Everyone turned to Tedmond at the same time, eyes wide in shock. The guards looked as if they had just been dunked into a bucket of ice, standing frozen in place.Kanis's lips curled into a grin. He had been wondering why Tedmond tolerated all those insults without a word, but now he couldn’t wait to see Tedmond talk back.The saleswoman stood there, stunned. “Did you just speak to me?”Tedmond replied, “I can see this is hard for you to process, but I’m here to buy a car, not to film some prank video.”Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. “Dressed like that? How dare you!” she spat. “You’re just a broke nobody trying to act cool, pretending you can afford an expensive car!”“That’s right! How dare you talk to her like that?”"Have you no shame? You should have the money before coming here!""Did you think we'd believe your lies? You son of a bitch."“Even if you worked your whole life, you wouldn’t be able to buy a car here,” she added, sneering. “Try a secondhand dealer or a repa
Looking around, Kanis reached for his face mask but paused halfway. Kiera was still in front of them, leading them to where they would find the car.A few staff members walked past, flashing Tedmond and Kanis a smile.“Hello.”“Welcome to Lilies Automobile.”“We are glad to have you here.”One even went as far as to ask, “Would you like a cup of tea?”Tedmond and Kanis did their best to respond to everyone’s greeting but shook their heads in polite refusal to the woman who had offered them tea. She nodded and left.“It’s her job to serve tea to our customers,” Kiera informed them. “I hope you’re comfortable.”“We are,” Tedmond replied.The Jadii staff were not as friendly as those he met at Lilies. Although he hadn’t met all the staff at Jadii, the hostile treatment from one employee and the guards gave him an impression of the company culture.Kanis reached for his hoodie, pulled it off, then removed his face mask, shaking his head to set his hair without touching it. He threw the ho
Looking around, Kanis reached for his face mask but paused halfway. Kiera was still in front of them, leading them to where they would find the car.A few staff members walked past, flashing Tedmond and Kanis a smile.“Hello.”“Welcome to Lilies Automobile.”“We are glad to have you here.”One even went as far as to ask, “Would you like a cup of tea?”Tedmond and Kanis did their best to respond to everyone’s greeting but shook their heads in polite refusal to the woman who had offered them tea. She nodded and left.“It’s her job to serve tea to our customers,” Kiera informed them. “I hope you’re comfortable.”“We are,” Tedmond replied.The Jadii staff were not as friendly as those he met at Lilies. Although he hadn’t met all the staff at Jadii, the hostile treatment from one employee and the guards gave him an impression of the company culture.Kanis reached for his hoodie, pulled it off, then removed his face mask, shaking his head to set his hair without touching it. He threw the ho
Daniella flinched and slowly backed away from Kanis. She had no idea why he was acting that way toward her. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but no words came out.“There’s no use in trying to explain yourself,” Kanis added. “We already told you we aren’t interested in what you’re selling. As Kiera said, you’re trying to scam us with your tricks.”Tedmond stepped closer. “It would be better if you leave. Trust me, you don’t want to be here when I get mad.”She flinched further but refused to give up. “Just come back with me, and we’ll talk about this later. Jadii will serve you better than the others.”That was it. Kiera couldn’t let Daniella keep bothering their clients. “Security! Security!” she yelled.Daniella turned her head, not expecting Kiera to summon security so quickly. She still needed to convince Tedmond and Kanis.“Stop calling them!” Daniella yelled. “I still have to talk to the clients! They’re mine! I have to take them back!”Tedmond and Kanis turned their backs
Whoosh!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 hi
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 stre
Shock 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 c
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