Ch. 381..385: 11The Secretly Rich Man Chapter 381-385
Chapter 381
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.
Chapter 382
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.
Chapter 383
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?”
“Oh, I just won the lottery, so there’s nothing to worry about, Mrs. Winters!” replied Gerald, smiling slightly. Although there was no reason for him to conceal his identity, he simply didn’t know what to tell Mrs. Winters.
Instead, he panicked and ended up lying.
Queenie and Clifton’s eyes opened wide the moment they heard that.
Especially Queenie.
“How much did you win?” she asked in an anxious hurry.
Mr. Winters’s eldest sons, the adults, thought that it was quite bold that a young girl like Queenie would ask such direct questions. She simply couldn’t suppress her suspicions.
Mr. Winters had always said Gerald was a nice young man, and he intended for them both to be betrothed.
But who would like a poor guy like Gerald?
So, Queenie rejected him.
When she heard Gerald say that he had won the lottery, she felt a jolt run through her body.
Holy sh*t! If he really did become a wealthy man, would that mean she missed her shot?
“Quick, tell me, Gerald. How much did you win?”
Queenie jumped to her feet.
Gerald simply laughed, while showing five fingers,
“Huh? Half a million?” Queenie stared in shock.
On the other hand, Mrs. Winters was delighted by the news.
“What? You really won half a million dollars?!”
“Don’t worry about it, auntie. Just relax. I’ve already paid for uncle’s medical bills.”
Gerald helped Mrs. Winters sit down.
On the other hand, Queenie felt super anxious, as though a swarm of ants was crawling all over her heart.
What could she do now?
From Gerald’s tone alone, he seemed to have won a lot more than just half a million.
Could it be five million?
Gosh!
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. Thanks to Gerald getting ridiculed a while ago, he had chosen to conceal the specific value and make them guess instead.
For the next two days, Gerald didn’t go anywhere, staying by Mr. Winters’ side all the time in the hospital. The good news was that his condition was not serious, and he only needed to stay in the hospital for a while.
During lunchtime, he first waited for Mr. and Mrs. Winters to finish their meals.
When his belly started grumbling, he headed to the hospital’s cafeteria to get himself something to eat.
“Aren’t you, Gerald? You’re back!”
While he was queueing up for food, he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder.
When he looked back, he saw a beautiful girl, all made up and wearing a ponytail.
But even with the makeup on, Gerald still recognized her.
Chapter 384
Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 384 “You’re Morgana Lopez?”
Gerald was a little surprised.
Of course, he knew her. She was from the same class in high school and even representative of the English class. Her name was Morgana Lopez.
During their high school years, she was pretty yet looked normal at the same time.
But he hadn’t seen her for three to four years, and all dolled up, she looked really hot and beautiful.
The metamorphosis was pretty evident.
In fact, he was mentally prepared to bump into high school classmates long before he returned to his hometown.
After all, the ones that should be working had already gone to work.
“I 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 to meet you here… what a coincidence!”
Morgana straightened her hair.
Even after graduation, it was common for some teachers to leave behind their contacts to stay in touch with class representatives.
F*ck! Gerald was stunned.
Since when did Montana take a picture of him, and how on earth did he not come to know?
His guess was that she must have taken the picture after she got off the bus.
After all, she did yell at him to bring over her luggage while she was holding her phone at that time, so he guessed it must have been then.
Fck. That btch…
As rude as it may seem, Gerald still cursed in his heart.
“By the way, why are you in the hospital? Someone you know got admitted?”
Morgana had a quick chat with Gerald. Last time, they did not talk quite as much, but now, it seemed she had grown wiser after mingling within society.
“Yeah, my uncle got admitted here. How about you? Seeing someone?” Gerald asked.
“Oh, I’ve got lots of patients here. Say hello to your uncle later for me. I sincerely hope it all goes well for him!”
Morgana smiled.
“Oh, I understand now. You must be a doctor here, right?” Gerald asked.
“Yeah, I’m here under probation, and in a short while, I’ll become a full-time doctor here!” Morgana said with a touch of pride.
“That’s great!”
Morgana’s family seemed to have some connections with the hospital, but that wasn’t unorthodox.
Finding connections was a pretty common thing to do when students were nearing their graduation.
Those with connections would rely on them, and those without connections would need to rely on miracles.
It was nothing surprising.
It was time for Gerald to make his order.
“You don’t have to order anything. Let me treat you to lunch today. Miss, two servings for us, please!”
Morgana hollered to the canteen lady, and she soon filled up both of their plates with delicious food.
The meal was sumptuous and mouth-watering.
“Well, we were classmates in high school, and we haven’t seen each other for quite some time now, so you won’t mind me buying you lunch, right?”
Morgana covered her mouth a little, chucking.
“Now, why would I? Thank you so much for the food! It looks absolutely fantastic!”
The two then took their seats.
Morgana started off 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 more comfortable to get along with than the other classmates.
Gerald merely listened, occasionally inserting praises with a few words.
At that time, a young male doctor in a white lab coat walked towards Morgana.
“Who’s this?”
“Oh, this is a friend from high school. I ran into him 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 dad is the hospital’s vice president.”
Morgana smiled.
“Ahh! A high school classmate of yours. Wouldn’t it be better to get him a proper restaurant meal than in our cafeteria? You both can catch up properly then,” said Gabriel, smiling.
“Ahem. I still have to work this afternoon, so how would I find any time for that? Besides, you don’t mind the cafeteria food, right, Gerald?”
“Of course, I don’t! The food here is pretty good,” Gerald nodded as he shoved two big mouthfuls of potatoes down his throat.
To Gerald, it was actually alright that things turned out this way.
For the remainder of the meal, he listened to Gabriel and Montana ramble on.
“Right, didn’t you have a few more high school classmates coming here tonight? I think it’s Cameron Laver and the others. They’re back for their break, and it looks like you have to be on duty tonight,” said Gabriel.
“Really? Then I guess I have to reschedule my shift for a later time. Cameron and his group were my best 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 day off. I haven’t seen them for four years now… Oh, by the way, did you book the restaurant?” Morgana asked.
“Yep, I booked Johnsbury Bistro for tonight!”
“Nah… that restaurant is too ordinary. 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 front of them, are you?”
“Alright, then. That’s changed. By the way, when are you going to get the other directors for a meal to settle this? You know that your director is the hospital’s chief, and there’s nothing my father can do about it.”
Gabriel laughed bitterly.
“Urgh, why did you bring up the matter? I’ve just lost my appetite! I can’t swallow another bite of this!”
Morgana slammed her fork onto the table in anger.
From what he had heard, Gerald guessed that Morgana had to be in some sort of trouble…
Chapter 385
Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 385 “Hmph! Why did he make the other intern a permanent doctor and not me? It’s just as I’ve said before. He isn’t giving face to your father at all! Doesn’t he know we are both seeing each other? He made the other intern a full-time doctor and ignored me instead!”
Morgana was so enraged that her fork almost slammed into the table again.
Gabriel tried to console her.
Gerald listened as he ate, and he could almost understand what happened.
The gist of it was that Morgana Lopez’s entry into the hospital as an intern clinician had been arranged by Gabriel’s father, the hospital’s vice president.
Of course, Morgana was really good at her job, where she was very professional and was very proficient with her skills. Many hospital staff and patients had unanimously commended her.
Gabriel’s father, however, seemed to be at odds with the director.
In the end, Morgana became the victim of the conflict between the two.
She suspected it would be a little more than challenging to become a permanent doctor her, and if her probation didn’t end well, the only obvious choice was to leave the hospital.
Her spot had been given to another intern from the director’s side, but that one seemed to perform way worse than Morgana.
It was apparent that the director deliberately wanted to embarrass Gabriel’s father.
Now, things had become quite upsetting for them.
It was highly possible that things wouldn’t work out in their favor.
Thus, it was the reason why Morgana wanted to have a night out with Cameron and the others.
Gerald knew who Cameron and his gang were since they were from the same class in high school.
Cameron’s dad worked in a hospital, and his mother in the health bureau.
In short, they were going to have a discussion on the matter later.
Gerald felt uncomfortable and awkward as he listened to their conversation.
He quickly finished his food.
“You’re done? Have you eaten enough? See, I’ve got a lot going on here, so don’t take this at heart, alright?”
Morgana asked the question blandly. It didn’t sound as warm as it did before.
These days, most people were only polite for the first few minutes. When that time was up, their real character would emerge from within.
“It’s okay, and by the way, Morgana, did you just say you were having a hard time at work? Don’t worry too much, and just relax. I believe everything will turn out just fine!”
Gerald couldn’t finish his lunch and just leave like that.
He could, however, give her a reassuring word or two.
Gerald even thought that if he could help her, he was more than willing to help out.
Although he could tell that Morgana didn’t really see much in him, the fact that she invited him for a meal, regardless of whether expensive or not, was what friendship was all about.
As a result, Gerald sought to help and return the favor.
“Thank you, Gerald. Right, tell me the room number to your uncle’s ward, and I’ll have Gabriel go over and say hello.”
“Alright!”
Gerald told them the ward number.
Without interrupting Morgana and Gabriel, he walked out of the cafeteria to go look after Mr. Winters.
At the same time, he called Zack, seeing if he could pull some strings to help Morgana be a permanent doctor in this hospital.
It wasn’t a big deal anyway.
Not only did Gerald’s long-term investment plan include free-market industries, but it also included many of Serene Town’s business establishments.
Hospitals and educational sectors were also part of that investment plan.
“By the way, Gerald, I wonder if you’re free tonight?”
Zack asked just as they were about to hang up the call.
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“Well… the head of Serene Town County knew 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 if you would attend the party?”
“If it’s in the evening… Fine, I’ll go!”
That feeling in his gut was right, all along. They were indeed there at the station to pick him up.
Frankly, Gerald felt quite bad for leaving them disappointed.
As for the welcoming party, even if he didn’t feel like going, they would just keep pestering him anyway.