The Inheritance
-2-

Chapter 51

“Are you kidding me, didn’t I just see you holding it?”

They arrived at the entrance, and other rich young men advised him.

“Yeah, but just now I had to pee, didn’t I? The car stopped somewhere on the way and I peed in the woods. Damn it, I was holding on the admission ticket, and after I finished peeing, I don’t seem to remember holding anything in my hand, I guess that’s when I lost it!”

The group started poking fun at him, but they were clearly just joking as friends.

Everyone was getting a bit anxious.

“Let’s look for it again, but if we can’t, we’ll go back and get it…”

“That’s pretty far from here!”

They discussed and explained to the female receptionist about how he had the ticket but he lost it, and if he was still allowed to enter and such.

The female receptionist directly denied their entrance.

“What’s the matter?”

At this moment, a middle-aged man in a suit walked towards the group of men and women.

“Oh, you must be Yancy Zimmerman.”

The middle-aged manager originally had an indifferent expression across his face, but when he saw the person who had lost his ticket, his face brightened up.

“Do you still remember me? I had dinner with your father, Mr. Taylor Zimmerman, in a restaurant in the county state. You were there with us!”

The middle-aged manager smiled.

“Oh, I remember, are you Ted Lopez, the manager of the tour company?”

“Yes, yes, yes it’s me. So, what’s all this commotion here about?”

Ted asked with a smile.

Usually, Yancy had an easy-going personality and everyone loved to joke around with him, but his family’s billion dollar assets were considered big in the County state.

And it was obvious that Yancy was the main focal in the group of men and women.

So, no matter how much they fooled around, once they heard that Yancy is in trouble, none of them would leave his side.

Especially the girls.

“Hahaha, well, Mr. Lopez, I lost my entrance ticket, but if I go back to search for it, that wouldn’t be such a great idea. So, is it okay if I can enter without the ticket?”

Yancy smiled, thinking in his mind, everything would be fine.

He tried to brush it off and was ready to step inside.

“No, Yancy!” Ted stopped him. “If it were the usual old days, you could do whatever you want, but this time, it is a special occasion. I’ll just give you a direct explanation. On the surface, this cruise party was seemingly organized by Mr. Holden for a group of rich young people to have fun and party. But in actual fact, Mr. Holden actually wanted to invite Mr. Crawford from Mayberry!”

“Mr. Crawford?”

Yancy and the others looked at each other.

“Ahem, I don’t think you’ll know who Mr. Crawford is based on my direct explanation, but you must’ve known about the commercial street at Mayberry, right?”

“Nonsense, the street was known as the Gold Fountain of Mayberry! That street was always bustling and crowded. I used to want to go to Wayfair Mountain Entertainment, but I almost could not afford it!” said Yancy.

“Ahem, forget about Wayfair Mountain Entertainment. Actually, the entire Mayberry Commercial Street is owned by one person, and that person is Mr. Crawford!”

“What!”

Yancy was shocked.

The pretty girls next to him were all shocked as well.

Some of the second-generation rich people were indeed rich, but they got the money from their parents. As for someone like Richard Crawford, who had his own big industry, he was simply way too up there. They were wondering who were the ones supporting him from behind.

The entire crowd was shocked.

“Yancy, that is why the entrance rules are stricter this time. They’re afraid some nasty people or the paparazzi would sneak in or something.”

Ted explained, patiently.

“Okay, okay, then we’ll go back and look for the ticket!”

They drove back and searched for half a day, but to no avail.

“F*ck, does this mean I can’t get in?”

Yancy said bitterly.

There was only one admission ticket per person, and this was not a commodity that one could just buy.

And at that very moment, the female receptionist who had been standing quietly by the side, suddenly turned red.

She was dying to say something just now, but she did not dare because what the manager had said was a little too frightening.

She did run into a very suspicious person going in earlier that evening.

Should she say or not?

She was afraid she would get fired if she said it, but if she did not, thinking about it, she felt like she should as this was a very grand event.

She could not bear the burden even if it kills her.

In the end….

She decided to say it out loud.

“Mr. Lopez and Mr. Zimmerman, you don’t have to worry. Maybe the reason you can’t find your ticket was because someone must have picked it up!” The female receptionist immediately spoke up.

“What? By whom?”

Yancy asked.

Hadley Zamora, the female receptionist, immediately told everything that she had seen about the suspicious man right on the spot.

“Why didn’t you call out to me then, if something like this happens, we’ll all be in trouble, didn’t you know that!”

Ted slammed his thighs.

He hated the sound of this person whom Hadley had described to the very detail.

In that instance, he ordered Hadley to look for the person.

As for Yancy and the others, they went in and mingled with the crowd.

Richard seemed to not know anything that was happening outside. He was enjoying the wide, beautiful golden beach.

As he listened to the sea whistling, he figured the party that will be held tonight would be really cool.

Next to the beach was a hotel overlooking the ocean.

Richard took the admission ticket and entered the hotel under the guidance of another male receptionist.

Earlier that day, Aiden Baker gave him a call.

They were still in their rooms and they had not woken up yet. They never thought Richard would come so early.

They immediately went out to find Richard.

“Stop right there, someone please stop him!”

Suddenly, Ted ran all the way here and saw Richard was about to enter the elevator. He immediately shouted at him.

Richard saw a group of people running towards him.

—

Richard was surprised. He stopped to see what they were up to.

“You! Show me your admission ticket right now!”

Ted Lopez’s anger was overwhelming.

To be honest, Richard looked nothing like a rich young man.

He doubted earlier that this could’ve been a mistake, but after taking a look at Richard’s clothing.

This definitely was not a mistake!

Ted hated him to the bone.

“Didn’t you check my admission ticket earlier!” Richard pointed at the female receptionist.

“If I didn’t check, how would I know that a loser just sneaked in!”

“Mr. Zimmerman, this is the person, I think he picked up your admission ticket!” Hadley shouted at him, rudely.

After saying that, she approached Richard and snatched away the admission ticket from his hands.

“Geez, the world is really big and there are all kinds of people, and people like you really think you can just join tonight’s cruise party!”

A few girls covered their mouths as they snickered, their eyes were filled with contempt.

Only then did Richard understand.

He had a feeling that they called out to him because they suspected that he had picked up someone else’s admission ticket, and it just so happened that someone had lost a ticket, so the first person that they suspected was him!  

Richard was left speechless.

“Mr. Lopez, call the police, this person must be trying to plot something bad!” The girls said.

Hedley had already taken out her phone and was ready to call the police.

“Mr. Crawford, so you’re here!”

Just then, Aiden Baker and the others arrived.

They came running over.

“Huh? Aiden, it’s you!”

Yancy said at the same time.

“Nice to meet you, Aiden!”

The few beautiful girls beside Yancy greeted him respectfully.

The Baker family’s assets were over a hundred million dollars in total.

“Oh, Yancy, so it’s you guys!”

The group, like Aiden, were all third-year students at Johnhurst University.

Of course they all knew Aiden Baker, the big bully of Johnhurst University.

“Mr. Crawford, do you know them?”

Aiden laughed and asked Richard.

“I don’t know any of them. They accused me of stealing their ticket and sneaked in, they were even going to call the police to arrest me!”

Richard smiled bitterly.

“What? Steal their tickets? Who the f*ck said that?”

Aiden was furious.

Hadley was stunned. She had heard of Aiden Baker, and he was considered quite famous, just like Mr. Holden.

But why was Aiden so polite towards this loser?

And what did Aiden just call him?

Mr. Cra…Crawford?

“Mr. Baker, please let me explain, I think there might be some misunderstanding. We were just suspicious of this young man and we only wanted to check his admission ticket. After all, you know how important this cruise party is!”

“Hehe, of course I know! Ted Lopez and Yancy Zimmerman, do you both know who this person is?”

Aiden pointed at Richard.

“He’s Richard Crawford, the owner of Mayberry Commercial Street. Do you seriously think he would steal your tickets?”

“What? He’s Mr. Crawford?”

The crowd had their jaws dropped all the way to the ground.

“Oh! Mr. Richard, I’m really sorry!”

Hadley’s legs were trembling.

She immediately bent and bowed at him.

The words that came out of Aiden’s mouth were obviously valid.

“Umm, Mr. Crawford, I’m really sorry. I really didn’t expect…”

Ted felt a lump forming in his throat, he tried to apologize respectfully.

Not to mention, the girls who stood next to Yancy and mocked Richard were simply nymphomaniacs.

So, he was the super-duper rich guy, Richard Crawford!

Ah!

And they have just said something so mean towards him.

Ugh!

Richard was used to all the mockery. He did not feel like he needed to slap them across their faces. Even if he wanted to, he would have slapped Hadley right in the face when she tried to stop him earlier.

He was only here for a simple meet-up, and he did not want to cause a scene.

All he did was to flash a tight smile across his face, then he headed into the hotel with Aiden Baker and the others.

His phone rang again, and it was Elena Larson calling.

“Mr. Crawford, have you settled in yet? I’m afraid I won’t be able to get over to you!”

“What’s the matter? Is something wrong?” Richard tried to listen closely as Elena sounded quite anxious.

“Argh, I think I’m about to go mad! As you know, I’m at my cousin’s house now, and guess what. My cousin wants to introduce a boyfriend to me, but I don’t want to! My cousin is not letting me go and there’s no way I can hide, argh, Richard, what should I do!”

Elena had always been well-mannered, but from her tone, Richard could tell that she was really frustrated and helpless at the same time.

“Oh, it’s simple, just tell them you have a boyfriend!”

“But here’s the problem, I got all excited and told her that my boyfriend is already here, but I can’t go out to meet other guys and such. My cousin started forcing me to introduce my said boyfriend to her, but where am I going to find a boyfriend? This is such a mess!”

Suddenly, Elena lowered her voice, “Richard, can you do me a small favor?”

“Oh sh*t, what do you mean by that?” Richard’s eyes widened.

—

Richard knew what Elena meant without even thinking about it!

She was definitely trying to get him to pretend he was her boyfriend so she could use him to deal with that cousin of hers.

Richard had done enough pretending, though, let alone pretending as her boyfriend.

“Richard, please, I beg you, please pretend you’re my boyfriend. Aiden and the others look too much like gangsters; they are not as composed as you are. You’re the best candidate for me. If you’re not going to help me, my cousin will definitely hook me up with that guy, and I really don’t want to meet him!” begged Elena.

Although Richard wanted to refuse, he could really find no reason to. After all, Elena had helped him a few times before, and now she was just asking him to return the favor. It was a simple request, and it would be embarrassing if he refused.

“Alright!” Richard nodded and agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Richard did not go upstairs with Aiden and the others. Instead, he took a taxi to Elena’s cousin’s house.

Her cousin’s family was also quite wealthy, having owned a villa in Rivington City.

When he arrived, Elena was already at the entrance waiting for him.

And next to her was a girl who looked to be Elena’s age.

No matter how Richard looked at it, the scene reminded him of the time when he went to Mila Smith’s house. One day, would he run into all of them by pretending to be someone else’s boyfriend?

Richard got out of the car and greeted Elena.

“AH! My gosh, cousin, is this Richard? Is he the boyfriend you mentioned earlier? Why did he get a cab here?”

The girl next to her was relatively fair and pretty, but when he saw Richard, he looked at him with a mix of resentment and disappointment.

It seemed Elena didn’t reveal his identity.

The rich and fair girl had no idea who he was at all.

Judging by how he dressed, he looked like some poor loser no matter which way he was looked at. Besides, wasn’t he ashamed of taking a cab here?

She was disappointed.

“Amber, what are you talking about? Richard is a very nice person! What’s wrong with him being my boyfriend!”

Smiling sweetly, Elena ran over and held Richard’s arm.

Alas, how nice it would be if Richard was really was her boyfriend, Elena thought to herself.

“Alright, alright. I hope my parents and relatives won’t say anything when they see him later!”

Amber curled her lips, not bothered to look at Richard any longer.

She turned and went inside.

“Damn... didn’t you say I only had to meet your cousin? Why are there so many other people?” Richard was stunned.

“They only came after I called you. I’m so sorry, Richard... help me just this once!” Elena popped out her tongue.

“Alright, just this once!” replied Richard helplessly.

What Richard had in mind before he came here was actually quite simple. Once he met up with Elena’s cousin’s family, her cousins would definitely start comparing him with other guys. He would then bring out some of his assets and let them play compare.

It was that simple.

But now, all of Elena’s aunts and uncles were there, and that gave him a headache.

It turned out everyone heard that Elena was coming today, and her family and her cousin’s side were usually quite close.

They even had ties with one another when it came to business dealings.

What more, they heard that Elena had found herself a boyfriend.

So, they all came here.

Chapter 52

“Is he your boyfriend, Elena?”

Upon entering the house, a group of young men and women of about the same age approached them before the adults even spoke a word.

Each one of them sized up Richard.

It wasn’t long before these people revealed their mind.

‘Wow, Elena is so beautiful, and yet she has such horrible taste? It’s obvious that her boyfriend is far from it!’

“Elena, we were going to ask you to join us at the cruise party together, but you always say you have something to do. Hmmm, so you brought your boyfriend with you!” said one of the girls.

“Yeah, but what a coincidence... we can go together!” Elena smiled and held Richard’s hand, never letting it go once.

None of her cousins greeted Richard at all.

Elena knew that they looked down on him too.

However, she didn’t dare reveal Richard’s identity without his consent. Seeing that Richard seemed alright, she was relieved.

But Richard was far from happy, numbed from attending such occasions too often. He simply chose to remain silent and keep his composure.

“Okay, Elena, have a seat!”

At this time, a middle-aged lady stood up. She was Elena’s aunt, Ruby Larson.

She ran her own beauty company, making tens of millions of dollars in annual profits.

Her skin was maintained exceptionally well, and she was used to seeing many wealthy. When she saw an ordinary person like Richard, she felt extremely uncomfortable.

“You must be Richard! Where do you live? What does your family do?” Ruby asked.

The group of rich heirs sneered at Richard’s direction.

“I don’t think he will answer that question. His family must be from the countryside, and they own a farm, right?”

“Ugh, I really can’t fathom how Elena could find such a shabby-looking guy when she’s so pretty and rich? If he was my boyfriend, I would’ve jumped out of the building and died!”

“Look at him; he’s been quiet from the moment he entered the house. Obviously, he’s nervous because he has never seen such a nice house before. He must be overwhelmed by the luxurious surroundings. He’s no competition for Dickson Wayward!”

“Fuck! What are you talking about? He, a competition for Dickson Wayward?”

On one side, several men and women were crossing their arms as they gossiped about Richard.

When Amber heard that they were comparing him to Dickson Wayward, she immediately frowned in disdain.

Who was Dickson Wayward anyway? He was the guy that Ruby introduced to Elena; his family owned a hotel chain. He was a graduate of Johnhurst University and the president of the Department of Economics and Management’s student body!

‘He’s someone with great achievements. This guy right here will never be a match for him!’  

Richard heard everything since they were all chatting loudly.

He wasn’t angry, only slightly depressed.

Did a person’s wealth really matter that much? When did the criteria to differentiate between a good or bad person change from morality to wealth?

If you had the wealth, everything that you said and did was always right; but if you were poor, you were nothing!

Richard reminisced about all the things that happened in the past.

Only then did he look at Amber. “My family is now in a small town in the country. My parents run a small business!” Richard said truthfully.

“Pfft, he really is from a small rural village! His parents probably just run a small kiosk in town... my goodness!”

Amber and the others were even more despicable.

Ruby, who had not said anything about letting Richard sit down, became more serious when she heard this.

“Then what kind of merits do you have to fall in love with Elena? What nerve!”

—

“Auntie, don’t say that!”

Elena glared at her with widened eyes.

She really did not expect such cruel words to come out from her aunt’s mouth.

She really had no idea who the person standing in front of her was. He was truly a great tycoon and a great patron of the Larson family!

Elena was a little shocked.

After being scolded so much, Richard was only slightly agitated. The words and mockeries seemed to have numbed him.

Ruby was about to reprimand Richard even more. She wanted to make him understand that he had to stay away from Elena.

Suddenly, her phone rang, and she picked it up to answer the call.

“Oh? Dickson Wayward? Huh? Didn’t I say I’d let you come next time? What? You’re already at the door? Okay, okay, I’ll go get you now!”

The call was from Dickson Wayward. Ruby had already told him that he wouldn’t be coming today.

But who knew that Dickson would still insist on coming here?

It was Elena’s boyfriend who was coming over, after all, Ruby thought. She was quite pleased with Dickson and wanted Elena to get to know him, perhaps, even get to pull a few strings.

But what if Elena’s boyfriend was even better than the handsome Dickson Wayward?

What if her boyfriend was even richer than the already wealthy Dickson Wayward?

What if…

Ruby had thought of countless what-ifs, but this wasn’t what she had expected.

She did not even want to say it.

Elena had to break up with Richard, or she would let her dad what kind of mess his daughter was in!

“Woah Woah Woah, Dickson is here! Elena, since Dickson will be attending the cruise party as well, you can get to know him more, right?”

Amber and the others had already put Richard aside. As of now, they intended to set up Dickson with Elena.

Right at that moment, Dickson entered the house with Ruby.

“Dickson, you’re looking great!”

Amber smiled sweetly when she saw him.

Dickson was tall and handsome. He wore silver and gold rings and watches on his hands, and it made him look rich.

“Haha! Amber is really getting better with her sweet compliments!”

Dickson shook the watch on his arm and smiled.

His gaze slowly shifted, and that was when he spotted the beautiful, heavenly Elena Larson.

“Let me guess, she must be Elena Lawson, that pretty cousin of yours from Mayberry, right?”

In actual fact, Dickson had met Elena a long time ago. They were both from Johnhurst University, and how could he not notice an impeccable beauty the likes of Elena Larson?

With just a mere glance, Dickson found himself falling in love with her.

She was simply too beautiful, so beautiful his heart was about to explode!

So, when Dickson heard Auntie Amber’s intentionally planned meeting, he was over the moon. But then, he was suddenly told that their meeting was canceled.

Anyhow, a socialite like Dickson wanted to know why she had to cancel the meeting. The more he was not allowed to come, the more he insisted on coming!

“Well, hi there!” Elena greeted politely but immediately stood next to Richard after that.

Was he really that unattractive?

Dickson felt grim.

It was then that he shifted his gaze to Richard.

“So, you’re Elena’s boyfriend?” Dickson laughed confidently, attempting to give off the impression that he was a generous and capable person.

“I am!”

—

“So you’re saying you’re also from Sunnydale University? I’ve never seen you around, though!” Dickson was smiling the whole time.  

“No. I’m from Mayberry University.” Richard knew how to stay calm no matter what kind of vibes the other people were giving him.  

“Mayberry University is fine. Anyways, what does your family do? How did you make Elena fall for you?” Dickson asked.  

“Well, Dickson, allow me to tell you. He came from a small village, and his family runs a tiny grocery store! How do you still not understand by the way he dresses?” Amber answered.

The highest state of ignorance was pretending someone didn’t exist even when he was just right in front of you. Although it was hurtful, nobody would actually point it out. However, Amber had been doing that to Richard all along, and it showed how much she despised him.  

“Oh, it must have been tough studying in Mayberry coming from a small village. Do let me know if you’re in any kind of trouble. My father knows the dean, and I can get things settled for you. If you need a loan, you could always come to me too. I’m from Sunnydale, but I’m actually well connected! Anyways, have you taken any sort of loans before?”  

Dickson soon noticed that Amber had been ignoring him...

“Yes, I did apply for a three-year loan. I used the money to pay for tuition!” replied Richard.

Richard initially intended to prove that Elena was wrong, but now he decided it best to keep a low profile.  

There were three reasons for it:  

One, Richard did apply for a loan and did indeed pay the tuition fee with that money.

Two, even if he was trying to help Elena, there was no need to go to such an extent. Richard realized that Elena wasn’t just pretending that he was her boyfriend, but she actually wanted to develop a different kind of relationship. It wasn’t him being narcissistic. He could actually feel it. Even though Richard did fancy pretty girls and would easily fall for any one of them, he wasn’t a bad person in general.  

Richard had always wanted his girlfriend to connect with on a deeper level, but Elena was definitely not that person. This was because the first time they met, Elena injured his face, resulting in Richard not wanting to date her.  

Three, he did not want to expose his true identity. He was uncomfortable each time he became the center of attention. He never understood why anyone would like that.  

“Damn! You had to pay your school fees with a three-year loan? You must be broke!”  

“Fuck! This is big news. How could someone be so poor they had to apply for a three-year loan? I’d be embarrassed even if I had to just apply for one. I’d probably kill myself!” Amber and the girls mocked.  

Ruby frowned, thinking Elena must have gone crazy to have chosen a guy like him!  

Why would she choose someone like him!

“They say children from poor families are more independent. Well, it does seem right. But if you require money, you can always approach me. I’ll gladly lend it to you since Elena, and I are schoolmates. We can be friends too!” Dickson smiled.  

Even though it was a small gesture, it was clear they were mocking him.  

Being the student president, he was clearly good with words. Every sentence that came out of his mouth subtly insulted Richard.

“There is no need for that, but thank you anyway.” Richard smiled and politely rejected his offer.  

“You’re always welcome. Anyways, since you’re studying at Mayberry University, have you been to the nearby attractions? You should go check out Mayberry Commercial Street and Wayfair Mountain Entertainment. How could you not when you’re already at Mayberry, right? Why not I show you around after this?. My father knows the CEO of a restaurant on Commercial Street. I could bring you there!”  

“Hey Dickson, don’t you remember what Elena's family does? Even if Richard pays a visit, Elena could bring him!” said Amber smiled as she smiled.  

“Oh, right. How could I have forgotten? I only remember that Richard is a pretty poor pauper who hasn’t been anywhere before. Well, it seems like he’s been frequenting Mayberry Commercial Street after being in a relationship with Elena.”  

“Oops… definitely my fault for having bad memory! Hahaha!” Dickson hit his head as he laughed it off.

Chapter 53

Dickson had been showing off his family’s connection with Mayberry in the rest of the conversations while poking fun at Richard.

It would be unreal if Richard was not angry at all. At this point in time, he would have really loved to punch Dickson in his face. All Dickson could ever do was to just show off and mock people. Other than those things, he had no greater purpose.  

That afternoon’s family gathering was quite awful. They continued talking after lunch, and soon, it was past noon.  

Richard had been awake since early that morning, and he was starting to get exhausted.  

Amber suddenly shouted, shocking Richard. “ Dickson, Elena. It’s almost five, and the party is about to start soon! Let’s go get ready now. It’s not nice to be late!”  

“Right! Yoel Holden organized it, after all. We mustn't be late!” Dickson said.  

“Okay, you should get going now. Dickson, please take good care of Amber and Elena!” Ruby said, leaving Richard out of the conversation deliberately.  

“Yes, ma’am!” Dickson replied.  

They went to pick up their cars, and Richard hopped onto Amber’s Porsche. It was only because Elena insisted. If it wasn’t for her, they would probably not have let Richard into the car.  

Elena held onto Richard’s arm tightly, a gesture to tell him that she was sorry. She never thought they would be so mean to him. She apologized on behalf of her family.  

Richard shook his head with a bitter smile on his face.  

As they were talking, they reached the entrance of Mayberry Beach.  

“Does Richard have an entrance ticket?” Dickson wanted to ask that question early on. Still, he waited until they all arrived at the entrance before asking just to embarrass him.  

“I do have it!” Richard nodded as he reached into his pocket for the ticket.  

“You must have gotten it from Elena. Seriously Elena, why are you even so nice to him! Don’t you know? You’re just going to ruin his life if you bring him into our world. Why not just let him live his own life?” Amber complained.  

Amber didn’t usually sound like an adult, but now, she was acting like one. There was even a hint of sophistication in the tone.  

She would usually treat Elena with respect, but she had enough for today. It was the gathering of the wealthy, and everyone there would be really rich. She understood that her sister really loved this Richard and intended to show him their world. But wouldn’t it hurt his pride after seeing so many rich people inside?  

“That’s quite enough, Amber. Don’t be a nuisance!” Elena was frustrated.  

“You two have to stop arguing now, okay. Let’s just go in and have a look, alright? If there’s anything that Richard is afraid of answering, I’ll answer it for him!” Dickson took advantage of the situation.  

“Dickson, you’re such a gentleman!” Amber complimented as she rolled her eyes at Richard.  

It was only five in the afternoon, yet the beach was already crowded.  

“Dickson is here!”  

“Amber, you’re here too! We have already started up the barbeque!”

—

A few rich young men waved at Dickson when they arrived. They all seemed to know each other.

“Wow, so many friends are here. Come, Elena. Let me introduce them to you!” Dickson said.

The youths in question were playing around while eating and drinking, all having a blast.  

Richard was exhausted, not in the mood to meet new people anymore. He really needed a place to rest, then find out where Aiden and the others went.

“You guys have fun. I’ll be heading to the washroom. You guys don’t have to look for me!” Richard told them and left by himself.  

“Is he really just heading to the washroom, or he is embarrassed to let anyone know that he’s from a poor family?”  

“I know, right! Doesn’t he know what social setting this is? And he’s probably regretting now!”  

Everyone was talking about him.

Elena wanted to follow Richard, but she knew she had troubled him way too much today. She didn’t want to bother him anymore.

“Who was that person? He just went off without saying anything?”  

One of the young men was unhappy.  

“Don’t bother. Just a stupid peasant!” Amber replied.

Meanwhile, Richard was already on the other side of the beach. He loved the feeling of walking by himself.  

After grabbing a glass of wine from a waiter holding a tray, he lay on a chair and slowly sipped the drink.  

Finally, his ears were free!

His phone rang. It was Zack.  

“Mr. Crawford, how did the party go?”  

Richard had mentioned the party previously, and he knew all about it.  

“It’s alright!” Richard smiled bitterly.

“That’s good to hear. I hope Yoel has been treating you well… there are things I shouldn’t tell you, but I’ll just let you know anyways. The person that organized the party, Yoel Holden, has a profound connection with your sister. He organized this gathering all because of you!”  

“Huh? What does it have to do with me?” Richard was confused. If the party was because of him, then why did he get the ticket from Elena?  

And what did the son of the richest man of the county have to do with his sister?  

“Hmm. Holden’s family only sprung up because of the support that Ms. Jessica gave. Yoel’s mother was your sister’s godmother. Understand it now?”

Richard would have never known that such a history existed. It seemed he was the only one clueless about his sister’s developments.  

“I’m only telling you all these things because this family can be quite pretentious, just like how they tried to get close to your sister after learning about her actual identity. They acted as if they helped her during her poor days and when she had become successful, they pretended that they wouldn’t try to get any advantage out of it. Your sister was touched by their actions hence the support she’s giving to them!

“But then again, they have been really loyal to Ms. Crawford too!”

“I believe this Yoel Holden is pulling the same trick to get your attention, and since you’ve told me about the party, I’ll be really guilty if I didn’t tell you all of this!”  

“Okay. Thanks a lot, Zack!”  

“You’re welcome, Mr. Crawford. It is my pleasure!”  

Richard hung up the phone after that conversation.