The front part of Luxen Restaurant was crowded with at least a dozen journalists who were covering an exclusive story that night.
The one who caught their attention was of course none other than Tobias Gray, a handsome 20-year-old young man, who was also the only son of one of the richest businessmen in Ocean Hill, Raymond Gray.Tobias was now in the VVIP room of the restaurant and was professing his love to a beautiful girl who also came from the same circle as him, Lily Osborne.Luxen Restaurant was one of the most luxurious restaurants in the city and only people who had a certain type of card could enjoy a meal in that magnificent place.Aside from the place being so amazing with a touch of classic mixed with modern, the restaurant served a variety of dishes that were also so luxurious and of course have a very high taste.In fact, it was said that the chefs at the restaurant were selected chefs who used to have a lot of experience. It's no wonder that only certain people were able to eat at that place, which had certainly a fantastic price."This news will instantly become a trending topic tomorrow morning.""That beautiful girl is one of the Osborne family's members, of course it will."A young reporter looked so happy that he had managed to take a picture of Tobias carrying Lily into the luxurious restaurant.Meanwhile, in the special room for washing dirty dishes, Jack Morland, a third-year student from Rundall University who was a part-time worker was doing his job as a dirty dishwasher.Jack Morland was only 20 years old, 183cm tall and extremely handsome. Although his body was extremely thin, like someone suffering from anorexia or food deprivation, Jack's charm could not be ignored.Unfortunately, his stunning physical appearance was inversely proportional to his financial condition.Jack was very poor or arguably too poor. In fact, he didn't even have the money to buy work shoes. He was forced to use sneakers that were not very wearable. There were too many rips on the sides and the insoles were damaged.However, he promised himself that when he received his first salary working at the fancy restaurant, he would immediately buy proper work shoes.He vaguely heard the people in the room start chatting about their customers. Even so, he still had no interest in joining in with his co-workers' chatter.He preferred to finish his work immediately. This was because he realized that getting a job in that a good place was not easy.If it wasn't for Darryl Spencer, one of his best friends in college who had insider connections in Luxen Restaurant, he wouldn't have been able to get a job in that luxury restaurant."Did you see that? The heir of Gray Company is proposing to his girlfriend."Someone corrected while doing his homework, "No. You're probably wrong. He's not proposing but just asking that rich girl to be his girlfriend.""Oh, but I think they'll go ahead and get married. Look, that young man has already spent $1,000,000 on this dinner.""That's right. Who would spend that much money if they didn't intend to get married?""But for someone who comes from the Gray family, that amount is certainly very small.""Hey, even for a rich person, that amount of money is still excessive if it's just for one date. It doesn't make sense," one of the male servants said.A glasswasher chimed in, "But she's a very pretty girl. She deserves that luxury. If I were Tobias Gray, I'd definitely treat her the same way."He gave a smile to his co-workers as he was daydreaming about it."Like a royal princess," the young man added."I agree. That girl is indeed very beautiful. I heard she's also one of the most beautiful girls in her college. It's fortunate that she got a boyfriend from the heir of a big company.""Indeed, where does she study?""Rundall University."At first Jack didn't seem interested at all, he was just concentrating on his current job. However, when the name of the college was mentioned, he became a little bit interested in that conversation.However, something suddenly made his heart extremely happy. In fact, he smiled faintly.The most beautiful girl at Rundall University?Of course according to Jack, Lily Osborne, his beloved girlfriend was the most beautiful girl at Rundall University, where he was currently studying as a business management student.He also thought that people were overreacting. There was no girl more beautiful than Lily. The girl those people were talking about was definitely not prettier than Lily.Jack secretly smiled happily again. He was able to get Lily Osborne with quite a struggle.The girl initially rejected him outright. But after Jack approached her for almost a year, Lily finally accepted his love with one condition that Jack considered as a normal condition.That condition was that Jack should not talk about their relationship to anyone. Their relationship should only be known by the two of them."What was her name?""Lily, I think. Lily Osborne."Jack Morland instantly turned off the tap water and he turned to his workmate. "Sorry, didn't I hear wrong?""What do you mean?""The name of the girl you were talking about earlier. Not Lily Osborne, right?" Jack was still trying to think positively.One of his co-workers was seen looking at Jack with a lazy look, "It is Lily Osborne. What's wrong with that?"Jack suddenly froze where he stood.'That's impossible. Lily's a good girl, she wouldn't betray me.' Jack refused to believe it.However, someone else seemed to remember something."Hey, Jack. Aren't you also one of Rundall University's students? Do you know those two young people? Lily Osborne and Tobias Gray?"Before Jack could respond, another co-worker replied, "How could he know them? Can't you see? They're from the upper class. Jack definitely doesn't belong to them. Come on, you know. There's no way those people would hang out with a lowlife like Jack."The man smirked, looking like he wanted to humiliate Jack, but at the moment Jack didn't care at all.Instead, he rushed to the front, wanting to see Lily Osborne and ask for an explanation from his girlfriend. But he was blocked by a large restaurant guard."Back of house staff are not allowed into the main restaurant area.""I just want to have a quick look inside.""You can't."Jack began to get very agitated, "But I have to check for a while. My friend is inside."A guard laughed mockingly, "Hey, young man. How dare you claim to have a friend who is a guest at the restaurant here. Aren't you embarrassed?""Look at the shoes you're wearing! Even street beggars have better shoes than you. How can you be accepted in this restaurant?"The guard gave Jack a condescending look.However, Jack really didn't have time to respond to the guard so he walked back to his work area.He could hear the guard laughing at him. "You poor bastard! How dare you lie to me!""A poor lowlife befriending a rich businessman's son? Stop dreaming, young man!"Jack could only clench his fists when he heard that. All he could do right now was to finish his work faster.But, unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as he thought. Jack had to do some extra work so when he came out of the restaurant, he didn't see the two people the people were talking about.Jack also tried to contact Lily but after the fourth try, he gave up because Lily never picked up his phone call."Lily, where are you right now? You couldn't have done that to me, could you?" Jack muttered nervously.Not wanting to waste any time, Jack quickly reached into his pocket and looked at the contents of his wallet. He could only let out a long sigh. Someone who was often referred to as a sewer rat was really very poor.In his bulky wallet, he even only had $10 left. That was clearly not enough to get him to Lily Osborne's house by taxi. He needed at least $15 to get to Lily's house.So, Jack reluctantly chose to walk faster to Lily's residence located in The DownGrow House, a very famous elite neighbourhood in Ocean Hill.However, he had only been walking for a short while when his stomach started to rumble. He touched his stomach and tried to stifle his hunger.That day he had only eaten the chocolate bread that the college provided for free for breakfast and in the afternoon he had only taken a slice of pizza brought by her dorm mate.Of course he was very hungry at the time. But, he was thinking of raising more money so that he could take Lily Osborne out to eat at a nice restaurant o
Feeling so humiliated and very sad, Jack finally chose to immediately leave the Osborne family residence. He had fully realized that he would never be able to get Lily again. His opponent was Tobias Gray who was not only handsome but also extremely rich. His charm was so strong that even Lily was mesmerised by him. Besides, Lily really didn't want him anymore. There was no other reason for him to keep Lily. Lily had become his ex-girlfriend now.With a broken heart, Jack walked while enduring the hunger pangs that plagued him. However, just as he walked not too far away, he was surprised by a police car that stopped right near him.Two policemen got out of the car and walked towards him, "Jack Morland, you are under arrest. Please come with us to the police station."One of the policemen had grabbed his hand and was about to handcuff him.Jack widened his eyes, "Wait a minute. What did I do wrong, sir? I didn't do anything."The young man looked confused at one of the policemen who h
"Sir, I still find it hard to believe." Jack said very honestly.Hugh immediately smiled gently at Jack. "I understand. It's not easy for you to believe, but it's the truth. You are my grandson, my only grandson, Jack."Hugh added, "You are the heir to the Morland family business empire."Heir to the business empire? Him? Someone who was often referred to as a loser? How could that be?Jack, whose head was already filled with questions, asked, "What exactly happened, sir? If I'm your grandson, why did you let me live alone in the orphanage?"Of course, that was what confused Jack.Hugh wasn't surprised by the question and the old man immediately replied, "Jack, you've misunderstood, son. Let me explain first."More than ten years ago, Jack's father Joss and his mother Claire were taking Jack to a park not far from the Morland home. The park was not too crowded that day so Jack was left to play alone and unescorted in the centre of the park, while Joss and Claire were discussing Jack's
"Are you kidding me? How could I replace you?" Jack said with an expression that looked extremely confused.Hugh smiled gently. "Why is it impossible? How many times do I have to say it? You're the only heir to this family business empire, so of course you're my successor, Jack."After believing his status, Jack looked even more confused."But, Grandpa. I'm still a student." "So what if you're still a student? You can still run the family company while you study at university."Hugh paused for a moment, observing his grandson's expression. "And anyway, I heard you're majoring in business management. Isn't that a perfect fit?"Jack never expected it. "I'm majoring in it with the hope that after graduation, I'll be able to develop my own business."Hugh clapped for his grandson, "That's wonderful, Jack. That's a descendant of the Morland family."Jack grimaced. "But aren't I a little young to be running the family business, Grandpa? The Morland Group is huge.""You're capable, Jack. I a
Tobias Gray frowned again, "Vouchers? What's for?"Lily gave ex-lover Jack a dismissive look, "Oh, Toby. Look at those shoes! Maybe he'd like to get some new shoes."Lily's guess made Tobias burst out laughing. He gave Jack a sneering look, "Shoes? So, you want to buy shoes at my family's mall, loser?"Jack was still silent, waiting for Tobias' next words as if he knew Tobias still hadn't stopped talking."Don't you know what the minimum price of shoes at Gray Mall is?" Tobias said with a grin, "Oh, no. If I mention it, I'm afraid you'll faint.""Just tell me how much it is!" Jack replied still holding back. "No, you won't be able to afford it.""Let alone a pair, you won't be able to afford one," Tobias added with an increasingly annoying mocking smile."What if I can afford it?" Jack retorted in the end who couldn't help himself.Lily, who knew Jack was very poor and thought it was impossible for her ex-boyfriend to buy the shoes sold at Gray Mall, said, "Don't even try to dream, Ja
"You'll be questioned there about the money you're carrying."The officer led Jack towards the security room. However, before they went any further, someone said, "Wait, please!"The two officers stopped and turned around."Young Master Gray." They greeted with a polite bow.Jack didn't expect to meet that person now. However, when he remembered that he was in the Gray family's mall, he thought the chances of running into the young man who had stolen his girlfriend were high.Jack saw Tobias Gray walking with Lily with his hand on Toby's arm. "What's going on?" Tobias asked the two security guards."This young man is a beggar who steals money, sir." One of the guards replied.Lily widened her eyes. "Stealing money? Whose money did he steal?"Jack sighed tiredly, "I didn't steal anything, Lily. That money wasn't stolen."Tobias shot Jack a disdainful look. "He's very poor but you'd be wrong to call him a beggar."The security guard with the thick mustache gaped in surprise. "Not a beg
Before the employee of that the shoes store could reply, Lily Osborne moved closer to Jack and snatched the luxurious shoes from Jack's hand who was surprised to see Lily standing nearby. The beautiful girl scrutinized the material of Jack's chosen shoes and also the price. Not wrong. The shoes indeed cost 200,000 USD. Lily even had to count the zeros on the back of the number two to make sure the price was correct."Are you kidding me, Jack? The price of these shoes is even more than your salary for all those years as a waiter. So, how can you possibly afford them?" Lily said in a disbelief. Tobias walked closer to his lover. "Never mind, let it go, Lily. How could he possibly have the money? He must just want to trick us."Lily handed the shoes to the employee, "Just put them back where they belong. He won't be able to pay for it. He's ... just lying to you. I'm sure when he gets to the cashier, he'll give an excuse that he can't pay for some reason. It's very predictable. That's
"Stealing? I didn't steal at all." Jack shook his head firmly.Tobias snorted loudly, "You think you can cheat me? How could a sewer rat like you have that much money?"Lily supported her lover Tobias's argument. She added in a mocking tone, "You can't even buy food sometimes. So, how could you pay for 200,000 USD shoes now? Obviously this doesn't make sense, Jack. You can't lie to me."Jack looked at the two people in turn. The man who was still holding his old-fashioned cell phone responded, "Why does it not make sense? You guys saw how I paid for it. I paid for it myself."He tried to control himself but almost lost it."You are just a liar. You must have contacted someone, right? You are only a cheater, Jack!" Lily accused with a mocking smile. Tobias Gray said quickly, "Wait a minute, Lily. Didn't you just say that he has some pretty rich friends? Well, although I'm pretty sure he's not richer than me.""Who is that person? Maybe he's helping this liar." Tobias gave Jack a condes