The Hidden Billionaire

CHAPTER 1: HUMILIATION

Lake City Hospital.

"Move aside! Quickly, move aside!"

Thomas Brown rushed into the hospital, carrying a blood-soaked little girl in his arms.

"Doctor! Doctor!

Please, save my daughter!"

A few doctors and nurses rushed out, immediately taking the child from him and hurrying him into the emergency room.

"Wait outside!"

The harsh words lingered as Thomas stood there, wearing cheap clothes that made him look defeated and hopeless.

Click, click, click!

The sound of hurried high heels echoed behind him. Thomas instinctively turned around, but before he could see who it was, a burst of scent hit him, followed by a sharp slap across his face.

"Thomas Brown!"

Ava Bailey shouted, her eyes red with anger. "If anything happens to my daughter, I swear I won't let you off the hook!"

Thomas looked timidly at the woman before him, his eyes filled with deep regret. Ava was stunning, the kind of woman who ignited desire in every man who laid eyes on her. She and Thomas had been college classmates. Despite her beauty and the many suitors competing for her attention, she had chosen the Broke Thomas.

After graduation, they had a swift marriage and welcomed their daughter, Emma Brown. However, the reality was always harsh. After getting married, Thomas Brown began teaching at the best elite school in Lake City. It was a job that many envied, but without any background, Thomas faced constant humiliation. His colleagues came from wealthy families, and his students were all from prominent backgrounds. What should have been a decent salary was slashed to the point where it barely compared to that of an ordinary blue-collar worker. Yet, he dared not voice his anger, as that meager income was his only source of living.

On the other hand, Ava Bailey was a director at a foreign company and a well-known career woman. Her parents were also well-established in their professions, making her life seem like a world apart from Thomas. In their household, Thomas felt utterly powerless. His marriage to Ava only added to the tension, as her parents disapproved of him. No matter how dire their financial situation became, her parents remained indifferent, even going so far as to say that the only way they would help was if Ava divorced him and Emma Brown took on the Bailey family name. The conflicts between the couple intensified day by day.

The emergency room door swung open. Just as Thomas was about to rush in, Ava moved even faster. She looked at Emma, whose face was half-wrapped in bandages, her heart aching. "Emma, how are you? Does it hurt?"

Emma, only in fourth grade, was surprisingly mature for her age. With her big, innocent eyes, she softly replied, "Mom, I'm not in pain!"

"It's just that Emma was being naughty; it has nothing to do with Dad. Please, Mom, don't fight with Dad, okay?"

Ava glanced at Thomas with a complicated expression before gently nodding. "Okay! Mom won't argue with Dad. Emma, be a good girl and take care of your injury. Once you're better, I'll take you to the amusement park you've been wanting to visit!"

Thomas lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly in his sleeves. The elite school where he worked comprises both elementary and high school levels. Aside from the wealthy students, an ordinary student with excellent grades could attend for free. Emma had certainly not disappointed him; she was exceptionally bright and had been admitted to the school on special consideration. He knew all too well who had bullied his daughter. It was the very students in his class!

He taught the most challenging class in the school, filled with the children of the rich, and those who had targeted his daughter were the same students he had reprimanded just days before. My child is only nine years old!

Thomas's heart was bleeding. His eyes were bloodshot, fists clenched and unclenched in frustration, but what could he do? Those students were either the children of tycoons or high-ranking officials. What could an ordinary teacher like him possibly do?

"Hey! Your child needs to be hospitalized. Go pay the fees first!"

A voice, devoid of any emotion, interrupted his thoughts. Ava Bailey shot him a cold glance, said nothing, and rushed into the ward with her child.

"Hello, I'm here to pay for the hospital stay!" Thomas said, handing over his card.

"There's no money on this card!" The nurse tossed it back at him without hesitation, her tone dripping with disdain.

"That can't be! I just received a bonus of eight thousand yesterday!" Thomas shouted. That money was hard-earned from countless late nights spent preparing lesson plans, rewarded by the school.

"Oh really? What do you mean by that?!" The nurse's voice turned sharp. "Let me tell you, I've seen plenty of people like you!"

"This is a hospital, not a charity!"

"If you don't have money, then don't come here! Stop acting like a big shot!"

"You! How can you talk like that?"

"Hmph!" The nurse rolled her eyes. "Pay up or leave the hospital with your daughter!"

Thomas took a deep breath, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.

"Hello!" A haughty voice came through the line.

"Bright Wood!"

Thomas's tone shifted to a more flattering one. "It's Thomas Brown!"

"Oh, Tom! What's up?"

"Boss, I wanted to ask about the bonuses. Didn't they get distributed yesterday? | haven't received mine. Is there a delay or something?"

"Oh! About that! I forgot to mention, that you received an honor, and everyone is thrilled for you. So, we all gathered yesterday to celebrate you, treating everyone with your bonus. Isn't that fair?"

A flash of deep resentment crossed Thomas's eyes. Celebrate me?

And not even bother to inform me, the person involved?

"Bright Wood!"

Thomas struggled to keep his temper in check. "It's only right to treat everyone, but that’s eight thousand dollars surely you didn't spend it all, did you?"

"Don't even get me started!" Bright voice suddenly rose. "That amount is barely enough. I covered the remaining four thousand myself. By the way, just bring me the money when you come to work tomorrow!"

"Mr. Bright, I-"

"Alright, I have things to do. I'm hanging up!"

Turning around helplessly, Thomas found himself face to face with his wife Ava, her icy expression piercing through the silence. The sarcasm in her gaze was unmistakable.

"Thomas Brown!"

Her voice was cold, laced with disappointment. "You can't even protect your own daughter! What kind of man are you?" Thomas felt a sharp sting to his pride.

"The doctor said she needs to be hospitalized to prevent scarring on her face. The treatment will cost about twenty- five thousand dollars!"

"What? Twenty-five thousand?!"

"Why doesn't he just go rob a bank?"

"Are you going to stand by and watch your daughter’s face get ruined because of your mistakes?!"

Thomas was taken aback. After a long pause, he murmured, "Then... can you pay for the hospital first? I'll reimburse you when I get my paycheck from the school."

"Me pay?"

Rachel let out a bitter laugh. "Mortgage, household expenses... Even though our daughter doesn't pay tuition, schooling at a private school isn't free! Who do you think pays for all of that?!"

"And what about you? What have you done for this family? As a teacher at a private school, you can't even bring home two thousand a month. Thomas Brown, how much more useless can you be?!"

It was as if all her pent-up frustration was finally released. Ava looked at him, disappointment etched on her face and shook her head. "Are you really a man?!"

Am I really a man?

Thomas lowered his head, his face pale. Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, footsteps approached from a distance. Both he and Ava looked up, and Ava’s expression softened slightly as she greeted the visitor, "Scott Black, you're here!"

However, Thomas's expression darkened as he stepped forward to block the two of them.

"What are you doing here?"

Dressed in an expensive suit, Scott exuded the air of a wealthy playboy. Thomas had a strong impression of him; they were college classmates. Unlike Thomas, Scott was a typical rich kid, handsome, and a cheater.

Once, he and Ava had been the envy of everyone as a couple, but after Scott's infidelity was discovered by Ava, she decided to break up with him. She then ended up with Thomas, and if truth be told, Scott played a part in their eventual marriage.

"It was me who called him here!"

Before Scott could say anything, Ava coldly interjected, pushing Thomas aside and stepping up to Scott. "I need your help this time!"

Scott smiled gently. "Don't worry, your problems are my problems!"

I have connections with the hospital director. I'll make sure the best doctors treat Emma. As for the costs, you don't need to worry about that I'll handle everything!"

"My daughter doesn't need your charity!"

Thomas shouted.

Scott turned back, his eyes filled with disdain. "Do you even have the money for hospital bills?"

That one sentence made Thomas's heart skip a beat.

"Thomas Brown! Do you think I'm helping you? If it weren't for Ava, I wouldn't care if you lived or died!"

Ava shot him an irritated glance, then wrapped her arm around Scott. "Forget him, let's go!"

Watching the two figures embrace from behind, Thomas's expression darkened to an extreme.

Money, money, money!

It was all about money!

He chuckled bitterly. This is the harsh reality of society without money, a life is worth less than an animal!

Taking a deep breath, it felt as if the entire hospital was filled with mocking gazes directed at him. Thomas stepped outside and scrolled through his phone for a long time before dialing a number.

"Hello, Thomas!"