Rise of the Rich and Powerful Jamie Ashford

Chapter 19

As the jet was about to take off, Jamie received a call from the director of St. Mary's Hospital. With a smirk on his face, he picked up the call, knowing fully well what this call was about. “Director Rowling, how may I help you?”

The director cleared his throat before he uttered a word. “President Jamie, I hope you're having a pleasant morning. I wanted to update you on the situation with Mr. Barnard Reynolds. I….uh, allowed a doctor to treat him.”

Jamie faked a slightly displeased tone. “And why would you do that without my permission?”

The director sounded very nervous now. “I'm sorry, Sir Jamie. It's just that time was running out. If we had failed to give him the treatment past the scheduled time, it could really lead to complications in his health. I'm just trying to avoid lawsuits from the Reynold Agency's CEO.”

Jamie chuckled lightly, easing the tension through the call. “Relax, director. I'm not mad at all. I expected you to take the proper action. It's fine. From now on, delay his treatment till the last minute. If he tries to upgrade his membership with the hospital, refuse it.”

The hospital director sounded surprised. “President, you're saying that you want us to start treating Mr. Reynold like other common patients?”

Jamie was straightforward. “That's right. That man is prohibited from upgrading his status. If he can't accept my hospital's terms and conditions, let him know that he's allowed to leave anytime.”

The director sounded hesitant. “President Jamie, are you sure about this?”

Jamie replied with very little emotion in his voice. “Yes, that is all. Goodbye.”

Jamie ended the call before the president could even get anything out. Tom Yates smiled with a discreetly proud smile. He was worried at first, that due to the way he grew up, Jamie would not know how to take charge. He's glad to be proved wrong by this assumption.

In the end, a born Ashford will always be a born Afford, no matter what.

 It took hours before they arrived at the Republic of Maldives. Jamie was blown away by the exotic beauty that these islands gave off from such a distance in the sky. 

Underneath the bright afternoon sun, the ocean sprawled towards the edge of the horizon was painted a beautiful blue hue.

“Holy shit! This place is gorgeous!”

Tom Yates nodded his head, gazing out the private jet window as well. “It truly is.”

He turned his gaze to Jamie. “Young Master, do you know how many islands belong to your father?”

Jamie shook his head with a curious expression. “Tell me.”

Tom Yates raised three fingers. “Out of the approximately 1,200 islands here, your father purchased around 150 islands under his name.”

Jamie didn't even know that his jaw had dropped to the ground beneath him as his heart lurched at the revelation. “I50 islands?! Tom, how much exactly are these islands worth?”

Tom Yates nodded his head in confirmation. “According to the records, the price of these islands ranges from $2 million to over $200 million. But thanks to your father back then, he was able to purchase over 400 of these islands under the Ashford family's name.”

Back then, the Ashford family was incredibly proud of Michael, and he was allowed to pick away as many islands as he wanted. In the end, Patriarch Raymond Ashford helped his son to purchase 150 more islands for himself.

Jamie touched the back of his left palm to his forehead as he was in a daze. “My dad is really something.”

Tom Yates stared at Jamie warmly. “To be honest, Young Master, a lot of the benefits you'll be enjoying for now would be partly due to your father's status when he was alive. The contributions he made throughout his life were immensely impactful on the family's growth. It's why Master Raymond misses him the most. Now that Young Master Michael is no longer with us, Master Raymond simply wants to get to know you.”

Jamie's demeanor became somewhat cold. “Tom, I guess you can already tell how I feel about my grandfather. Even though I'm grateful for everything I'm being given now, I still have a lot of complicated feelings about him and how he allowed my mother and I to suffer for so many years.”

Tom Yates nodded his head in understanding. “Young Master, I think it's best to convey your emotions to Master Raymond properly. Only he can properly explain things to you, and hopefully give you closure.”

The conversation ended there as the private jet landed in the port of one of the more developed islands.

Jamie stepped out to find ten black SUVs lined up in the distance. These ones looked even more expensive and advanced than the cars Tom Yates and the nine bodyguards had greeted him in. They should each be around $5 million, minimum.

Nearby, he finds about forty military-dressed men and women in rows and columns. They all bowed as they saw him descending the private jet with Tom Yates behind him.

“Welcome, Young Master Jamie! We're joyous at your return to the clan!”

Jamie smiled awkwardly at this, not knowing how to react.

One of the female soldiers was about to walk forward, but a glance from Tom Yates made her halt her advances.

Jamie perceptively picked up on this, but Tom quickly led him to a sleek Bugatti Chiron, where a chauffeur was ready to take them away.

Together, the convoy of eleven cars set off on the road. As they left the private airport, Jamie discovered that there was actually a luxurious mini-city on this particular island.

“Tom, you said that my dad owns this island, right? What about this city?”

Tom Yates nodded his head for the umpteenth time that day. “Since the late Young Master Michael owns this island, this mini city belongs to him. The civilization on the islands and a few other inhabited ones fall under the absolute order of your father. Even things like taxes go into his private account.”

Jamie shook his head in awe. “Goodness! Being wealthy does make you live like a freaking god. I can only imagine how much money my dad makes for the family through the businesses he runs on this island.”

Tom Yates chuckled as he clarified this assumption. “Young Master Jamie, it seems you've got it wrong. The revenue generated from all 150 islands under your father's name goes to his private bank accounts. It's not shared with the rest of the Ashford clan members.”

Jamie jerked up in his seat with wide eyes. “What?!”

Jamie angled his body as he was occupying the passenger seat while Jamie was occupying the rear seat. “The rest of the clan only has access to the 400 islands under the Ashford name. Thus, they can only enjoy the revenue from those islands. On the other hand, the 150 private islands belong to your father. Not to mention getting any share of the revenue generated, no one else has been allowed to even visit any of those islands ever since Young Master Michael passed away.”

Jamie was very intrigued by this. “Then how are these islands being maintained without my father's presence? What happened to the generated revenue?”

Tom Yates answered sharply. “Ever since your father passed away, your grandfather took over maintaining the activities on the island, keeping the business alive. As for the generated revenue, you'll have to ask Master Raymond about that.”

It was finally dawning on Jamie, the humongous scale at which the Ashford family had power. It wasn't just in California or even the United States of America, that domineering power and influence had countless huge roots buried so far beneath the earth that it can't even be accounted for.

The Ashford family truly is the overlord dragon of the world.