The Hidden Billionaire

CHAPTER 7: AVA

Edward punched him across the face.

Gray staggered backward. His eyes widened.

"Are you insane?!"

Edward threw the photographs at him.

"They speak for themselves!"

The pictures were scattered across the ground.

Gray looked down. His expression froze. Every photo showed him with a woman.

A woman who happened to be Edward's girlfriend.

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Gray forced a laugh.

"Come on."

"It's just a woman."

Edward nearly exploded.

"Just a woman?!"

His face turned red.

"I treated you like a brother!"

Gray raised his hands.

"It was a mistake!"

Edward wasn't listening anymore. He rushed forward and punched him again. Gray finally lost his temper. The next second, the two boys were rolling on the ground throwing punches at each other. Teachers quickly backed away. Students gathered around to watch. The scene was pure chaos.

Then Thomas's voice rang out.

Cold.

Calm.

Clear.

"Edward Wright."

"Gray Brooks."

The two boys stopped fighting and looked up. Thomas looked down at them.

"You are both officially expelled from Meadow Hall Academy."

Silence.

Then Edward burst out laughing.

"Have you lost your mind?"

He climbed to his feet.

"Do you know who my father is?"

Gray wiped blood from his lip.

"You think you can expel us?" Thomas folded his arms.

"I don't care who your fathers are." The two boys laughed again. Then Beatrice stepped forward.

"He's not joking."

She looked directly at them.

"Thomas is now one of the school's major shareholders." The laughter stopped.

Edward and Gray blinked. The two boys looked at Thomas. Then at Beatrice.

Then back at Thomas. Neither of them could believe what they had just heard.

"This is impossible!"

Edward pointed at Thomas as if he had seen a ghost.

"He's a useless nobody. How could he become a shareholder?"

Gray quickly nodded.

"Exactly. This has to be a joke." The two boys laughed, but the laughter quickly faded when they noticed nobody else was laughing with them. Teachers, staff members, and even students were looking at them strangely. The smiles on their faces slowly disappeared.

Edward swallowed.

Then he looked around and shouted, "Where's Principal Bryce? Get him over here! He'll tell you this is all nonsense."

One of the teachers couldn't help laughing.

"Bryce?"

"He left a long time ago."

"Probably looking for a place to cry."

"What?!"

Gray's eyes widened. Only now did the truth start sinking in. The man they had mocked and bullied was now the biggest shareholder in the school. Thomas took a step forward.

"So?"

His eyes settled on them.

"I can expel you now, can't I?"

Neither boy knew what to say. Thomas looked calm, but his hands had already clenched into fists. The image of Emma lying in that hospital bed flashed through his mind.

The bruises.

The tears.

The fear in her eyes.

He forced himself to stay calm. Then he looked directly at them.

"You two seem to be forgetting something."

Edward frowned.

"What?"

Thomas's voice became colder.

"My daughter."

The atmosphere instantly changed. The two boys exchanged glances.

"Oh, that?"

Edward shrugged.

"She stepped on my shoe." Gray laughed.

"We only slapped her a few times." The smile disappeared from Thomas's face. For a few seconds, nobody spoke. Even the surrounding teachers felt a chill. Edward suddenly felt uncomfortable under Thomas's gaze.

Still, he forced himself to speak.

"My shoes cost six thousand dollars."

He pointed at Thomas.

"That's probably more money than you make in months." Deep down, he still refused to believe Thomas had really become wealthy. He kept convincing himself it was all some kind of trick. Thomas didn't bother arguing. Instead, he looked at David.

David immediately understood. He pulled out a thick bundle of cash and handed it over. Thomas tossed it toward Edward.

"Six thousand dollars."

Edward grabbed the money automatically.

His eyes lit up. Then Thomas spoke again.

"Now the shoe has been paid for."

His gaze hardened.

"But what about my daughter?"

Edward's smile froze.

Before either of them could react, several men in black stepped forward from nearby.

The next second, Edward and Gray were dragged away.

"What are you doing?!"

"Let go of me!"

Their screams echoed through the school grounds. A few moments later, sounds of punches and painful cries came from around the corner. Everyone watching felt cold sweat form on their backs. Thomas had changed. The old Thomas would have endured it.

This Thomas didn't.

When the noise finally stopped, Thomas turned toward David.

"Thank you."

"If not for you, I'd still be standing here getting humiliated." David immediately shook his head.

"You don't need to thank me, Young Master." Then he lowered his voice.

"If you really want to thank me, hurry up and go home. Your father is still waiting for you to inherit everything." Thomas instantly felt a headache.

"Let's not talk about that."

He quickly changed the subject.

"Bryce is gone. The school needs new management." His eyes landed on Beatrice.

Beatrice pointed at herself.

"Me?"

Thomas nodded.

"I want you to be the new principal." Beatrice nearly jumped.

"Are you serious?"

"I've never managed a school before." Thomas smiled.

"Neither did Bryce when he started." The surrounding teachers laughed. Beatrice couldn't help smiling too. Thomas continued, "What matters isn't experience. It's character." He looked at her seriously.

"When everyone avoided me, you didn't."

"When everyone stayed silent, you spoke up."

"I trust you."

Beatrice bit her lip. For a moment she looked conflicted. Then she nodded.

"I'll try."

A smile finally appeared on Thomas's face.

"That's all I need."

A little while later, Thomas got into David's car.

"Where to, Young Master?" David asked.

"Hospital."

Thomas didn't hesitate. Emma was still in the hospital. He wanted to see her as soon as possible. David nodded and started driving. After a few minutes, he tried again.

"You know, you could move back home."

"Everything already belongs to you."

Thomas shook his head immediately.

"No."

David sighed.

After all these years, Thomas was still as stubborn as ever.

Most people dreamed of becoming rich.

Thomas already had everything and still wanted to earn things himself.

"Fine."

David smiled helplessly.

"Then at least come sign an important contract with me." Thomas frowned.

"What contract?"

"A very important one."

"I'm not interested."

David chuckled.

"Then repay the money I lent you." Thomas froze. A few seconds later, he sighed.

"Fine."

The old man had trapped him again. David immediately looked pleased with himself.

Thomas could only shake his head. As they drove through the city, he casually looked out the window. Then he suddenly sat up.

"Ava?"

She was walking along the roadside.

"Stop the car."

The car pulled over. Thomas quickly got out.

At the same time, Ava turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw him stepping out of a luxury car. Then she looked through the window. Inside sat David Torres. The president of Velox Group.

Ava froze.

Why was Thomas riding around with someone like that? Before she could figure it out, the car had already driven away. She quickly walked over. Thomas looked surprised.

"What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't you be with Emma?"

Ava folded her arms.

"If I stay at the hospital all day, who's going to earn money?" Her tone was sharp.

"Are you?"

"Do you know how much Emma's expenses are now?"

Thomas opened his mouth but couldn't answer. Ava wasn't wrong.

For years, she had carried most of the burden herself. Seeing him stay quiet, she changed the subject.

"Who was that man?"

Thomas glanced at the road.

"Him?"

"Just someone I know." Ava stared at him.

Someone he knew?

The president of Velox Group?

Thomas said it so casually that she almost thought she had heard wrong. For the first time in years, she felt like she knew absolutely nothing about her husband.