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
The shock of the entire event still gripped Tedmond as he was led into the grand mansion, which exudes luxury. He held the little girl in his arms, and she was crying softly, her tears soaking into his shirt.What was going on? He couldn’t tell. The butler had promised to explain everything once they returned to the mansion, and Tedmond couldn’t wait.“Have a seat, young master,” the butler said, his gaze sad. “I will get you a cup of tea.”It was then that Tedmond realized they had arrived in a large living room, with several couches available for him to sit on. Nodding slowly, he walked toward one of the couches.“Or would you like something to eat?” Thomas asked.Tedmond glanced at him. Though Thomas was trying to appear composed, the sadness was clearly written on his face. “No need. I’m okay with just the tea.”Moments later, two mugs of tea were placed on the table in front of them. The little girl had fallen asleep, her teddy bear dropping to the floor.“I figured it would be b
Getting out of the car, Tedmond frowned. Although he had told Thomas he was fine with his belongings, Thomas had intentionally tossed them into the trash for him to get new ones.“I’ll be waiting here for you,” the driver said. “Take as much time as you need.”Tedmond glanced back and nodded before walking into the store. He knew Thomas had sent him shopping to give him time to think and make up his mind.He understood he had to accept his inheritance. After all, he had promised the Griffin family he would make them pay, and the only way to do that was by accepting his fortune. Why would he refuse something like this after all he had been through?It wasn’t possible.Scanning the store, he looked for the men’s section. As his eyes roamed the place, they landed on a rabbit doll with emerald eyes and a gem dangling from it.‘Is that a diamond?’ he wondered.The emerald reminded him of Bianca’s eyes, and he thought she might like it. He decided to get it for her. Just as he was about to