2026-03-24 19:41:16Frank’s efficiency was terrifyingly high.
Wade’s family had always been in the stone quarry business, supplying construction materials around Stonebridge. But in less than a single day, nearly every quarry and processing plant around their factory had been quietly acquired by the Carter Group. By that afternoon, massive trucks had already delivered new machinery and equipment. Professional engineers and technicians were sent in to take over operations. The next morning, when Wade’s father woke up and stepped outside with his toothbrush in hand, he nearly dropped it in shock. Everything around his factory had changed overnight. Even worse, all of his long-time clients began canceling their orders one after another. They would rather pay penalties to terminate their contracts than continue doing business with the Wade family. Everyone in the Stonebridge business circle had heard the news by now. Wade’s son had offended Victor Carter’s grandson. Who would dare risk getting involved with that kind of trouble? Losing a little money was far better than offending the Carter family. Because of this, the Carter Group didn’t even need to lower prices to compete with Wade’s factory. The Wade factory had simply lost all its orders. Inside the factory office, Gregory sat silently in his chair, smoking cigarette after cigarette. His face was dark with anger as he stared at his son kneeling on the floor in front of him. “Talk,” Gregory said coldly. “What exactly happened?” Wade nervously explained everything—from how he bullied Kelvin, to how Kelvin suddenly became rich overnight. But he still tried to defend himself. “Dad, I really didn’t expect that guy to have such crazy luck! Who would’ve thought he was Victor Carter’s grandson? I didn’t mean to cause this kind of trouble…” “Shut up!” Gregory slammed his hand on the desk. His lungs felt like they were about to explode from rage. He had spent decades building his business and earning a stable living in Stonebridge. And now his idiot son had offended someone they could never afford to offend. Destroying someone’s source of income was the same as killing their parents. A cold and ruthless look flashed across Gregory’s eyes. He crushed the cigarette in the ashtray and spoke in a low voice. “Go tell your second uncle to transfer the factory ownership.” “Then take your mother and leave the country for a while.” Wade’s eyes lit up. “Dad… are you saying—” “Is it your place to question me?” Gregory roared. “Get out!” Wade scrambled out of the office quickly, but inside he felt strangely relieved. Kelvin… you poor nobody. So what if you suddenly became rich? If you disappear from this world, none of it will matter anymore. Meanwhile, Kelvin had no idea someone had already started planning revenge against him. When he woke up that morning in the luxurious five-star hotel suite, he saw Frank standing quietly beside the bed, watching him with a gentle smile. Kelvin was so startled he nearly jumped. “Uncle Frank… how long have you been standing there?” “Two hours.” Frank calmly adjusted the robe in his hands and said with noble composure, “Master Victor usually wakes up at seven every morning. Therefore, I arrived at seven to wait for Young Master’s instructions.” Kelvin glanced at the wall clock. It was already nine o’clock. His face turned red with embarrassment. In the past, he always woke up early—but only because he was hungry. Last night was the first time in years he had eaten properly and slept peacefully. Without realizing it, he had slept in. Understanding Frank’s polite reminder, Kelvin quickly put on the robe Frank handed him. “Uncle Frank,” he said, “I’m going to a class gathering today. You don’t need to come with me, right?” Frank smiled slightly. “Young Master’s safety is always the highest priority.” “I will have Lena and several bodyguards protect you from a distance.” “They will remain hidden so your classmates won’t notice.” Hidden protection? Kelvin couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh. He never imagined that someone like him would one day receive this level of treatment. Eagle Ridge Park, located just outside Stonebridge City, was known for its beautiful scenery. At the foot of the mountain sat a large lake called Swallow Lake. Small wooden docks surrounded the lake, where visitors could rent boats and enjoy the water. Anna had brought her classmates to a cheap lakeside ranch house for their outing. The group was laughing and chatting loudly while preparing for their barbecue. Soon, the topic naturally turned to Kelvin. “I still can’t believe Kelvin suddenly became Victor Carter’s grandson,” one student said. “Last night I searched online… Do you even know how rich Victor Carter is?” Another student shook his head. “Honestly, it still feels fake to me.” “Think about it—if Kelvin was really that rich, why did he leave yesterday riding that old broken bicycle? Maybe he hired those people to act it out.” Just as Zack finished speaking, someone pointed toward the road. “There he is!” Everyone turned to look. Kelvin was riding toward them on the same old yellow bicycle, wearing the same school jacket. But today he seemed more confident… more energetic. Zack sneered. “I knew it. This guy must’ve spent all his savings hiring those actors to put on that show.” Many of the surrounding students began to doubt things again. After all, Kelvin had always lived like a poor student—eating cheap food and riding a rusty bicycle. If he was really the heir to a massive fortune, why was he still riding a bike that rattled loudly with every bump? Grace, who had fainted several times the day before, quickly stood beside Zack. “See? I told you!” “How could someone like him suddenly become lucky?” She turned to Anna and whispered, “Anna, you better be careful. I think he’s just pretending to be a rich guy to trick you.” Anna rolled her eyes at Grace and ignored her completely. Instead, she walked toward Kelvin, who was parking his bicycle. “Class Rep,” Kelvin asked with a smile, “can I still pay the activity f*e and join the trip?” Anna smiled sweetly. “Of course you can. Come on in.” “Perfect timing—we need help with the barbecue.” Kelvin nodded and greeted the other students behind her. Since no one was sure whether Kelvin was truly rich or not, they could only respond politely. Soon, Kelvin followed Anna to the grill area. He quickly began organizing the ingredients and skewers with surprising efficiency. Anna looked at him with curiosity. “You’ve done barbecue before?” Kelvin scratched his head awkwardly. “Back in high school… I ran a small barbecue stand for a few days to earn tuition money.” “No wonder,” Anna said with a smile. “Oh right,” Kelvin added, “how much is the class f*e this time? I’ll transfer it to you.” “Two hundred dollars,” Anna replied. But after saying it, she suddenly felt a little worried. Everyone nearby turned their heads to watch. They all wanted to see whether Kelvin—who used to be so poor—could actually afford the two hundred dollars. Then suddenly— A voice came from Anna’s phone. “Payment received: One billion dollars.” Anna’s hand holding the barbecue skewer trembled violently. Kelvin looked embarrassed and scratched his cheek. “Sorry, Class Rep.” “Uncle Frank must have transferred my allowance to me just now.” “I didn’t know he’d do it at this exact moment.” “I’ll send the two hundred right away.” The students around them were completely stunned. One billion dollars… transferred through a phone payment app?! You’ve got to be kidding!
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The Commission and The Manager
The Commission and The ManagerThe fat manager had been standing to one side of the sales office for the last twenty minutes with the specific posture of a man who has identified that something significant is happening and is calculating how to position himself advantageously within it.He had apparently been the one to whisper Emma's commission rate to her — three percent — in the specific way of someone performing helpfulness in order to be seen performing it.Emma had calculated the commission on the villa purchase and arrived at a number."One hundred and thirty thousand dollars," she said. She said it carefully, as if she was not entirely certain the number was real.Anna looked at Kelvin."Transfer it to her now," Anna said. She said it the way she said most things — directly, without the elaborate construction of a request.Kelvin took out his phone.Emma looked at him."You do not have to—" she started."You sold the villa," Kelvin said. "This is your commission. You earned it
The transfer and outcome
The transfer coordination took the rest of the morning. Frank’s team was thorough, which was consistent with everything Frank’s team did. The paperwork moved efficiently. The transport arrangements were made. The Crestview Medical admissions team had been briefed and was ready. Seven patients from the orthopedic ward accepted the transfer offer. Kelvin was at the hospital entrance helping coordinate when the last transport left. Sarah Whitfield was still there — she had been working all morning, interviewing patients, reviewing documents, doing what journalists who were good at their work did when they were in the middle of a significant story. She came to stand beside Kelvin. “Seven patients transferred,” she said. “That is who was in the ward,” he said. “The charitable care program will handle ongoing referrals.” She looked at her notebook. “The RuiserChi Holdings statement,” she said. “Anna issued it while you were in the security room.” “Yes,” he said. “It wa
Press conference
The regulatory inspector and Sarah Whitfield were still inside the hospital when Kelvin came out through the main entrance.The hospital's front steps had acquired the specific quality of a space where something significant was developing—several reporters with cameras, a small cluster of patients and family members who had followed from the payment office, and the hospital's vice president, a man named Gerald Park, standing with the posture of someone who has arrived to manage a situation and is discovering the situation is larger than briefed.Anna had arranged the press contact. She had done it efficiently, which was consistent with how she did most things.Gerald Park was trying to answer questions with the specific desperate composure of a man who does not know which answer is going to make things worse."Is it true that patients were billed for medications they did not receive?""Has the Security Department detained a visitor without legal authority?""What is the status of the
a regulatory conversation
The inspector arrived in twenty-two minutes. Her name was Dr. Linda Walsh — different Walsh from Catherine Walsh, Stonebridge apparently producing this name with regularity — and she had the specific composed bearing of someone whose professional life had been spent in facilities that did not want her to be there, which had produced an immunity to that particular form of resistance. She looked at Kelvin. "You called this in," she said. "Yes," he said. "You are also the person who called in the Crestview Medical situation," she said. "Yes," he said. She held his gaze. "The Crestview restructuring is ongoing," she said. "Your documentation in that case was thorough." "Frank's team prepared it," he said. "I provided the context." She looked at the payment office, at the patients who were still waiting, at the administrator who was standing with the posture of someone whose morning has taken a direction he would prefer it had not. "Walk me through what you observed," she said.
The billing department
The payment office of the Municipal Hospital was on the ground floor, accessed through a corridor that had the specific quality of spaces that processed difficult transactions — fluorescent lighting, a long counter, the ambient noise of people navigating paperwork they had not expected to be navigating.Kelvin stood at the counter with Grace and her mother and the doctor who had been managing this situation in the specific way of a man who had decided that a person dressed in worn clothes and faded jeans was not going to complicate his morning.The doctor read out the arrears."One hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars," he said. He said it with the specific confidence of someone who expects the number to end the conversation.Kelvin looked at him briefly.Then he produced the black card and placed it on the counter.The cashier looked at the card.The doctor looked at the card.The specific quality of the silence that followed was the silence of a recalibration happening in real
the hospital visit
Kelvin changed into the worn jacket and faded jeans before leaving the office.Grace had noticed, and had not said anything, which was the correct response. The clothes communicated something specific for this specific context — not poverty, but approachability, the particular register of someone who did not want the first thing Grace's family saw to be the surface of what his circumstances had become.Some contexts required the charcoal suit.This one required the worn jacket.They took a taxi to the Municipal Hospital on the west side of Stonebridge — a public facility, underfunded in the ways that public facilities were underfunded, with the specific texture of a place where the gap between what was needed and what was available showed clearly in the paint and the equipment and the particular quality of exhaustion that the staff carried.Grace moved faster than Kelvin through the lobby. He understood this and kept pace without mentioning it.In the elevator to the third floor ortho
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