The Secretly Rich Man

Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 281
“Are you the general manager here, Miss Thornton?”
Gerald couldn’t hide his shocked expression as he posed Wynn the question. With just a glance at her demeanor, he felt her
overbearing female presence, and never before had he felt an aura as potent as this.
“Why? Do I not seem like one to you?”
Wynn drove along, smirking as she looked at Gerald through the rear-view mirror.
“Oh, by the way, you should stop referring to me as ‘miss.’ It makes me sound old. Since I’m only ten years older than you, just
call me by my name!”
Wynn frowned, looking grumpy.
“Alright then, I won’t call you Miss Thornton anymore!” Gerald nodded.
“Pfft!”
Wynn somehow seemed amused by Gerald’s reply, and she let out a hearty laugh.
Gerald initially wanted to have a conversation about Wynn and her family, thanks to a lingering doubt that had been floating at
the back of his mind for a while—Minnie’s last name was Thornton.
It made Gerald wonder if Wynn had brought up the child all by herself.
But since a topic as such would be too personal, Gerald abandoned the thought.
Wynn stopped by a supermarket along the way home, and later on emerged with a few big bags of groceries.
It was just as Gerald had guessed—Wynn’s home was clean and tidy. After a simple tour around the house, there were no signs
of any men.
That little fact somehow made Gerald feel a bit more comfortable.
Wynn then got to show off her cooking skills to him. In just a couple of minutes, she had whipped up a table of delectable dishes,
way better than anything they served at Wayfair Mountain Entertainment.

Anyone who married Wynn in the future would be more than blessed to have a wife as such.
Not to mention how she was really good at conversations too.
After the dishes were served, Gerald felt that Wynn had grown a little warmer, as if the two had known each other for a long time.
Wynn had her eyes fixated on Gerald.
She was even more attracted by Gerald’s down-to-earth personality.
With much in common, their conversation quickly picked up as they naturally opened up.
Wynn stared adoringly at Gerald as she rested her rosy cheeks on her palms.
“Gerald, you must be curious about Minnie’s father, right?”
“Well... not really...” Gerald replied, with slight awkwardness.
Wynn smiled as her gaze pierced into Gerald. “Really? While I was cooking earlier, I noticed you were kind of scanning through
my room. Were you looking for something?”
Her deadshot gaze made his heart skip a little.
Wynn wasn’t someone to be messed around with, having observed Gerald’s every single move the moment he stepped into her
house.
And every single word she said was exactly what he had in mind.
The situation made Gerald feel like an elementary school student, where all his thoughts were exposed.
“Hmph! Don’t even think about hiding anything from me. The truth is, I had nothing to hide from you anyways. Minnie’s father left
us long ago, and it has always been just the two of us. Minnie usually spends her time in kindergarten while I work at my
company. I’ll bring her along to work during the weekends. Here’s the problem. Last week, a capital invasion by some wicked
bastard forced many of Mayberry’s small and medium establishments out of business. God, I was so stressed out!
“There was this one time, where I was so bogged down about this that I slipped and Minnie accidentally fell into a river! You have
no idea how much it scared me, and god knows how much I wished I had a man by my side to help me get things sorted!”

As Wynn downed a few glasses of red wine, her pretty face had started to blush, causing her to look increasingly sultry and
charming.
Frankly, Gerald had always been attracted to women who were around his age or younger than himself.
He’d never actually hook up with mature women who were in their thirties.
Especially not with a such beautiful yet temperamental woman like Wynn.
Gerald could not help but stare at the gorgeous sight before him, his heart thumping in his chest like crazy.
Putting that thought aside, Wynn had only invited him over for dinner as a kind gesture, and Gerald felt a little awkward when she
brought up the topic of looking for a man. He was unsure if he misunderstood her words.
“Miss Wynn, earlier on you mentioned that some young man invaded the capital of Mayberry. Now, what did you mean by that?”
“Oh, about that. Nah, it’s nothing much, but you must’ve heard of Mayberry’s most wicked man, Gerald Crawford, right? He’s the
dude that owns Mayberry Commercial Street!”
Wynn’s tone was filled with anger.
“Hmph?”
Gerald almost died choking on a mouthful of potatoes.
Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 282
Since when did he become the most wicked youngster in Mayberry?
“Well...of course I’ve heard of him! But I’ve only heard of the good things!” Gerald’s face flushed beet red in embarrassment.
“What do you mean by good things? Don’t you know how businesses work? Some time ago, Gerald invested a large amount of
capital into Mayberry’s major enterprises. It might have seemed like a power move, but many other businesses in the Mayberry
community were screwed as well, no thanks to him. The businesses that received a sudden injection of funds underwent some
over-rapid development, disrupting the business community’s balance. Of course, it also posed an enormous challenge to
second and third-tier enterprises like us! Many people from the business community hate him to the bone!”
Wynn was done talking. Gerald lowered his cutlery and rubbed his nose.

Of course, he knew all about those massive investments Wynn was talking about. He represented his sister while investing in
those projects, including the funding of Scothow Elementary School and other similar projects.
Gerald never gave it much thought and simply did everything per what his sister told him to do.
After doing so, however, he did not delve in any deeper.
Unbeknownst to him, the influx of large funds had disrupted the economic balance of Mayberry.
To put it in one way, he was the reason why Wynn was so worried about her investment. It resulted in her neglecting Minnie,
where she eventually lost sight of her and let her fall into the water.
Gerald could not help but smile bitterly.
“Hmph, enough talking from me. Right, so Gerald, you’re about to start your internship soon, aren’t you? Any good places in
mind?”
It now seemed to be Wynn’s turn to ask the questions.
Gerald was honest and kind, but from the way he dressed and the cell phone he used, Wynn could tell that he came from a poor
family.
There was kindness within Wynn’s heart, and she was all but concerned over Gerald’s future.
“I haven’t decided where I’d go yet!” replied Gerald.
“That’s fine. If you don’t have any place to go, you’re welcome to intern at my company. I’ll double your salary, and as long as
you follow me, I guarantee you’ll be able to buy your own house in Mayberry within five years!”
Somehow, Wynn was tempted to keep Gerald by her side.
Their conversation was interrupted by Minnie. “Mommy, what do you need Uncle Gerald to buy a house for? Just let him live
here with us! Once I grow up, I’ll have my own house, so you can live with Uncle Gerald!”
“Minnie, what are you babbling about! How can mommy live with Uncle Gerald? Only married couples are allowed to live
together, do you understand?”
Wynn couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

“Ooh, I understand now!”
Wynn turned her attention to Gerald, only to see him smiling silently.
“You should consider the offer, Gerald. My company may be small, but it has a great future!”
Gerald nodded in reply.
He wondered what she would think of him once she discovered that he was indeed the Gerald who had messed up her
company!
From the conversation, though, he knew that he was somewhat responsible for the doldrums that Wynn’s company was facing.
Gerald would not just ignore it.
Minnie wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“Mommy, I’m full! Can I get my toys from downstairs? I want Uncle Gerald to come with me!”
“What toys! If you want new toys, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. That’s when mommy will bring you to the toy store.”
“No, I want Uncle Gerald to go with me!”
At this point, Minnie seemed to have taken a liking toward Gerald.
Her hands gripped Gerald’s arms tightly, refusing to let go.
“It’s okay, I’ll accompany Minnie to the toy store. I’ll keep an eye on her, so don’t worry!”
After that was done, Gerald brought Minnie downstairs with him.
As they were on their way, Minnie glued herself close by Gerald’s side. Although he was delighted, he pitied her a little. There
was no doubt that Wynn was a strong woman, but no matter how strong she was supposed to be, she was still a woman, and
Minnie, a fatherless child.
“You like being with me a lot, Minnie?” asked Gerald.
“Yes!” Minnie Thornton nodded hard.
“Hmm, why?”

“That’s because you’re a good man, unlike the bad guy who keeps coming to my house. He hits mommy, and sometimes he hits
me too!”
“Huh?”
Gerald was startled by the little girl’s words.
Initially, he only wanted to learn more about their family, hoping he could render Minnie and Wynn with more assistance. He
definitely did not expect to hear something like that from Minnie.
Those bad guys... did that mean Wynn’s social relations were quite complicated as well? And who in their right mind would beat
up a child like Minnie?
Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 283
Now, which socially successful woman didn’t have a man behind her back?
After hearing about Wynn’s significant other, Gerald, for no apparent reason, felt a fleeting sense of disappointment.
He wished to help Wynn, not just because she was pretty, but also for her child, Minnie, the little girl he had started to find favor
in.
Perhaps it was because he saved Minnie’s life. It gave him a sense of fatherhood, where he automatically felt the sense of
paternal affection each time they met.
Things, however, seemed to be more complicated than initially thought.
Wynn probably didn’t require his help at all.
As for his disappointment, it was because Gerald really thought Wynn was that type of woman. Why then would Minnie say that
a man had been coming to look for her!
It was someone else’s private life anyway, and it was none of his business.
So after buying Minnie her new toy, Gerald brought her back to the neighborhood.
Without explanation, Minnie abruptly grabbed Gerald’s arm. He did not know what she saw—her happy expression had
disappeared, and her face had turned pale.

He saw that her eyes were staring right at a large black Mercedes-Benz parked along the driveway. The car wasn’t there before.
“What’s the matter, Minnie?” Gerald asked in shock.
“Uncle Gerald, the bad guy is here again, and that’s his car! He was the one who hit mommy and me!”
Minnie’s body trembled in fear, and she immediately hid behind Gerald.
“Huh?” Gerald was slightly startled when he saw that the car was empty. It could only mean that the driver must have entered the
house.
After dining at someone’s house, there was no way he would just walk away and pretend that nothing happened.
“Come on, Minnie. Let’s get inside!”
Gerald immediately picked Minnie and rushed upstairs.
Upon his arrival, he found that the door was left ajar.
Inside, a big commotion had taken place.
“B*tch, did you bring another man home? Why are there three sets of cutlery on the table?”
His voice was raspy, and he sounded like a middle-aged man.
“You’re insane, Damien Rye! What happens in my family is none of your business!” Wynn retorted angrily.
“Hmph! So it seems that there really is another man here. Wynn, have you forgotten what we agreed on half a month ago? I’d
help you maintain your business to provide you with funds so you could pull through this difficult time. I did everything for your
sake, and in return, you promised to be with me. How else did you think your tiny little establishment withstood the blow from
Gerald’s commercial street? You would have gone bust by now!”
“Now that I’ve helped you out, you still have the nerve to hook up with another man?! Hehe, alright, I’ll collect the interest today.
I’ve been wanting to f*ck you for a long time now, and I can’t hold back a minute more!”
What followed next were plates flying off the table and the sickening shatter of clayware.
“Get off me, you son of a b*tch! *sshole!”

Wynn cried out with every last breath.
Coincidentally, Gerald pushed the door open and was welcomed by the sickening scene.
“Stop it!” Gerald shouted as he grabbed a vase beside him and lunged at the man sitting above Wynn. He was going to bust his
bald head wide open.
With a mighty swing, he brought down the vase to his head.
Upon impact, Damien Rye’s skull cracked open.
“F*ck! Who the hell are you?” he cursed loudly, clutching his bleeding head with one hand and struggling to pull up his pants with
the other.
“Mommy, are you okay?”
Minnie quickly helped Wynn get up.
Her blouse had been ripped apart by Damien, leaving her breasts exposed.
With a cold and murderous stare, Gerald picked up a stool from the floor and eyeballed Damien. His eyes were filled with rage.
He now pretty much knew everything that was going on in the family.
It was because of that investment plan, something that had almost destroyed Wynn’s company.
Then, things got worse when this b*stard, Damien, came into the picture.
This was his condition, in exchange for the help of Damien Rye.
Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 284
To be frank, everything happened due to the things that he did without much consideration, which led to a countless chain
reaction of bad repercussions.
When Gerald witnessed Wynn being assaulted, he also felt some self-loathing inside, and all of a sudden, his blood boiled.
“Fck, I understand now. Wynn, he’s the sugar baby you’ve been feeding, right? How dare you have the balls to hit me! I’m
Damien-fcking-Rye! Just wait and see, kid, I’m going to skin you alive!”

Damien was still cursing at Gerald as blood gushed down his face.
Gerald was not afraid of him. He ran up to him, ready to swing his stool.
Growing up in his hometown, Gerald has suffered all kinds of hardships. He used to be poor and timid, but he was quite strong.
As things started to escalate, Damien dared not stall any longer.
He was then continuously smacked with a stool as he wailed in pain. In the end, he managed to get to the door and fled.
“Miss Thornton! Are you okay?”
Gerald threw down his stool and approached Wynn with concern.
Wynn wiped her tears and shook her head. “I’m fine, that son of a b*tch, he came up shortly after you guys left. Fortunately, you
came back in time, otherwise I would’ve been...”
“...It’s better to not talk about it, now you’ve saved both of our lives, I can’t drag you into this mess, so you’d better get out of
here now. Damien Rye is a vengeful b*stard, he’s from one of the most powerful families in Mayberry. You’d better leave now
before he gets a good look on your face!”
Panic flashed in her eyes.
No one knew Damien Rye better than she did. He once heard someone mentioned that Damien had a crush on a service girl at
the bar. He wanted her to accompany him, but that service girl’s boyfriend also worked at the same bar, and he was reluctant to
let her go.
Her boyfriend stepped forward to stop him.
As a result, Damien Rye sent his goons to beat him up, severing his hamstrings.
Then, he raped the service girl and let his goons have their turns.
In short, Damien Rye was an inhumane beast.
And he had the entire Rye family behind his back.

“I’m not afraid of him, besides, who knows what will happen to the both of you if I leave? He will definitely not let go of you and
your daughter!”
Gerald was indeed not afraid of him.
If he were to run off from the scene like a pussy, he would rather jump off the building! He knew he could not be that kind of
person.
“How about, you take Minnie and go? I’ll stay, I believe I can calm his anger!”
Wynn said as she bit her lips.
Everyone understood what she truly meant.
“If that’s the case, I think we should hide for the meantime. I know a safe place, you and Minnie can follow me, so both of you
don’t have to worry about Damien. I know for a fact that there are other ways to resolve this matter!”
Gerald was not planning to expose his identity, but he still gave Wynn a firm look.
The main reason was that his phone was now broken, and he could not contact Zack and the others.
The only thing he could do first was to hide, and then replace his broken phone. He believed that his plan would not bring him
too much trouble.
In the end, Wynn was still a woman, and she had completely no idea what to do when it came to such situations. Staring into
Gerald’s convincing eyes, she could only nod her head.
After they had finished packing their items, the three of them went downstairs.
Just as they got in the car...
A luxurious car suddenly crashed into the streets of Mayberry, followed by three or four commercial vehicles.
All of them looked very intimidating.
The vehicles loomed into the small neighbourhood, blocking all entrances.

Then, Damien, who had his wound now slightly bandaged, was escorted down from his car. Not knowing what order to
command, his goons rushed up the stairs.
Seeing what was happening outside of her house, Wynn’s face turned pale, and even Gerald was feeling a little scared.
If Gerald were to leave a minute later, he would probably be smashed to death.
It took him a lot of effort to get to where he was today, and if he was to be smashed to death like this without Zack and the others’
knowledge, he would be dead meat!
“Go on sir, drive! Bring us to the slums near the newly-built Scothow Elementary School!” Gerald said hurriedly.
The driver stepped hard on the pedal and they fled the scene.
It seemed that the driver picked up the tension that was going on and wanted to leave the place as soon as possible. He started
speeding.
Looking out of the car window, Damien’s eyes caught the sight of the car.
He was standing downstairs and was turning his head, as he looked towards the direction of the taxi with suspicion.
Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 285
“Geez! I wonder who messed with Damien Rye, I guess it won’t end well for that person today!”
The taxi driver was clearly in shock while he was driving.
It was apparent that he knew Damien Rye and had heard of his name before.
Gerald was a little confused. “Who is Damien Rye and where did he come from? Is he more powerful even than Flynn Lexington
from Mayberry Commercial Street?”
Gerald asked the driver.
After taking a peek at the back of the car, it seemed like Damien did not follow them. Gerald let out a sigh of relief.
“Ahem, how do I put it... Flynn Lexington is indeed a powerful figure in Mayberry, he has the entire Mayberry International Inc.
behind his back. As for Damien Rye, he’s from the Rye family, one the wealthiest families in Mayberry. He’s the cousin of Henry

Rye, the former head of Rye Group. Although Mayberry International Inc. is the first, it’s still a foreign company that has been
established in Mayberry for just over ten years. On the other hand, Rye Group is different. It has been here for forty years, and
the Ryes, a local mafia family, has deep roots here in Mayberry.”
“No matter how powerful Mayberry International Inc. is, they’re still strangers to this land. However, both the Rye Group and
Mayberry International seem to get along pretty well!”
The driver was like a chatterbox who would not stop talking once he opened his mouth.
As the driver introduced the Ryes to him, Gerald started to recall his past memories, especially about Henry Rye.
He remembered he once had a brief encounter with the Ryes before.
But when was that?
Why did both Chad and Danny Xanders disappear from Mayberry? What made Alice cry so much that she would not dare to
come out of her dormitory? In the end, not even her parents could do anything, and they had to seek help from Zack Lyle to
resolve the issue.
He remembered while they were dining in Royal Dragon Villa, Henry Rye’s second-generation rich son, William Rye, flirted with
Alice and Jacelyn while being drunk.
Then, Danny ordered his people to teach William a lesson.
Which led to the Rye family’s retaliation.
He did not ask Luke for any help. Instead, Zack was the one who stepped in to mediate the matter which involved Alice and
Jacelyn.
The Ryes let them go.
However, Gerald also remembered clearly that Zack used to warn him on keeping an eye out for his own safety and to conceal
his identity and so on.
There was no doubt that Mayberry International Inc. was indeed the largest company in Mayberry, but that did not mean that
every other company would be intimidated by them.

After all, they only knew that the company was run by her sister, Jessica. They were unaware of Jessica’s terrifying past, so the
local underground mafias were not afraid of her.
They did not even miss the chance to use tactics to sabotage the company.
For instance, Gerald and Mila Smith were once kidnapped, and Zack had no choice but to make a phone call directly to Henry
Rye, begging him to let them go.
He knew Henry Rye was up to no good.
It was pretty obvious how dangerous the Ryes were in the eyes of Zack Lyle.
It turned out that Damien Rye was the cousin of Henry Rye, which proved how powerful the Ryes were!
As he sat in the car, Gerald could not help but ponder over the matter.
He was not afraid of finding trouble. Worse-case scenario, he will seek Jessica’s help and lean on the power the family holds to
resolve the issue. After all, no matter how powerful the Ryes were, the Crawfords can still easily crush them with just their
fingers.
What Gerald can do for now was to get his phone repaired and contact Zack Lyle.
Gerald brought Wynn and Minnie to where Queta Smith and the others lived.
The place was extremely remote.
So remote that Damien would not be able to track them here for a while.
“Big brother Gerald, you’re here!”
“Hey kids, where’s Yasmin?”
Once he set foot inside, Danny and Edmund, who were doing laundry, immediately rushed to his side.
“She’s inside making dinner with Queta!”
In just a short while, Queta and Yasmin came out of the house.

Gerald did not go too deep into the details, he simply explained that Wynn and her daughter were staying for the night. Queta
was fine with it, and immediately cleaned up a place for Wynn.
Wynn was also touched when Gerald told her that Queta had adopted the three children.
Maybe it was because she was also a single mother raising a child by herself, Wynn felt an immediate sense of connection with
Queta. The two chatted with each other like long-lost best friends.
After Gerald had settled things down, he went to a nearby mobile phone mall by himself and quickly changed a new phone.
Otherwise, things would get delayed.
The standalone mobile phone mall was huge, and there were all sorts of well-known mobile phone brands available.
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The mall was crowded.
Gerald strolled around, not knowing which brand to buy.
He just needed a sturdy phone.
In the end, his eyes were locked on a phone model. It was of extremely good quality with a price tag of 2830 dollars.
It was arguably an expensive phone.
“Miss, may I have a closer look on that new phone? Thanks!”
Gerald politely asked the saleswoman.
The saleswoman had seen Gerald searching around for almost half a day. From the way Gerald was dressed, she knew he
would probably pick a cheaper phone.
However, she thought he was just trying to save face.
Since he was walking around in a well-known mall, the saleswoman thought Gerald was here pretending to look around. Then,
she expected him to act as if the phone was not what he wanted and he would instead buy some 50-dollar miscellaneous
unbranded phone and slip away.

She had seen too many such people.
When the shabby-looking Gerald walked towards her store, she looked down on him.
She was surprised when Gerald said he wanted to have a look at the most expensive phone among the bunch.
“Sorry sir, customers aren’t allowed to try out this phone without buying it!” The saleswoman said impatiently.
What she really meant was show me the money if you have it, f*ck off if you do not.
“Can’t I even have a look at it first?!” Gerald asked.
He did not have his wallet on him at the moment, so the only way for him to pay was to insert his SIM card into the phone and
pay via online payment.
“No, sir! It’s our store’s rules!” The saleswoman snickered.
“Margie! Are you busy at the moment? I’ve brought some friends over to have a look at some phones!”
“Ahhh, welcome!”
At that very moment, a dude with his bunch of friends came over to the store.
“Hayward, aren’t you going to change to a new phone? We’ve just received a new model in our stores!”
The beautiful saleswoman, Margie Steward, gleamed at Hayward with sparkly eyes.
“Oh? A new model?”
Hayward and his friends gathered around.
Concurrently, one of the girls glanced at Gerald, who was about to leave. She was surprised.
“Holy sh*t! Gerald, what are you doing here?”
And that girl was not just any other stranger, it was Lilian Cole.
The one standing next to her was Sharon Leslie, who did not change a single bit.
It seemed like they were all hanging along with Hayward now.

As for Gerald, he had already noticed them.
And for that reason, he was about to leave.
After all, they were just female classmates from high school. Their friendship was long over, and there was nothing much for
them to talk about.
Besides, they would probably ridicule him for how he looked, and Gerald did not want to bore himself to the point where he could
not hold back his fists.
So, he simply walked away.
But no matter how he tried to slip away, he still failed.
“Why are you still here, are you buying a new phone too?”
“Oh my, you’re really here to get a new phone, do you even have the money? Wait, did you have to relocate, and you’re still
thinking of buying a cell phone? And you have the balls to come to this well-known brand’s store?”
Lilian said with a surprised expression.
Sharon, who was standing on the side, looked at Gerald and shook her head with a cynical smile.
Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 287
“Whew! Hayward, do you guys know each other?”
The saleswoman asked as she smirked at Gerald.
Hayward was quite well-known amongst the people in this area.
It was rumored that there would be a big development in the west side of Yorknorth Mountain. The village where Hayward
resided, Yorknorth Village, will be relocated.
In the near future, this area will be developed into a main commercial zone.
After becoming rich with the demolition compensation, Hayward was very active around the area.
He frequently changes his phone here, hence he got more acquainted with the saleswoman.

“Oh, not really. We were just classmates from high school!”
Hayward shook his head.
Then, he ignored Gerald and turned to Margie, smiling.
“Margie, what about that phone you recommended? Can I have a look, I’m going to buy one for each of my friends!” Hayward
said.
Obviously, the friends he was referring to were Lilian and Sharon.
Both girls were beautiful, and they suit Hayward’s taste. But the thing was that both girls seemed to be interested in him as well,
which made him really anxious. If he were to break either one’s heart, he too, would be a little heartbroken.
Therefore, he simply chose to have both of them by his side.
The two girls would usually fight and fret all the time, but in turn it boosted Hayward’s ego, which made him feel wanted, as
though they could not live without him.
Knowing that both of them were getting new phones, they were first delighted by the news, but then they gave each other cold
stares.
In what way can either of them get Hayward’s sole, unconditional love?
For the girls, they were only envious and jealous of each other.
“Here it is, this is the one! Try it out and have a look first!” Margie smiled as she handed over the phone which she refused to
show Gerald to Hayward.
As he stood by the side, Gerald’s blood started to boil.
It turns out the store’s rules only applied to him!
Gerald wanted to lash out on them.
But Sharon and Lilian were both standing there. Gerald felt a little embarrassed and could not stay on any longer.
He then turned and came across another mega brand’s store.

“Sir, a newly-released phone just arrived at our stores! It’s an international brand, and it’s priced at 4800 Dollars, but the first 50
customers will be able to get this phone with just 4300 dollars! Would you like to have a look, sir?”
As soon as he entered, a saleswoman who looked roughly around 18 or 19 years old smiled at him.
He could tell that she was quite reserved.
She looked like a newcomer here, who does her job without judging a person’s outfit.
But the price of the phone definitely gave him a great shock.
The phone was priced at almost 5000 dollars, which was way too overpriced!
But yet, with closer inspection on the features and the brand of the phone, he understood why the phone was that expensive.
Rumor has it that many politicians and military captains used this kind of phone.
The functions of this phone were quite powerful, and the quality was reliable. It can also conceal the user’s privacy pretty well.
It was much better than that 2830 dollars phone.
“Sir, this is the most expensive model in our store with pro-features. You can have a look at this too, the price starts at just 1030
dollars!”
The saleswoman thought she had frightened Gerald as he looked stunned.
Who would not be shocked by a phone with a 5000 dollars price tag? Most ordinary people could not afford it, hence she
hurriedly recommended something else.
For a megastore with a big-branded phone like this, it was pretty normal for them to sell the cheapest phone with a 1000 dollars
as the starting price.
“That wouldn’t be necessary, just show me the most expensive phone here. By the way, can I borrow a SIM card pin?” Gerald
smiled.
“Yes, sir!” The saleswoman handed both the phone and the pin to Gerald.

The mall was a mobile phone specialty mall, so there were security guards patrolling at the entrance. Besides, there was also a
special scanner equipment, hence no one here was to be afraid of losing their wallets or getting robbed.
Upon receiving the requested items, the first thing Gerald did was to insert his SIM card in it.
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“Holy moly, what did you just say Margie? This phone costs 2830 dollars? That’s crazy!”
At the same time, Hayward’s surprised yelp could be heard coming from the mobile phone store not too far away.
Sharon and Lilian who were beside him were also a little startled.
They were definitely shocked by the phone’s price.
They have tried out the phone’s functions and features, all of which were really great. The phone’s camera quality was clear and
crisp, and for pretty girls like Sharon and Lilian, having a phone with an excellent camera was more important than anything else.
They all looked at Hayward expectantly, waiting for him to buy one for each of them.
Beads of cold sweat trickled down Hayward’s forehead.
“Nah, it’s too expensive. It’s over 1500 dollars for one, close to 6000 dollars for two, this phone is way too overpriced!”
Hayward wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
It was confirmed that his house was going to be demolished, but the compensation would only be transferred to him after two or
three months. As for now, he could only draw out money from his credit card, and only pay back once he receives the
compensation.
He could not afford the phone even if he was beaten to death on site.
“Oh, so there are still things that you can’t afford! Since these beauties like the phone very much, you should at least buy one for
them!”
Margie was quite good with her role as the salesperson. She used Sharon and Lilian to persuade Hayward to buy one from her.
“Ehem, maybe not now, we’ll see next time! Come on, let’s go somewhere else!”

He took Sharon and Lilian to another place.
Margie was left disappointed. It took her so much effort to lure Hayward to her store, but he still managed to get away.
She immediately followed behind the group.
“Hayward, why don’t you have a look at this store? They’re a well-known brand too, and even if you buy their lowest-end model,
the phone will still attract the attention of many people!” Lilian spoke up.
“Well, let’s see then! F*ck, the lowest-end starts at a thousand dollars?”
Hayward approached the store and his jaw dropped when he saw the price of the phone.
Not to mention, there was a promotional event for a 5000 dollars phone!
He could not hide his shock this time round and he said, “Why don’t we go somewhere else...”
Sharon and Lilian were both disappointed again.
1000 dollars for a phone was indeed expensive, but he was about to receive a huge sum of money once his house got torn down
for development anyways. Spending a little bit of that money on them would not hurt much right?
It was not like they were asking him to buy them the 5000 dollars phone.
Just as Lilian was about to beg Hayward, she caught something at the corner of her eyes.
She just so happened to see Gerald, who was inserting his SIM card into a phone.
“Holy moly! Gerald, you’re like a ghost that wouldn’t stop following us around, eh? Besides, did you even check the brand of the
phone that you’re buying? How can a peasant like you afford it?”
Lilian was not in the mood. When she met Gerald the first time, there was nothing much for her to say.
But now, they were in a store where Hayward could not even afford to buy them any of the phones. And just as they were about
to leave...
They saw Gerald here, flipping the phones around and pretending as if he was able to afford any.
This struck Lilian’s nerves.

Gerald replied in a mocking manner.
“I’m getting a new phone, how is this any of your business?”
Gerald loaded his SIM card into the phone. He quickly downloaded Paypal and was ready to complete his payment.
But after hearing Lilian’s words, he was having none of it.
He immediately replied with a harsh tone.
“Good heavens! Stop pretending, have a look on yourself, how can someone like you afford this type of phone?”
Lilian grew even more agitated.
“Lilian, look! He’s holding the 5000 dollars phone! F*ck, and he’s thinking of buying it? Hahaha!”
At that point, Hayward felt a lot more relieved for not being able to afford the phone. Gerald was there, right in his face, to take
his place as the punching bag.
Sharon, too, was glaring at Gerald as her brows furrowed.
Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 289
“Who would’ve thought that Gerald is such a great actor? Haha, if we didn’t run into him today, he might have stopped by each
cell phone store and then act like he’s going to buy it!”
“I know right, and then he will end up not buying it. I’ve seen far too many actors like him!”
The two girls took turns to scoff at Gerald.
“I hope you’ll become more sensible, Gerald. Your family is poorer than everyone else, and in the future, you’ll have a lower
starting point in your career than anyone else. Even Hayward, who’s about to receive his compensation from the demolition of
his house doesn’t dare to buy any of the phones, and yet you’re thinking of buying one? Stop pretending!” exclaimed Sharon.
Honestly speaking, her attention had always been on Hayward before this.
She never bothered paying attention on Gerald at all.
Now that even Hayward was mocking Gerald, she could not help but follow suit and ridiculed him with a word or two.

Then, she shook her head in contempt.
“Hayward, since you’ve come all the way here, I’ve just asked my boss for his permission, and now I can sell you that phone for
300 dollars less! The condition is that you’ve to buy two phones, and you’ve to promise me that, in the future, you must bring
more customers to my store, or else I’ll be scolded by my boss to death!”
Margie came out of nowhere to convince Hayward to buy her phone.
She was really good with promoting her products, and those who did not know would think that she had suffered a great loss.
Lilian and Sharon were both convinced by her marketing skills.
Hayward had made a mistake, but a mistake is yet just another mistake as he could just change the topic.
“Ahem, just hold on for a moment, Margie. I’m not rich, but the real rich guy is this dude over here. He was about to purchase a
5000 dollars phone, so why don’t you persuade him instead of me!”
Hayward hurriedly shifted the topic to Gerald.
“Huh? Him? I’ll smack myself twice in public if he can even afford it, Hahahaha!”
When Margie saw that the person was Gerald, she laughed so hard that she even snorted. “Hey, Hayward, don’t change the
subject and get over to my store to check it out!”
“Miss, you can’t just barge in and snatch our customers away, it’s against our store’s rules!”
The young salesgirl said nervously.
“Oh, you must be new here, am I right? Everyone in this mall knows me, why don’t you go around and ask who am I? If you dare
to talk to me like that again, I’ll get someone to slice open your pretty little face after work, so you better watch out!”
The salesgirl dared not speak up anymore.
“Miss, could you get me another one wrap it nicely, I’m buying two of them!”
Gerald brushed off their mockery.
He said to the salesgirl.

Why?
Because it just occurred to Gerald that it seemed like it was also time for Queta to replace her old phone. Since he was going to
buy one, he might as well buy one more for her.
“Holy sh*t! Did you guys hear that? He’s buying two? Hahahaha!”
Hearing this, the crowd burst into laughter.
Margie looked at Gerald in awe, she was wondering where this idiot came from, and believed he was joking with them.
The salesgirl took his words seriously and brought another one of the same phone for Gerald.
Gerald used his phone and scanned the payment code, which was then followed by a “ding” sound.
“Payment successful! 8740 dollars deducted from Paypal account!”
“Holy sh*t?”
“What?”
The notification prompt was crisp in their ears.
The crowd was stunned.
Especially Hayward, who was laughing so much that his stomach hurt a second ago. He even bent over from laughing so hard,
and after hearing the notification prompt, his smile was immediately wiped off. He stared at Gerald, shocked.
Lilian and Sharon’s jaws dropped to the ground.
Their breath was a little shaky at that moment.
They looked down on Gerald, but it never crossed their minds that someone like him would be able to purchase two of the most
expensive phones without even needing to think twice.
Where did Gerald get that much money?
Margie was also shocked, and she felt her cheeks were already on fire before she even slapped herself.

“Gerald, where did you get that much money from?”
Gerald took the phone and was about to leave.
Lilian grabbed Gerald’s arm.
D*mn! As teachers, their salaries were only 750 to 900 dollars per month, and they had just witnessed Gerald spending their
one-year worth of salary on two cell phones.
Gerald Crawford:The Secretly Rich Man Novel (Invisible or Poorest) Chapter 290
That was unbelievable!
Could it be that he has won the lottery?
And how much did he win?
It was apparent that the question bugged Lilian and Sharon very much.
They were anxious and wanted to know the answer.
It did not matter to them if the money was stolen or robbed. They were only hoping that he did not just win the lottery.
Otherwise, it would be too much for them to handle!
“I’ve got things to do, gotta go!”
Gerald ignored their questions as he was not obliged to answer them.
He turned and walked away coldly, leaving them staring with widened eyes and mouths.
The moment he walked out of the door, Gerald immediately called Zack Lyle with his new cell phone.
He told him the predicament that he was facing and that it would be great if he could come and pick him up. He would explain
the matter further once they met and they would find ways to resolve it as soon as possible.
Zack was shocked when he heard the news.
He had to act immediately.

Gerald hung up and sent him his location. Then, he returned to Queta’s house.
Just as he walked passed the entrance of Scothow Elementary School...
...He suddenly stopped walking.
Before him, there was a large group of people and a few luxurious cars blocking at the entrance.
Next to it, a taxi was broken to pieces, and wails could be heard coming from the middle of the crowd.
It was clear as day that someone was being beaten.
One of the luxurious cars caught Gerald’s attention as it looked familiar. His heart stopped beating for a moment. It was Damien
Rye.
He did pursue after them!
And Gerald finally recognized the taxi, it was the one he had taken to come all the way here!
The surrounding onlookers were watching.
Gerald was nervous, and as he turned to the direction everyone was staring, to his horror, he realized that he one being beaten
was the previous taxi driver.
He was beaten to a bloody pulp. His body sprawled on the ground, and blood smeared on his entire face.
“Dmn it, are you going to tell or not? Where the hell is that btch and that b*stard?”
Damien’s roared heartlessly.
“Mr Rye, please forgive me! I really don’t know, and if I knew, I would have told you!”
The driver lied on the ground, begging.
“They got off from this area, and I don’t know where they went!”
“F*ck, he’s still not telling, beat him up boys!”
His goons took turns to swing and smash him with sticks.

The beatings went on for a few more minutes, and the onlookers felt a chill up their spines.
The driver continued to deny as he was beaten until he became unconscious.
Gerald watched from the side. His entire body was shaking with rage.
And the driver really moved him.
What did he do?
It was because the driver dropped him and the others off near the entrance of the slums, so there was no way he could not have
known where Gerald was going!
And it was pretty evident that the driver was not going to tell them anything.
“F*ck, find me this driver’s family, immediately. He must have known where they are, damn it, and he dared to lie to me? I’m
going to ruin his entire family!”
Damien roared.
“Listen up, to whoever that saw a beautiful woman with a child and a twenty-year-old kid today, come forward and give us the
information. The Ryes will reward you greatly. Otherwise, you might just end up like him!” Damien ordered, his voice boomed
with dominance.
“Hmph! Someone come help me pluck out his hamstrings!”
“Stop it!”