Ch. 311..315: 11The Secretly Rich Man Chapter 311-315

Chapter 311

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 311 Gerald was able to let off a lot of steam there. He’d never felt so good before.

However, he realized that things could get very complicated from here on out. Although he’d lived a modest life thus far, he at least understood this much.

Therefore, he decided he’d take this matter a little further. At the next opportunity, he’d have to sit down with Zack Lyle and Michael Zeke to discuss what had happened here.

He thanked Aiden and Elena for rushing over to his side before dismissing them.

The events of the day had left Queta frightened and humiliated. She was down in the dumps. Even her clothes had been ripped and torn by Liara’s gang. It broke Gerald’s heart to see her like this.

Ultimately, it was his fault that this tragedy had to occur and that Queta had been dragged into it.

“Come on, I’m buying you new clothes!” Gerald declared cheerfully.

“No…I’m fine like this, Gerald!” Queta bowed her head.

“I insist. No matter what, I had gotten you into this mess. Anyway, it’s your birthday!” Dragging her along by the hand, he pulled her onto his car and brought her to a fancy clothing emporium filled with high-quality high-fashion items.

Gerald bought two outfits for Queta all the while coaxing and consoling her. He promised something like today would never happen again.

He paid for the clothes, but just as they were about to leave…

“Gerald, is that you?” A clear, feminine voice called out to him. The tone was laced with unexpected delight.

He turned to look. It was Naomi Milton. “Naomi!”

Naomi also had three other girls with her: Felicity Nelson, Yvonne Dunn, and Cassandra McGregor!

Well, it didn’t surprise Gerald to see Naomi running with these girls. After all, there’d been that thing at Emperor Karaoke Bar a couple days back. That time, everyone had lost their minds, except for Naomi, who’d remained calm and advised Felicity to moderation and she’d been right: Jake had proven to be no trifle.

In that way, Naomi had also proven herself to be a voice of patience—something which Felicity felt she had a need for.

As for Yvonne, well…it wasn’t as though Felicity wasn’t aware that the girl mainly sought to benefit from her recent popularity. This was made especially obvious by how uncomfortable she was about Naomi joining their clique.

Naomi informed Gerald that the afternoon following that incident, Felicity had invited her to help out around her workplace.

As for right now…naturally, both Felicity and Cassandra spotted Gerald too, but neither one offered him greetings.

They only glanced at him, then began examining Queta, who was beside him.

“Gerald, who’s this? What a beauty! Won’t you introduce her to us?” Naomi cajoled teasingly.

Gerald handled the introductions. “This is my good friend, Queta Smith. Queta, this is Naomi Milton, that bro I’m always telling you about. She’s a real man among men!”

“Pleased to meet you!” Although in low spirits at the moment, having met the Naomi that Gerald had told her so much about, she was delighted to shake hands.

Chapter 312

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 312 It had barely been an hour since that catastrophe.

Gerald didn’t want to talk about it in front of Felicity and the rest, so after greeting Naomi, he hurried Queta away.

“Hot d*mn, holy cow!” Yvonne exclaimed in frustration. “That Gerald has some guts, huh? Felicity and the counselor are both here, but he didn’t even say a quick hello to them? You ladies saw it, too! He completely ignored us!”

To herself, Yvonne thought about how someone like Gerald ought to show someone like her only the utmost courtesy and always mind his manners.

Instead, he’d snubbed them! Yvonne wouldn’t stand for it.

Neither Felicity nor Cassandra could believe how Gerald had treated them, either.

They hadn’t greeted him, but he hadn’t greeted them, either. He’d grown some balls.

“Hmph! Loser! I couldn’t care less!” Felicity huffed.

“Alright, alright…leave Gerald alone, now.” Naomi tried to salvage the situation. “I noticed he was in a bad mood just now. Something’s probably happened and he was too preoccupied to say hi, that’s all.”

“You don’t have to defend that person, Naomi. He’s free to do as he pleases. Hmph! Anyway, we’re going to Wayfair Mountain Entertainment later—we’d best hurry home and try on our new clothes! Isn’t that right, Felicity?”

Remembering that they’d be making a trip to that wonderful Wayfair Mountain Entertainment as soon as today, nothing could bring Yvonne down right now.

Felicity’s company superiors were having a friendly gathering at the villa. Since their top personality Felicity was one of Mayberry’s own, she was naturally entitled to bring a few guests along.

Now that Exceptional Live had risen to become a national-level media platform, they were worth a lot more these days. That meant better company vacations in nicer spots!

Suddenly, Naomi’s phone rang. She took the call, grunted in acknowledgement a couple of times, and then hung up.

Anxiously, she reported, “Felicity, that was the car rental service. Their driver has just left on urgent business and all their other drivers are at some wedding function, so there isn’t anyone to drive the Mercedes-Benz G-500 we reserved! They’ve asked if we’d be able to find our own driver!”

“What! The driver dumped us? D*mn it! It’s just one thing after another…” Felicity was fuming. “How am I supposed to find a driver last-minute to take us there? Anyway, I always hand-pick my drivers—they have to be good-looking! Every detail counts when going for an event like this!”

Really! Why did everything have to be so complicated?

“That’s right! Among us, only the counselor can drive, but as she’s going as a guest of honor, that’s out of the question!” Yvonne squealed. “Anyway, we can’t ask the counselor to serve as our driver!”

“Oh, I’ve just remembered that Gerald has a driving licence! He could do it!” Naomi exclaimed. “Shall we ask him to be our driver, then? He’s even been to that villa before!”

The truth was that Naomi was serving a personal agenda of her own here.

Previously, Gerald had really borne the appearance of someone who’d suddenly struck it rich, indulging in luxuries left and right. After a while, however, he’d gone right back to ground.

His classmates believed that he’d splurged it all away, and that was the end of it.

However, that brief period in the limelight had also left Gerald with a nasty preoccupation with appearances.

Naomi hadn’t failed to notice this.

She was asking him to be their driver now because she knew that Felicity had commissioned their previous driver for nearly a thousand dollars.

A thousand bucks for an afternoon’s work. It was a lovely arrangement.

Yvonne was the first to protest. “No, no way! Naomi, didn’t you hear what Felicity said? We need a good-looking driver, not some crass dork like Gerald! Forget about it!”

Felicity, however, arched one eyebrow and murmured, “Hmm…I actually think Naomi’s suggestion has some merit. Crass and dorky though he may be, Gerald has a certain innocence about him which is rather refreshing. Mm-hmm…our old dorm-mate Xavia wasn’t entirely without taste. I’ll just need to give him a bit of a makeover and he might even do very well as our driver!”

“Okay. Let’s give him a shot, then! He can drive, after all!” Cassandra raised no disagreement.

“Alright. Naomi, give Gerald a call. Tell him I’d like him to be our driver!”

Chapter 313

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 313 “Gerald, are you busy later?” Naomi asked, when Gerald took her call.

“Who, me? No, I’m not busy!” He was sending Queta back to campus. Once she was in class, he’d obviously be free.

“Oh. I’ve found you some side income. A thousand bucks for a day’s work. It’s a simple job: Felicity needs a driver. I know you’re not hurting for money these days, but a little extra scratch never hurts, right? What do you say?” Naomi presented the proposal delicately.

She knew he’d just about used up his windfall already, but she spoke with tact nevertheless as she was also aware that Gerald had become an image-conscious person. He’d even developed a taste for fine clothes!

But for all that, he was still a bro and nothing had changed that between them.

Honestly, when Felicity’s name came up, Gerald had wanted to decline—not least because he knew Yvonne and Cassandra would probably also be involved. It would be a madhouse, being caught between those chattering hens.

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to turn down Naomi’s goodwill.

After a slight pause, Gerald nodded his head and agreed after all. It was all for Naomi’s sake.

“Alright! First, I’ll need you to get back here. We’re going to buy you some things and dress you up!” Naomi laughed happily over the phone.

Gerald sighed in exasperation and turned the car around.

As the girls’ captive, he was given an expensive suit and a pair of leather shoes, all of which he had to put on right away.

It had to be said that Felicity, despite her aloofness towards him all this while, had to admit to being a little smitten when she saw Gerald in those handsome clothes. She almost complimented him, even…

But then she saw him carefully folding up his old clothes, as though intending to take them with him.

Oh, dear…still just a loser, after all.

“These are fine clothes. Don’t wear them out in a hurry, Gerald! Between the cost of this outfit and some spending money for you as our driver, you’re getting well over a thousand bucks out of this!” Cassandra remarked with arms folded.

“Yes, I see.” Gerald could only smile and nod.

“Oh? Gerald, is that your new phone?” Naomi had just now spotted what he held in his hand.

He nodded. “Yup! Just got it a few days ago!”

“Whoa, that looks pretty sweet! Pass it here!” Yvonne peered at the device, her interest piqued. Without waiting for permission, she reached over and snatched it away.

One look at it, and she squealed. “My gosh…Felicity, Cassandra, look at this! This is the latest model, new on the market…it goes for over four thousand bucks! Gerald, is this yours?”

As a matter of fact, the most expensive smartphone she’d ever owned, she’d paid for it by installments, to a total of one thousand dollars.

Gerald, the poor man of their class, used a phone worth four times as much?

“No kidding!” Felicity gasped when she saw it, in spite of herself.

“Gerald, I don’t know when you’ve become such a show-off—but for a guy like you to buy a phone like this, what were you thinking? Felicity is at the top of her game right now and her phone only costs half as much! You’re just a student with no steady income, so how can you splurge like this? How many times must I tell you?” This came from Cassandra, the counselor.

It was as though someone had stepped on her tail.

Only a moment ago, she’d been lecturing Gerald about a set of clothes worth a few hundred bucks… and then he’d whipped out this four-thousand-dollar phone! Where did that leave her?

“Exactly! Why did you get something so expensive? Were you trying to impress some rich kids? Ahh… some people simply don’t have class. Don’t you know, Gerald? Only poor people go for things like this, people with money just buy the cheaper models!” Having suffered some affront from this, Yvonne eagerly joined in the harassment.

Chapter 314

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 314 “Yes. You’re right. Of course.” Gerald just nodded away compliantly.

There was no point in arguing. He’d let them talk.

Next, they brought him to the car rental company, where they collected the Mercedes-Benz, and set out for Wayfair Mountain Entertainment.

Now they were back on track.

Gerald had to open the door politely for Felicity to step out from the car. The other girls followed after and they were all greeted warmly by the staff at the villa.

Why was the villa showing such consideration for Exceptional Live?

It was simple: though neither Exceptional Live nor that upcoming Yorknorth Mountain event was that big a deal, the sponsors behind them were. Ultimately, Michael Zeke was trying to put on a show to impress Gerald Crawford.

As she posed for the photographers, Felicity turned and muttered under her breath to Gerald, who had been about to follow them inside, “Very good, Gerald. Now take the car to the parking lot and wait for us there. You’d best stay clear of the event proper, lest you blow your own cover and embarrass us all! Regarding dinner, you can buy yourself some bread if you get hungry—it’s not like they’re serving the kind of food you’re used to eating.”

Clearly, she thought he was likely to say something that might embarrass her.

Unbelievable! One day, she’d get her just desserts!

Gerald had had it up to here with Felicity. He had his pride too, for crying out loud! Couldn’t she show him at least a little respect?

Cursing in silence, Gerald could do nothing but comply and bring the car to the parking lot.

He couldn’t reveal his true identity, one way or the other.

Of course, Gerald wasn’t going to just hang around here like a fool.

He’d already decided that while he was here, he’d seek out Zack Lyle and Michael Zeke to discuss about Rye Group.

When he arrived at Michael’s office, the man was reading a newspaper. When he saw Gerald, he shot to his feet, caught by surprise.

Moments later, Zack hurried over to join them.

Gerald recounted recent events to them and they in turn shared what they knew about Rye Group.

In summary, Rye Group pre-dated all their other organizations and was a stone-cold criminal family.

In this Mayberry region, they were big shots. As business continued to grow, Henry Rye established a formal group, going legitimate.

However, for all the legitimate businesses they conducted, some of the things they did…well, Gerald had some first-hand experience. One example would be when Chad and Danny Xanders attacked William Rye, and then the Xander family vanished overnight. Then there was Damien Rye, who commanded his own private army of thugs.

The reason Zack Lyle maintained cordial relations with them was because of their might. The vast network of people who served them, as well as their extensive underworld connections, made them a force to be reckoned with.

Peace begets prosperity, after all.

By now, Gerald had a much clearer understanding of the state of the game. Then his phone rang. It was his elder sister Jessica, whom he hadn’t spoken to for over a fortnight now.

“What are you up to, Gerald?” she began.

“Nothing much. Just having dinner with Zack Lyle and Michael Zeke!” Gerald answered brightly, deciding that Jessica didn’t need to know about all this. At the end of the day, she was grooming him to eventually take over the whole Mayberry Commercial Street. If he went running to his sister for help with every little thing, what sort of worth would he be demonstrating?

“That’s great. I’m calling to let you know that I’ll be paying a visit to Mayberry in three days’ time and I want to see my precious baby brother. Hahaha!”

“Oh? You’re coming here?”

“Yup—and I’ll have some earth-shattering news to deliver to you, too!”

Chapter 315

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 315 “What’s the big news?”

Gerald froze. However, hearing that his sister would be coming, he thought back to one year ago, when she and both his parents had gone abroad to work off some debts, and how he’d never seen them since. This was a truly exciting prospect.

Of course, that was just a story they’d made up to tell him.

“Ahahaha…you’ll find out when I tell you! Alright, eat your dinner!”

Doot… doot…With that, Jessica had hung up.

Zack Lyle and Michael Zeke were turning pale. “Mr Crawford? Will Director Jessica be coming here?”

“Yup, that’s right!” Gerald replied. “Three days from now! No idea why!”

The two men looked as though they were going to be ill. They must be terrified of his sister.

Next, Gerald had dinner with them and talked about simpler things.

Three or four hours crawled slowly by.

“I say, where are you, Gerald?” Felicity just called him directly. She sounded most displeased.

Gerald checked the time. Whoops, it was already well past eight!

There was a rule at these hot springs: After sunset, no one was to make too much noise. Remembering that time when some celebrity starlet was trying to sneak a dip in the baths, and nearly started a fight with him…

…what more a grand function like tonight.

“Oh! I’ll bring the car around right away!” Hanging up, he fetched the car and picked up Felicity and friends, who were ready to leave for the night.

“Blast! Did you do this on purpose, Gerald? What did I instruct you? When the party’s about to finish, have the car ready nearby! Instead, you were nowhere to be found!” The moment she got into the car, Felicity started chewing his ear off.

“On purpose? Perish the thought! It’s just that you forbade me from stepping inside there, so how was I to know when the party would be ending?” Gerald whined.

“Y-y-you…just for that, you’re only getting half pay tonight!” Yvonne snapped.

“Gosh, what an utter failure you are!”

When the guests came out, some of the other drivers had already been standing by at the entrance, but where had hers been? Even when she’d walked all the way out to the car, the man himself had been nowhere in sight. The shame of it!

“I’ll drop you ladies off at our campus and then I’ll return this car!” Gerald muttered.

“Back to campus? Forget that!” Yvonne snapped. “We haven’t had enough fun yet tonight—we want to head to Emperor so we can sing all night long. Am I right, Felicity?”

It had actually been a marvellous evening already, and they’d gotten to see Wayfair Mountain Entertainment. However, the girls were reluctant to call it a night, including Cassandra.

Especially Cassandra. Several of Felicity’s superiors had gotten her drinks and even asked for her number. Back then, she would have only been too delighted.

Now, though, her heart belonged to Ordinary Man.

Nevertheless, she’d felt very flattered.

“Yeah, send us to Emperor Karaoke, then return the car!” Cassandra said pleasantly.

There was nothing for it but to do as he’d been told before finally driving himself back to campus.

“Gosh…what do you think? A guy like Gerald—what kind of woman would be willing to be with him?”

In their own private room, the girls were drinking and chatting together as music played.

For want of a better topic of conversation, their thoughts strayed back to Gerald.

“Heh! Speaking honestly, a guy like him has no hope of getting himself a girlfriend. Even if he gets married one day, it won’t be to any great beauty, and even if she is, she’ll most likely be used goods. The reasons are simple—one, he’s dead broke; and two, he’s a total loser!” Felicity was drunk now and spoke with little restraint.

“You’re wrong… Gerald has a girlfriend! You may not be aware of this, but…she’s a radio DJ and she’s really pretty!” Naomi didn’t feel comfortable listening to them insult Gerald like this.

“Pah. Wasn’t Xavia pretty too? And what happened there?” Yvonne sneered, then perked up as she broached another topic. “Oh, yeah! Speaking of which…Felicity, what kind of guy are you looking for?”

“Oh, me? Well…he’s gotta be hot, of course—that’s one. Two, he has to be able to afford me. Three, um…someone from an influential family. Four, someone nice. Five, willing to spend lots of money on me. Six…”

“Good heavens, couldn’t you just say that you’re looking for someone like Ordinary Man?”