My Adoptive Sister Treats My Fortune as Hers

By the time the Langford family takes me home, I've spent 18 years selling pancakes in a small town. I can't play the piano and know nothing about wine. I can't even tell which fork or knife to use at a banquet. Compared to my adopted sister, Lila Langford, who receives an elite education from a young age, I'm like a clown who accidentally stumbled into high society. Lila wins a gold medal in an international competition at 16. I'm still out on the street chasing customers for two dollars. Six years later, Lila joins the board at Langford Corporation, while all I want is to buy my adopted mother, Cate Brown, a fridge that doesn't leak. My parents, Rick Dunn and Beth Langford, feel bad for me and bring me home, letting Lila run the business my grandfather, Gary Langford, left behind for now. Lila handles the deals, meets with clients, and talks to the media for me, while I just visit exhibitions, play with cars, and learn how to be an heir. Everyone begins to think that Langford Corporation won't get by without Lila. Then, Lila brings in a newly graduated intern, Daniel Wagner. Right there, in front of all the senior executives, he throws a stack of reimbursement forms at my feet. "Mr. Langford, the company isn't your ATM. You've not contributed. What makes you think it's okay to spend all of Ms. Langford's hard-earned money?" Lila steps in front of him. She looks at me, tired. "He's just trying to do the right thing. Don't make things difficult for him." The next day, Daniel freezes all my bank cards and uses my office as a smoking lounge. They all expect me to panic and run to Lila for help. But they don't know that Grandpa taught me only one thing before he died. "Take your time choosing a manager. But anyone who dares to treat your property as their own should be kicked out with nothing." Chapter 1 Before my grandpa, Gary Langford, passed away, he went against the entire extended family and drew up a will, bypassing everyone else and leaving me a 60% stake in Langford Corporation. I became the company's largest shareholder overnight, but I had no idea how to run a business, and couldn't even understand basic financial statements. My parents, Rick Dunn and Beth Langford, didn't want to put too much pressure on me, so they got Lila Langford to temporarily run the business Grandpa left behind on my behalf. "Theo, you lived a hard life. Now it's time to enjoy life. Lila will manage the business, so all you need to do is go play with cars, hang out with your friends, and learn how to be an heir." My parents' words made sense. We should leave the professional matters to the professionals. And so, Lila handled the negotiations, met clients, and talked to the media for me. She was on her feet all day in high heels, running from one thing to the next. As for me, I took the black card Grandpa left me and spent my days at various luxury menswear boutiques and supercar clubs, learning how to spend money and be a proper figurehead. As time went on, Lila gained more and more respect within the company. Before long, everyone only knew the no-nonsense female CEO. No one even remembered me, the chairman who owned 60% of the shares. Rumors began to spread, saying that Langford Corporation couldn't afford to lose Lila, and that I, who returned to the family from a small town, was just a freeloader. I didn't think too much of them. It was true that I didn't know how to manage a company, but I knew how to be grateful. Lila worked for me, and I got the dividends. It was a fair deal. Everything was going fine until one day, Lila hired a newly graduated intern named Daniel Wagner. Daniel graduated from a top college and was stubborn and proud, always claiming he couldn't tolerate even the slightest injustice. He'd only been with the company for a few days when Lila promoted him to special assistant for daring to speak his mind. That afternoon, I left the car dealership and stopped by the office to drop off some soup my parents had made for Lila. I'd barely passed the lobby outside the CEO office when Daniel suddenly strode over, a thick stack of documents in his hands, and blocked my way. It was the end of the workday, and executives and employees were everywhere. His expression cold, Daniel suddenly raised his hand and threw a stack of reimbursement forms and expense statements down at my feet. The papers were scattered across the floor, detailing my spending that month on haute couture suits, limited-edition watches, and supercar parts. Everyone went quiet, their eyes locked onto us. I narrowed my eyes at the papers on the floor. Daniel had already started berating me, looking utterly indignant. "Mr. Langford, the company isn't your ATM! Just look at how much you've spent. A single suit costs hundreds of thousands, and a watch can cost over one million dollars. Have you ever made even a penny for the company? "Ms. Langford is a woman, yet she stays up until midnight negotiating deals every day and even has to entertain clients while suffering from gastric bleeding! You're a grown man who hasn't done a thing. How can you spend the money she works so hard to earn without the slightest bit of guilt? "You're nothing but a parasite sucking the life out of Langford Corporation!" 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. Chapter 3 Lila was sitting on the leather couch in the living room, sipping tea when I returned to Langford Manor. Even though it was a workday, she had returned home early. When she saw me, she put down her cup and crossed her legs, adopting an air of authority. She must have assumed that I would come home in a huff and beg her after my cards were frozen and my office taken away. "You're back," Lila said coolly. I sat down opposite her. She took out a bank card from her suit pocket and placed it on the coffee table, pushing it toward me. "Take this. You'll have a limit of 20,000 dollars per month. It'll be enough for going out and having fun with your friends." Lila looked at me, her voice earnest. "Theo, don't be mad at me, okay? Even though what Daniel did may be a bit too much, he's doing it for the company's good. I'm sure you don't know this, but people at the company are complaining about you spending money without ever contributing. If I didn't follow Daniel's suggestion and freeze your cards, I wouldn't be able to answer to them. "I'm the CEO, so I have to be responsible for everyone. I can't keep siding with you. Also, if you don't know how to run a business, you should behave yourself and make a few sacrifices for the good of the company. As long as you do as you're told, I'll make sure you never have to worry about money for the rest of your life." I looked at the card, finding the whole notion ridiculous. With my 60% stake in the company, my annual dividends alone amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. Lila used my money to win people over while letting Daniel walk all over me. And now, she wanted to brush me off with 20,000 dollars and expected me to be grateful? I didn't take the card. I just stared at Lila's hypocritical face as I remembered Grandpa's final words to me, his hand wrapped tightly around mine. Grandpa was gravely ill by then, and even breathing took all his strength. He pressed the share transfer agreement into my hands, his cloudy eyes gleaming with a sharp, knowing look. "Theo, I know you're not business-savvy, and that's okay. You just have to remember that you're the owner of Langford Corporation. If a manager isn't good enough, we can take the time to find someone better. Just hire the most capable person to work for you. But if one day, an employee you hired dares to treat your property as their own and even dares to disrespect you…" He suddenly gripped my hand tighter. "You should break their legs and kick them out with nothing!" I snapped out of my thoughts and stood up. I didn't argue with Lila or ask her why she was treating me this way. I just looked down at her, my voice eerily calm. "No need. You can keep it for yourself." With that, I walked upstairs and returned to my room. The moment I closed the door, the calm on my face vanished, replaced by a cold expression. Then I walked over to my desk and dug out a black, encrypted contact book from the bottom of a locked drawer. I dialed the first number listed inside. It only rang twice before a middle-aged man answered in a deep, stern voice, "Mr. Langford." James Tate was the head of the private legal team Grandpa had left me, and he controlled the entire shareholding structure of Langford Corporation. I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, my eyes locking onto Lila's Maybach that was parked below, and said coldly, "James, I'm done playing these childish games. I'm ready to take full control of all the shares and assets Grandpa left me." James' voice grew serious. "Understood. How would you like me to proceed?" "Draft the paperwork to remove the company's top executives." I paused, my voice devoid of warmth. "Also, notify Helena that I'm going to bring her out of retirement." Chapter 4 Langford Corporation held its quarterly executive board meeting on Friday. It was the company's most important meeting, attended by top executives and shareholder representatives. Without informing anyone in advance, I told the driver to take me to the company. The meeting room was on the top level. When I reached the door, the double doors were slightly ajar, and Lila's confident voice came from inside. "I've reached a preliminary agreement with investors over there for our overseas expansion plans for the second half of the year. Once the project gets started, our market value will at least double." A round of applause erupted from inside. "Bravo, Ms. Langford!" "Ms. Langford, your business instincts are getting sharper. We're certainly working for the right boss!" I looked inside through the cracks in the doors. Lila was sitting at the head of the oval table, acting like she ran the entire company, while Daniel stood beside her smugly, holding a stack of documents. When the applause died down, Daniel cleared his throat and handed out the documents to everyone. "Before we move on to the next item, I'd like to propose something on behalf of Ms. Langford that concerns the company's long-term future." He raised his chin, his voice loud. "As everyone knows, 60% of the group's shares are still under Mr. Langford's name. But he knows nothing about business and doesn't take part in management. In fact, his excessive spending has caused employees to voice their dissatisfaction in the past few days. "Having someone so utterly incompetent hold absolute power over the company is a ticking time bomb for all of you here who work so hard." The meeting room briefly fell silent before someone echoed his statement. "Daniel is right. He's a ticking time bomb." "Mr. Langford can't even read a financial report. What if someone tricks him into selling his shares one day? Then we'll be doomed too." Their reaction pleased Daniel, and he took out a document. "So, I've prepared an agreement to transfer control of the shares and decision-making authority. I recommend that the board step in and require Mr. Langford to put his shares under Ms. Langford's name and permanently give up his veto power. "Our company can only continue to grow with the real power in the hands of someone as capable as Ms. Langford!" Everyone broke out in a chorus of agreement. "I agree!" "We should've done this a long time ago! Ms. Langford is the true pillar of the company!" A few of Lila's loyal executives picked up their pens, wanting to sign their names on the proposal. Lila remained in her seat, struggling to suppress a smile, but she forced it down and pretended to be troubled. "Oh, come on. Don't be so harsh. Theo is still my brother. Even though he's immature, as his sister, it's my duty to cover for him. If he's willing to sign, I promise I'll give him his monthly allowance on time and make sure he's well taken care of." Her righteous act earned her even more admiration from the executives, who criticized me for being ungrateful. "Ms. Langford, you're so kind!" "Someone as useless as him should be kicked out of the company!" As I listened, a cold laugh escaped my lips. What a show. I pushed the door hard, and it slammed open with a dull thud. Everyone stopped talking as they turned to look at me simultaneously. In the deathly silence, I slowly approached the table. Daniel froze for a moment before raising his voice. "Theo, this is an executive meeting. Who gave you the right to show up here?" I didn't bother to look at him. I just walked over to Lila and picked up the document from the table. Then, as everyone stared at me in shock, I tore it in half, then into quarters, before crumpling it up and throwing it at Lila's face. "Lila." I braced my hands against the table and looked down at her. My voice was low but firm. "What made you think you had the right to call the shots at my company?"