Seated in his office, Tedmond crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. The seat had been adjusted, making it look puffy and soft. His gaze was fixed on the tablet, but he wasn’t reading from it.He couldn’t help but wonder what expressions the Griffins must have had when they received Lora's call.They would do everything in their power to gain further recognition from him, but he had no intention of revealing his identity just yet. He pondered whether he could play with them a little, like chess pieces.Considering all the terrible things they had done to him and his mother, it was only fair that he did as he pleased with them.Just then, Lora walked into the office. “Sir, I called them as you asked, and I’ve also gotten the mask and a voice changer.”Tedmond raised his head from the tablet to look at her. “A voice changer? Is that really necessary?”“I thought you didn’t want them to recognize your face, and you might also want to disguise your voice,” she replied.Thinking ab
A glint of satisfaction crossed Tedmond’s face when he saw the look of astonishment in the eyes of the Griffins. He had intentionally called Max dumb, knowing that Max hated being called that, even though he was.Max was taken aback and hurt flashed in his eyes for a few seconds. His lips parted as he searched for words, but he couldn’t find any. After a few moments, he finally spoke up.“Why do you think I am dumb?” Max questioned hastily. “I only said what needed to be said.”Tedmond grinned. “No, you didn’t,” he replied. “Xinca doesn’t need to put others down to get ahead or stand out.”Harold didn’t like the fact that his son was being called dumb. From how things were going, he had a feeling they might lose this opportunity, so he stepped in.“I am sorry for my son’s rudeness, President,” Harold said. “He didn’t mean to offend you.”Harold gestured for Max to apologize, but before that could happen, Tedmond spoke up.“Are you sure you know what your son did?” Tedmond asked.Harol
Tedmond walked out of the company, twirling his car keys on his finger before slipping them into his pocket. He held Bianca in his arms as he headed toward the garage. Just as he took a step forward, someone brushed past him.From the person’s silhouette, Tedmond could instantly tell who it was.“Max!” Lisa’s voice reached his ears as she rushed past him to meet Max.He paused for a moment but didn’t turn around. She fell into step beside him. “What?”“Where are you going?” she asked. “We should go back together.”“No need,” he replied.Tedmond glanced at Bianca, who was already sleeping peacefully in his arms, still clutching her doll. He sighed in relief—he didn’t want her to see them.“He called me dumb, and I guess I am dumb. Why did Dad listen to him when he said I should take a business class? I’m already studying business,” Max ranted, raising his thumb to his lips and chewing his nails. “What if he uses that against me and doesn’t appoint me as the heir to the company?”Lisa s
Frowning, Tedmond stared at Lisa, whose face was red with anger. He arched his brows. Why was she finding it so hard to accept that he had a child before their relationship, and she knew nothing about it?“What are you talking about?” Tedmond asked Lisa. “I already have a kid, and asking me questions is a waste of time. I. Am. Leaving.”Maxine’s eyes scanned the child from head to toe, her eye for luxury immediately identifying the expensive clothing.“Who is the mother of this child?” Maxine demanded. “The kid seems to be dressed in luxurious clothes.”Hearing that, Evelyn glanced at her daughter. “Luxurious clothes?”Maxine nodded. “That dress alone is worth $20,000, the shoes are worth $5,000, and even the doll in her hand is worth at least fifty thousand!”“For the child to dress that way, she must have a rich mother! If she hadn’t been with her mother all this time, the child would have been living with us!” Maxine asserted.The Griffins pieced the words together and nodded in ag
Getting back to the company, Tedmond couldn't stop grinning. His plan for revenge was going smoother than he had expected.At first, he had thoughts about revenge, but he had no idea that the Griffins would be connected to the first company he visited.Their presence made it easier for him to deal with them, but so far, nothing had been accomplished yet.“You're grinning so much, brother,” Bianca said. “Is it because of those crazy people from before?”Tedmond froze and glanced down at Bianca, seeing her curious blue eyes staring at him.He hadn’t expected her to be awake. What did he expect? They had been too loud, and their voices had woken her.“No, it's not because of them,” Tedmond replied.“Who are they? And why did you lie that you’re my father?” she questioned, her brows furrowing as if she was about to scold him.“Mommy said that it isn’t good to lie, and all liars aren’t good children. Does that mean you’re a bad child?”Tedmond peered down at her, worried about how to answe
Whoosh!Honk honk.“Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching Quill Station. Please check your luggage and prepare to disembark.”The train came to a halt, and a young man stepped out. The atmosphere was cold, with snow falling from the sky.Ding.Standing in the middle of the train station exit, Tedmond glanced at his phone, which had just buzzed with a new message. His blue eyes flashed with anticipation as he read through the text, his dark hair falling over his forehead. He knew who it was: Lisa, his girlfriend.‘Where are you right now?’ the message read, authoritative yet soothing. ‘I need to talk to you. Hurry up, I don’t have any more time to waste.’Tedmond scrolled through the message. No one else had contacted him—not even the person who was supposed to pick him up. Exhaling, he began walking out of the train station.Something about the tone of Lisa’s message seemed off. Was she mad at him for being away for two days?“Hey! Come back here, you brat!”A man's voice caught hi
After walking aimlessly for what felt like hours, Tedmond finally stopped to rest on a park bench. He clutched his bag on his lap while scrolling through his phone.Though he had boldly told them they’d regret their actions, he had no idea how that would happen.The first thing he did was check his account balance, hoping he had enough money for some food. The remaining $1 glared back at him.“Damn it,” he muttered, digging into his wallet, only to find it empty as well. “I’m really broke.”The more he stared at his account, the more it mocked him. He was about to shut off his phone when a message notification chimed. Expecting it to be from Lisa, he frowned but checked it anyway.As he opened the message, his jaw dropped. It was a bank alert, notifying him of a credit to his account."Your account has been credited with $10,000,000,000," the message read.He rubbed his eyes and counted the digits one by one.“Ten billion dollars!” he screamed, shocked. But noticing people on the stre
Shock rippled through the room as they heard the voice. A guest of the Washington family? Eyes turned to Tedmond, widening in disbelief.To be a guest of the Washington family meant that Tedmond was a big shot or potentially related to them. Even some of the Washingtons' relatives had tried to get in but were always denied entrance.How could someone like Tedmond be allowed?“Are you sure it’s the right person?” Gregory questioned. Despite shivering, he couldn’t help but ask.“How dare you ask me that?” the person on the other end bellowed. “If I lose my job, you're going to regret it! You’d better let that fellow into the ward, or else!”Gregory was taken aback by the mention of his boss losing his job. As the call ended, he hurriedly bowed to Tedmond, terrified that he might lose the position he had worked so hard for.“I’m sorry for not recognizing you, sir,” he apologized. “I’ll walk you to the room,” he added, raising his head to look at Tedmond. “Let’s get—”“No need,” Tedmond c