Chapter 10 The Wealthiest Man in Deelton

• "Where did you get the Celestial agate bead?" Janice was puzzled and asked Clinton in the car.
• "That gift? I found it in the storage room at home," he explained. "I had no idea it was a Celestial agate bead or that it was so valuable."
• He ignored her and continued, "If I had known, I would have kept it and sold it myself. It's worth over a hundred million. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache."
• Janice was speechless. She had never imagined that the anonymous gifts could be so valuable. She had often wondered if some tycoon had mistakenly sent the gifts to the wrong address.
• Consequently, she had refrained from opening packages and hoped they would eventually be returned to their rightful owner. She didn't anticipate their worth, and Clinton unexpectedly gave them away.
• "From now on, don't touch anything from my house without my permission." She was visibly upset.
• "Got it," he replied with a smile. "I'll try my best."
• "No. Don't try your best. You must," she insisted.
• "Okay." He thought silently that those gifts were initially meant for her, but he refrained from mentioning it.
• …
• Instead of going home, they headed to the hospital. It was Elizabeth's birthday that day, and everyone was occupied, so nobody had time to visit her grandfather.
• Terry Shaw, founder of the Shaw Group and a notable figure in Deelton, had fallen into a vegetative state in his later years.
• With the Shaw Family tied up with social commitments, no one had time to visit Terry. Plus, Sean's incident would surely occupy them for some time. On the contrary, Janice and Clinton were not occupied at that moment.
• "Grandpa, I miss you. When will you wake up?" she said emotionally. "I have so much to tell you."
• At that moment, the Shaw Family elder, Terry, was lying in the hospital bed surrounded by tubes.
• Clinton looked at Terry in the bed and frowned. He sensed something was off, but he chose to remain silent.
• Then, the hospital room door opened, and a doctor in a white coat entered.
• "Janice, you're here again?" The female doctor saw her and gestured toward the bed. "Your grandpa's condition isn't improving. Is it worth spending money on someone who's practically gone?"
• Upon hearing that, Clinton and Janice's eyes narrowed. Janice, in particular, simmered with anger. She was familiar with the doctor.
• The female doctor was Helen Lopez, Janice's high school classmate. They were the school belle during their school days.
• It was a common belief among their peers that the top three students were fierce competitors, while the bottom three formed a tight-knit circle of friends. Janice and Helen fell squarely into the rival category.
• Janice consistently outshone Helen academically, which brewed a deep-seated resentment in Helen's heart. The stark contrast in their family backgrounds only exacerbated Helen’s inferiority complex, which led to her grades plummeting.
• Despite that, she managed to get into Deelton Medical University through connections. After graduating, her good looks helped her land a position at Deelton Hospital. By cozying up to her superiors, she recently became an attending physician.
• At that instant, Helen was delighted upon seeing Janice’s family in dire straits. She chose to kick Janice while she was down.
• "Helen, you need to show some respect when you speak." Janice glared at her angrily.
• "Haha! I'm already being respectful," Helen replied with a smirk. "If he weren't your grandfather, I'd wish for his death."
• "You..." Janice trembled with anger as she pointed at her.
• Clinton held her hand and smiled at Helen. "Arguing with someone like her isn't worth your time." Then, he asked, "Have you been having headaches, fevers, losing weight, sweating at night, or getting rashes on your body, hands, or feet?"
• Helen finally noticed the man standing next to Janice. When she heard what he said, she was surprised that she had all the symptoms he described. "How do you know?" she asked.
• "Because you have an STD," Clinton replied casually. Then, he turned to Janice and said, "Honey, why argue with someone who sells their body for a position?"
• Janice was shocked and stared at him. She wondered how he knew about that. Then, she looked at Helen in disbelief.
• Helen shouted defensively, "You're spouting nonsense! Who has an STD? It's you who have STD!"
• Clinton was right, and Helen knew it. She couldn't admit it, though, or she'd lose her position.
• "Even from this far away, I can smell your body odor. How can you not notice it?" he said. "Why don't you sniff yourself?"
• She began sniffing herself. "You're just trying to provoke me. I don't have an STD." Then, she snapped out of it and said, "This is a hospital, and you're causing a disturbance. Get out now."
• "Heh! Are you angry?" Clinton said and pulled Janice behind him. He waved his hand in front of his nose and remarked, "A doctor who can't even treat her own STD. So, how did you ever become a doctor?"
• Helen, already irritated by his behavior, grew even angrier at his words. Was he implying she was sick? Just as she was about to lose her temper, she recalled him referring to Janice as his wife earlier and pondered whether Janice was already married.
• Then, she eyed Clinton’s shabby attire, which she guessed was from flea market finds worth less than 200. So, she started mocking him again. "Haha! Who would've thought the once high-and-mighty Miss Shaw would end up marrying a beggar?"
• Later, she found a new way to provoke Janice. "I remember Mr. Quinn was obsessed with you. He claimed only he could win you over. Did you cheat on him?"
• Janice was furious. She blamed Sean for causing such a scandal that everyone knew about it.
• Unbeknownst to her, Helen and Sean had been having an affair. Otherwise, how did she become the attending physician? And worse, she contracted an STD from him.
• Helen was satisfied upon seeing Janice seethed with anger.
• "Aren't you afraid you'll get fired for talking like that?" Clinton asked.
• "Me getting fired? Ha. Look at you; you’re just a beggar. Do you really think you have that kind of authority?" Helen scoffed. "Even the hospital wouldn't dare fire me. You think I got to this position without connections?" With Sean supporting her, she seemed even more confident. "Even if the hospital director showed up, he couldn't dismiss me."
• At that moment, two men walked by the door and overheard Helen's words. Their frown deepened, and they looked visibly upset. One was Harvey Yale, the hospital director, and the other was Lucian Hawke, the wealthiest man in Deelton.
• Lucian had come to the hospital for a routine checkup. He was accompanied by Harvey, as was customary given Lucian's stature in the community.
• Initially, Lucian dismissed Helen's words as a joke and even smiled at Harvey. However, his body tensed noticeably upon glimpsing the man in the ward. Then, a spark of excitement lit up his eyes.
• Harvey became anxious upon observing Lucian's reaction. He wondered whether there might be an undetected health issue despite the clear results from the checkup. Harvey was puzzled and concerned about Lucian's perplexing expression.