The Return of Forsaken Heir

Chapter 10. Significant Change

Astrid's right hand reached into the pocket of her black suit and started calling Finnley. She was telling him about the finished tour, the two talking on the phone in the lift that went down to the first floor.

"Tell the driver to get ready," Astrid said, hanging up her phone and putting it in her coat pocket.

Ethan, who was forcibly taken by Astrid, was surprised and confused by all this because Astrid had not shown any strange reaction from the moment she entered the company to the top floor.

"What's wrong? You're behaving very strangely, Astrid," Ethan said, his round eyes watching the woman beside him.

"In Wilfred's group. I saw my friend. He's also Wilfred's personal bodyguard," Astrid replied.

Ethan continued to listen to word by word from Astrid's thin mouth. Her face turned to the left, her eyes trying to catch the curious look in Ethan's eyes. He and Astrid had been friends since Wilfred's first encounter with Kingsley. Since then, the two of them have coordinated in the event of a meeting between the two company leaders.

What Astrid feared was her friend's sensitivity. The man knew Astrid wouldn't go anywhere without orders from Kingsley or the family heir. Hearing the news that Kingsley had passed away must have made him think Astrid's arrival had a specific purpose.

That was exactly what the woman was trying to avoid. She didn't want Ethan's identity to be known by her friend before he was ready to assume his actual duties as Kingsley's heir and the company's CEO.

"So what? They won't recognize me as the Kingsley heir, right?" asked Ethan, trying to understand why Astrid had taken him away.

"It's not like that. He only knows that I work for Kingsley or his heir, whereas the news of Kingsley's death is well known," Astrid replied, speaking freely in the elevator with only the two of them.

"If he saw me here with you, then he'd be suspicious for sure," Astrid continued.

"So, you pulled me away just so I could avoid that suspicion?" asked Ethan. Astrid nodded, agreeing with Ethan's thoughts.

Ethan sighed as his hands clasped around his waist. Astrid, who saw Ethan's response, began to feel uneasy. She feared Ethan's heart would turn bad because of his attitude.

"W-Were you mad at me?" asked Astrid with a pained expression.

"I'm not mad. It's just I think I have a lot of work to do to become Kingsley's CEO and heir," Ethan replied.

The man didn't think that way for no reason. Since the beginning of this seminar, from the first floor to the top floor, he has gotten much information about the company's structural positions and their authority. Their duties were clearly explained by the seminar guide, also written down as Ethan's notes. The question in his mind was how he could organize all the important parts of the company to work properly.

"That's the risk of the wealth and power you get. The seminar guide's explanation was clear and detailed, so you'll understand it over time," Astrid replied.

The woman's heart was relieved that the expression on Ethan's face did not stem from anger but rather from anxiety about the future of the Kingsley company. Seeing Ethan's indecisive demeanour made Astrid continue to try to persuade him to be confident.

"I hope so," Ethan said, trying to smile as he looked warmly at Astrid.

The lift they took finally stopped on the first floor. The lift doors opened and revealed Finnley, who was already in front of him. Finnley didn't ask any questions about the seminar. He just said that he had been waiting for a long time in his friend's office on the third floor.

"Even though you've attended the seminar and listened to their explanations, you still have to read the book," Finnley said, going down to the basement parking lot where Ethan's car was already waiting.

"He's right. The information in the books about methods and so on is useful for running your company later," Astrid replied.

Ethan nodded and didn't say a word. He had gotten enough information that day; Ethan, Finnley, and Astrid opened the door to the black sedan. The luxury car left the Eclipse Enterprises basement parking lot to return to the Kingsley residence.

***

The next day.

Ethan left the Kingsley residence for his campus. The reason he went was not to attend lectures since there were no classes for Ethan that day. He went to pay the college bill that he had not yet paid.

He went alone by car. Although he was poor, his driving skills were unquestionable. His grandfather used to have an old open-hood car, and Ethan often used it to carry wheat to the market.

Because of his grandfather, Ethan could drive a car. However, Ethan felt a significant difference from an old hood car to a white sedan with a convertible type.

Easy-to-use gears, soft seats, power steering, and all the other advantages Ethan had never experienced before. Seeing himself driving a luxury car made him quite confident when he entered the campus area.

That day, Ethan arrived at 11am. It was the time for students to go on break from their second class. Many of them were walking on the sidewalks of the campus.

No one noticed Ethan's white car, as they were used to seeing rows of luxury cars on campus. But they would never know that the person in the car was the poor student they had always despised, Ethan.

The car park was clearly visible to Ethan's eyes. He started to park his car and got out along with the bag he was carrying. Right when Ethan stood next to the white car, many people who knew Ethan were stunned.

They continued to watch Ethan from a distance; some also walked closer to the white convertible. Although the car was not a famously expensive sports car, the interior inside the car as well as the features, seemed luxurious to anyone who saw it.

None of Ethan's classmates was on campus. The man kept focusing on going to the finance department of the college. He needed to cancel the agreement between himself and the campus regarding the tuition arrears.

Ethan was greeted with a condescending voice when he arrived at the payment counter. The male staff knew very well the reason Ethan had come before him at this time.

"You want to submit another agreement? I'm sorry, we've run out of paper and ink to print your thousands of agreements," said the male staff.

Ethan smiled as he opened his carrying case, "No. I came here to pay off all my college bills."

"HAHA! Don't make fun of me, Ethan! I don't have time for your fantasies," the man's staff snapped, still turning his face away from Ethan.

He pulled out a brown envelope containing $25,000 in dollar bills. The oversized envelope caught the attention of the male staffer in front of Ethan. The man lazily reached for the brown envelope and opened it slowly.

His eyes widened, cold sweat pouring down his face with a look of shock on his face. His hands trembled as he held the large sum of money in the envelope.

"W-What money is this?" asked the male staff, nervously putting the envelope back on the table.

"It's $25,000 to pay off my debt from two years ago. For last year's and this year's bills, I'll probably transfer it via bank," Ethan replied, opening his phone, which was none other than a limited edition phone.

"Your phone, isn't it expensive? This money, that cell phone, your clothes. Did you actually win the lottery?" the male staff asked, being both friendly and curious about Ethan's wealth.

"Lottery? Haha! Of course not," Ethan explained, laughing out loud at the naivety of the man before him.

Ethan immediately made a transaction of funds from his bank account to the college's bank account. The total amount of arrears Ethan had to pay was $150,000, which was nothing compared to the knowledge Ethan had gained in an exclusive place like this university.

"I've transferred the money. You can check it," Ethan said, pointing at the computer in front of the man.

The staff man, who was already curious, immediately opened the student page and entered Ethan's student ID. After opening the student account, he jumped in surprise and fell off his chair.

His behaviour drew the attention of other financial staff. One by one, they walked over to see what was happening between Ethan and the man.

"Aren't you Ethan?" asked one of the female staff, trying to ensure.

Ethan said yes as he nodded. He again asked if his college tuition arrears had been paid off or not.

"Your arrears are paid, but how did you get the money?" asked the woman, stunned at the drastic change Ethan had undergone.

"That's none of your business."