly. "Well, Julian? What do you have to say now?" The guests quickly began reading the projection. "That... that really is Arthur Sterling's signature! It clearly says Ethan is taking over the business." "Then why did the Sterling sisters tell everyone that Julian was the successor?" Julian began to panic. He hadn't expected me to have this document. Seraphina immediately stepped forward, pointing her finger at my face. "Ethan! How dare you forge Arthur Sterling's signature! Your methods are pathetic!" The guests wavered, their eyes shifting between Julian and me. I stood tall, sharp-eyed, and carrying an aura of natural nobility—like a king born to rule. Julian, despite his expensive suit, had a look of desperate, cheap deceit in his eyes—like a street rat trying to play dress-up. Sweat poured down Julian’s face. He quickly tried to defend himself. "Ethan, if you're really the successor, why didn't Victoria and Chloe let you attend any of the preparation meetings? Why am I the one standing on this stage tonight?" Seraphina chimed in, glaring at me. "Julian is too soft-hearted. He let a parasite like you live in his home, only for you to stab him in the back!" With just a few sentences, the tide turned again. A squad of security guards rushed the stage. Before I could move, they pinned me to the floor. Seeing me down, Marcus crawled over and kicked me brutally in the chest. He grabbed me by my hair and slammed my head against the marble floor over and over, until blood stained the white tiles. "An adopted stray trying to steal Julian's birthright! You need to learn some respect!" The metallic scent of blood filled the air. I grit my teeth, suppressing the agony, and roared, "My father is on his way! Let's see how you survive when he gets here!" In my past life, Julian stole my inheritance, and I died before my father could return from his overseas trip. But in this life, I contacted him early. He was already on his way. Julian walked over to me, looking down at my bloody state. He leaned in and whispered mockingly in my ear: "Dad is in Europe, you idiot. At least make up a believable lie." "Besides, the Hart family is a massive conglomerate. Once I marry Seraphina, no one can touch me." Suddenly, a booming voice echoed through the hall. "What is the meaning of this madness?!"The sharp, furious shout came from the entrance. My cousins, Victoria and Chloe, had arrived, backed by a dozen heavy-duty bodyguards in black suits. The security guards holding me down immediately let go in terror. Julian flinched, but quickly composed himself. I looked up to see Toby, my assistant, standing behind them with a bleeding lip, looking at me apologetically. Victoria rushed straight to Julian, asking if he was hurt. Chloe gave Julian a quick, concerned look before turning her gaze to me, her eyes filled with absolute disgust. "You ungrateful brat! Trying to steal Julian's inheritance? Threatening to put him in prison? How dare you!" In my past life, they had always defended Julian blindly like this. I used to copy Julian's every move just to get a scrap of their affection, only for them to mock me for being a cheap imitator, which led everyone else to believe I was the adopted one. But after dying once, I realized that biased people will never change, no matter how hard you try. I let out a cold, mocking laugh. "What? Did you want me to copy Julian's pathetic act, or perhaps his talent for stealing what doesn't belong to him?" "He's just an adopted stray. Why should I copy him? Have you two lost your minds?" Seeing the two Sterling sisters siding with Julian, the guests immediately jumped on the bandwagon. "He dares to talk back to Victoria and Chloe! No wonder he treated Julian so badly!" "Julian was too kind to this viper. To think he'd try to usurp Julian's place in the company!" Toby ran to my side, wiping the blood from his mouth, and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Ethan is the true biological son of Arthur Sterling! He is the rightful heir!" Victoria frowned. "Ethan, you disappoint me. You even paid a little assistant to lie for you? From this day on, Julian is my only brother." Chloe shoved me hard. "I should have disciplined you better. I can't believe you actually thought you could steal Julian's life." Seraphina stood proudly behind Julian like a protective shield. "Ethan, you are disgusting! I am ashamed to have ever known you." "Julian is the only man worthy of being my husband!" With that, she took off the Hart family heirloom ring and slipped it onto Julian's finger right in front of my face. Julian looked ecstatic. He smirked at me before quickly lowering his head, putting on a heartbroken show. "It's my fault. I thought I could guide him with kindness, but I was wrong. I didn't realize an orphan's greed could go this far." His crocodile tears filled the sisters' eyes with deep sympathy. Julian raised his voice to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I think it is clear who the true heir of the Sterling family is!" He shot me a smug, triumphant look. I simply chuckled. My trump card was about to arrive. My cousins, seeing my lack of remorse, exploded in anger. Chloe sneered, "Victoria, Ethan has gone too far today. We should throw him out of the family once and for all." Victoria hesitated. "Fine. Ethan, get down on your knees and apologize to Julian, and we'll end this right now." Julian’s face stiffened. He didn't want me staying in the house. He quickly put on a pitiful face. "Victoria, it's fine. What's mine will always be mine. Nobody can steal it." "But Ethan, no matter how spoiled you are, you shouldn't embarrass our family in public." Victoria's expression hardened. This was about the Sterling family's reputation. "Ethan! Kneel down and apologize!" Looking at their arrogant faces, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. These were the cousins I had adored since childhood. They were actually distant cousins from a poor branch of the family. Because I liked playing with them when I was small, my parents brought them into our household, giving them the Sterling name, immense wealth, and power. And yet, they treated me like garbage. "Kneel?" I stared coldly into Victoria's eyes. "I am the blood heir of the Sterling family. What right do you two leeches have to command me?" Chloe sneered. "What right? While our parents are away, Victoria has full authority over the household." Victoria was pushed past her limit. "Guards! Throw him out! From this moment on, Ethan is banned from the Sterling estate forever!" Julian looked down at me, his face filled with hypocritical righteous fury. "Ethan, it's one thing to bully me, but to disrespect our sisters like this is unforgivable." "Guards, break his knees so he can never stand again, then throw him into the street!" My cousins nodded in cold agreement. Julian smirked, expecting to see my downfall. But suddenly, the doors to the gala hall burst open, and a thundering voice roared through the room: "Who dares to touch my son?!"