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 could say the same for you,” Tedmond replied coolly.
“This isn’t the time for talk,” Liam interrupted. “Let’s get this over with.”
Kyle noticed Tedmond’s team wasn’t made up of players he recognized. This worried him; he wouldn’t be able to bribe them if he needed to cheat.
“Where’d you pick your team from?” Kyle sneered. “The trash can?”
Tedmond ignored him. “Let’s start the basketball match.”
“I see you’re eager to lose,” Kyle mocked. “Let’s go then.”
Kyle’s smirk deepened as he signaled his team to gather. The crowd around the court grew louder, their murmurs filled with anticipation. Most expected an easy victory for Kyle, confident that Tedmond had no chance.
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Kyle barked, stepping forward. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you—this’ll be over quick.”
Tedmond stood unfazed, his eyes fixed on Kyle. “We’ll see.”
The referee, a student chosen for the event, blew the whistle, signaling both teams to take their positions. Tedmond and Kyle faced off at the center for the tip-off. Kyle’s eyes gleamed with overconfidence, while Tedmond remained cold and composed.
The ball was tossed into the air. Kyle jumped with all his strength, but Tedmond, surprisingly agile, outmaneuvered him, tapping the ball toward Liam, who quickly passed it down the court to Noah.
The crowd gasped. They hadn’t expected Tedmond’s team to be so quick on their feet. Kyle’s grin faltered briefly before he recovered.
“Get on them!” Kyle barked at his teammates.
Noah dribbled skillfully, weaving past one of Kyle’s defenders, then passed to Oliver, who was positioned near the three-point line. Without hesitation, Oliver took the shot, and the ball swished cleanly through the hoop.
The crowd erupted in surprise. Tedmond’s team had scored first. No one had expected that.
Kyle’s face twisted in anger. “Lucky shot,” he muttered, grabbing the ball to begin his team’s counterattack. He passed to a teammate, and they rushed down the court. Tedmond’s team quickly fell into defensive positions, but Kyle, desperate to show his dominance, took a risky shot from the free-throw line.
The ball hit the rim and bounced off.
Tedmond caught the rebound and, in a swift, coordinated movement, passed to James, who sped down the court. Kyle’s team scrambled to catch up, but Tedmond’s group was fast—faster than anyone had anticipated.
James faked a pass to Liam, confusing one of Kyle’s defenders, then drove toward the basket. He leaped into the air and slammed the ball through the hoop with a resounding dunk.
The crowd roared, and Tedmond’s team exchanged high-fives. Their confidence was growing with every play. A faint smile crossed Tedmond’s face—he had trusted his team’s skill, and they were delivering.
Kyle, now visibly furious, called for a timeout. He stormed over to his team, glaring at them. “What the hell are you guys doing? We can’t let them get away with this!”
His teammates, panting and disoriented, nodded, but the fear in their eyes was clear. Kyle’s plan to crush Tedmond wasn’t going as smoothly as he had imagined.
“We have to win, even if we have to cheat,” Kyle whispered. “Break one of their legs if you can. Especially Tedmond’s.”
His team nodded in agreement.
On the other side of the court, Tedmond’s team huddled up.
“Keep the pressure on,” Tedmond said calmly. “We’re not just here to win—we’re here to make Kyle regret ever challenging us.”
Liam grinned. “Let’s keep embarrassing him.”
When the timeout ended, Kyle’s team returned to the court with renewed determination to cheat their way to victory. Kyle, desperate, threw himself into the game recklessly, trying to overpower Tedmond’s team with brute force.
But it wasn’t enough. Tedmond’s group played with perfect synergy. Their passes were quick and precise, their defense impenetrable, and every time Kyle tried to break through, he was met with resistance.
As the clock ticked down, the score gap widened, and it became clear to everyone that Kyle’s team was outmatched.
Despite their efforts to injure Tedmond’s team, they couldn’t even get close enough to make a difference.
With only a few minutes left in the game, Tedmond caught the ball once more, dribbled past Kyle with ease, and approached the basket. He jumped and dunked the ball with such force that it left no doubt who the victor was.
The final whistle blew. Tedmond’s team had won.
The crowd erupted into applause. Kyle stood frozen, disbelief and humiliation etched across his face.
Tedmond walked up to him, his expression as cold and emotionless as ever. “Looks like you’re the one who’s going to be a slave now. You have to fulfill your part of the deal.”
Kyle clenched his fists, his face red with anger, but there was nothing he could do. The deal was sealed, and everyone knew it.
“How dare you ask me to—” Kyle began, but Tedmond cut him off.
“Now,” Tedmond said, placing a hand on Kyle’s shoulder, “call me Master.”
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
“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
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
Dinner ended faster than they had anticipated. Tedmond walked down the street with his four friends; they hadn’t asked him anything after his last statement.They quickly switched the discussion and spoke about school instead, avoiding anything related to him. Tedmond glanced at his wristwatch; it was almost 10:30 p.m., and he wasn't home yet.He wasn’t one to go home early since he would usually take on more jobs at night. A smile crossed his face; he was glad he wouldn’t have to do that kind of work anymore and would finally be able to sleep properly.Picking up his necklace, he glanced at it. If only his mother were there to see him find her family, it would have made up for the terrible things the Griffins had done to her.A frown crossed his face; he wasn't going to let go of the Griffins for what they had done to both his mother and himself. He needed to work on his revenge plan.“Are you alright?” Noah’s voice brought him back to reality. “You were zoning out on us.”Tedmond gl
Arriving at the office, Tedmond placed Bianca on the couch next to him and handed her the tablet so she could use it while he worked.Sitting in the chair made specifically for him in his new office, he glanced at the piles of paper laid out before him. Lora stood in front of the desk, showing no sign of wanting to sit down."Have you reported everything that needs to be reported?" he asked.She nodded. "Yes."Tedmond glanced at the piles of documents again. "The company was functioning quite well with you all in charge. Just keep running it as you are now," he said. "I don’t think anything needs to be changed.""Alright, sir," she replied. "There is a meeting happening today about the Griffins. Should I acknowledge them and work with them?"A frown returned to Tedmond’s face. Since he'd lived with them, he knew nothing about the Griffin company. "What is the company all about?""They produce music for games and animations. You could say it's a voice production company. They also prov
Seated in his office, Tedmond crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. The seat had been adjusted, making it look puffy and soft. His gaze was fixed on the tablet, but he wasn’t reading from it.He couldn’t help but wonder what expressions the Griffins must have had when they received Lora's call.They would do everything in their power to gain further recognition from him, but he had no intention of revealing his identity just yet. He pondered whether he could play with them a little, like chess pieces.Considering all the terrible things they had done to him and his mother, it was only fair that he did as he pleased with them.Just then, Lora walked into the office. “Sir, I called them as you asked, and I’ve also gotten the mask and a voice changer.”Tedmond raised his head from the tablet to look at her. “A voice changer? Is that really necessary?”“I thought you didn’t want them to recognize your face, and you might also want to disguise your voice,” she replied.Thinking ab
A glint of satisfaction crossed Tedmond’s face when he saw the look of astonishment in the eyes of the Griffins. He had intentionally called Max dumb, knowing that Max hated being called that, even though he was.Max was taken aback and hurt flashed in his eyes for a few seconds. His lips parted as he searched for words, but he couldn’t find any. After a few moments, he finally spoke up.“Why do you think I am dumb?” Max questioned hastily. “I only said what needed to be said.”Tedmond grinned. “No, you didn’t,” he replied. “Xinca doesn’t need to put others down to get ahead or stand out.”Harold didn’t like the fact that his son was being called dumb. From how things were going, he had a feeling they might lose this opportunity, so he stepped in.“I am sorry for my son’s rudeness, President,” Harold said. “He didn’t mean to offend you.”Harold gestured for Max to apologize, but before that could happen, Tedmond spoke up.“Are you sure you know what your son did?” Tedmond asked.Harol
Tedmond walked out of the company, twirling his car keys on his finger before slipping them into his pocket. He held Bianca in his arms as he headed toward the garage. Just as he took a step forward, someone brushed past him.From the person’s silhouette, Tedmond could instantly tell who it was.“Max!” Lisa’s voice reached his ears as she rushed past him to meet Max.He paused for a moment but didn’t turn around. She fell into step beside him. “What?”“Where are you going?” she asked. “We should go back together.”“No need,” he replied.Tedmond glanced at Bianca, who was already sleeping peacefully in his arms, still clutching her doll. He sighed in relief—he didn’t want her to see them.“He called me dumb, and I guess I am dumb. Why did Dad listen to him when he said I should take a business class? I’m already studying business,” Max ranted, raising his thumb to his lips and chewing his nails. “What if he uses that against me and doesn’t appoint me as the heir to the company?”Lisa s
Three hundred million? Joe wasn’t even surprised. He just recalled the words Tedmond had told him earlier.“They might ask for a billion or five hundred million or three hundred million dollars,” Tedmond had said. “Whatever it is, make sure to give it to them and get them to sign the documents.”‘Here I thought he might be exaggerating; he was right,’ Joe thought, his gaze focused on Evelyn. ‘She just mentioned one of the prices Tedmond warned about, but it seems her family doesn’t approve of this.’Harold and Maxine glanced at Evelyn, their shocked expressions quickly turning into anger.Joe grinned from ear to ear. ‘Boss was wrong, though. He said they would only aim for large amounts and support the person asking for it. But here they are, mad at her for mentioning such a sum.’“What are you doing?!” Harold demanded, confused and pissed. “Didn’t we agree that we were going to take a loan of a billion?!”Joe froze, his body stiffening. He had to blink several times to come back to h
At the mention of Tedmond, Evelyn and Harold glanced at the spot she was pointing to, but they couldn’t see anyone in sight.“No one is there,” Evelyn replied, returning to Maxine. “You must have seen someone else. Tedmond isn’t the kind of person who would be here.”Harold nodded in agreement. “There’s no way they’d let him in anyway,” he said, rolling his eyes. “That useless son of mine isn’t great anytime soon.”Ki overheard their conversation and realized they knew the new boss. He also heard Harold call Tedmond a useless son.Someone doesn’t know their son’s real behavior, Ki thought. How is someone who bought a company like this regarded as useless?Instead of commenting, Ki repeated his usual greetings. “Hello and welcome to Loanbull. How can I help you today?” he asked, a fake professional smile appearing on his face.Their gazes returned to him. Smiling back politely, they nodded before Harold spoke.“We’d like to meet the person in charge,” Harold said. “What we came for is
“What do you mean?!” Max yelled, pulling himself away from his father, but it didn’t work. His arm didn’t seem to hurt as his father gripped it. His mind was still stuck on the words Tedmond had said.‘This can’t be happening!’ Max thought, trying to convince himself. ‘They can’t possibly pick money over me.’However, when he glanced at his parents, they glared at him, expecting him to apologize to Tedmond.“You shouldn’t force him to apologize,” Tedmond told them, making their eyes light up momentarily. But his next words caught them off guard. “I should leave since he doesn’t want me here.”At that, Harold and Evelyn grew paranoid. They couldn’t let him leave without first calling his baby mama and asking her to invest in the company.“Don’t leave yet! We’ll make him apologize!” Evelyn yelled.In a matter of seconds, Max was shoved to his knees before he could react. His eyes widened in shock, and he couldn’t speak, even though he tried.“Apologize to him!” Evelyn yelled the pity sh
Tedmond made his way downstairs, heading to the one place he knew Max would be. He could tell that if Max met the others there, they would side with him since Tedmond wasn’t in sight.As he approached the kitchen, he heard voices. It was his stepmother and ex-father, speaking so quietly that he couldn’t make out their words.“I can’t believe I have to cook for that brat!” Evelyn cursed loudly, making the maid at the end of the kitchen flinch and frown as she hurriedly cut the fish. “He’s the son of you and that useless maid, and now I have to be a maid to him!”Harold glanced at her, concern etched on his face. “You should be more worried about that,” he said, taking the knife from her and helping cut the fish. “It’s good his mother isn’t around. It’ll be easier to control him once we get custody of his daughter.”Evelyn frowned at his words. “How are we supposed to get custody? Tedmond’s never brought her home before. That means he doesn’t have custody either—it must be with his baby
When Max got upstairs, Tedmond was nowhere to be seen. He searched the guest room, but Tedmond wasn’t there. He decided to check all the other rooms, yet Tedmond was still missing.The last place he hadn’t checked was his own room—and Lisa’s. Turning around, he headed toward the room, his heart pounding against his chest. As he approached the door, he paused. The room was silent, which made him hesitate.‘If Tedmond isn’t in the other rooms, could he be with Lisa?’ he wondered, before reaching for the door. He must not be over her yet.Oddly, the thought of Tedmond being with Lisa made him smile. If that were the case, it would make getting the necklace from him much easier.Opening the door softly, Max peeked inside, only to see Lisa standing there, staring directly at him.“What are you doing?” she asked, her brows arching in confusion.Max straightened up and pushed the door open fully. Without a word, he brushed past her and began searching the room. He checked everywhere—even the
Hearing his father’s words, Tedmond's smile dissipated, but then the grin returned to his face. “What did you say?”Guessing their father’s intentions, the others joined in. Harold had just gotten an idea: if he could convince Tedmond to make his baby mama invest in their struggling company for a fake project, they could get the hundred million back.“There’s a project going on, and we need investors to fund it,” Max added, his face serious. “It’s a big project, and the investment required will be substantial.”“That’s right. Your baby mama will be part of the family too. It would be great for her to help us,” Maxine continued.Evelyn even went as far as holding Tedmond’s hand—something she had only done when she was about to hit him as a child.“You’ll have the right to return to the family as long as you agree to help us with the investment,” Evelyn muttered. “You’re my son, after all, and it makes me sad that you were kicked out.”Tedmond was taken aback. He had guessed they might
The question was one that Duncan had been waiting for. He had thought about what to do and had come across an idea that might help him. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but he knew he had to try.“I would like you to give us the background research documents you have about us,” Duncan said.Silence ensued between them. Tedmond’s gaze fixed on Duncan, who met his eyes without blinking. They stared at each other for a long time. Tedmond hadn’t expected Duncan to ask for background research about his own company.“Why would you need that?” Tedmond questioned. “Do you think it will help clear your name?”Duncan didn’t elaborate. “I’m not going to mention your name or the name of the company when I release the file. I just want to release the details of my company so people can see and judge for themselves.”“Who would release it?” Tedmond pressed, his curiosity rising. “If you release it yourself, it will look fake, like you did it intentionally to clear your name.”“I would have one of t
“Can I get her name?” Harold questioned. “She is the same age as my granddaughter; they could be friends.”Hearing that, Tedmond frowned. The two girls were the same person, and he was trying to get them to be friends with each other. That was the worst thing he had heard all day.“Don’t cross the boundaries, Mr. Griffin,” Tedmond replied, peering at Harold. “Why are you here?”Harold wasn’t shocked by Tedmond’s words—he had been expecting it. After all, he hadn’t paid the compensation or regained trust between them, but that didn’t bother him much. GNN was in crisis, and Griffin’s Cooperation would be the one to be picked no matter what.“I’m here to pay the compensation fee and apologize again for my family’s behavior,” Harold answered.“I thought I told Ms. Fincall to give you the account number to which the money should be transferred. Did you lose it?”Harold flinched. Was it that obvious he had thrown the account number away to have an excuse to meet the president in person?“I
Thomas nodded. “Right!”Seeing that they would be busy, Bianca sighed. “Could you send me to Persis’ place?” she asked.“Okay,” Tedmond agreed.*****“Have you found a lead yet?” Duncan asked his secretary.The secretary shook his head. “Not yet. Were you able to contact Xinca too?”Duncan shook his head. “I sent a staff member to meet with them, but he hasn’t arrived yet. If he had met with them, he would have contacted me.”The secretary sighed. “What are we going to do now that the source of the rumor hasn’t been found?”“We’ll just have to make sure to convince Xinca that it was all a rumor, and at the same time, find the source. All that matters first is Xinca, and then we’ll have to settle the rumors.”“Do you think it was made up by someone? We didn’t offend anyone, did we?”Duncan shook his head, placing his hand on the table. “We didn’t. GNN never offends anyone.”“Then who would spread such nasty rumors about us?”Duncan thought about it, and then it hit him. His eyes widene