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
Getting out of the car, Tedmond frowned. Although he had told Thomas he was fine with his belongings, Thomas had intentionally tossed them into the trash for him to get new ones.“I’ll be waiting here for you,” the driver said. “Take as much time as you need.”Tedmond glanced back and nodded before walking into the store. He knew Thomas had sent him shopping to give him time to think and make up his mind.He understood he had to accept his inheritance. After all, he had promised the Griffin family he would make them pay, and the only way to do that was by accepting his fortune. Why would he refuse something like this after all he had been through?It wasn’t possible.Scanning the store, he looked for the men’s section. As his eyes roamed the place, they landed on a rabbit doll with emerald eyes and a gem dangling from it.‘Is that a diamond?’ he wondered.The emerald reminded him of Bianca’s eyes, and he thought she might like it. He decided to get it for her. Just as he was about to
Those words sent shockwaves through everyone who had heard them. They couldn’t believe it, but the person who was most in disbelief was the first saleswoman. She snatched the phone from her colleague and dialed the number.“Are you sure it was $500,000 received?” she yelled, her voice sharp with frustration.Her tone was so rude that the person on the other end snapped back. “Why are you asking me an obvious question?!” he demanded. “$500,000 has been received! Is there some hotshot there or something?”The saleswoman's words stuck in her throat as the confirmation hit her. The others who had belittled Tedmond earlier now remained silent, lips tightly sealed.“Did you do something?” the voice on the phone asked, but the saleswoman quickly hung up, lowering her head.She turned to Tedmond, bowing slightly. “I am extremely sorry for doubting you,” she stammered. “Can I get you a cup of tea as an apology while your things are packed?”Tedmond glared down at her in silence. As she raised
The next day, Tedmond got ready for school with a newfound confidence. For the first time, he felt a sense of self-assurance heading to university, knowing it was better than the oppressive environment of home.“When will you be back, brother?” Bianca asked, tugging at his trousers and clutching the rabbit doll he had bought for her.He glanced down at her. “I’ll be back before 7,” he replied, squatting to smooth her hair. “I can’t pick you up from kindergarten today.”She nodded slowly. “The nanny will pick me up,” she said.“Okay.”He stood up, grabbed his bag, and looked back at Thomas, who was watching him with concern. “Do you need a driver to take you?” Thomas asked. “You can choose any car from the garage if you’d like.”Tedmond considered it for a moment before shaking his head. “No need. I can get there on my own like I used to.”“By taking the bus?” Thomas asked, clearly worried.“Yes.”“No way!” Thomas exclaimed. “Not only did you take a taxi home yesterday, but now you’re
Before lunch, news of Tedmond accepting Kyle’s challenge had spread throughout the school. Everyone was talking about it, and it even reached the ears of his ex-girlfriend. She and his former siblings were eagerly anticipating the event.They were seated in the cafeteria since it was lunchtime but not yet 2 PM.“That bastard is going to show us how useless he is again,” Max sneered, gesturing with his hand and smirking. “He doesn’t even have great stamina, let alone the ability to win.”Maxine chuckled. “He’s always been stupid. I’ll make another video of his embarrassment for my vlog.”Lisa had the brightest smile on her face. “I’m so glad I chose you, Max,” she purred. “He was such a pain in the ass.”Just then, Tedmond walked past them, catching the attention of many, including Lisa. The moment she saw him, a disgusted look appeared on her face.‘Why is he so neatly dressed?’ she thought, scanning him from head to toe and noticing his new clothes and shoes. ‘Where did he get the mo