Episode 4

After several more months in the United Kingdom, I finally completed my academic training, graduated as a certified economist, and finished my university degree. At last, the time had come to return to Japan, my home.

The closer the moment of my return approached, the more nervous I became, knowing that a different reality would soon hit me, snapping me back to the grind of reality, and the beautiful dream I had been living for the past years would vanish; nevertheless, I didn't mind, as I deeply missed the food and culture of my native country.

Upon my return to Japan, I encountered a great surprise; in what had once been my room, there was now an unfamiliar person sleeping. When I went to ask about the person in my room, I was told that he was the young master of the house.

I felt confused since I was supposed to be the young master; however, I refrained from causing a scene and waited for my father to arrive to inquire about the situation. As soon as he arrived, the first thing I said was:

"Good evening, Father. I hope you've been well these past years."

"Good afternoon, yes, I have been fine."

"Father, I have a question. I would like to know who is the young man in my room."

"The young man you saw in your room is Osamu, your half-brother."

"And why is he in my room? Could you not have given him his own?"

"He had his own room, but there was a minor accident, and we had to remodel. So, he is temporarily using your old room, as I was unsure when or if you would return, so I gave him your room."

"How considerate of you with your son, as it seems I am the one left over in this family. I will spend the night at a hotel."

"That's not necessary; there's still the guest room available for you."

"Wow, how fortunate I am. So, if that room is still free, why didn't you give it to Osamu while his own room was being prepared?"

"Because your room is more comfortable."

"Alright, thanks for the information, Father. But as I said before, I prefer to go to a hotel to ensure comfort for us all."

As I was leaving that house, I bumped into that woman, the mother of my half-brother. And as she entered, I overheard the maid say:

"Madam, you have returned. Would you like to dine?"

"No, I will go directly to my room."

Hearing that turned my stomach, and I realized my father had married that dreadful woman despite all I had warned him about. It seemed so hypocritical on his part; I felt disdain at being part of that family.

Disappointed and sad, I left there. As more days passed, I learned more unsettling truths. I discovered that two years after I had left, my father married that woman, had legally acknowledged Osamu, they had a daughter who was barely three years old, and my father let that woman manage my mother's foundations and planned to give her the shares my mother had in various companies. Discovering this made my blood boil; I was burning with anger that this man, who had cursed and spoken ill of her, was now protecting her and giving her everything that had once belonged to my mother, which only fueled my anger further. At that moment, I decided to reclaim what had belonged to my mother.

So, I devised a plan to regain everything. I started by searching for my mother's will, and as soon as I found it, I hired the best attorney in Japan to assist me. When I eventually won the battle against that woman and my father, I regained a total of 70 percent of shares in 15 companies, three country houses, an apartment in Tokyo, five foundations, and three orphanages.

They, frustrated, tried to strip it all away from me, but they couldn't. On the contrary, I persuaded several shareholders to sell their stakes, which made me the majority shareholder of nine companies and the president of the most important and revenue-generating company of all. My father, step-brother, and that woman were furious as I had deprived them of nearly all their assets in the blink of an eye. However, they had not considered that my mother was the wealthy one; she was the one who had provided the funds for my father to start his businesses, her family was even richer than his, and they had helped elevate my family to the pinnacle. Therefore, my mother owned so much. They had not anticipated that they could be left with nothing because of her will; yet, I wasn't that cruel. I left my father with his luxury mansion and a monthly check; for my brother, I allowed him to work as an assistant manager in one of the companies so they could still get by and have resources. I thought they wouldn't be so angry as I had been benevolent, but I was gravely mistaken. Soon, one of them would lead to my undoing...

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