CHAPTER 20

As the door closed behind the five representatives, Jaden Thompson’s fury erupted. The betrayal was a knife twisting in his heart, and he couldn’t contain his rage any longer.

“Ralph!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the empty house. “How could you? You almost brought our legacy to ruin!” His fists slammed down on the desk, making the papers flutter. “You planned to sell the sweat I worked for! The company I built from nothing!”

His words hung in the air, heavy with bitterness and disappointment. Jaden’s thoughts raced as he envisioned the consequences of Ralph’s actions. The years of hard work and sacrifices he made were all nearly destroyed by his own son’s greed.

Without hesitation, Jaden picked up the phone and called his assistant. “I want all of Ralph’s privileges revoked immediately,” he commanded. “Every single one. I don’t want him to have access to anything that belongs to JFlier Group. Strip him of everything.”

The assistant stammered a reply, taken aback by Jaden’s uncharacteristic fury. “Yeah, Mr. Thompson. I’ll see to it right away.”

Jaden ended the call and sank into his chair, rubbing his temples. He felt a mix of sorrow and anger, the pain of betrayal cutting deep. How had Ralph fallen so far? The son he had trusted, the one he believed would carry on the family’s legacy, had turned out to be a fraud.

Meanwhile, Ralph was returning home from an outing. He was in high spirits, oblivious to the fate that awaited him. As he approached his house, his phone buzzed with a new email notification.

Curious, Ralph opened the email, and as he read the contents, his heart sank. The message was from the board of JFlier Group, cold and direct. It stated that he was no longer CEO, and all authority had been transferred to his twin brother, Charlie. The reason? His involvement in fraudulent practices.

Ralph’s shoulders dropped in disbelief. He had never been involved in any such activities.

“What the hell is this?” he muttered, standing at the entrance of his house. Panic set in as he tried to process the accusation. Who could have set him up? He needed to clear his name, but before he could form a plan, he noticed two huge men approaching him.

The men, dressed in dark suits, stopped in front of him. One of them, a burly figure with a stern expression, spoke first. “Mr. Ralph Thompson?”

“Yes,” Ralph replied, his voice wary. “What do you want?”

“We’re here on assignment from JFlier Group,” the man said. “We’ve been instructed to evict you from this house. It belongs to the company, and you no longer have any right to it.”

Ralph’s heart pounded in his chest. “Evict me? This is my home!”

“Not anymore,” the second man said, stepping forward. “We’ve also been told to collect any property that belongs to the company.”

Ralph’s mind raced. The realization of his new reality hit him like a ton of bricks. Stripped of his title, his home, and his possessions, he was being cast out with nothing. “This has to be a mistake,” he pleaded. “I need to speak to my father. He’ll clear this up.”

The men shook their heads. “We’re just following orders, Mr. Thompson. You need to vacate the premises immediately.”

Desperation clawed at Ralph. “Give me a moment,” he said, turning towards the house. He needed to think to figure out his next move.

He repeatedly dialed his father's number, but every call went straight to voicemail. The cold, automated message did nothing to alleviate his growing panic. "Dad, please, pick up," Ralph muttered, pacing in his driveway. Accusations of fraud, eviction, and the sudden loss of everything he had worked for—none of it made sense.

The men demanded that Ralph proceed to JFlier Group and release all that belonged to JFlier Group into his care.

Upon arriving at JFlier Group, Ralph barely registered the familiar surroundings. All he could think about was complying with the demand to relinquish the company’s properties and proving his innocence. As he stepped into the building, he was met by two other men.

“We need you to release all company properties immediately,” one of the men said, his tone cold and businesslike.

Ralph nodded, too tired to argue. “Follow me,” he said, leading them to his office.

Inside, Ralph began the painful process of relinquishing his belongings. His company car keys, electronic devices, important documents—everything that had once symbolized his success and position as CEO. Each item he handed over felt like another nail in the coffin of his former life.

By the time he was done, Ralph felt stripped bare. Almost everything he owned was a result of his role at JFlier Group and his inheritance as Jaden's beloved son. Without these, he was left with little more than the clothes on his back.

As he exited the building, Ralph saw his wife, Nina, pulling into the parking lot. Her face lit up momentarily when she saw him, but that joy quickly turned to concern as she noticed the strained expression on his face and the two men flanking him.

“Ralph, what’s going on?” she asked, rushing over to him.

Ralph could barely bring himself to meet her eyes. “We need to talk,” he said softly, guiding her to a bench outside the building. The men, having completed their task, retreated into the building, leaving the couple alone.

Sitting down, Ralph took a deep breath. “Nina, everything’s gone wrong. The company’s board has accused me of fraud. They’ve taken away my position, and we’ve lost almost everything.”

Nina’s face paled as she absorbed his words. “What do you mean, accused of fraud? That’s impossible! You’ve always been honest!”

“I know,” Ralph said. “But they’ve got evidence. Or at least, they think they do. They’ve already transferred the company to Charlie. And we’ve been evicted from the house.”