2024-09-10 08:23:41Before 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 money to buy those?’
Everyone else began to murmur, making sure that no empty seats were near them.
Tedmond paid no attention to the whispers and headed towards a group of four males sitting at a table. It was thirty minutes before 2 PM, and he still hadn’t formed his team.
When he reached the table, the four males, all dressed in nerdy outfits with large glasses, looked isolated from the others, like a bunch of nerds forced to do assignments for their classmates.
“Hello,” Tedmond said.
His voice drew their attention, and they looked up at him, their eyes widening in surprise.
“Oh, hello,” one of them replied, nervously fiddling with the bottle of water in his hands.
“Can I sit?” Tedmond asked.
“Sure!” they all chimed in unison, as if they’d been waiting for him to ask.
Tedmond knew all four of them from high school, though they hadn’t spoken much. Now, they were all freshmen at the same college. The four had been best friends since childhood and had never separated.
“Are you here to ask us to be your teammates for the basketball match?” Liam asked, the one who had first replied.
“If that’s the case,” Noah chimed in before Tedmond could respond, “then yes.”
“Definitely yes,” Oliver, the third one, added.
“Count me in,” James, the fourth one, said. “Do you know how long we’ve wanted you on our team?”
A smile crossed Tedmond’s face. He had approached them for that exact reason. These four were the best players on their high school basketball team. Even though it was a community school, they had won a few medals, though they weren’t very well-known.
They had seen Tedmond play basketball once and had asked him to join their team, but he had declined because he needed to work part-time to afford college.
“That’s exactly why I’m here,” Tedmond confirmed. “I’m surprised you agreed, considering I turned you down years ago.”
“That was nothing,” Liam said. “We’re more than happy to team up with you.”
“Thanks for reaching out,” Oliver added.
“We’re really glad,” Noah chimed in.
“We’ll be there by 2 PM,” James said. “We’ll make sure that rich kid eats his words. He called us losers, but he’ll regret it.”
Tedmond felt a bit out of place, considering he was now part of the “rich kids” group. “Thanks. I’ll see you on the court.” With that, he rose and left the cafeteria, leaving smiles on the faces of his new teammates.
“This is your chance to get the necklace,” Max told Lisa, frowning at the fact that there were still people willing to talk to Tedmond. “Make sure you get it from him.”
As Tedmond walked past, Lisa followed right after. Sensing that he was being followed, Tedmond changed course and headed toward the men’s restroom instead of his class as originally planned.
Seeing his direction, Lisa called out to him.
“Ted!” she yelled, running after him and blocking his path.
He glared down at her, raising an eyebrow, waiting for her to try and manipulate him like she had so many times before.
“Stop walking,” she said.
“What do you want, sister-in-law?” he asked, intentionally using the title to mock her.
Her eyes flickered with fake concern. “I was wondering where you slept last night,” she began. “I had no idea you’d been thrown out like that. If you need a place, you can stay at my old apartment. I’ll help you, out of the love we once shared. I know you still love me, so I’ll let you stay there until the rent I paid runs out.”
His glare intensified. “I don’t need your fake help.” He tried to walk past her, but she grabbed his arm.
“Stop being stubborn!” she shouted, her patience wearing thin. “You dared to accept Kyle’s challenge! Aren’t you terrified of being a slave for the rest of your life? I’m trying to help you, and you still won’t listen. This is why I left you.”
He pulled his arm free, fists clenching. Just yesterday, she’d said she left him because he was too poor, but now she was blaming his stubbornness.
“What I do with my life is none of your business!” he snapped. “Don’t ever talk to me again.”
Her teeth clenched. If it weren’t for the necklace, she wouldn’t have bothered clinging to him like this. But she hid her frustration. If she could get that necklace, she would be fully acknowledged by the Griffin family.
“If you don’t want the apartment, how about giving me something to remember you by?” she suggested. “Something I can wear all the time, like a necklace.”
She was trying to use his past feelings for her to get the necklace, but all he felt looking at her now was disgust. It made him wonder why he had ever liked her.
Just then, three males walked out of the restroom, and Tedmond smirked. “Why would a married woman want to remember her ex? Do you still want me as your boyfriend, even though you’re married to my brother?” he asked loudly, catching the attention of the other guys.
Lisa bit her lip. “Of course n...”
“Look behind you,” Tedmond said, cutting her off. “Don’t you dare speak to me again or call me ‘Ted.’ You’re not qualified to call me that. And tell Max that whatever he wants, he’ll never get.”
She glanced back, and the blood drained from her face when she saw the group of males. Tedmond took the opportunity to leave, while she scrambled to explain herself, trying to prevent any rumors from spreading.
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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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As soon as Tedmond finished counting, the others hadn't had time to react when the door of the restaurant swung open. A man in a tailored creamy suit hurried in, followed by three others, with sweat dripping down his forehead.Everyone’s gaze turned to the man who had just walked in, and the security guards froze in their tracks.“What is going on?” Max demanded, glaring at the manager. “Throw him out!”Blood drained from the manager’s face as he stared at the man. “He really came!” he yelled. “The owner of the restaurant is really here! How is that possible? I messed up!”Max and Maxine’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even when their father had tried to speak to the owner of the restaurant, he was told to book an appointment. Yet Tedmond had managed to call him with a single phone call.Lisa glanced at Tedmond and noticed the smile on his lips.“He really came?” murmurs began to spread.“The owner arrived in ten minutes, just like he said.”“Who the hell is that guy?”“How can he call t
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Lenny stood frozen on the sidewalk, his fists clenched at his sides as he watched the car drive off. The taillights glowed red in the distance, slowly fading into the night. His heart pounded in his chest, a mix of anger, humiliation, and disbelief washing over him.She didn’t remember him.Not only that—she had brushed him aside like he was nothing.Lenny ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling inside him. How could she forget? They had spent hours together as kids. He had always been there, always admired her. He thought she would at least hold some memory of him, even if it was faint.But the way she had looked at him—like he was just some random guy—made his stomach churn.And that driver.Lenny’s jaw tightened as he recalled the way Persis had clung to Tedmond, how she had locked hands with him so easily as if he meant something to her. He had assumed Tedmond was just a hired worker, someone beneath their world. But Persis had stood beside him, defended him, and left wi
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Back outside, Tedmond continued to ignore the brown-haired man. No matter how loud or insistent he was, Tedmond glanced at his wristwatch, checking the time.“Hey! Aren’t you listening to me?!” the man snarled. “Is that watch more important than what I’m saying?!”Tedmond raised his head and looked at him, nodding. “You were talking, but I wasn’t interested in hearing anything.”The man’s glare darkened, and his teeth clenched. “What could you possibly understand? You’re just an ordinary driver.”Just then, the sound of clicking heels drew their attention.Both men turned toward the source of the sound.Persis was stepping out of the building.The brown-haired man’s face lit up, and he rushed toward her. “You’re here!”However, she brushed right past him and stopped in front of Tedmond.Holding his hand, she peered up at him with a bright smile.The brown-haired man froze, his face turning pale. He was so stunned that he couldn’t move for a few seconds. When he did, his expression wor
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As soon as the words left the man’s lips, Tedmond gave him a blank expression. He had never seen the man before and had no idea who he was.However, one question caught his attention. The man had just asked what he was doing in a house that was supposed to belong to someone else. Holding roses and mentioning Persis' name was enough for Tedmond to understand what the man wanted and what was going on.“Even if you’re a driver picking us up, why are you so damn dressed up like that?” the man demanded, pointing the bouquet of flowers at Tedmond. “Why are you overdressed? Are you trying to seduce your boss?”Hearing the man’s question, Tedmond arched a brow and glared at him. They didn’t know each other, yet the man had the audacity to make assumptions.“If you’re done delivering the flowers, you can leave,” Tedmond replied. “Or hand them over—I’ll give them to her when she gets here. It wouldn’t be right to keep you waiting when you have other jobs to do.”As soon as Tedmond spoke, the ma
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"The company isn’t going bankrupt!" he snapped."Alright," she said simply. "Make sure it doesn’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. And get your wounds treated—I don’t want a hospitalized husband."With that, she turned and walked out.Max watched her leave, his blood boiling.As soon as she was gone, he let out a furious grunt and grabbed the nearest object—a mirror. He raised it high and smashed it onto the ground. Shards of glass scattered everywhere as he glared at the broken pieces."Tedmond!" he snarled. "Not only did you cause trouble for me when you were in this house, but now you’re causing even more trouble from the outside!"Running a hand through his hair, he turned toward the door."If he’s Father’s backup son, then I’ll just have to get rid of him," he muttered. "I’ll prove to everyone that I’m better than that useless bastard."Then, another thought crossed his mind.Alicia.Since she wanted his love, he was going to give it to her.But on his terms.He had
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Rising from his bed with a groan, he walked to the door. Pulling it open, he stepped out, running a hand through his hair.“The kitchen,” he mumbled.Walking down the stairs, he entered the living room only to find two men sitting on the couch, their expressions sour.“Annoying,” he grumbled.His voice caught their attention, and they turned to look at him. The moment their gazes met his, one of them brightened immediately.“Oh, Duncan!” Lucas called out, beaming. “Did you finally get out of your room after all this time? I thought you planned to stay locked up for a while.”Duncan’s eyes fell on his second elder brother, Bryan, who wore a smug expression.“If Bryan told you that, he’s lying,” Duncan said flatly. “I came down to get some water and, at the same time, discuss what you two have decided to do with the evidence.”Hearing this, the smile faded from Lucas’s face, and he tilted his head. “I should’ve expected that to be the first thing you’d ask. Go get your water and come ba
