[michaelrwolfe]

This is quite straightforward. You either own stock in the company or you don't.

You own stock in the company if you received shares when you founded it and/or if you received options, vested them, then exercised the shares upon leaving the company.

If you own shares, you produce the certificates, and the acquirer will buy them from you.

If you don't, you don't.

No attorney can help you if you claim to own shares in a company without actually owning any shares.

The discussion about what you "deserve" and "don't deserve" is irrelevant. You either own the shares or you do not own the shares.