Ch. 521..525: The Secretly Rich Man Chapter 521-525

Chapter 521

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 521 “I tried getting tickets for the concert last night, but they were all sold out! Can you believe that? This is just so unfair!” yelled Mina almost hysterically.

At that moment, Nathaniel entered the office. Unlike Mina, however, he seemed to be in quite a good mood.

“Mr. Chandler, you were trying to get some tickets too, right? How did that go? Were you able to get your hands on any?” asked several employees as they surrounded him.

“Hehe… Luck truly was on my side this time! Though they’re just final row seats, I managed to secure two tickets!” replied Nathaniel with a smug smile on his face.

“Holy! You actually managed to get two! That’s amazing, Mr. Chandler!” exclaimed the girls there with envy in their voices. As they continued talking to him, some of the girls tried subtly making physical contact with him. Maybe by doing so, they could have a chance of being invited instead!

“Nate, since you have two tickets, do you mind selling one to me? I really want to go!” said Mina as her eyes sparkled with hope. Despite being a concert organized by the Dream Investment Group, even their own employees had a hard time getting their hands on the tickets. After all, this wasn’t some employee exclusive event! Many rich people from Mayberry would be attending the concert as well.

“Sorry, Mina, but this ticket is for Bianca. We’re going to the concert together!” replied Nathaniel as he shook his head.

“Humph! She’d first have to accept your offer. You’re acting pretty desperate, you know Nate?” yelled Mina in response.

“What do you mean, desperate! You don’t know a thing about how I feel!” yelled Nathaniel back.

Since both Nathaniel and Mina refused to back down, they were on the verge of fighting when Ava approached them to defuse the argument. The two of them were equally short-tempered and if both of them were to continue fighting over the tickets, chaos would surely ensue.

Right then, Bianca arrived at the office. Everyone went silent when they saw her, and she was well aware that all her colleagues were staring at her. Feeling embarrassed, she hurriedly approached Gerald.

“So Gerald, you said you had a surprise for me, right? What is it?” said Bianca in a soft voice. She knew that Gerald wasn’t exactly the most favorite employee in the company, so if she stood near him, maybe it would help draw the attention off her.

Besides, Gerald had texted her yesterday, mentioning that he had a surprise for her, so she wasn’t going to just turn that down. Nathaniel on the other hand, was filled with rage and jealousy.

“O-oh… You want it now?” asked Gerald, slightly taken aback. He had heard the entirety of Mina and Nathaniel’s argument and he wasn’t sure if now was the best time to give her the ticket.

“Of course! Haha! Don’t tell me you were just joking about that? Humph! And to think that someone was boasting that he had tickets to the concert for me!” said Bianca in a playful tone. Truthfully, she had figured that Gerald was just bluffing her. Then again, having an awkward conversation with him was much better than having all the attention on her.

“Hah! How hilarious! As if he could ever get his hands on a ticket! If he has even a single ticket, I’ll do anything he says!” said Nathaniel angrily. “Ignore him, Bianca! Come, look what I’ve got for you!” he continued as he pulled his final row ticket out for her to see.

Gerald was now feeling incredibly annoyed. He had wanted to keep a low profile, but after hearing Nathaniel’s taunts, Gerald wasn’t going to back down this time. “So, Mr. Chandler, you said you’d do

anything I say if I managed to get my hands on a ticket, correct? Are you sure you don’t want to take that back while you can? Everyone’s watching you know?”

“Pfft. Still trying to bluff, I see. And what if you don’t manage to get one? I’ll have you walk around the company in only your underpants as punishment!” scoffed Nathaniel.

Chapter 522

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 522 “Sure thing!” said Gerald with a smile as he pulled ten tickets out of his pocket. He then handed one over to Bianca.

“….What the f*ck?” Everyone in the office was stunned.

“…Are… are those real?”

“What? Gerald’s actually managed to get so many tickets?”

“Hold on, there’s no way those could be real!” shouted the girls as they surrounded Gerald.

“…Oh god, these tickets are for the highest point of the T zone! Celebrities will greet their fans there! If you have these tickets you’ll be able to see them up close!”

Taking a closer look at the tickets, they all squealed at about the same time. “Oh my god! These tickets are the real deal!”

Mina, in disbelief, took a peek at the tickets as well. After confirming their authenticity, she was left frozen in place.

It was a natural reaction since Gerald had been on her blacklist after all. Mina had always considered him to be of a lower class than she was, so the fact that he was able to get so many good tickets instantly switched the power dynamic. Her heart felt extremely heavy, understanding that he clearly had much more power than she did at that moment.

“Ten tickets! How did you even manage to get your hands on so many?” asked one of the girls as all of them stared at him, eager to know his source.

“I have my ways. Also, now that I have proof that I do indeed have tickets… Mr. Chandler? I hope you’ll keep your word,” said Gerald as he turned to look at Nathaniel. Nathaniel bore an expression of pure fear on his face.

“W-word? What word?” stuttered Nathaniel in panic.

“Don’t you dare play dumb now! Everyone heard that you had said that you’d do anything Gerald told you to if he was able to get his hands on even a single ticket!” said another girl. The group of girls was now on Gerald’s side.

“She’s right. Man up, Nate! Or are you unable to keep to your word? What a joke!” added Mina. Everyone was against Nathaniel now.

“F-fine! What do you want?” said Nathaniel as he glared daggers at Gerald in his attempt to warn him not to try anything funny.

“What do I want? Well, you did say that you’d make me walk around the company in my underwear if I wasn’t able to get a ticket… I won’t tell you to do that though, since I’m not filthy scum like you!” replied Gerald.

“Humph! You wouldn’t dare to give that order in the first place!” huffed Nathaniel.

“Oh, I wouldn’t? Well, instead of parading in your underwear around the company, I’ll just have you do so within our department’s walls then,” continued Gerald.

“Pfft! Hahaha! Yeah, do it here!” The girls’ laughter echoed through their office.

Nathaniel’s face was now brimming with both fear and embarrassment. His entire body was frozen in place and it felt difficult to even move a muscle.

“Hmm? Hey, Mr. Chandler, don’t tell me you’re not wearing anything underneath. Is that why you’re refusing to strip?”

“Oh god, that must be the reason why! He’s not wearing any underwear, what a pervert! To think that he was also hitting on Bianca!”

“Not only that, he’s not a man of his word either! Actually, I think calling him a man now is a bit of an overstatement!”

Their words were hurting Nathaniel much more than any physical wound could. At his wit’s end, he finally shouted, “Fine, fine! I’ll strip! How dare any of you claim I’m not a man of my word! And I’m certainly no pervert! Here, I’ll show all of you!” He then angrily undid his belt before pulling his pants down to his knees.

“Say that I’m not wearing any underwear again, I dare you!” he yelled, his face flushed.

“Nathaniel Chandler! What is the meaning of this?!” shouted a ferocious voice at that moment. Everyone went deathly silent and immediately returned to their seats as soon as they saw who had shouted.

“M-Mr. Briggs!”

The middle-aged man who had yelled was the head of the marketing department.

“Pull your pants up this instant and meet me in my office! You’re the vice team leader and this sort of behavior will not be tolerated!” scolded Mr. Briggs before walking back to his office.

Nathaniel immediately pulled his pants up in defeat before glaring at Gerald who was clearly enjoying the show. He then dejectedly followed after Mr. Briggs as well.

“Gerald!”

As soon as both of them left, Mina cried out to Gerald, her cheeks flushed.

 

Chapter 523

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 523 “I’m so sorry, Gerald! Please forgive me!” said Mina while bowing toward Gerald as though she was deeply regretting her past actions. Gerald was surprised, to say the least, at her sudden change of attitude. He wasn’t alone either, as the entire department was staring at her in shock as well.

“Please, Gerald! I really want a ticket… Could you sell one to me?” said Mina in a soft tone as she stared into Gerald’s eyes. She was Kai’s hardcore fan, so she was willing to give anything just to be able to see him perform live.

Gerald was rightfully hesitant since he was, after all, mad at her before this. Normally, he would choose to ignore her at all costs. However, she now seemed to be truly sorry for her past actions, and seeing that softened Gerald’s heart. So be it, he would grant her, her wish.

“Just take one. I have plenty anyway!” replied Gerald as he handed her a ticket. Mina’s eyes glimmered with immense gratitude and she bowed again toward him as she took the ticket from his hand.

“U-um… Gerald, may I have one too?”

“M-me too!”

“Gerald, could you sell some to us? We’re colleagues after all, aren’t we?”

From what Gerald could see, there were about seven other girls who were hardcore fans like Mina. They surrounded him instantly, displaying big puppy dog eyes to ensure that they would each get a ticket.

More of Gerald’s other colleagues started crowding around him as well, and with fangirls coming from all four teams, the total headcount easily amounted to thirty people. However, Gerald didn’t have that many tickets on hand at that moment.

He had no choice but to place the stack of tickets on his desk before saying, “I won’t be needing so many anyway, so take one each and have fun!”

Hearing that, all the girls gasped before rushing over to his table to grab their tickets.

Ava, on the other hand, hadn’t budged from her initial spot. She was staring at Gerald with mixed emotions brewing within her. Gerald hadn’t mentioned how he had gotten his hands on all those tickets, but she knew that the ticket prices were soaring high.

‘How much money had he used to get his hands on so many tickets?

‘And he’s giving them away so nonchalantly!

‘Could he have won the lottery?’

All these thoughts filled Ava’s head and she felt as though she was being crushed by a boulder. Just the day before, Nathaniel had told her to remove Gerald from the party list. Ava had done so without the slightest hesitation since she was well aware of how Nathaniel was trying to get everyone to boycott Gerald. With any luck, Gerald would be out of sight and out of mind soon enough, but oh how the tables had turned now.

If she were to be completely honest, Ava wanted a ticket herself. However, she dismissed the thought and immediately returned to her work. She simply couldn’t bring herself to beg someone—especially a person whom she looked down on—for something she wanted.

Moving back to Nathaniel, he had reached rock bottom with his luck. Not only did he fail to ask Bianca out, he had also been relieved of his position as the vice team leader. Under Mr. Briggs’s orders, he was now under probation as well.

When lunchtime came, the employee’s canteen filled up quickly as usual. The girls from the marketing department sat at their usual table and gossiped as they had their lunch.

“Hey girls, do you think that Gerald’s secretly a billionaire? Like, those low-profile ones? Maybe he’s just here to experience the working life of an average Joe in our company!” exclaimed a girl as she held on to her ticket.

“Huh? That’s a bold claim… Do you have anything to back that up with?” asked another female employee as the group of girls huddled closer together.

“Well, just think about it! How much would all those tickets have cost? And they’re not just any regular tickets either. Gerald was able to secure twenty T zone tickets when we were all struggling to even get ones for the last row! What more, he simply gave them out to us like they didn’t even matter to him. I bet he still has many more on him!”

“You’re right! Who do you think he really is? I bet he’s just trying to humble himself down, don’t you think, girls?” asked yet another colleague.

“I believe so too! He must be quite a powerful person! He’s definitely far from what someone had described him to be like during the party! Hah, imagine thinking for a second that Gerald was actually broke as a joke!” added a fifth girl as she looked toward Ava.

Ava had been sitting within listening distance and she had been visibly annoyed throughout their conversation about Gerald.

“I know right? Half of the party was just her bad-mouthing Gerald. The audacity of some people!” This time, it was Mina who spoke. Ava Anderson knew clear as day that they were all referring to her.

Chapter 524

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 524 “As if he could ever be a billionaire. Who knows how he got all those tickets? Big deal! I’m leaving!” said Ava aloud as she slammed her chopsticks on her bowl.

None of the girls even bothered to respond to her taunt. They were all more focused on trying to figure out what they could do to return the favor to Gerald. They soon thought of something and by the time evening came, a mountain of snacks was on Gerald’s desk.

“Hey babes, I’m back!” said a voice out of the blue.

A dashing young man then entered the office as he announced his arrival with arms spread out as though he were anticipating a welcome hug. However, all he heard was, “Hey, Gerald! Please tell us how you got those tickets. Come one, tell us!”

Everyone else was still focused on Gerald, and nobody welcomed the young man. Well, aside from one person.

“Oh? Stuart, you’re finally back!” said Ava as she stood up and welcomed him warmly.

Who exactly was Stuart?

Stuart was the team leader for the second team, and he had been sent to Mayberry for training. During his training, he had gone to different cities to check how well the company was doing in the other areas.

As for his physical traits, he was very good looking and only seemed to be slightly older than Gerald.

He was the one who had led Ava when she first joined the company, and she had the biggest crush on him. This was no secret either, as everyone in the company knew how much she adored him. Stuart, however, was a lone wolf. A wild man. Though Ava had made multiple attempts to woo him, he had managed to deflect every single one of them. Despite that, he still treated both her and his good friend, Nathaniel, rather nicely.

“Hmm? Who’s that, Ava? A new face?” asked Stuart, rather irritated that his spotlight had been stolen by a small fry.

“Humph. He’s just my high school classmate. His name is Gerald Crawford, but don’t worry, Stuart. My heart will always belong to you!” replied Ava.

“Gerald huh? He’s new to the company, yet he’s already fooling around with his co-workers and not doing his work as he should? How dare he?” said Stuart as he nodded to himself. He looked as though he was planning to do something.

Gerald was finally able to have some peace of mind when his shift came close to ending.

Just as he was thinking so, he was startled by the sound of a mug being slammed on his desk.

“Hey newbie, get me some hot water as soon as the water boils!” ordered Stuart.

“I don’t think that getting water involves my field of work,” replied Gerald calmly. Gerald was no pushover, so he wasn’t going to back down easily.

“You’re just a newbie, so get to it!” said Stuart, his voice even colder this time.

“Oh, Gerald, it should be an honor for you to run errands for Stuart. Just do as you’re told! Who do you think you are, some kind of billionaire?” said Ava as she walked over and stood next to Stuart. She seemed to be even more annoyed than Stuart himself when she heard Gerald talking back to him.

“Give me one good reason why I should do so.” Gerald simply refused to give in.

“Stuart’s the king of business here, but you probably didn’t know that, right? About sixty percent of our investments were all thanks to Stuart! How’s that for a reason?” scoffed Ava.

“Also, you probably don’t even know how powerful his family truly is! Haha, I bet you really thought that you were someone special for a second there, didn’t you?” she added before shooting a dirty look toward Gerald. She seemed to be extremely proud of herself whenever she mentioned anything about Stuart.

Just as Mina and the others were about to stand up for Gerald, Stuart’s phone began to ring and he immediately picked up the call.

“Yes, this is Stuart… Wait, what? How did this happen? That’s impossible! Could you repeat that?” yelled Stuart into his phone as the color on his face slowly drained away.x

Chapter 525

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 525 “What’s wrong, Stuart?” asked Ava, looking visibly worried.

“It’s ruined!” said Stuart, his face pale as a sheet. He then ran down the stairs immediately and Ava followed close behind. She waited for him to be done with his phone call before slowly approaching him.

“Stuart…? What’s wrong? Please don’t scare me!” asked Ava, repeating her question. She was getting increasingly worried with every passing second.

Stuart wasn’t a man who only had his looks. He had properties within Mayberry and his parents were fairly successful people as well. Essentially, he had the whole package. He just seemed to naturally outshine all of Ava’s other colleagues in the company, which was one of the reasons why she liked him so much in the first place.

Ava had always dreamed of marrying Stuart in Mayberry one day. If she was lucky, she’d love to be able to work there as well. Due to her father being the principal of her high school, she had been both prideful and cynical from a young age. All her crushes she had had up to this point were on men who had powerful backgrounds and were very rich.

“This is bad, Ava. Remember that company that we invested in with Mr. Wilson? Something’s gone wrong!” said Stuart in a panicked voice.

Ava immediately knew what he was talking about. The investment in that company had been ordered by one of the directors. Stuart, as well as Mr. Wilson, were involved in the process. Since the company

wanted to earn more through investing, it was natural for everyone in the company to want more of that money too. Money was money, after all.

Thus, they decided to invest in a company as well. They would operate on their own and report back to the main branch so that they’d provide funds for investment purposes. This particular company had already been given funds of over eighty million dollars, but only those involved knew about the company.

Everything seemed to be sailing so smoothly. The main branch had already approved of their funding requests, and they thought that with all the investments going around, they would never be found out. Besides, the company had provided double insurances since they were using the name of another local business. Nothing should’ve gone wrong.

“I have no idea what the higher-ups were smoking, but they’ve just decided to check in on our company! What more, they seemed to know what they were checking for! Since they weren’t able to balance the financial statements, they had suspected that someone was committing fraud!”

Stuart was having a panic attack. He knew that this was it.

“It’s weird though! The business isn’t that big and we didn’t provide that much funding either! We even made sure to use another business’ name too! There’s no way they could have detected this that easily!”

“I have no idea how either but that’s the least of my problems! The higher-ups are now investigating both the director and Mr. Wilson. I’m most likely going to go down with them too! Oh god, what should I do? If the company decides to report us, we’ll be sentenced to jail!”

Seeing how panicked he was, Ava began panicking herself. However, she suddenly had an idea. Patting herself on the head, she explained, “Wait, there may be a solution to this! Why don’t you use a scapegoat? They can take the full blame for you then all your problems should be solved, right?”

“Who though? This is serious business!”

Ava thought for a while before snapping her fingers. “I think I have a plan!”

While all this was happening, Gerald was calmly filing documents for the company.

Fay simply smiled when she saw him working. “You’re so hardworking Gerald! You just keep on going, company after company!”

Gerald simply smiled back before replying, “Well, I have to make sure that everything’s been checked. Besides, I quite enjoy doing this and I’ve learned a lot too!”

The main reason the company was being investigated on was because Ava had been boasting so much about Stuart’s achievements. When Gerald found out that Nathaniel and Stuart were very close, he immediately checked on the projects that they had proposed.

After some investigating, he was able to detect multiple errors in their documents. One of the companies that Stuart had proposed was even under the name of Waylon’s father’s business.

It wasn’t really that big of a deal at first, but how would a fairly successful company not branch out?