My uncle had no children, and he had long since written a will leaving his billion-dollar estate to me. But after his funeral, when I returned to his villa, a stranger barged in, claiming to be my uncle's legal heir, and tried to kick me out. "All of Mr. Arthur Vance's assets are inherited by me. Please leave immediately!" I didn't believe him at all, thinking he was crazy, but he produced a will. Looking at two identical wills, I immediately called my lawyer. After a careful comparison, the lawyer looked at me and shook his head regretfully: "Ethan, your will is invalid." My mind exploded. Before I could react, Leo Sterling was already sitting on the sofa. He effortlessly found the cigars my uncle hid under the sofa and lit one with practiced ease. I stared at the unfamiliar yet familiar silhouette behind the smoke, asking in disbelief: "Who the hell are you?" 1 Since my uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer, the doctor strictly forbade him from smoking, and all the cigarettes in the house were confiscated. Only my uncle and I knew about this hiding spot. How did this guy know? The man opposite me showed no expression, pointing to the name on the will. "Can't you read? My name is Leo Sterling, the legal heir to Mr. Arthur Vance's estate. Now, can you leave?" "Impossible!" My voice cracked. "Your will must be forged! I demand a lawyer to verify its authenticity!" Attorney Lee checked it again carefully and nodded solemnly. "This will is genuine and valid. Mr. Leo Sterling is indeed the legal heir." The expression on my face froze instantly, shaking my head in disbelief. "How can it be true? I am my uncle's closest relative. How could he leave his inheritance to an outsider like you?" Leo looked at me with a playful smile. "Then you have to ask your uncle why he gave his billion-dollar fortune to an outsider like me instead of a nephew who was like a son to him." I stiffened, clutching the will tightly. Cold sweat dripped onto the paper, blurring the name Ethan Hunt. My uncle never married. He treated me, his orphaned nephew, like his own son. I grew up by his side. He sent me to the most expensive private schools and gave me the most privileged life. Before I even graduated college, he brought me into the company to learn the ropes, teaching me everything about management. Despite my older uncle's strong opposition, he left all his assets to me, his nephew, without giving a cent to his own brother's son. As a result, my uncle and his brother became enemies. My uncle loved me so much; he would never give his inheritance to a stranger I had never met. There must be something wrong here. I calmed down and looked at the lawyer. "I demand the video of the will signing." For a will to be notarized, at least two notaries, a lawyer, an accountant, and a doctor must be present. This ensures the testator is of sound mind, acting voluntarily, and that the content reflects their true intent. My uncle must have been coerced. I stared at Leo, trying to find a trace of panic on his face. But he looked calm as he pulled out the video. I stared at the screen without blinking. From beginning to end, my uncle was perfectly lucid. He even pressed down so hard when signing his name that he tore the paper. My head buzzed. How is this possible? Something's fishy. Definitely fishy! I grabbed Attorney Lee by the collar, glaring at him. "You tampered with the video, didn't you? Your last name is Lee, his last name is Sterling (Li in Chinese context implies connection, adapted here to distinct names but implying collusion). Are you conspiring with him to embezzle my uncle's estate?" Attorney Lee's face changed, but he spoke politely. "Mr. Hunt, I understand your feelings, but this was Mr. Vance's own decision. If you have doubts, I suggest you call the police or go through legal channels. Violence won't solve anything." I let go of him and immediately called the police. After the officers arrived, they examined the video and confirmed it was the original file, with no cuts or AI manipulation. And after investigation, Attorney Lee and Leo Sterling were not related. They had never even met before today. I was completely dumbfounded. Where did it go wrong? The will was made just a month before my uncle died. Why did he suddenly change his mind? The officer looked at my unwilling face and said in a tone half-educational, half-mocking: "Young man, look for the reason within yourself. Maybe you weren't filial. Not just your uncle, even if it were your own father, if he's not satisfied with you, it's his right to give his inheritance to whomever he wants." A crack opened in my brain. Own father? I looked at Leo abruptly, a terrifying thought growing wildly in my mind. I was forcibly evicted from the villa where I had lived for over twenty years. Before leaving, I swiped the cigar stub Leo had smoked while no one was looking. Once outside, I rushed to the hospital, taking my uncle's stored blood sample to the DNA testing center. The wait for the results was excruciating. My uncle lived a clean life. Despite his immense wealth, he never indulged in debauchery. Aside from necessary social engagements, he lived like a monk. I racked my brains, but I couldn't imagine he would have an illegitimate child. But if not, how to explain him changing his will to Leo? After a long wait, the results finally came out. The moment I saw them, I froze. "Biological parent-child relationship excluded." These words were like sharp bayonets, piercing my heart. My uncle really gave his life's work, his billion-dollar fortune, to a stranger with no blood relation? I couldn't figure it out. I really couldn't. Does he have something on my uncle? But the police said Leo was just an ordinary employee in a third-rate company. What leverage could he have over my uncle? Unless... they had that kind of relationship? Considering my uncle's lack of interest in women, it didn't seem impossible. I was almost struck dead by this thought. My mind was a mess. Was I just going to watch the billion-dollar fortune slip away? Let my uncle's life's work be embezzled for no reason? After dazing for a long time, I called a private investigator I knew. "Investigate a man named Leo Sterling. Go back three generations, from birth to now. Everyone he's met, bank records, everything. The more detailed, the better. And fast." Hanging up, I found a five-star hotel to check in. The "Card Frozen" notification sound was particularly piercing in the empty lobby. I remembered then that all my cards were supplementary to my uncle's account. Now that the assets were given to Leo, he must have frozen my cards immediately. I could only return to the dilapidated apartment my grandmother left to my mother. There were only a few hundred-dollar bills left in my wallet. Forget next semester's tuition; I couldn't even guarantee food for now. Sitting in the spotlessly clean apartment, bitterness welled up in my heart. My uncle and mom were twins. When I was two, a car accident took my parents' lives. They were very close. My uncle never wanted to sell this apartment and often came to clean it himself. He said mom's shadow was here. He stayed single to take care of me, raising me like both a father and a mother. He treated me so well. Why would he give the inheritance to someone else? Unwilling to give up, I watched the will video over and over again. Something felt missing. My hand paused, pupils shrinking violently. I knew it. My Great-Uncle was missing from the video as a witness. Great-Uncle was the most respected elder in my maternal family. My uncle had explicitly stated that the will would only be valid with Great-Uncle present as a witness. I quickly found the video of my uncle's first will, the one for me. Great-Uncle was clearly there. I jumped up in excitement, eager to expose Leo's true face. I returned to the villa quickly. After banging on the door, I tried to rush in but was stopped by the butler, Alfred. "Young Master, this is no longer your home. If you make trouble again, I'll call the police." Seeing Alfred, who used to care for me so much, being so cold, my heart soured. I explained, "I need to see Leo Sterling. Let me in." "Our Master has gone to bed. Come back tomorrow." I checked the time. It was only past eight. The night life for young people hadn't even started, and he was asleep? Just like my uncle's elderly schedule. I waited outside all night. The next morning around seven, Leo left the villa in my uncle's Maybach. I stopped him. "Leo Sterling, I can prove you are not the legal heir. Come with me to see my Great-Uncle right now!" Leo looked at me with a half-smile and agreed readily. "Fine. I also want to see what proof you have." At Great-Uncle's house, I asked urgently: "Great-Uncle, did you know my uncle gave his inheritance to this man? He wasn't in the video. Tell me, it's forged, he forced my uncle, right?" Great-Uncle looked at me in surprise. "I know. Your uncle told me. I was scheduled to be a witness that day, but I got into a car accident on the way out and broke my leg. But I recorded a video testimony before surgery. Didn't they show you?" I noticed the bandage on Great-Uncle's leg. He showed me the video. It was short but clearly stated the authenticity of the changed will. I was dumbfounded. My eyes darted between Great-Uncle and Leo. Did Leo buy him off? I blurted out without thinking: "Great-Uncle, did he bribe you? How much did he give you? How can you do this to my uncle? To my dead parents?" Great-Uncle's face darkened, his tone no longer kind. "Ethan, what nonsense are you talking about? It was my first time meeting Mr. Sterling! I'm old, what do I need that much money for? This was your uncle's own wish!" "No! My uncle wouldn't abandon me!" I turned around, grabbed Leo by the collar, and glared at him. "Who are you really? Why did my uncle willingly give you his inheritance? Tell me, what did you use to threaten a dying man?" The calmness on Leo's face finally cracked. "Enough!" He pried my hands off forcefully. "If it weren't for you being Arthur's nephew, I would have called the police for harassment long ago. If you keep this up, I won't be polite!" Great-Uncle also advised me: "Ethan, I know it's hard to accept. Your uncle must have his reasons. You're young, your future might not be worse than his. Why bother?" "Why bother?" I looked at him incredulously. "That's not a hundred thousand or a million. That's a billion-dollar empire, my uncle's life's work. Didn't you suspect why he changed his mind right before he died? What leverage does Leo have on you all?" Great-Uncle's face turned completely dark. "Suspect what? Ethan, your uncle is gone. I hope you respect the deceased's wishes!" Leo sneered. "You're doing all this just to imply your uncle had a shady relationship with me, right? Ethan Hunt, he was your uncle. How can you slander him like that?" My face flushed red, embarrassed at being seen through. The servants and family doctor looked at me with contempt. "He talks big, but he's just unwilling to lose the money. Slandering his own uncle as a pervert for money, shameless!" "I say, Mr. Vance must have seen he was an ungrateful wolf long ago, that's why he didn't leave him the money. Doesn't he know it himself?" "Mr. Vance raised him for twenty years like a father, and he slanders him after death. Not worth it for Mr. Vance." "Pah! Greedy, ungrateful villain. Get out, don't dirty our floor!" A servant swept furiously at my feet, forcing me to the door. Endless grievances and humiliation surged up. I looked around with red eyes and choked out: "It's not for the inheritance! I just want to know why he did this? Was he in trouble? Was I not good enough? Was the father-son bond of twenty years fake?" "Even if the truth is that it was his own will, I'll accept it willingly. I don't want to live in confusion and helplessness!" Tears fell unbidden. Great-Uncle limped over, looked at me, and sighed helplessly. "Ethan, don't think nonsense. If your uncle didn't love you, why would he save a huge trust fund for you?" I froze, suddenly remembering what my uncle told me on his deathbed. "Ethan, I bought a large trust fund for you. Don't touch it unless absolutely necessary. Only the heir knows the password..." I was too sad to care about the meaning then. I just thought he left me a way out in case I failed at business. Now thinking back, my uncle was prepared. I shot a sharp look at Leo, my tone desperate. "Leo Sterling, one last time. Come with me to the bank. Prove to me if you really are the heir!" He stared at me with a complex expression for a long time, then scoffed: "Fine, I'll go. But if it's proven that I am the legal heir, you, Ethan Hunt, are never to appear in front of me again!" I nodded without hesitation. "Deal!"
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