The poor Billionaire novel (Ethan) novel Chapter 20
Boden was adamant about returning the money despite all the words Horace said to convince him.
"Goodness gracious! Sir, you are exaggerating. Please don't do this. I gave you that money straight from my heart. I happened to see the meritorious medals on your breast pocket. They proved to me that you deserve such an amount and even more. However, you can donate the money if you feel uneasy about it. All I know is that I can't accept that money back. Please let's drop this topic," Horace said decisively.
A few minutes ago, Horace had been connecting with Boden on WeChat when he saw several meritorious medals on his breast pocket. One of them was a first-class merit medal. This made Horace even more willing to send him that amount. He had great respect for soldiers who sacrificed their precious lives to defend the country. To him, they were the real superheroes.
The reason why there was peace in the country was that men and women like Boden had fought and, were still fighting to push back any form of darkness.
"Wow! This elderly man is a war veteran who made meritorious service in the army?" The other passengers looked at Boden with great respect. The young people in the bus particularly revered him and looked at him with a burning passion in their eyes.
"Well, there is actually a story behind the medal. It should have belonged to my team leader!" A nostalgic glint first flickered in Boden's eyes. The next second, warm tears welled up in them. He sighed, "Our country's soldiers had suffered a great casualty in that war. We were under serious attack and my team leader tried to cover me..."
All the passengers listened with rapt attention as Boden began his story. They all admired him now.
Soon, the bus bell rang again. "We have arrived at the Lake Hotel. Passengers, please get off the bus through the back door. Be careful when the door opens. Have a wonderful day!"
The driver was also keen on hearing Boden's story, but he had to continue working.
This was Horace's destination, so he needed to get off.
As soon as the automated voice made that announcement, Horace stood up and walked towards the back door. When Boden saw this, he suddenly realized something. He stood up and wanted to stop Horace, but it was too late.
All the passengers on the bus looked at Horace as he got off. They couldn't help sighing. One of them said, "I experienced something very unusual today. If all the rich people can be as gracious and kind-hearted as him, ordinary people won't have any hatred against them. We need more people like him. That young man is so wealthy. He gave a total stranger five million dollars as a gift. I have never seen anything like it. His benevolence places him above other rich men!"
Another passenger had gotten off the bus besides Horace. It was Ansley, the girl that sat next to him on the bus.
They both walked away from the bus stop. After a while, Horace asked her with a smile, "Hey, are you also going to the Lake Hotel to have dinner?"
Ansley looked at Horace curiously. She wondered why someone as rich as him chose to have dinner at the Lake Hotel. The Lake Hotel was top-notch and luxurious in Zence, but it was nothing compared to the Sea Pavilion.
It took a while before Ansley shook her head and replied, "The Lake Hotel is so expensive. I can't afford to eat there."
For rich people like Horace, the Lake Hotel was cheap, but it was still very expensive for poor people.
"Since you are not going to dine there, why are you going there? Wait! Do you want me to treat you to a free dinner because I'm rich?"
"Ha-ha! I have heard so many reports about the food in the Lake Hotel. If you don't mind, I will love to taste the food. After all, you are wealthy. You won't go bankrupt no matter how much I eat!" Ansley readily responded jokingly when she heard Horace's playful question. She didn't expect him to be such a humorous person.
"It's no problem. However, I'm busy today. How about we have dinner another day? Just pick a date, time, and location. You can choose any expensive place in Rinas. I can afford it!"
There was a hint of boastfulness in Horace's tone. Even though he had lived frugally for the first eighteen years of his life, he was still the same as most young men when they were in the presence of beautiful girls. Now because of Ansley, he couldn't help bragging about his fortune.
"Wow, Horace. You are such a smooth talker. I never knew you could lie this much!" A sharp voice suddenly came from a distance. A young man, who looked about eighteen years old and had blond hair, slowly walked towards them.
The moment he got to them and saw Ansley's beautiful face, his eyes widened with lust. After staring at her for a while, he turned to Horace. "Horace, I didn't expect you to learn how to deceive a beautiful young girl only one day after Amaia dumped you. Heartbreak takes a toll on people, but I can't cut you some slack because of that. I'm very ashamed of you. Don't you know you are here for something important today?"
Afterward, he looked at Ansley and said slowly, "Young girl, don't believe anything he said. How about you go on a date with me? I'll buy you an expensive meal. In fact, I will take you to the Sea Pavilion, the most luxurious restaurant in Rinas. What do you say to that?"
"Kole, it's none of your business!" Horace and Kole Harvey were former classmates. Kole was one of those who looked down on him in high school, so Horace retorted. Although the Harvey family could barely be regarded as a rich family, Kole always pretended to be a millionaire, especially in Horace's presence.
Ansley was disgusted by Kole's words. With her eyebrows knitted, she thought, 'What's wrong with this young man? He's so uncouth. He just started scolding Horace and accusing him falsely as soon as they met. He'd better count himself lucky that Horace has a good temper. If he behaved like this to other rich men, they would show him no mercy.'
Although Ansley wasn't in the circle of the trust-fund babies, she was doing well for herself by working in the Lake Hotel. Her job didn't enable her to see the wealthiest people, but she had seen several young people from middle-class and rich families. The arrogance of such individuals was beyond annoying. If anyone stepped on their toes, they would call their unruly friends to deal with that person. They often created a scene in the Lake Hotel for the pettiest issues.
In Horace's case, he was tolerant even though he was from an affluent and influential family. He didn't call his friends or subordinates to deal with Kole despite the insult.
Ansley didn't come to the Lake Hotel because she wanted Horace to buy her dinner. She was actually a waitress here.
Due to her work ethic, she couldn't put Kole in his place. She had to remain polite despite her anger. She shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, sir. I don't want to go into a relationship yet. Thanks for your offer, anyway."
"What? Weren't you laughing and talking happily with this poverty-stricken loser just now? How dare you turn me down? Spare me that crap about not wanting a relationship now. If you don't like me, just say so straight out. Bitch!"
Kole yelled at the girl when he heard her refusal.
'Horace? A poverty-stricken loser? What the hell is he talking about? If by his judgment Horace is poor, then I guess there's no rich man in the world. This young man must have a screw loose or something. He's not only arrogant but also ignorant!' Ansley thought to herself when she heard Kole's statement. After suppressing her anger, she said with a tinge of disgust, "Sir, please behave yourself. Your assumption is ridiculous. Horace and I have nothing of that sort between us. Besides, this is none of your business!"
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