2024-09-10 08:20:13Shock 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 cut him off, disgusted by how quickly Gregory had changed his attitude once he realized Tedmond was a guest. “I can find it myself, just like I intended to do before.”
The phone call had confirmed that everything was real, but Tedmond still needed an explanation for all this.
“Sir!” Gregory called out, but Tedmond ignored him and walked off to find the ward.
The women were equally stunned, unable to speak. They just watched Tedmond leave, clinging to the thin hope that they wouldn’t get fired.
Minutes later, Tedmond’s eyes lingered on the sign above the ward that read Room 509. The door was slightly open, and he could see the window but not the hospital bed. He hesitated, wondering if it was right to enter without knocking.
“You’re here,” a familiar voice said.
Tedmond’s head snapped down to see the little girl he had saved earlier peering up at him. She had changed into different clothes and was holding a teddy bear in her hand.
“My grandpa wants to see you before he…” she trailed off softly. “You have to come in quickly.”
Tedmond nodded and followed her into the ward. The first thing that greeted him was the stare of a middle-aged man in glasses and a frail old man lying on the hospital bed.
“Hello,” Tedmond said, swallowing hard. He had no idea what else to say. “I got a call from you and noticed my account had been credited, and you mentioned I’m the heir of the Washington family. What’s going on?”
The man in glasses bowed slightly. “I’m Thomas, the Washington family’s butler. You’ll get your answers soon.” Gesturing to the old man on the bed, he sighed. “This is Mr. Jeffrey Washington, the head of the family.”
Tedmond stepped closer until he could see the old man clearly, the little girl clutching her grandfather’s hand.
“Hello, Mr. Washington,” Tedmond said politely, controlling his curiosity.
Jeffrey didn’t look well, as if he was about to take his final breath, just as his granddaughter had hinted earlier. Tedmond realized the girl was indeed the Washington family’s granddaughter.
Jeffrey managed a smile. “Ted…” he called weakly. “I’ve finally found my heir. Welcome back, grandson.”
“What’s going on?” Tedmond asked, shooting Thomas a questioning look. “Why is he calling me his grandson?”
His question went unanswered as the life support machine began beeping, and the room filled with tension. The beeping quickened, and Tedmond froze. Thomas immediately sprang into action, pressing a button by the bedside.
“We need a doctor! Now!” Thomas shouted, his voice steady but urgent.
A nurse rushed in moments later, her expression shifting to concern as she assessed the situation. “His condition’s worsening,” she muttered, checking the machines. “We need to stabilize him.”
“Where’s the doctor?” Tedmond asked, glancing between Thomas and the nurse. He felt the weight of the situation crashing down on him—he had no idea what was happening, but it seemed he was now part of something much larger than he had ever expected.
“Dr. Howard is on his way,” the nurse replied quickly, turning back to the patient and adjusting the machines.
Jeffrey’s breathing grew more labored, and the little girl clutched her teddy bear tighter, standing silently by her grandfather's side, her eyes filled with worry.
Moments later, a tall man in a white coat stormed into the room. “Step aside!” he ordered, moving swiftly to the bedside. His hands flew over the equipment, exchanging rapid words with the nurse.
Tedmond stood helpless, watching as the doctor and nurse worked to stabilize Jeffrey. Every second felt like an eternity, and the feeling building in his chest intensified.
Jeffrey’s breathing became increasingly shallow, and the beeping from the machine slowed. Dr. Howard glanced at the nurse, and they exchanged a look that told Tedmond all he needed to know.
Despite their best efforts, it was too late.
The doctor shook his head, his face grim as he checked the old man’s pulse one last time. The room fell silent, except for the soft whimpering of the little girl clutching her grandfather’s hand.
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Howard finally said, his voice low. “He’s gone.”
Tedmond stood there, disbelief washing over him. The man who had just called him his grandson—who had somehow linked him to this mysterious fortune—was now dead.
The little girl let out a soft sob, and Thomas closed his eyes, his expression unreadable as he whispered, “Rest in peace, Mr. Washington.”
Tedmond, unsure of what to feel, watched as the nurse gently covered the old man’s body with a sheet. It was surreal—a few minutes ago, Jeffrey Washington had been calling him “grandson,” and now he was gone. The answers Tedmond had hoped for had died with him.
“What now?” Tedmond whispered, his voice barely audible.
Thomas, though visibly shaken, straightened and turned toward Tedmond. “Mr. Washington made his decision before he passed. You are now the heir to the Washington family’s legacy, Tedmond. It’s up to you to carry it forward.”
Tedmond stared at him in shock, the weight of those words crashing down on him. How could this be happening? Just hours ago, he had nothing—and now he was the heir to a family he didn’t even know.
“What… what does that even mean?” Tedmond stammered, the enormity of the situation closing in on him.
“It means,” Thomas replied solemnly, “that everything Mr. Washington owned now belongs to you. The fortune, the businesses, the responsibilities—it’s all yours.”
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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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From Illegitimate To A Zillionaire Heir CHAPTER 8
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Kyle stood grinning on the court, his teammates gathered behind him. A crowd had gathered to watch the game, eager to see how it would play out. Kyle could hardly wait for the moment he would crush Tedmond.“Isn’t he coming?” Kyle asked impatiently. Tedmond was two minutes late. “Don’t tell me he backed out at the last minute. Maybe he couldn’t find a team.”His teammates snickered.“He must’ve run home,” one of them said, shaking his head. “Oh wait, he doesn’t even have a home to run to.”The others burst out laughing.“He better not have backed out,” Kyle stated. “We should find him.”Just as one of Kyle’s teammates offered to search for Tedmond, he appeared with his four friends. They were dressed in matching uniforms, their hair slicked back, looking like college heartbreakers. Tedmond wore an expressionless look as he stood a few feet away from Kyle.“Here I am,” Tedmond said. “What made you think I fled?”Kyle’s lips curled. “Eager to be a slave, aren’t you?”“Not really. I coul
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The crowd went silent when they heard Tedmond’s words. Who would have thought the arrogant Kyle would lose to the so-called loser of college and have to become his slave?“We made a deal,” Tedmond muttered. “You can’t go back on it. From now on, you’ll listen to me and do whatever I want.”Kyle’s teeth gritted. He had never been this humiliated in his entire life.“Do it!” the crowd yelled."A deal’s a deal—it must be upheld!""Don’t back out now!"Kyle’s eyes darted to Max, who shook his head, before turning back to Tedmond.“Master,” Kyle said, forcing the words out in a barely audible whisper.“I can’t hear you,” Tedmond taunted.“Master!” Kyle yelled, his body trembling slightly as embarrassment overwhelmed him.Tedmond’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. “Now that you’ve called me master and have become my slave, go get me a milkshake,” he ordered.Kyle’s teammates looked on in surprise, but Kyle turned to one of them.“Go get the milkshake like he asked,” he ordered.The teamm
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“How dare you talk about my mother like that?” Tedmond demanded, pinning Max against the table.No matter how much they had talked about him, he hadn’t retaliated, but today they had gone too far. No one could talk about his mother now. That might have been possible in the past, but not anymore.“What are you doing?” Maxine questioned. “How dare you hit your elder brother?”Glaring back at her, Tedmond snarled, “You think of him as my elder brother now, don’t you? Why didn’t you say something when I was being insulted?” He released Max and stepped closer to Maxine.Maxine trembled but stood her ground. ‘How can that bastard get so strong in just a day?’ she wondered. However, she quickly regained her composure.“Why are you doing this to him when he just asked if you could afford to eat at the restaurant?!” Maxine yelled, switching the topic as fast as she could to make herself look less bad. “We all know you’ve been kicked out of the family without a penny! How can you afford to eat
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“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?”
CHAPTER 207
Duncan’s gaze shifted to Tedmond, a silent question in his eyes. Was he going to back down, or was he finally going to stand his ground? He had no idea why Mr. Washington had asked him to hand the shares to the members of the Griffin family.To Duncan, the first time he had heard about Tedmond was when Mr. Washington mentioned him. When he went to meet the Tedmond in question, he was surprised to find how similar they looked. The first thing he noticed was the familiar blue eyes and height.For a moment, he wondered if Mr. Washington was affiliated with the Griffin family. But on second thought, he dismissed the idea—he didn’t want to doubt Mr. Washington. If Mr. Washington had wanted his help, he would have told him.Tedmond met Tina’s gaze, then slowly stood up. “You’re right. I don’t have a place in this family,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “But I do have these shares now. And whether you like it or not, that makes me a part of this company.”A tense silence filled the room.
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As soon as Duncan stepped into the conference room, every head turned to look at him. Seeing Duncan there, Frank’s brows furrowed. This was the same man who had tried to rat them out just a day ago.Now he was in the same meeting as them, while Tedmond claimed shares. If they showed any terrible behavior, Duncan might record it and add it to his growing evidence collection.“You should leave, Tedmond,” Frank said, peering at him with a serious expression. “I have no idea why you’re lying about the shares, but we’ll talk about it tomorrow. Right now, we need to take care of our new shareholder, and you’re sitting in the seat meant for him. It would be better if you left.”At that moment, Duncan didn’t wait for anyone to speak before he made his announcement. “I gave the shares to him as a gift,” he revealed.The entire room fell into stunned silence.Every member of the Griffin family stared at Duncan, their eyes wide with disbelief. Adeline’s face turned so pale she looked like she mi
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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
CHAPTER 204
"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
CHAPTER 202
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
