The new CEO fired me, not knowing I was the owner's son. “You want me out? Does my father know?” Faced with my challenge, the man claiming to be the CEO’s son scoffed, "Who the hell is your father?" "Some pathetic nobody like you? I can fire you whenever I want!" I smirked, dialling my father’s number. Two and a half seconds later, a fleet of Maybachs pulled up outside the company building. He finally panicked, dropping to his knees and begging for my forgiveness. 1 The company had just brought in a new CEO, and he promptly fired me, completely unaware of my hidden identity. Monday morning. I hurried into the office, the sound of a furious tirade already echoing from within. "Who in their right mind hired someone named Kingsley?!" The moment I stepped through the door, I saw a chaotic mess on the desk, my computer shattered on the floor. Before I could even react, a deep, resonant male voice barked, "Hold it right there!" "You're the one, aren't you? With that inauspicious name!" I froze, momentarily stunned, pointing incredulously at myself. He stood there, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinized me. His gaze settled on my ID badge. "Alexander Kingsley?" His face immediately hardened, his voice chillingly stern. "You're a bad omen for the company's fortune. You're fired!" Manager Davies, standing nearby, bowed low, his head bobbing frantically. "Mr. Sterling, please calm down, sir." I lifted my gaze, taking in the impeccably dressed man before me. His disdain for me was palpable, undisguised. So, this was Lucas Sterling, the new CEO who had been parachuted into our company. New broom sweeps clean, they say, but I never imagined I'd be the first dust bunny swept out. And what an absurd reason for dismissal! My colleagues were equally stunned, their heads bowed, not daring to breathe. I glanced at the boot-licking Manager Davies. "Does the company even have such a policy?" After a brief, awkward silence, he cleared his throat, adjusting his tone to one of forced formality. "It's about following upper management's directives." I scoffed, a soft 'tsk' escaping my lips. "You're firing me? Does my father know about this?" Lucas Sterling reacted as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world, a sneering, arrogant laugh bursting from him. "Who the hell is your father?" he challenged, his voice dripping with condescension. "My father is Richard Sterling, the CEO of Titan Holdings. Some pathetic worm like you? I can fire you whenever I want!" The moment the words left his mouth, the office erupted into a flurry of whispers. "No wonder he came in as CEO right away. He's Lucas Sterling, the young master!" "Alexander Kingsley just bit off more than he could chew! Nobody can save him now." Lucas kicked my shattered computer aside, then pointed a contemptuous finger, motioning for me to leave. I stood rooted to the spot, my eyes wide with a dawning realization. He was my father's son? Then who was I? 2 The reason my surname is Kingsley is because my mother passed away in childbirth, and my father chose to give me her family name. But I had no idea my father had another son with the same surname as him, Sterling. I pulled out my phone, about to call my father and confirm, when Lucas’s phone rang. He immediately broke into a wide, beaming smile as he answered, putting it on speaker for everyone to hear. Clearing his throat, he chirped, "Dad." The man on the other end spoke, his voice deep and authoritative. "Good, good. Make a strong impression today. It's your day to assert your authority." Lucas shot me a venomous glare, then complained into the phone, "Didn't you say I'm in charge here? I just fired some flunky who pulled strings to get in, and now I'm being threatened." His voice was tinged with a petulant whine, a stark contrast to the swaggering bully he’d been moments before. My father immediately adopted a stern tone, backing him up. "Who's being so arrogant? Daring to defy the Sterling name like that! Tell him to report to HR immediately!" Lucas smirked triumphantly at me, shaking his phone. But I couldn't believe my ears. That familiar voice, like a bolt of lightning, shattered the quiet hum of my thoughts, leaving my mind utterly blank. Could my father truly have another son? Lucas loosened his watch, then yanked the ID badge from around my neck and tossed it into the trash can. "From now on, you have no connection to Titan Holdings!" He then turned to Manager Davies. "Go revoke his access! Delete his accounts! The company will not tolerate insubordinate employees or those with a poor attitude disrupting our operations!" He wanted to assert his authority, to make an example of an insignificant employee like me. But he didn't realize that my ability to thrive in this company, even while hiding my identity, stemmed from sheer competence. I let out a cold snort. "Are you sure you want to do this?" I warned. Manager Davies's eyes flickered for a moment, but he quickly reverted to a cold, dismissive tone. "Of course. What if you accessed company accounts and tampered with data? The potential losses would be incalculable." Compared to offending the CEO's son, getting rid of a minor employee like me was clearly the more pragmatic choice. He swiftly moved to his computer, erasing my presence from the system. Lucas nodded in satisfaction. "Anyone who dares to challenge upper management's decisions from now on will face the same consequences!" he declared, his voice laced with menace. My colleagues murmured their agreement, no one daring to look at me, terrified of inviting trouble upon themselves. I quietly gathered my few personal items. Before I left, I offered one last parting shot. "You'll all be crying soon enough." But Manager Davies remained stubbornly defiant. "I'm warning you, get out now! Don't be ungrateful!" I didn't argue further. I simply turned and walked out of the company, leaving everything behind me. For now, I had to find my father and demand a full explanation about Lucas Sterling. 3 What I hadn't expected was that every single one of my calls to my father went straight to voicemail. A dozen attempts, all unanswered. A knot of panic tightened in my stomach. I rushed home, frantically searching the house, only to find our butler. He bowed respectfully. "Young Master, Mr. Sterling has gone abroad for a conference." He paused, then added, "He specifically instructed that you and Young Master Lucas should get along well at the company, to foster your relationship." A furious burst of indignation flared within me. My father truly did have another son! And on his very first day, he’d fired me, his actual son! I was seething, ready to fly out of the country the next day to demand answers. But early the next morning, Manager Davies called. The moment I answered, the shouting on the other end jolted me fully awake. "Alexander Kingsley! Get your butt back to the company, now!" It was Lucas. I paused for two seconds, then asked calmly, "Is there a problem?" Another voice came through the line. Manager Davies's tone was significantly more polite than yesterday, but still held an air of command. "There's an issue with the product. We need you to come back and fix it." I almost laughed out loud from sheer exasperation. "Wasn't I severed from Titan Holdings?" I retorted. Lucas’s voice, sharp with accusation, cut in. "You were in charge of the project! Who else are we supposed to call when something goes wrong? It's your obligation to help the company recover its losses!" Manager Davies chimed in, equally self-righteous. "You left without even completing your handover! Mr. Sterling is already being merciful by not pursuing this further. You have one hour to get back to the office." I let out a soft, mocking chuckle, feigning regret. "Oh, what a pity. I'd love to help Mr. Sterling ease his burden. But my accounts have been deleted. I'm afraid my hands are tied." On the other end, Lucas completely exploded. "Don't you dare bite the hand that feeds you!" he roared. "If you don't come back, I'll immediately blacklist you from the entire industry! Let's see which company dares to hire you then!" Listening to his empty threats, I calmly delivered my reply. "You just wait, then." With that, I hung up and promptly blocked his number. A wave of immense relief washed over me. I had expected those two to come crawling back eventually, but not so soon – not during the product testing phase. I casually opened the overflowing work group chat. Sure enough, Lucas had insisted on personally debugging the system, leading to a complete system crash. The company's interns couldn't fix it, so they'd turned to me. I had no obligation to clean up his mess, especially not for my supposedly illegitimate brother. My eyes darkened at the thought. Father still hadn't called me back, but there was a new message. I opened it. He wanted me to copy some important files from his office and upload them to his email. He was flying back that afternoon and heading straight to the company for a meeting. It was still early. I decided to let Lucas flounder a little longer. A much grander show was about to begin.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "392863", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel