The Secretly Rich Man

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 381

“Sir Herring Jenkins is the head of the county. Who on earth could make him wait at the bus station?”

Montana could not mask her surprise.

Was it that rich dude from the city?

No way. Why would someone as rich as him come here by bus?

“Wait here; I’ll go say hi!”

Montana’s boyfriend straightened his suit and tidied up his hair.

He was ready to go over.

“But Jonathan, will this work? Will Mr. Jenkins pay any attention to you?”

Montana couldn’t help but worry.

“I guess so. After all, he knows my dad too, and I’ve had dinner with him twice.”

Jonathan reassured Montana and headed over to the other side.

Montana, however, didn’t dare go with him. The other side was filled with big shots, and several heads of the Ministry of Education were also present.

As a fellow staff member, of course, Montana didn’t possess the courage to approach them.

As for Jonathan, he went and came back quickly.

While there, he looked very proud, thinking that he had a chance to stand out among the crowd if he just greeted everyone.

But when he came back, he was dejected and his face the color of an eggplant.

“Huh? What happened, Jonathan? Did the mayor ignore you? Ugh, I told you so didn’t I? better not go over where all the big shots are!”

“Mmhmm, it seems like the mayor and the others are indeed waiting for someone’s arrival, someone important. I heard them talking about a Mr. Crawford, the one about to bring a massive change to the entire Serene Town! He’s a big boss, but something isn’t right. If it really is Mr. Crawford, why would he come here by bus?”

Jonathan was confused.

“Hmm, the mayor probably did not tell you the truth. Let’s go now. The few heads from the Ministry of Education are also there,” said Montana in a hurry.

Jonathan simply nodded.

He hoped that Mr. Crawford could speed up his journey as well.

Gerald had been following from behind and heard them mentioning his name. Could they have come here to pick him up, he thought to himself.

But he had already told Zack Lyle not to turn his arrival into some grand event. He simply wanted to return home and get his own stuff sorted out, and he wanted to stay out of it.

Right now, though, it was a bad time for Gerald to go over and ask them.

He pretended that nothing happened.

His hands were full of Montana and Jonathan’s luggage. Her driver stopped in front of them as soon as they exited the Station.

“The heat is killing me! Jon, get the luggage inside, and let’s leave!”

Montana rudely snapped at the driver.

After putting their luggage inside, Jonathan and Montana got into the car, and the driver drove away.

Gerald was left alone at the station with his luggage on the side, looking like an idiot.

He might be just a servant, but the least they could do was to greet him, right?

Inside the car, Jonathan looked at the rear-view mirror and saw Gerald, now standing stupidly at their pickup spot. He felt a little sorry for him.

“Montana, I forgot to greet that classmate of yours. We should’ve at least asked where he was heading and perhaps give him a lift, right?”

“Forget about him. We’re not giving him a lift. He’s just pathetic, and we’re not going to risk soiling our car because of him!”

“Alright then.”

Cursing Montana under his breath, Gerald decided to call home and prepared to leave.

On the way back, he remembered to give Mr. Winters a call.

He wanted to tell them not to make him any food as he would take away something on the way back.

The phone back home rang for quite a while, yet no one picked up.

He called three times until someone finally picked up the phone. A faint, weak voice came on the other side of the line.

“Hello? May I know who you are looking for?”

“Mrs. Winters, it’s Gerald here. May I know where Mr. Winters is?”

“Oh, Gerald? You’re back for your break, huh?”

Mrs. Winters sounded a little surprised.

Back when they were kids, Jessica and Gerald were both raised by Mr. and Mrs. Winters.

It was why the siblings had an incredibly deep affection for the old couple, treating them as their own grandparents.

In the past few years, Jessica was the first to rise to the top. Since Gerald still had to support his poor self, he could not provide Mr. and Mrs.Winters a comfortable life. The only thing he could do was give them financial aid discreetly.

So basically, Mr. Winters and his family still retained their original lives.

After Jessica received news that Gerald was about to have a break, the first thing she thought of was helping Mr. Winters and his family settle down.

Gerald would never forget about him.

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 382

“Ahem, Mr. Winters was hospitalized this afternoon. I’d just come back to pack some clothes when I heard the phone ringing.”

“What? Hospitalized? Which hospital?”

Hearing Mrs. Winters’s gloomy tone, Gerald’s heart thumped in his chest. He hastily asked for the hospital’s location.

Mrs. Winters told him the address.

It happened to be at a hospital in the same county.

Mrs. Winters also happened to arrive at the same time after hitching a ride on one of the county’s bread trucks.

Gerald assisted her down from the truck before rushing to the emergency room in one of the hospital’s buildings.

Mr. Winters had apparently suffered from cardiovascular problems and passed out while having his lunch.

The incident gave her a big scare, and she immediately called for an ambulance. Now, the doctors were still doing all they could to save his life.

“Why are we the only ones paying for his hospital bills? Big brother, he’s our dad… your dad, so you’ll have to chip in too.”

In the emergency room doorway, a woman with textured, caterpillar-like eyebrows was speaking to a couple.

Opposite her were also several couples with young children.

Upon closer inspection, Gerald realized they were Mr. Winters’s two sons and daughters.

Those young children were his grandkids.

After hearing of the incident, they had apparently rushed to the hospital as well.

“My brothers and sisters, what you said wasn’t exactly accurate. You’ve all been living with dad the longest, and I’ve always been out, busy with business; as for the bills, I’m only asking you to settle in advance. Never have I mentioned once that I’ll make you pay for it all, so calm down! At the end of the day, the four of us will split the bill equally!”

The eldest of the bunch had always been out managing his business. He crossed his arms, taking a drag from a cigarette.

“Why should the four of us pay an equal share of the bill? Both of you brothers are the eldest of the family, so it only makes sense that you foot a little more. Sister and I should pay the lesser part. Besides, my daughter just graduated from university this year, and she’s getting an internship soon. I’ll need some money for that!”

The third sister was disgruntled.

Gerald understood that they were somehow fighting over the medical bills.

And when Mrs. Hayward heard the fight brewing among the siblings, she was so angry she almost fainted.

“Can you guys stop arguing for once?! If none of you are going to pay, I’ll pay for it, even if it costs me a kidney. Are you happy now?”

Mrs. Winters stomped her foot in exasperation and frustration.

“Calm down, mom. Didn’t you use up most of your savings to help your grandson start his own business?” quizzed the second eldest son.

“How much are the medical bills?”

Gerald finally spoke up.

“Huh? Gerald is back?”

Only then did the crowd notice Gerald.

“Hmph! Why did you even bother asking? It’s not like you’ve got the money anyway!” a young lady named Queeny Winters snapped coldly. She was the same age as Gerald.

During their childhood, Mr. Winters had always been more fond of Gerald compared to Queeny. As a result, she was dissatisfied. What grandparents would care more for a poor kid rather than their own granddaughter?

“Stop pretending to be something you’re not and start showing us what you can do,” interjected Clifton Winters, the other youngster who had just set up his own enterprise.

Like Queeny, he despised Gerald all the same.

His hate stemmed from Gerald getting good grades since he was a kid, and his grandparents had often compared him to Gerald. As time went by, his jealousy slowly turned into hatred.

As for Gerald, he knew that Queeny and Clifton disliked him since the beginning.

Yet, he did not say anything.

It was then that a nurse approached them.

“May I know when the surgery fee will be paid? The total is 20,000 dollars, and I suppose all of you can afford it, right?”

The nurse droned on with a tone of indifference.

“Listen to me, brother. Settle it now. I’ll give you the money later,” said the eldest brother.

“And why should I listen to you?”

“…”

Soon, the jabs against each other that had supposedly mellowed down boiled up into a heated quarrel all over again.

The second daughter-in-law and the third sister had joined the quarrel. They even brought up past issues, saying something about how the second-daughter-in-law owed money to the third sister.

Then, the entire scene turned chaotic.

Everything was a royal mess.

The nurse didn’t even try hiding the scowl that had grown across her face.

“I’ll pay,” Gerald whispered to the nurse as he shook his head in helplessness.

“You?”

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 383

The nurse led Gerald downstairs to pay at the counter, though she felt somewhat skeptical about him.

What then could be the reason for her doubts?

It was all because of the way Gerald dressed. He didn’t look like one that would have much money on him.

The medical bill came up to 20,000 dollars, almost impossible for the average family to fork out, let alone someone like him.

Gerald proved her wrong, though. He paid the 20,000 dollars for the surgical fee and even settled the accommodation as well.

It was a whopping 30,000 dollars in total!

He paid for everything without even batting an eyelid.

The nurse was stunned, unable to move.

Gerald paid no attention to her and walked back to the hallway.

They were still fighting.

“Everyone, stop fighting, I’ve settled the bills,” said Gerald.

“Huh???”

Only then did the fight die down.

The siblings were stupefied when they heard that.

“You paid for everything? Gerald, it was 20,000 dollars! Where did you get the money from?” asked the eldest brother in astonishment.

“Well, not just 20,000 dollars, but this handsome lad paid 30,000 dollars, including the hospital bills!”

Unbeknownst to Gerald, the nurse had followed him all the way here.

“30,000 dollars?!”

The crowd became even more surprised.

In a worse state were Queenie and Clifton were even more embarrassed, considering how they kept mocking Gerald before this. Now, he had really forked out the money. They felt as if they had been slapped on the face, one hard slap after another.

“The money wasn’t stolen, right?” Clifton asked with a twisted face.

“Yeah, I remember an online news site reporting how someone lost their money! Gerald, did you happen to find that money and not return it?”

“It must have been it! Beware, someone might just call the police on you. That 30,000 dollars might just land you a death sentence!” Clifton warned viciously.

After all, he owned an entire enterprise, and it wasn’t surprising that he knew such things.

It was also precisely these words that scared Mrs. Winters.

“Gerald, where did you get that much money from anyway?”

just won the lottery, so there’s nothing

his identity, he simply didn’t know what to

he panicked and ended

opened wide the

Especially Queenie.

win?” she asked in an anxious

Winters’s eldest sons, the adults, thought that it was quite bold that a young

a nice young man, and he intended for them both to

who would like a

So, Queenie rejected him.

that he had won the lottery, she felt

become a wealthy man, would that

Gerald. How

jumped to

simply laughed, while showing five

a million?” Queenie

Winters was

won half

worry about it, auntie. Just relax. I’ve already paid for uncle’s

Mrs.

super anxious, as though a swarm of ants was crawling

she do

seemed to have won a lot more

it be five

Gosh!

ridiculed

Mr. Winters’ side all the time in the hospital. The good news was that his condition

first waited for Mr. and Mrs. Winters to

started grumbling, he headed to the hospital’s cafeteria to

you, Gerald? You’re

was queueing up for food, he felt a sudden

a beautiful

the makeup

Man Novel (Invisible or

“You’re Morgana Lopez?”

a

course, he knew her. She was from the same class in high school and even representative of the English

she was pretty yet looked normal at the same

to four years,

was pretty

mentally prepared to bump into high school classmates

should be

saw your picture taken by Montana Lewis in our English class representatives’ group today. You were carrying a duffel bag, so I knew you were back. I didn’t expect

Morgana straightened her hair.

to leave behind their contacts to stay in touch

F*ck! Gerald was stunned.

take a picture of him, and

that she must have taken the picture

bring over her luggage while she was holding her phone at that time, so he

Fck. That btch…

it may seem, Gerald still cursed in

why are you in the hospital?

had a quick chat with Gerald. Last time, they did not talk quite as much, but now, it seemed she had grown

my uncle got admitted here. How about you? Seeing someone?” Gerald

of patients here. Say hello to your uncle later for

Morgana smiled.

understand now. You must be a doctor

while, I’ll become a full-time

“That’s great!”

connections with the hospital, but

a pretty common thing to do when students were nearing

with connections would rely on them, and those

It was nothing surprising.

for Gerald to make his

have to order anything. Let me treat you to

soon filled up both of their

was sumptuous and

classmates in high school, and we haven’t seen each other for quite some time now, so you won’t mind me buying you

mouth

I? Thank you so much for the food! It

two then

the conversation by introducing herself and what she’d been doing for the past two years. It might have seemed like some innocent catching up, but what she really wanted was to show off a little bit. Nonetheless, she was still

merely listened, occasionally inserting praises with a few

young male doctor in

“Who’s this?”

here, so I treated him to lunch! Hey Gerald, let me introduce my boyfriend to you. This is Gabriel Lyons. He’s the one I told you about, and his

Morgana smiled.

proper restaurant

find any time for that? Besides, you don’t

Gerald nodded as

alright that things turned out

remainder of the meal, he listened to Gabriel and

it’s Cameron Laver and the others. They’re back for their break, and it looks like you

buddies during high school, and now that they’re here on break, I’ve to treat them as well. Even if I have to take a

Johnsbury Bistro

How about Buntingford Grand Hotel?” After all, we haven’t seen each ever since we left high school, that’s four years now. You’re not going to make me look too shabby in

get the other directors for a meal to settle this? You know that your director is the hospital’s chief,

Gabriel laughed bitterly.

bring up the matter? I’ve just lost my appetite! I can’t swallow another bite

fork onto the table in

what he had heard, Gerald guessed that Morgana had to be

Rich Man Novel (Invisible or

said before. He isn’t giving face to your father at all! Doesn’t he know we are both seeing each other? He

enraged that her fork almost slammed into

tried to console

listened as he ate, and he

that Morgana Lopez’s entry into the hospital as an intern clinician had been arranged by Gabriel’s father, the

good at her job, where she was very professional and was

seemed to be at odds with

became the victim of the conflict

more than challenging to become a permanent doctor her, and if her probation didn’t end

from the director’s side, but that one seemed to perform way worse

director

become

things wouldn’t work out

Morgana wanted to have a night out with Cameron and

were since they were from the same

worked in a hospital, and his mother

going to have a discussion on the matter

and awkward as he

quickly finished

done? Have you eaten enough? See, I’ve got a lot going on

blandly. It didn’t sound as

days, most people were only polite for the first few minutes. When that time was up, their real

okay, and by the way, Morgana, did you just say you were having a hard time at work? Don’t worry too much,

couldn’t finish his lunch and just leave

her a reassuring word

he could help her, he was more than willing to help

that she invited him for a meal, regardless of whether expensive or not, was what friendship was

Gerald sought to help

me the room number to your uncle’s ward, and I’ll have Gabriel go over and

“Alright!”

them the ward

he walked out of

same time, he called Zack, seeing if he could pull some strings

wasn’t a

Gerald’s long-term investment plan include free-market industries, but it also included

and educational sectors were also

Gerald, I wonder

just as they were about to

“Why, what’s wrong?”

you had returned for a few days. It was all my fault, I let slip of it when I was drinking, and they even went to the station specifically just to greet you. Now, they’ve set up a welcoming party for you, and they wanted to know

it’s in the evening…

all along. They were indeed there at

Gerald felt quite bad for leaving

feel like

Rich Man Novel (Invisible

agreed to

once Mr. Winters finally slept off, Gerald left

Grace Hotel, somewhere around Serene Town

been a top priority for the region, and this time, much thought had been put in to make it as

Serene Town

Gerald had to look after

entrance,

up at the parking space. A couple came out

formally, and the man

left earlier. Look

my fault? You were the one taking hour upon hour to put that makeup on! My dad even called a couple of times

than

let’s get

and saw that a boy had also entered the hotel. He pointed at him

one of your students? Is

be playing with y…

look of her

“Gerald! Stop right there!”

was ready to enter the hotel, he heard someone calling

Lewis, what

with a

kick Montana badly on

They’re planning a grand event, so what are you doing here?” asked

reply, Montana looked as if

work, right? Wow, Gerald, I didn’t know you had quite the eye for the finer things! Cape Grace Hotel will be quite busy tonight,

smirked and

I’ll remember to spare

She then grabbed Jonathan’s hand and went into

Hehe…

see, I’m going to make you cry, you b*stards!” Gerald laughed

took a step into

hall was

held his hands behind his back, scouring the crowd

face pelted by a

was that? That person must have been really

and saw Morgana sitting by a table, covering her

her, and they all looked

all looked at

there like a dummy. Get over here!” Montana

Rich Man Novel

he walked

students? He looks pretty good… hey, why isn’t he

waiters here are in their uniforms, and he’s the only one

he must be the handyman then. He’ll work wherever there’s work to be

find a

to my side. There’s an empty seat beside me.

dine among so many rich and young CEO today,

twenties, a few women saw how Gerald looked

Montana rolled her eyes.

at? Can’t you see that they’ve asked you to sit down?!

Gerald could

so he chose to sit with them for a little while. He would

he was a little annoyed, mostly because Montana had been incessantly abusing

Why?

their teacher-student relationship, Gerald did everything that she asked had him to do, yet he didn’t even get

been mocking him ever since they stepped into

party. Instead, he became the ladies’ laughing

certainly didn’t

he sat down

you? I can’t believe you sat down after being told to do

again, Montana rudely

made the women giggle

of Serene Town’s business elite, their husbands’ moguls involved in Mayberry’s top

the other hand, was just a substitute

endlessly flattered them on some occasions, hoping she could tag

that everyone was so happy,

Thwack!

the back of

for Libby and the

table burst into

up and pouring everyone

turn, Gerald deliberately shook the bottle, aggressively

hands, he and spilled the wine directly on

her dress was full

Holy sh*t! My

you even know how to pour wine??? Do you want to

Montana was enraged.

to start in a second, and there was no way she

Gerald looked like

a brat who had never attended any such events, so he was naturally careless

it anyway, so all she could do was hold her

my mistake. I should never have let you sit here from

I’m heading to the toilet.

another table chatting with some elders, and it would be

“Alright!”

he looked at Montana. He nodded and followed

you to get me a box of tissue! What the fck am

was in a

was universal, and both the men’s

moment, a girl

to walk over to the sink to wash her

Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible

Miss Lewis? Why are you