“What are you talking about?”“Are you seriously leaving?”“If you leave, what are we going to do?”“How can you leave this team and join the Bubbles?” a red-haired guy exclaimed. “Our team is well-known, and they’re barely holding on. If it wasn’t for the game with us, they wouldn’t have been noticed.”Kyle stared at the red-haired guy. “Being famous doesn’t guarantee skill. If our team was that good, why did they win?”The red-haired guy flinched and thought for a moment. “I think you have a point.”The coach was still stunned. “Tell me you’re joking.”“I’m not,” Kyle replied. “I’ve already made up my mind.”“Are you crazy?!” A loud, deafening voice rang out, and they all turned to see who it was. Oliver’s glare had intensified. “You’re the star of your team, and now you want to leave! What will happen to them if you go?”“There are plenty of substitutes,” Kyle said. “They don’t need me that much since they are great themselves.”Looking at Kyle, what Oliver saw was the spitting ima
Thomas watched as Tedmond read through the files. Soon, he carried Bianca out of the room since she had fallen asleep.An hour passed after Bianca left, and Tedmond finished reading the company reports. Many people were available to review and act on them, as he hadn’t been active for a long time.However, since his grandfather and mostly the housekeeper handled them, he wanted to familiarize himself with the company’s affairs.There were still more companies to check, meaning even more reports to read. He was grateful to Lora for summarizing everything for him after reading, which made it much easier.Remembering what had happened at school, Tedmond glanced toward Thomas.“Could you help me get a basketball coach?” he asked. “My team and I need one.”Thomas nodded. “I have someone in mind, young master. He will be at the court tomorrow, and I will arrange a place for you to stay,” he said, raising his brows. “However, are you interested in sports?”Tedmond furrowed his brows, thinkin
Maxine shook her head. “That won’t happen—as long as we stop him,” she said. “We just have to find his baby mama and check if she’s the one helping him. Then, we find a way to stop her.”A sneer crept onto Max’s lips. “Alright. I think it’s time to find the identity of the child. We need her name or a picture to use for the investigation.”Maxine nodded in agreement. “I can get a picture of her. I think I’ve figured out the restaurant they usually go to for lunch.”“Alright,” Max replied, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. He could already picture what he was going to do once he found Bianca’s mother.Back in the college hall, Kyle glanced at Tedmond as they walked down the hallway with Kanis.“How were you able to hire Kanis?” Kyle whispered to Tedmond. “I heard he had retired at such a young age and only plays games occasionally.”Tedmond’s eyes darted to Kanis, who was talking with Liam and Noah while the others walked behind them.“He quit because he had some bad busine
A few minutes ago, all the members of the Griffin family were seated at the dining table for dinner—except for Harold. Max had a frown on his face as he spoke, and Lisa looked equally uncomfortable, barely surviving the discussion.“Then he got Kanis as a coach,” Max was saying. “His baby mama must be from an old-money generational family.”He had just told them everything that had transpired between him and Tedmond, including the rumors spreading about Tedmond at school.“I hate that brat!” Evelyn snapped, her fork digging into the table. Having listened to Max’s account, she felt the need to vent her hatred for Tedmond. “Why did he have to use his baby mama when he left the family?”Her gaze shifted to Lisa, a scowl crossing her face. If only Tedmond had brought the baby mama into the family instead of Lisa, she would have gladly traded Lisa for her own son, and that connection would have remained intact.Although she couldn’t say it aloud, her piercing stare sent chills down Lisa’s
Vivian’s voice boomed once again. “Tell me where Tedmond is! If anything happens to my grandson, you will regret it! Harold!” she shouted. “Come here now!”In less than a minute, Harold hurried down the stairs to face his mother. “What’s going on, Mother?”“Where is Tedmond?” Vivian asked.Running his hand through his hair, Harold sighed. “Mom…”“Where is he?”Harold glanced at Evelyn, and from the look on her face, he could tell what had happened. He turned his gaze back to his mother. “He left home.”Vivian frowned. “Tedmond would never do that. Max said he was kicked out of the house. I’m sure that’s what happened.”Harold scowled at Max. “Was he rude, Mother?”“Yes, son! He said a lot of terrible things about Tedmond!” Vivian replied.Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, Harold sighed. “I’ll punish him later, alright, Mother? You should go upstairs and rest. I’ll help you find Tedmond.”Hearing that, Vivian was finally relieved. “Since Tedmond will be coming home soon, I can
Everyone turned to Finn, and so did Tedmond, who had no idea why he was being challenged. Challenging Tedmond to a duel meant that everyone in the class had to stop what they were doing to clear the area and even invite students from other courses.The classmates glared at Finn, disdain written all over their faces.“Get out!” One of the guys, holding out a shirt for Tedmond to sign, snapped. “Why would you say that at the wrong time?”“There’s no way we’re missing a chance to get Kanis's autograph for some stupid duel,” another added.“Give it up!” a girl said. “Don’t ruin my chances of having Kanis touch my headphones and handkerchief, leaving his scent on them.”The murmurs grew louder as the students voiced their complaints one after the other.“How dare you talk to me like that?!” Finn yelled. “I’m the backbone of this class! Without me, none of you would even be here!”Tedmond’s brows furrowed.“This isn’t high school anymore, Finn. Grow up.”“We all know Tedmond got a perfect s
The frowns on Tedmond and Kyle’s faces deepened as they watched Max.“What are you doing here?” Kyle asked, his tone dripping with irritation. “You called me a lowlife and insulted my family! What the heck are you doing here if my family isn’t as rich as yours?”Max gritted his teeth. “What are you talking about? Aren’t we friends? Why can’t I be here when Tedmond is here? Aren’t you supposed to be friends with me instead of him?!”Kyle looked away. “Our friendship ended when you called me a lowlife and insulted my family.”Max’s face twisted in confusion. “You’re joking, right?”“What makes you think I’m joking?” Kyle asked. “You insulted me and my family just because I told the truth—that you were lying.”Tedmond sighed and stepped away, leaving them to talk. He knew Kyle and Max argued and fought a lot, but they usually made up within a week. It hadn’t even been that long since their last quarrel.It wouldn’t surprise him if they patched things up, and Kyle ended up tossing him and
Anticipation hung in the air as Mrs. Karishin walked towards the front door. It opened, revealing her elegant figure. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the balloons, a cake, loads of decorations, and her portrait displayed in the center.Though surprised to see a party, she had no clue what was happening.“What the heck is this?” she asked, attempting politeness, but her tone came out demanding.Oliver, Liam, Noah, and James flinched, regretting their decision to enter the mansion. However, Kyle and Tedmond weren’t as shaken. Kyle was beaming, while Tedmond remained expressionless.“Mom!” Kyle squealed like a little kid. “You’re here!”Mrs. Karishin’s gaze shifted to Tedmond, who held a bow and arrow.“Hello, Mrs. Karishin,” Tedmond muttered. Kyle had hastily handed him the bow and arrow when they saw her arriving on camera."Shoot the balloon at the top," he’d instructed.Mrs. Karishin glanced around at the decorations, her brow furrowing as she tried to make sense of it all.“Is
Three hundred million? Joe wasn’t even surprised. He just recalled the words Tedmond had told him earlier.“They might ask for a billion or five hundred million or three hundred million dollars,” Tedmond had said. “Whatever it is, make sure to give it to them and get them to sign the documents.”‘Here I thought he might be exaggerating; he was right,’ Joe thought, his gaze focused on Evelyn. ‘She just mentioned one of the prices Tedmond warned about, but it seems her family doesn’t approve of this.’Harold and Maxine glanced at Evelyn, their shocked expressions quickly turning into anger.Joe grinned from ear to ear. ‘Boss was wrong, though. He said they would only aim for large amounts and support the person asking for it. But here they are, mad at her for mentioning such a sum.’“What are you doing?!” Harold demanded, confused and pissed. “Didn’t we agree that we were going to take a loan of a billion?!”Joe froze, his body stiffening. He had to blink several times to come back to h
At the mention of Tedmond, Evelyn and Harold glanced at the spot she was pointing to, but they couldn’t see anyone in sight.“No one is there,” Evelyn replied, returning to Maxine. “You must have seen someone else. Tedmond isn’t the kind of person who would be here.”Harold nodded in agreement. “There’s no way they’d let him in anyway,” he said, rolling his eyes. “That useless son of mine isn’t great anytime soon.”Ki overheard their conversation and realized they knew the new boss. He also heard Harold call Tedmond a useless son.Someone doesn’t know their son’s real behavior, Ki thought. How is someone who bought a company like this regarded as useless?Instead of commenting, Ki repeated his usual greetings. “Hello and welcome to Loanbull. How can I help you today?” he asked, a fake professional smile appearing on his face.Their gazes returned to him. Smiling back politely, they nodded before Harold spoke.“We’d like to meet the person in charge,” Harold said. “What we came for is
“What do you mean?!” Max yelled, pulling himself away from his father, but it didn’t work. His arm didn’t seem to hurt as his father gripped it. His mind was still stuck on the words Tedmond had said.‘This can’t be happening!’ Max thought, trying to convince himself. ‘They can’t possibly pick money over me.’However, when he glanced at his parents, they glared at him, expecting him to apologize to Tedmond.“You shouldn’t force him to apologize,” Tedmond told them, making their eyes light up momentarily. But his next words caught them off guard. “I should leave since he doesn’t want me here.”At that, Harold and Evelyn grew paranoid. They couldn’t let him leave without first calling his baby mama and asking her to invest in the company.“Don’t leave yet! We’ll make him apologize!” Evelyn yelled.In a matter of seconds, Max was shoved to his knees before he could react. His eyes widened in shock, and he couldn’t speak, even though he tried.“Apologize to him!” Evelyn yelled the pity sh
Tedmond made his way downstairs, heading to the one place he knew Max would be. He could tell that if Max met the others there, they would side with him since Tedmond wasn’t in sight.As he approached the kitchen, he heard voices. It was his stepmother and ex-father, speaking so quietly that he couldn’t make out their words.“I can’t believe I have to cook for that brat!” Evelyn cursed loudly, making the maid at the end of the kitchen flinch and frown as she hurriedly cut the fish. “He’s the son of you and that useless maid, and now I have to be a maid to him!”Harold glanced at her, concern etched on his face. “You should be more worried about that,” he said, taking the knife from her and helping cut the fish. “It’s good his mother isn’t around. It’ll be easier to control him once we get custody of his daughter.”Evelyn frowned at his words. “How are we supposed to get custody? Tedmond’s never brought her home before. That means he doesn’t have custody either—it must be with his baby
When Max got upstairs, Tedmond was nowhere to be seen. He searched the guest room, but Tedmond wasn’t there. He decided to check all the other rooms, yet Tedmond was still missing.The last place he hadn’t checked was his own room—and Lisa’s. Turning around, he headed toward the room, his heart pounding against his chest. As he approached the door, he paused. The room was silent, which made him hesitate.‘If Tedmond isn’t in the other rooms, could he be with Lisa?’ he wondered, before reaching for the door. He must not be over her yet.Oddly, the thought of Tedmond being with Lisa made him smile. If that were the case, it would make getting the necklace from him much easier.Opening the door softly, Max peeked inside, only to see Lisa standing there, staring directly at him.“What are you doing?” she asked, her brows arching in confusion.Max straightened up and pushed the door open fully. Without a word, he brushed past her and began searching the room. He checked everywhere—even the
Hearing his father’s words, Tedmond's smile dissipated, but then the grin returned to his face. “What did you say?”Guessing their father’s intentions, the others joined in. Harold had just gotten an idea: if he could convince Tedmond to make his baby mama invest in their struggling company for a fake project, they could get the hundred million back.“There’s a project going on, and we need investors to fund it,” Max added, his face serious. “It’s a big project, and the investment required will be substantial.”“That’s right. Your baby mama will be part of the family too. It would be great for her to help us,” Maxine continued.Evelyn even went as far as holding Tedmond’s hand—something she had only done when she was about to hit him as a child.“You’ll have the right to return to the family as long as you agree to help us with the investment,” Evelyn muttered. “You’re my son, after all, and it makes me sad that you were kicked out.”Tedmond was taken aback. He had guessed they might
The question was one that Duncan had been waiting for. He had thought about what to do and had come across an idea that might help him. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but he knew he had to try.“I would like you to give us the background research documents you have about us,” Duncan said.Silence ensued between them. Tedmond’s gaze fixed on Duncan, who met his eyes without blinking. They stared at each other for a long time. Tedmond hadn’t expected Duncan to ask for background research about his own company.“Why would you need that?” Tedmond questioned. “Do you think it will help clear your name?”Duncan didn’t elaborate. “I’m not going to mention your name or the name of the company when I release the file. I just want to release the details of my company so people can see and judge for themselves.”“Who would release it?” Tedmond pressed, his curiosity rising. “If you release it yourself, it will look fake, like you did it intentionally to clear your name.”“I would have one of t
“Can I get her name?” Harold questioned. “She is the same age as my granddaughter; they could be friends.”Hearing that, Tedmond frowned. The two girls were the same person, and he was trying to get them to be friends with each other. That was the worst thing he had heard all day.“Don’t cross the boundaries, Mr. Griffin,” Tedmond replied, peering at Harold. “Why are you here?”Harold wasn’t shocked by Tedmond’s words—he had been expecting it. After all, he hadn’t paid the compensation or regained trust between them, but that didn’t bother him much. GNN was in crisis, and Griffin’s Cooperation would be the one to be picked no matter what.“I’m here to pay the compensation fee and apologize again for my family’s behavior,” Harold answered.“I thought I told Ms. Fincall to give you the account number to which the money should be transferred. Did you lose it?”Harold flinched. Was it that obvious he had thrown the account number away to have an excuse to meet the president in person?“I
Thomas nodded. “Right!”Seeing that they would be busy, Bianca sighed. “Could you send me to Persis’ place?” she asked.“Okay,” Tedmond agreed.*****“Have you found a lead yet?” Duncan asked his secretary.The secretary shook his head. “Not yet. Were you able to contact Xinca too?”Duncan shook his head. “I sent a staff member to meet with them, but he hasn’t arrived yet. If he had met with them, he would have contacted me.”The secretary sighed. “What are we going to do now that the source of the rumor hasn’t been found?”“We’ll just have to make sure to convince Xinca that it was all a rumor, and at the same time, find the source. All that matters first is Xinca, and then we’ll have to settle the rumors.”“Do you think it was made up by someone? We didn’t offend anyone, did we?”Duncan shook his head, placing his hand on the table. “We didn’t. GNN never offends anyone.”“Then who would spread such nasty rumors about us?”Duncan thought about it, and then it hit him. His eyes widene