The Hidden Billionaire

CHAPTER 14: BARRON

"Thomas, is that you?"

The moment Avril recognized him, her face twisted with disgust. She immediately turned to the man beside her.

"Do you know this loser?"

The man instantly became interested. He pointed at Thomas and sneered.

"You know him?"

Thomas looked at the pair and was slightly surprised. The man was Cayden Erickson, one of those rich kids who loved showing off and spending money like water. Avril crossed her arms and let out a cold laugh.

"This idiot is my brother-in-law."

"He's broke, useless, and always dreaming above his station." The moment Cayden heard that, his eyes lit up.

A poor nobody?

Perfect. What better chance to show off in front of Avril?

He stepped forward with a mocking smile.

"Hey, loser. Weren't you just saying you'd pay for the motorcycle?"

"So what's the plan?"

"Bank transfer or cash?"

"I'm ready either way." Avril stood beside him, her face cold, but the slight smile on her lips gave her away.

There was no way Thomas could come up with thirty thousand dollars. If he had that kind of money, her sister wouldn't still be struggling every day. Thomas calmly looked at them.

"I don't plan on paying anything."

"This accident wasn't our fault."

The taxi driver beside him was shaking so badly he could barely speak. If Avril weren't here, Thomas might have paid just to save time.

But now?

He wasn't interested. Avril burst out laughing.

"Listen to him."

"A broke man acting tough."

"Weren't you acting all confident a minute ago?"

Cayden's face darkened.

"So not only are you poor, you're stubborn too?"

"If you can't pay, I'll call someone."

"When they arrive, you'll regret talking like this."

Thomas smiled faintly. There wasn't a trace of fear on his face.

"Go ahead."

That calm attitude only made Cayden angrier. This guy was completely ignoring him.

"Fine."

"Don't cry later."

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Barron."

"Get over here."

"Someone's messing with your little brother." After hanging up, he smirked at Thomas.

"My brother is on his way."

"You can either pay up now or prepare to leave here crippled." Thomas simply took out his own phone. He sent a location and made a quick call.

"Bring some people here." Then he hung up.

Cayden stared for a second before bursting into laughter.

"You called for backup too?"

"Interesting."

"I can't wait to see who shows up."

"But let me warn you."

"If your people can't handle this, they're going to suffer along with you." Avril stayed quiet. Her eyes remained fixed on Thomas. The calm look on his face made her strangely uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Thomas was thinking about something completely different. The last time he saw Avril, she was with another man.

Now she was already with someone new.

That was fast. Maybe Ava really needed to have a serious talk with her sister. At this rate, Avril’s reputation would only get worse.

Not long after, Beatrice gathered a group of students and sent them to Thomas's location. These were all tall, athletic boys from the academy.

Most came from wealthy families. They arrived in luxury cars one after another.

The scene was eye-catching. Before they got there, another group arrived first.

Several motorcycles pulled up nearby.

Young men with colorful hair jumped off their bikes and surrounded Thomas. One of them removed his helmet.

"Why'd you call me over so urgently?"

Cayden immediately pointed at Thomas.

"Barron, this guy wrecked my motorcycle."

Barron glanced at the bike stuck in the bushes.

One look was enough.

He understood the situation.

A cold smile appeared on his face.

"He was bragging that he could pay thirty thousand."

"If he can't pay today, maybe we should chop off a finger and see if he learns his lesson." Barron slowly nodded.

Then he looked at Thomas.

"You heard him."

"Hand over the money."

"Otherwise, you're not leaving here so easily." His eyes narrowed. Something felt strange. With so many people surrounding him, Thomas was still calm.

Not nervous.

Not scared.

Nothing.

And judging from his clothes, he looked completely ordinary. For most people, thirty thousand dollars was a fortune.

Yet Thomas didn't seem bothered at all. Cayden folded his arms.

"Weren't you talking big earlier?"

"What happened?"

"Thirty thousand for one arm isn't expensive." Thomas looked at him quietly.

With his current wealth, thirty thousand dollars meant nothing. But that didn't mean he would allow these people to bully him.

"I don't have the money." The moment those words came out, the group burst into laughter. Several of them pointed at him while shaking their heads. This guy was unbelievable. If he didn't have the money, why pretend earlier?

Now he wanted to back down?

Too late.

Even Barron was surprised by how straightforward he was. He stepped closer and placed a hand on Thomas's shoulder. His voice became lower.

"You're pretty bold."

"But if you don't have the money, this won't end well."

"Do you know who I am?" Thomas calmly shook his head. The group immediately laughed again.

"Old man, don't mistake us for nice people."

"When we hit someone, it hurts."

"If you can't pay today, you're going to feel some pain."

"At your age, you should know how the world works."

"Hurry up and get the money."

"Our boss doesn't have much patience."

"Need a phone?"

"Call your family before things get ugly."

Avril finally stepped forward.

"You're all wasting your time."

"I know him better than anyone."

"He's my brother-in-law."

"My sister works herself to death supporting him." "He doesn't have a cent."

The group laughed even harder.

"Oh?"

"A professional stay-at-home husband?"

"That's impressive."

"Teach us your secret sometime."

"You don't look like much, but somehow you got a woman to take care of you." Thomas remained silent.

Not a single insult seemed to affect him. But Barron was starting to lose patience. The calmness felt unnatural. Almost irritating.

He slapped Thomas's shoulder harder.

"Are you deaf?"

"Get the money."

"Or you might lose that leg today."

A cold light flashed through Thomas's eyes.

He glanced at the time.

Right on schedule.

Then— The sound of engines filled the street. Everyone instinctively turned around.

Luxury cars began pulling up one after another.

One.

Three.

Five.

Ten.

The entire road was quickly packed. The motorcycles were surrounded.

The colorful-haired group stared with wide eyes.

"What the hell?"

"What's going on?"

The scene looked unreal.

Luxury sedans.

Sports cars.

SUVs are worth hundreds of thousands.

Every direction was blocked. At first, they thought it might be a car show. But that made no sense. Nobody had heard about any event happening here.

And people didn't casually bring millions of dollars' worth of cars to a random street. More and more vehicles stopped.

Doors opened. Tall young men stepped out one after another. The entire atmosphere changed instantly. Thomas couldn't help but smile.

After all, this was Meadow Hall Academy. Pick any student at random, and chances were high that they came from a wealthy family.

Real second-generation rich kids.