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 street staring at him, he quickly composed himself. “Oh, ten billion dollars... in the game. Such a fun game,” he added hastily.
The people who had turned to him quickly looked away, unimpressed.
Tedmond checked his account balance again, and indeed, the numbers stared back at him: $10,000,000,001.
As he was trying to wrap his head around it, his phone rang, startling him. Seeing an unknown number, he answered it in a hurry.
“Hello,” Tedmond said.
“Hello, Mr. Tedmond Griffin. It’s a pleasure to speak with you. You’ve been selected as the heir to the fortune of the Washington family.”
Tedmond’s jaw nearly hit the ground.
“Since you’ve passed the test, you can come over now. Meet us at Finsall’s Hospital. You don’t have much time.”
“Wait!” Tedmond half-yelled. “What are you talking about? How am I the heir to the Washington family fortune? Who are they?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, young master,” the man on the phone replied. “Finsall’s Hospital, room 509. You have twenty minutes. We’ll be waiting.”
“I don’t—” Beep! Beep!
The call ended before Tedmond could say anything more. Confused and curious, he bolted toward the street, hailed a taxi, and got in as quickly as he could.
“Finsall’s Hospital!”
Soon after, he was dashing out of the taxi, glancing at his account balance, now reduced to $9,999,999,981 after paying the fare. They wouldn’t mind, right?
Entering the hospital, he rushed past the front desk, already knowing the room number. Several women nearby turned to look at him immediately.
“Hey!” one of the women called, eyeing his appearance. “Why are you here?” she asked. “This hospital doesn’t treat people like you. Only the wealthy can afford it.”
Tedmond paused and glanced back at her. The women scowled, making him glance at his worn-out shoes.
“I’m here to see someone,” he replied. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t be.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you know you have to check in before going upstairs?”
“Why? I already know the room number. Why bother with trivial formalities?”
“How dare you!” she yelled, her brows twitching in anger. “With your appearance, there’s no way anyone from your family is here! You’re lying! If you're telling the truth, what’s the room number?”
The other women nodded in agreement.
“That’s right,” one of them said. “You must be here to steal from the sick.”
“Room 509,” Tedmond replied without hesitation.
“Hah!” the first woman sneered, a smirk playing on her lips. “The hospital rooms stop at 508! I knew you were lying! You son of a bitch!”
Before Tedmond could respond, the second woman shouted, “Security! Security!”
Tedmond blinked in confusion. Had he heard the room number wrong? He was sure the man on the phone had said room 509.
Security guards arrived, and the first woman pointed at Tedmond.
“Get him out of here! He’s here to cause trouble. A poor brat like him thinks he can sneak in and steal from the patients. Throw him out!”
The guards grabbed Tedmond, ready to drag him away.
“I’m not a thief!” Tedmond protested. “I’m here to meet someone in ward 509.”
“What’s going on here?” a loud voice demanded, stopping everyone in their tracks.
The guards froze and turned around. Tedmond saw a thin man with a long nose and blond hair that looked like a wig approaching. The women’s faces lit up.
“Oh, Mr. Gregory!” one of the women said, fluttering her eyelashes. “This boy is trying to sneak into the hospital under false pretenses! He claims he’s visiting someone in a non-existent room!”
Mr. Gregory was the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer, in charge of overseeing operations and managing departments.
“A non-existent room?” Mr. Gregory repeated. “What room?”
Tedmond freed himself from the guards' grip. “Room 509,” he said, glancing at the clock and seeing he only had five minutes left.
At the mention of room 509, Mr. Gregory’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Room 509?” Gregory asked. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that Mr. Washington’s room?” Gregory muttered, then glared at Tedmond. “How dare someone like you claim to be connected to the Washington family?!”
Everyone chuckled upon hearing "Washington."
Realizing he was running out of time, Tedmond quickly dialed the number that had called him earlier. The person picked up immediately.
“Yes, young master. Are you here?”
“I’m at the front desk, but a man named Gregory won’t let me in,” Tedmond said, staring directly at Gregory.
“How dare he?!” the man on the phone growled. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.”
The call ended, and the people around Tedmond looked at him with disdain.
“Do you think your fake call will scare me?” Gregory sneered. “What makes you think you could get in here?”
Just then, Gregory’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, hesitating. It was his boss.
‘Why is the boss calling me?’ Gregory wondered, eyeing Tedmond warily. ‘Could he really be involved?’
Gregory answered in his most polite tone. “Hello...”
“How dare you?!” a harsh voice bellowed, loud enough for everyone to hear. “How dare you deny entrance to the guest of the Washington family?! Are you tired of living?!”

Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 292
He had always known Kalista was reckless. But it was different hearing it from someone else, especially someone who wasn’t trying to attack her, just trying to make him see what he had refused to acknowledge all this time.“She’s all I’ve got left,” Xander said softly, his voice barely audible.Marcus looked away, jaw clenched.Tedmond’s voice was gentler now. “Then teach her how to survive without leaning on you for everything. Because right now, she’s not surviving—she’s hiding behind you. And one day, you won’t be there.”Xander sat still, his hands folded tightly in his lap, eyes fixed on the polished table.He didn’t argue anymore. He couldn’t.Because everything they said—every word—was right.“I will ask how this ties into our discussion?” Xander asked.Tedmond didn’t hurry to respond. He simply poured himself a glass of wine and leaned back against the couch.“Do you know that Kalista Marinos has another fiancé—someone who isn’t Marcus Sebastian, but her actual fiancé?” Tedmon
CHAPTER 291
The room remained still for a moment after Persis spoke, the weight of her words hanging like fog in the air.Marcus glanced at Xander, his eyes pleading, silently saying he was tired—tired of talking, tired of defending both Kalista and Xander.Seeing the look, Xander’s jaw tightened. His fist curled slightly on the table, then he looked up and met Persis’s gaze.“Can I ask how long you’ve known the relationship was fake from our end?” he asked evenly.“Half a day,” she replied. “But does that matter?”Xander shook his head. “Nope. I was just wondering how this has anything to do with Kalista spilling hot soup on Mr. Washington. I’d prefer if we got straight to the point so I can know what kind of compensation you’re expecting.”There was a beat of silence.“All right,” Howard said. “We’ll go straight to the point.”Relieved, Xander gave a sharp nod.Marcus exhaled quietly, thankful that the endless tension might finally ease. Maybe now he could think straight—perhaps now they’d just
CHAPTER 290
Inside, the atmosphere was luxurious and hushed. Low lighting, soft jazz, and murmured conversations surrounded them. The scent of truffle and wine lingered in the air as the maître d’ approached.“Reservation under the Washingtons. Private room 290,” Xander said calmly.“Of course, sir. Please follow me.”They were led through a narrow hallway, past curtained booths and secluded corners, until they reached a matte black door with 290 etched discreetly in gold.The maître d’ bowed slightly and departed.Xander and Marcus exchanged a look. Pausing, Xander began fixing his cufflinks, his face unreadable. Though petrified inside, he knew better than to let it show.Marcus lowered his voice. “Last chance to fake a stomach ache. Fixing your cufflinks won’t change a thing.”“Shut up.”“We could still walk out and let Kalista handle the mess herself.”Xander ignored him and knocked twice.Before he could suppress the expression on his face, the door opened almost immediately.Startled by the
CHAPTER 289
As soon as the line connected, Aris barked, “Is there a way for you to check if a member of the Washington family made a reservation anywhere?”There was a pause before the man replied, “Of course, sir. Do you want it for today or for the next few days?”“Today. And the Damons too. Every single name connected to both families. Restaurants, hotels, private clubs—I want it all. Right now.”“Yes, sir. I’ll send the team on it immediately.”Aris ended the call and tossed the phone onto the couch, grinding his teeth. He stalked back to his desk, slamming his palms onto its surface.He had thought Tedmond would be attracted to his daughter and that they would form a connection. But that hadn’t happened. Worse, Tedmond wasn't as meek as Aris had expected.Since Tedmond had only recently returned to the family, Aris had assumed he’d be timid, clueless about how elite society worked, and easy to manipulate.But no.That boy had slipped through every trap without falling into a single one. Even
CHAPTER 288
Kallista peeked out from behind the door, glancing down the hallway. When she saw it was empty, she finally stepped away from her hiding spot and began walking quietly along the corridor.She stopped at the end of the hallway, where a door to the right was located. Gripping the doorknob, she pushed it open slightly and peeked inside. Seeing no one there, she slipped in."I have to be fast before Xander returns," she murmured to herself.The room she had entered was Xander’s study. He had left the house earlier, so she knew she had time to do what she needed.Getting the company’s new product blueprints would be enough to secure a little money for her fiancé, once he manufactured and sold the product before the company launched it.She had barely taken a step toward the table when the door suddenly burst open. Flinching, she spun around to see who it was.Marcus stood there, half-dressed, yawning, with a tired expression on his face as he glanced at her."What are you doing?" he asked,
CHAPTER 287
“Everything about the Marinos is here?” Tedmond asked.Howard grinned. “All of it. Want me to walk you through it?”Tedmond gave a small nod. It was better to have Howard summarize it so he could read through the details later himself.Howard flipped open the first file. “The Marino family looks perfect on the surface—wealthy, well-connected, spotless reputation. But the reality? A mess.”Rick leaned back with his arms folded. Persis watched Howard closely, eager to hear what he had to say. The Washingtons were more connected, and she was sure they could dig up more dirt on Kalista than her assistant ever could.“Sam Marino—the father—disappeared years ago after his wife’s death. He left everything to his eldest son, Xander. Xander has been running the family business since he was eighteen, while also raising his younger siblings. Kalista was just a baby back then.”Tedmond’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That explains why he’s so protective of her.”“Exactly. Now, onto the fun part.” Howa
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