On the sheet of paper was his father's handwriting, unmistakable after years of seeing it. Tedmond remembered it well, as his father had often refused to speak to him directly, claiming he hated his voice. Instead, he would issue orders through letters like this one.Back in middle school, Tedmond had been glad to receive such letters—it was better than being forgotten altogether. But by the time he reached high school, he understood the real reason behind them. His father wanted to condition him to accept communication only through writing and stop speaking entirely.Realizing this, Tedmond had rebelled. He tossed away all the letters he had stored in his drawers and never responded to another one, just to spite his father. It worked. His father stopped sending letters altogether.Now, standing with this letter in hand, he realized his father was trying the same tactic again—this time on Bianca. He was attempting to silence her from speaking about what had happened. Furious, Tedmond

“I saw the race!” a male student exclaimed as he approached Tedmond the moment he stepped into the cafeteria. “You’re all over the sports channel, dude! I can't believe I’m in the same school as you!”“For you to win a race against a professional racer is dope!” another male student chimed in. “Now that you’ve beaten Linn, are you planning to go into racing?”Tedmond was taken aback by their sudden friendliness. He’d heard murmurs about the race earlier, but this was the first time anyone had approached him directly about it, especially the guys.“How was it?” a third student inquired. “Beating a professional like that—must’ve felt great, right?”As the three initiated the conversation, others around them grew bolder and hurried over to join in. It was only then that Tedmond understood why so many had been gesturing at him earlier as he walked past.His brows furrowed. How could he have forgotten something this significant? He was still a student and had classes to attend. Drawing so

“Be careful, young master,” Thomas said as soon as Tedmond stepped out of the car to head into the company they were supposed to purchase.Tedmond turned to Thomas, noting the deeply concerned look on his face. It was so pronounced that Tedmond recoiled for a moment. Thomas looked like he was staring at something fragile, as if afraid it might shatter.“I’m fine!” Tedmond yelled, snapping Thomas out of his daze. “You’ve let me go out alone countless times. Why are you terrified just because I’m heading to a company to buy it?”Despite Tedmond’s cold tone, his words didn’t seem to affect Thomas. He continued to stare at Tedmond with the same worried expression.“I just hope you come back fine,” Thomas said, his concern unwavering. “Fighting! You can do it!”Tedmond sighed, a sly smile tugging at his lips as he turned away. “I’ll be fine.”Oddly enough, Thomas’s worry made him feel good. His father had never cared for him, nor had anyone else. Even when he returned home injured, no one

As soon as the words left the man's lips, Tedmond looked at him blankly, disbelief etched across his face.“Do I look like a kidnapper to you?” Tedmond asked, glaring at the man irritably. “Even if I were to kidnap you, how much could I squeeze out of you when you have nothing and tons of debt?”Martin was taken aback by Tedmond’s tone, feeling triggered by the indirect insult.“Squeezing money out of a kidnapped person isn’t all there is to kidnapping!” Martin snapped, huffing. “Besides, let’s go back to our previous discussion since you’re making me feel like an old man.”“Fine. I’d like to purchase your company,” Tedmond said with a sigh. “Since the company has a lot of debt, tell me how much you’re willing to sell it for.”From what Tedmond had learned, he knew he shouldn’t name a price first, as he was the one purchasing.Martin stared at Tedmond. With so much debt, he wondered if his company was even worth five million dollars.Not only did he owe $300 million, but he also hadn’

Tedmond turned his head to look at Ki. 'There’s a secret code?' he thought. He had no idea there was a secret code. He had just spoken normally, as he always did. Did he manage to guess their secret code without realizing it?“Is that really important now?” Tedmond questioned, making sure not to let any emotions show on his face.He could tell Ki was still wary of him, but there was no way he would admit he had merely guessed the secret code. There must be some sort of benefit that comes with knowing it.“Isn’t it suspicious, boss?” Ki asked Joe. “He just showed up out of nowhere. This is the first time he’s been here, but he already knows the secret code?”Joe glanced at Ki, then back at Tedmond. “I don’t think so. The ones who know the secret code are the only ones who would come into the company and ask for me. I don’t find it suspicious at all. After all, an acquaintance of his might be a regular here.”Ki frowned at Joe’s indifference. “He might be a kid, but he could’ve been sen