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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CHAPTER 208
“Did you just mention my mother?” Tedmond demanded, glaring at them with sharp intensity.He had considered ignoring them and walking away, but he hadn’t expected them to bring his mother into the conversation. It wasn’t the first time, yet it never failed to make his blood boil. How dare they bring her up after everything they had done to her?And why was it that he and his mother were the ones blamed for his existence, while Harold got to walk around free, untouched by their judgment?The look on Tedmond’s face made Frank and the others flinch. It was the first time they had seen him like this. In the past, he would have been the one looking terrified, avoiding their gaze.Feeling annoyed that she had flinched at Tedmond’s glare, Adeline opened her mouth to speak, but he didn’t give her the chance.“Did you just bring my mother into this discussion?” Tedmond repeated, stepping forward, his glare unwavering. “Didn’t Max tell you what happened the last time he mentioned my mother?”
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The place went silent at the sound of Adeline’s voice as if a golden goose had flown by. Adeline crooked her head, trying to look at Tedmond’s face perfectly.She expected him to be squirming, trying to plead with her to let him off as long as he left. But instead, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the look on his face.Tedmond’s grin widened. “Childish games? Aunt Adeline, if anyone is playing games here, it’s you all.”Silence fell over the room. A few shareholders exchanged glances, while Gerald’s jaw tightened.Frank narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”“I am the one you all have been waiting for,” Tedmond replied, his tone serious. “Shouldn’t you be glad that I am here?”Frank and Adeline frowned even harder.“Stop beating around the bush and get out!” Tina snarled, having had enough. “You aren’t part of the Griffin family anymore since you left. We have nothing to do with you.”“That’s right. Stop barging into the meeting room and acting like you are importan
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"That's right. You should hand over the evidence," Adeline added.She was more worried about getting the evidence than crying over the shares that were no longer theirs.Duncan said nothing, nor did he show any expression. He already knew they would ask for the evidence, so he pulled out one of the drives containing it."Here it is," he said, holding the drive out for them to take.Adeline wasted no time snatching the drive from him and putting it into her purse. She needed to check its contents first.Duncan, on the other hand, wasn’t bothered—he had plenty of copies at his disposal."Thanks for choosing to take the shares and not expose us," Frank said. "However, you’ll have to attend the meeting in two hours. We need to introduce you to the other shareholders."Since he wasn’t the one going, Duncan simply nodded. "Tell me the time of the meeting."As soon as he said that, a grin spread across Gerald’s face. Duncan was going to hate the reason for agreeing to the meeting.Two hours
CHAPTER 203
The bait had been set. All that was left was for them to take it.Tedmond pushed the door open and walked into the mansion. As usual, Thomas was standing right there, waiting for him.“Welcome back, young master,” Thomas greeted as soon as he saw Tedmond. “How did your day go?”Lips curling into a grin, Tedmond nodded. “Great. I watched an interesting show today.”He recalled the act Neil had put up in front of the Griffin family and how they had treated Lisa. Now that the marriage they thought was perfect was starting to fall apart, Tedmond wondered if they would be able to endure it.“Did something interesting happen?” Thomas asked.Shaking his head, Tedmond decided not to tell Thomas anything. The old man might end up worrying again.“Not really,” Tedmond replied. “Duncan planned to expose the Griffin family, but they gave him five percent of the main company’s shares.”Thomas's eyes widened in shock. “They did that? I was wondering why the live interview was suddenly cut off. Turn
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The sound echoed through the corridor, stunning everyone into silence.No one in the room could say a word. Lisa stood frozen, her cheek stinging from Evelyn’s slap. Neil watched the scene unfold, knowing exactly why Evelyn had reacted that way.The question Lisa had asked should have been voiced, but timing mattered—and she had chosen the worst possible moment.Raising his hand to touch the glass separating him from Tedmond, Neil wondered if his brother had seen what happened. If Tedmond had witnessed it, he would undoubtedly be pleased. After all, he had always wanted Lisa to be put in her place.On the other side, Tedmond couldn’t hide the grin stretching across his face. The speed at which his family turned against Lisa was faster than he had imagined. He had expected this to happen eventually, but not so soon.Persis, sitting beside him, noticed his expression and frowned. She pulled a chair closer and leaned in, watching the drama unfold.“What’s so amusing?” she asked, narrowi
CHAPTER 201
Evelyn and Maxine hurried into the hospital, brushing past the receptionist and heading toward the room number the woman on the phone had given them. Harold, who was behind them, had to stop and sign them in.Evelyn was the first to reach the spot where Neil was standing. The ward was just across from him, and he remained outside—not because the doctor had asked him to, but because he chose to wait for the family to arrive."This is the room, isn’t it?" Maxine asked, peering inside at Max.At that moment, Neil turned his head and saw Evelyn and Maxine rushing toward him. He wouldn't have recognized them if he hadn’t already seen their picture—one that Tedmond had shown him. Still, he decided to act as if he didn’t know who they were."Max should be inside," Evelyn replied after a brief pause.It was then that Neil finally spoke up. "Who are you?"Maxine and Evelyn turned their heads to look at him, their eyes scanning him from head to toe. Maxine’s face immediately brightened at the s
CHAPTER 200
“When did Duncan leave?” Persis asked as she walked into the living room, a tablet in hand. “Did you guys come to a conclusion?”Nodding, Tedmond turned to look at her. “Yes, we agreed to take the shares. The Griffin family will act without thinking again. They might even give Duncan more shares if he asks for them.”Persis furrowed her brows. “Without thinking it through?”“Yes. They must believe they’ll have a chance to deal with him or find a way to take back the shares.”Although Tedmond said that, he wasn’t entirely sure they had no plans. His aunt and extended family members were crueler than his father, and they might have had their schemes they hadn’t shared with the rest.At that moment, Tedmond’s phone chimed. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.Seeing the message, he couldn’t help but grin."You haven’t forgotten your elder cousin, have you? If you’re seeing this, we should probably meet."“Me, meet you?” Tedmond mumbled to himself. “In your dreams.”With that, he b
