CHAPTER 2

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 street staring at him, he quickly composed himself. “Oh, ten billion dollars... in the game. Such a fun game,” he added hastily.

The people who had turned to him quickly looked away, unimpressed.

Tedmond checked his account balance again, and indeed, the numbers stared back at him: $10,000,000,001.

As he was trying to wrap his head around it, his phone rang, startling him. Seeing an unknown number, he answered it in a hurry.

“Hello,” Tedmond said.

“Hello, Mr. Tedmond Griffin. It’s a pleasure to speak with you. You’ve been selected as the heir to the fortune of the Washington family.”

Tedmond’s jaw nearly hit the ground.

“Since you’ve passed the test, you can come over now. Meet us at Finsall’s Hospital. You don’t have much time.”

“Wait!” Tedmond half-yelled. “What are you talking about? How am I the heir to the Washington family fortune? Who are they?”

“You’ll find out soon enough, young master,” the man on the phone replied. “Finsall’s Hospital, room 509. You have twenty minutes. We’ll be waiting.”

“I don’t—” Beep! Beep!

The call ended before Tedmond could say anything more. Confused and curious, he bolted toward the street, hailed a taxi, and got in as quickly as he could.

“Finsall’s Hospital!”

Soon after, he was dashing out of the taxi, glancing at his account balance, now reduced to $9,999,999,981 after paying the fare. They wouldn’t mind, right?

Entering the hospital, he rushed past the front desk, already knowing the room number. Several women nearby turned to look at him immediately.

“Hey!” one of the women called, eyeing his appearance. “Why are you here?” she asked. “This hospital doesn’t treat people like you. Only the wealthy can afford it.”

Tedmond paused and glanced back at her. The women scowled, making him glance at his worn-out shoes.

“I’m here to see someone,” he replied. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t be.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you know you have to check in before going upstairs?”

“Why? I already know the room number. Why bother with trivial formalities?”

“How dare you!” she yelled, her brows twitching in anger. “With your appearance, there’s no way anyone from your family is here! You’re lying! If you're telling the truth, what’s the room number?”

The other women nodded in agreement.

“That’s right,” one of them said. “You must be here to steal from the sick.”

“Room 509,” Tedmond replied without hesitation.

“Hah!” the first woman sneered, a smirk playing on her lips. “The hospital rooms stop at 508! I knew you were lying! You son of a bitch!”

Before Tedmond could respond, the second woman shouted, “Security! Security!”

Tedmond blinked in confusion. Had he heard the room number wrong? He was sure the man on the phone had said room 509.

Security guards arrived, and the first woman pointed at Tedmond.

“Get him out of here! He’s here to cause trouble. A poor brat like him thinks he can sneak in and steal from the patients. Throw him out!”

The guards grabbed Tedmond, ready to drag him away.

“I’m not a thief!” Tedmond protested. “I’m here to meet someone in ward 509.”

“What’s going on here?” a loud voice demanded, stopping everyone in their tracks.

The guards froze and turned around. Tedmond saw a thin man with a long nose and blond hair that looked like a wig approaching. The women’s faces lit up.

“Oh, Mr. Gregory!” one of the women said, fluttering her eyelashes. “This boy is trying to sneak into the hospital under false pretenses! He claims he’s visiting someone in a non-existent room!”

Mr. Gregory was the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer, in charge of overseeing operations and managing departments.

“A non-existent room?” Mr. Gregory repeated. “What room?”

Tedmond freed himself from the guards' grip. “Room 509,” he said, glancing at the clock and seeing he only had five minutes left.

At the mention of room 509, Mr. Gregory’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Room 509?” Gregory asked. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that Mr. Washington’s room?” Gregory muttered, then glared at Tedmond. “How dare someone like you claim to be connected to the Washington family?!”

Everyone chuckled upon hearing "Washington."

Realizing he was running out of time, Tedmond quickly dialed the number that had called him earlier. The person picked up immediately.

“Yes, young master. Are you here?”

“I’m at the front desk, but a man named Gregory won’t let me in,” Tedmond said, staring directly at Gregory.

“How dare he?!” the man on the phone growled. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.”

The call ended, and the people around Tedmond looked at him with disdain.

“Do you think your fake call will scare me?” Gregory sneered. “What makes you think you could get in here?”

Just then, Gregory’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, hesitating. It was his boss.

‘Why is the boss calling me?’ Gregory wondered, eyeing Tedmond warily. ‘Could he really be involved?’

Gregory answered in his most polite tone. “Hello...”

“How dare you?!” a harsh voice bellowed, loud enough for everyone to hear. “How dare you deny entrance to the guest of the Washington family?! Are you tired of living?!”