The Tycoon Secret Heir: From Shame to riches

"Still not up? Can't you just sleep quietly? I've really had enough of you!"

The cold voice jolted Cedric Brown awake from his dreams. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and looked at the icy expression on the woman's face before him. He lowered his head, feeling a wave of grievance wash over him.

At just eighteen, Cedric already had a beautiful wife, Jean Jordan, which many would find hard to believe. Jean had been Cedric's child bride, adopted by his grandfather when she was an orphan. Growing up, Cedric needed to hold Jean close to fall asleep, and back then, she was happy to oblige.

But everything changed after Cedric's grandfather passed away last year. Suddenly, Jean refused to let him share her bed, insisting he sleep on the floor instead. But she was his wife! How could he not sleep with his own wife?

"Look at you, so useless. Are you still a baby, still needing to sleep with me?" Jean's beautiful face was filled with disgust.

"But you're my wife," Cedric clenched his fists.

"I'm not! Your grandfather forced me to marry you. Now that he's gone, and your parents are out of the picture, I've already done enough by taking care of you!" Jean said as she got dressed and grabbed her car key to head to school.

"Honey..." Cedric got up from the floor.

"Don't call me that! Remember, everything you eat, use, and wear is all supported by me. I've done enough for you. Call me 'honey' one more time, and I'll kick you out!" Jean's eyes shot icy daggers at him.

"Jean, I have no money," Cedric said, lowering his head. He was just a freshman, while Jean, five years older, was already a teacher at a university and had even started her own training company, making her quite wealthy.

"Don't you know how to earn money yourself? Useless idiot!" Jean scoffed, tossing two hundred bucks from her bag onto the floor before striding out with her long legs.

Staring at the glaring two hundred dollars on the ground, Cedric felt tears welling up. Ever since his grandfather's death, Jean's attitude toward him had worsened day by day. But he had no complaints; he knew it was his own lack of ability that had led to this.

He put on his clothes and, without taking any money, opened the door. Just in time, he saw Jean driving her BMW out of the parking lot.

“Don’t expect to ride in my car. A loser like you is only fit for the bus!” Jean said coldly as she drove away.

Cedric clenched his fists. He didn’t have a single penny to his name, so how could he even take the bus? He had been borrowing money from one classmate just to eat, and he had promised to pay them back today. But now...

Cedric sighed, never imagining he would be this broke. He had no choice but to walk to school. Fortunately, it wasn't too far. Upon arriving at school, he ran into Tiffany, the classmate he had borrowed money from.

“Cedric, today is the day. You need to pay me back,” Tiffany said, walking over with her hand out.

“I... just give me one more day. I’m working a part-time job today, and I’ll definitely pay you back the two hundred bucks,” Cedric said earnestly.

“No way! You promised to pay me back today, or I wouldn’t have lent it to you. You have to give me the money right now,” Tiffany replied, her tone leaving no room for negotiation, her pretty face showing nothing but coldness.

“But I don’t have any money right now,” Cedric said, looking down.

“No money? Why don’t you ask your dad for some? Did your parents die or something?” Tiffany mocked.

“You!” Cedric's fists tightened. He had never seen his parents growing up, a painful truth he had carried with him.

“Looks like they really are dead. Well, pity you then. This afternoon, you owe me four hundred. If you don’t pay up, I’ll have someone deal with you!” Tiffany sneered before heading to class.

Cedric's face turned red, a mix of emotions swirling inside him. Being broke was unbearable; he didn’t want to experience this humiliation again!

He had to find a way to scrape together some money, or he would definitely get beaten up this afternoon. He considered skipping class and was about to leave the school when his phone rang. He pulled it out to see an unknown number.

Curious, he answered the call. A gentle yet unfamiliar voice came through, “Cedric, it’s your mom.”

“Mom?” Cedric froze. He had never seen his parents. If it weren’t for the slight resemblance he had to his grandfather, he would have thought he was an orphan like Jean Jordan.

"Hey, Cedric, don't blame me. I've been abroad for so many years, and I had no choice. But now that I'm free, I'm planning to return home soon. I'm sending you five million for now. If that's not enough, just tell me. Bye."

As soon as the unfamiliar voice finished speaking, the call ended. Cedric Brown was left in a daze. Was that really his mother, someone he had never met? Just as he was pondering this, his phone pinged with a notification, and an alert popped up in front of him.

Cedric was stunned. His balance at the bank showed a staggering 5,000,000.50 dollars. Had his mother, whom he had never met, really sent him five million?

He double-checked, even calling the bank to confirm. After verifying that it was indeed correct, Cedric was overjoyed. He really had five million now!

"Cedric, aren't you going to class? What are you dawdling around for?" At that moment, Jean, who was about to head to class, noticed Cedric grinning like a fool and felt even more annoyed.

"I’m not going to class!" Cedric snapped back for the first time.

"What did you say? Come here!" Jean stormed over, furious. "How dare you talk back to me? You’re not sleeping in my room tonight!"

"If I’m not, then I won’t! I’ll just go sleep somewhere else!" Cedric shot back. With five million in his account, why would he need to share a room with Jean? He didn’t have to put up with her anymore.

"You! Cedric, if you step foot in my house again, I’ll break your legs! How dare you talk back to me? This is outrageous!" Jean's furious voice echoed behind him.

Cedric didn’t care. He was determined to buy a place of his own. He didn’t want to rely on anyone anymore. With five million, he could afford a house. Today, he was moving out! He walked straight out of the school.

"How helpless and pathetuc!" Jean shook her head in anger, her long legs striding away as she headed to class.

Cedric took a taxi to the nearest real estate agency.

With more new properties available than existing ones, if he wanted to move in today, he would have to look for a second-hand house. He hoped for the best; maybe he could find a place to move into today. If not, he could always wait a few days. After all, he had money now and could afford to stay in a hotel for a few nights.

As he pushed open the door and walked in, his ordinary attire didn’t attract any attention from the staff inside. He looked young and dressed in cheap clothes—was he here for a part-time job?

No one in the store paid Cedric Brown any attention; they glanced up briefly before returning to their work.

Delia Ryan, a real estate agent with a forced smile, stood up. "Sir, are you looking to...?"

"Buy a house!" Cedric replied confidently.

"Buy a house?" Delia's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Cedric again. After years in real estate, she could read people well, and this guy seemed like a broke loser just here to waste time.

"Sir, the cheapest places in the city start at twelve thousand per square meter. Are you sure you want to buy a house?" Delia's tone turned cold and impatient.

"Absolutely, you..." Cedric nodded.

"The cheapest is twelve thousand per square meter! Sir, make sure you understand that," Delia repeated, her tone sharper now, a hint of disdain on her face.

"Sure—"

Before Cedric could finish, Delia's eyes lit up as a portly bald man walked in. He was clearly wealthy, and Delia immediately lost interest in Cedric. She flashed a bright smile and rushed over to the new customer, leaving Cedric in the dust.

"Sir, are you looking to buy a house?" Delia beamed.

"Yes, I want to buy a house. Show me something good, but remember, I don’t want anything cheap!" the middle-aged man boomed as he took a seat.

Delia's smile widened. "Oh, we have plenty of expensive options! The cheap ones are quite rare since we cater to high-end clients like you. Some people just look like they can't afford it and shouldn't even step foot in here. Don’t you think that’s embarrassing?"

Delia's smile was laced with sarcasm as she spoke, and the middle-aged man glanced at Cedric with a look of contempt.

"Let me give you the details. Our most expensive options start at twenty-eight thousand per square meter," Delia said, eager to please.

Feeling ignored, Cedric grabbed a chair and smashed it against a glass table. Delia let out a sharp scream, and when she realized it was Cedric, her voice turned shrill. "You broke idiot! What are you doing? Do you have any idea how much that table costs? Can you even afford to pay for it? You're going to regret this!"

Other employees quickly gathered around, worried that Cedric might make a run for it.