2024-09-10 08:18:05Whoosh!
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 his attention, followed by a hard smack on his shoulder, making him wince.
Tedmond’s head snapped around to see who had bumped into him. Three tall men, about 6'2", were chasing a young girl. The girl had a terrified look on her face as she ran.
He turned away, not wanting to interfere, but something in him made him reconsider.
Cursing softly under his breath, Tedmond took off after them.
The child was surprisingly fast, and the men struggled to catch up. Tedmond pushed through the crowd, making sure not to lose sight of them.
Soon, they were out of sight of the bustling station, and the child was cornered in an alley with no escape.
“Leave me alone!” she cried, holding her hands up as if to ward them off. “My grandfather won’t let you get away with this!”
“Exactly!” one of the men mocked, a mischievous smile curling on his lips. “That’s the point. We want him to pay us for your safe return.”
Tears filled her eyes as she braced herself for the worst. At that moment, Tedmond arrived, his brows twitching in anger.
Pulling off his backpack, Tedmond hurled it at the first man, hitting him squarely in the back of the head. The girl’s eyes widened with hope as she looked up at him.
“You forgot to apologize for bumping into me,” Tedmond said, stepping closer to the men. “That really hurt.”
The men spun around.
“Who the hell are you?” one of them demanded. “Mind your own business.”Tedmond held up his phone, showing he was calling the cops. “The police are on their way. Unless you want to get arrested, I suggest you leave.”
The sound of a distant siren filled the air. Stunned, the men glared at Tedmond.
“You’ll regret this,” the leader snarled.
“Not as much as you will if the cops catch you,” Tedmond shot back with a grin.
Angered, the leader punched Tedmond in the face before he could react. Pain shot through him as blood trickled from his nose, but the men fled, swearing to return for the girl.
Rubbing his nose, Tedmond glanced at his hand, now stained with blood. His nose was broken.
“Are you okay?” the little girl asked, offering him a handkerchief. “I’m sorry you got hurt because of me.”
Tedmond took the handkerchief and nodded. “It’s nothing. Where are your parents?”
“My grandpa’s sick, and I got lost trying to get to the hospital. Are the cops really coming?”
Tedmond shook his head. “No, it was just my ringtone.”
A man appeared moments later, and the girl hurried over to him. After a brief exchange with her, the man turned to thank Tedmond, but he had already disappeared.
Tedmond eventually made his way home, his brows furrowed in confusion as he stepped inside the house. Everyone was there, as if waiting for him. Lisa sat on his half-brother’s lap, clinging to him.
Each of them looked at Tedmond with disdain, as if he were an unwelcome intruder. He was the illegitimate son, after all, and they had never treated him kindly. In fact, they had sent him away so he wouldn’t be present for his brother’s wedding.
“What’s going on?” Tedmond asked, his eyes darting from one person to another.
His stepmother’s irritation flared. “Not even a wedding present for your brother?” she snapped. “You weren’t even worthy of attending, and now you can’t even manage a simple gift?”
Tedmond blinked. “I would have, but I spent all my money on the train ride home.”
“Spare change?!” his half-sister shrieked. “Bastard! Do you really think my brother deserves your pathetic pocket change?”
Tedmond's eyes shifted to Lisa, still sitting with his brother. “If he’s married, why is she with him?” he asked, his voice shaking with disbelief.
His brother smirked, clearly enjoying the moment.
“We were going to talk about this,” Lisa said, raising her hand to reveal a wedding ring. “I married your brother. Why would I waste my time on you? You’re broke, Tedmond. You can’t take care of me.”
Tedmond stood frozen, the shock hitting him like a punch to the gut.
“And truth be told,” Lisa continued, her voice cold, “I only dated you to get close to him. You’re just the illegitimate son—no one worth my time. Every woman deserves to be treated like a princess, and there’s no way a loser like you could ever give me that.”
His stepmother sneered, chiming in, “We don’t need you around anymore. Get out. Don’t ruin your brother’s marriage. You might think you love Lisa, but she’s way out of your league—and married now. You’re worthless. Go live on the streets or something. If only that pathetic maid of a mother of yours hadn’t seduced my husband, you wouldn’t even exist. You’re a disgrace, a disgusting twig.”
Tedmond’s lips curled into a bitter smile. Why was he even surprised? This had been his life for as long as he could remember.
“You’re all going to regret this,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “I promise you.”
With that, he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
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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
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CHAPTER 232
Silence filled the room. No one had expected the grandmother to offer the position of heir to Tedmond so casually—just a few words, and everything changed.Max’s eyes widened in disbelief, his face draining of color. He knew his grandmother suffered from amnesia, but he hadn’t imagined she’d go this far—handing over his rightful place to someone like Tedmond.Not only was she willing to give away everything he had worked for, she was also casting aside her own grandson.Lisa was just as stunned, her mouth hanging open. She had never imagined this would be how Max lost everything.“You can’t do that, Grandma!” Max suddenly shouted, rising from his seat. His face was livid. “How could you give my position to him like that?!”Even Tedmond, the man at the center of it all, looked taken aback. He blinked, his lips parting slightly. Sure, he knew Grandma Vivian liked him now—thanks to the amnesia—but he hadn’t expected this. Not in a million years.“That’s right!” Lisa added quickly, standi
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Max’s head snapped to the side from the force of the slap. A red handprint bloomed on his cheek, and his eyes flew wide with shock.Tedmond's brows lifted in surprise, his gaze settling on Max. Then, slowly, a satisfied smirk curled his lips.All he had to do was provoke Max into cursing him, and the slap would follow.He was a genius.Lisa, still stunned, immediately rose to her feet, her eyes darting to the source of the slap.“Who the hell is that bitch who dared to touch—” Her words cut off abruptly when she saw who it was. Her face instantly paled. “Grandmother…?”Hearing the word, Max’s head snapped toward the direction of the voice to confirm if it was truly her.There she stood, tall and imposing, a deep frown creasing her elegant face.Vivian Griffin. Max’s grandmother.“Oh—Grandmother!” Max quickly stood up, rubbing his cheek. “What did I do to deserve that slap?”Vivian's eyes darkened at his question.The look alone made Max take a step back. He didn’t understand what he h
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Neil’s eyes darted to Tedmond, brows furrowing. Tedmond had told him to stick close to Max and make sure he didn’t go near Persis—but now Max was heading straight toward them, and Neil hadn’t even noticed until it was too late.“Tedmond is going to kill me,” Neil thought.He shot to his feet and rushed after Max, grabbing his hand. “Where are you going?” he asked, shaking his head in disbelief.Max glanced at Neil, then looked away. “You should go back to your seat, Alicia. I don’t want to trouble you too much.”Neil sighed and let him go. In three seconds, he was back in his seat while Max reached the table where Tedmond sat.Tedmond looked up as a shadow loomed over him, only to find Max standing there. Without a word, Max pulled out a chair and sat down next to Lisa like it was the most natural thing in the world. His expression wasn’t angry—just unreadable.Finn, still cleaning up the mess he made earlier while staff looked on, glanced up at the table. When he saw Max, a frown cre
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Tedmond looked at Finn. He had just arrived on campus and hadn’t even done anything yet, and still, he was bombarded by Finn—someone who clearly had no idea how to read the room before acting.Giving Finn a blank stare, Tedmond genuinely wondered if he was just stupid. Not only did Finn fail to read the atmosphere, but he also just said the most ridiculous thing ever.This wasn’t the first time Tedmond had eaten in the cafeteria. It wasn’t even the second.The only reason he had avoided the cafeteria in the past was because it was one of the main places Max and his friends had humiliated him the most.He hadn’t wanted them to do something to his food and make him eat it.So, he’d stayed away—not because he couldn’t afford the meals that only cost a few bucks—but to protect himself.“What the hell are you talking about now?” Persis asked, frowning as she looked at Finn. “Don’t tell me you came to join the table just to say that?”She was already irritated that Lisa was at the table, ev
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Persis looked at Lisa, the thought weighing on her. If Lisa had overheard their conversation, then she would’ve known that Tedmond was the one Persis had called—but it didn’t seem like she did.Lisa asked if Persis had called Neil. It felt more like she had asked intentionally, to find out who Persis would say she called.Since Persis remained silent, Lisa looked at her, eyes dark with anger. Persis hadn’t said a word after the question—just stared at Lisa with a slight frown, like she couldn’t even be bothered to respond.That alone was enough to set Lisa off. But she held back. She needed answers.If Persis was close to Alicia, then this was her only shot. Her only chance to find out why Alicia kept dragging her into one mess after another.Alicia had already told the rest of the family about her so-called plans with Hino. And if that wasn’t enough, she’d somehow gotten Evelyn to slap her in front of everyone.Since that day, nothing had been the same. The family had grown distant,
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Max regretted mentioning his brother the moment Neil asked that question. He hadn’t even adequately told his new friends that Tedmond was his brother. He’d only dropped subtle hints, letting them piece it together themselves. It wasn’t like he was proud of the connection.He hated the fact that he and Tedmond shared the same blood. He’d even taken multiple DNA tests, hoping—praying—that the results would prove otherwise. But the papers always said the same thing:They were related.‘I didn’t want to tell Alicia about Tedmond,’ he thought, sneaking a glance at Neil. ’It would’ve been better if she found out on her own, in her own time.’Neil raised an eyebrow, watching Max spiral into silence over a simple question. “What’s with the sudden mood drop? Did I say something wrong?”Max blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. “No, you’re good. It’s just... complicated.”Neil leaned back, folding his arms. “Complicated how? I just said you never told me you had a brother. I was curious about
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As soon as the car began moving, Tedmond glanced out the window. He hadn’t just chosen to let the men deal with Ottis and the others—he had also left without seeing how badly they would get beaten. Nor did he try to use the situation to his advantage.Letting Ottis get beaten wasn’t enough—not after everything Ottis had done to him and the way he had insulted his mother.Shaking his head, Tedmond snapped out of his thoughts. There were still plenty of chances to deal with Ottis. This was only the beginning.Everyone who had disrespected his mother was going to get a taste of their own medicine—and he wasn’t going to let any of them off quickly.At that moment, his phone began to ring. Pulling it from his pocket, he glanced at the caller ID. The name read Persis.Seeing her name, Tedmond immediately answered the call. Persis had planned to attend afternoon classes, and she had gone earlier because her extra class started before the general one.“Hello…” Her voice came through the speak
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Not knowing what to say to them anymore, Tedmond decided not to bother trying to convince them. Ottis had dragged them into this mess when he could’ve simply handed over the money.Tedmond tucked his phone back into his pocket, calm as ever. “If you’re so confident, then come at me. Don’t hesitate now.” His gaze swept across them, daring. “And when you’re writhing on the floor, try not to beg too much. It’s pathetic.”That was the last straw.“GET HIM!” Remi roared.The thugs charged at Tedmond like a pack of wild dogs—fists clenched, eyes blazing with rage.But just as they closed in—CRASH!The ceiling burst open, and masked men dropped down like shadows. The walls cracked open, revealing hidden panels from which more men in black silently stepped out. The front door slammed shut as two more guards entered, locking the exits. Even the corners of the floor opened up, and more men rose from hidden compartments.Everyone froze.Even Tedmond was stunned. He knew help would come—but he h