I Am The Hidden Boss

At the robotics competition, my daughter, Lily, was about to receive her award when a well-dressed man suddenly stood up from his seat. His name was Ryan Smith. "I remember your school has a rule. A donation of five hundred thousand dollars will earn a student an extra ten points in the year's competition. This card has five hundred thousand dollars on it, so first prize belongs to my son!" Everyone froze. The teacher hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Lily stood onstage, unsure what to do. "But I'm the real first-place winner!" Ryan's son, Jack Smith, gave her a scornful look. "It doesn't matter how hard you work, Lily Sanders. I have a rich mother, so the chance to train at a top laboratory can only be mine." Lily was so anxious that she was close to tears. I stepped forward, took her hand, and smiled at the father and son, who held their heads high with pride. I asked, "You said the card has five hundred thousand dollars on it. Why don't we verify that right now?" Ryan nodded proudly. "Of course. My wife has more money than she can spend. Run the card now." My smile deepened. The card he held was definitely an authorized supplementary card for my bank account. It was the card I had given my wife for her allowance! Chapter 1 Ryan Smith glanced at me sideways and haughtily handed the card to the teacher. Someone immediately gasped. "That's an exclusive black Centurion card. You need verified assets of more than one hundred million dollars to qualify for one!" "Goodness… To think Jack Smith's family is this wealthy!" Ryan clearly enjoyed everyone's praise and did not attempt to hide his arrogance. Then, he gave Lily a look that held both contempt and pity. "Blame your parents for not having five hundred thousand dollars, little girl. No matter how hard poor people like you work, you'll only ever be stepping stones for people like us." Lily's face flushed red as she shouted angrily, "This isn't fair! I came in first!" She had loved artificial intelligence since she was little and had spent three full years preparing for this competition. The chance to receive advanced training was everything she had dreamed of. The surrounding parents began talking over one another, and someone even sighed. "This is far too cruel for the girl." "But that's what wealth means, especially at an international private school like ours. Wealth brings privilege, and fairness means nothing in the face of privilege. It's a lesson she has to learn as she grows up." Even the teacher shook her head at Lily. "Rules are rules." Jack laughed even more arrogantly. "I told you that you could never beat me, Lily. What good is talent?! All your hard work is worthless in front of me. Dad, can I go receive my award now?" Ryan gave me a smug look and said to his son, "Of course." Lily's little face turned to a frown. Her eyes turned red as she stubbornly repeated, "I came in first… I came in first!" My heart ached, but her stubbornness also made me want to smile. I bent down and whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened. "Dad, is that true?" I nodded. "Just watch." As Jack walked toward the stage, the teacher suddenly hurried over and said, "Mr. Ryan, this card has been frozen. It can't be used at all!" Ryan frowned and raised his voice. "How is that possible? It must be because you don't know how to use it!" The teacher had no choice but to hand him the card reader. It beeped, and an automated female voice came out. "Card unreadable!" "How is that possible?" Ryan took a step back in shock. Several other parents could not help but laugh. "Did you find that card on the street?" "Why pretend to be rich when you don't even have five hundred thousand dollars? Aren't you embarrassed?" Ryan's face tightened with anger. He gritted his teeth and tried the card repeatedly. "Card unreadable." "Card unreadable." The laughter and chatter amongst the crowd grew louder. Jack became anxious, too. "Dad, what's going on? I still need to take my award!" I looked at Ryan's embarrassed expression and stepped forward with a smile. "Since Mr. Ryan can't pay the five hundred thousand dollars, the first place still belongs to my daughter." Lily had already brightened as she winked at me and started toward the stage. "Wait! Something's wrong with the card, but that doesn't mean I can't come up with the money. My son is the only one getting that award today." Ryan glared at me darkly, then made a call. The voice of my wife, Claire, soon came through from the other end. Chapter 2 After Ryan ended the call with Claire, his pride returned. "Don't worry, Jack. No one is taking this award from you today. It belongs only to you." Then, he gave me a provoking look. I simply sneered. A moment earlier, Ryan and Claire had openly put their affection on display over the phone. They spoke so intimately that everyone around them felt embarrassed. My phone soon rang, and Claire could be heard barking at me the moment I answered. "Irvine, what's wrong with the card you gave me?! Call the bank and unlock it now! Then, raise the limit to five million dollars." I remained calm instead. "What do you need that much money for?" "Business negotiations and client entertainment, naturally. Stop asking questions and just do it!" I lowered my eyes, hiding the icy fury in them. I had controlled the company from behind the scenes for more than a decade. Everyone who knew me understood what that look meant. Someone was about to lose everything. How ridiculous. A woman who owed everything to my family had taken a lover right under my nose and still thought she could order me around. I had clearly been too merciful and lenient to the point that she had forgotten who the real ruler of this family was! When I said nothing, Claire sent several angry voice messages before falling silent. Meanwhile, Ryan raised his phone and showed everyone a bank balance of exactly five hundred thousand dollars. He had a polite smile on his face, but there was also a triumphant satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "Is that enough for you? I told you five hundred thousand dollars is nothing to a wealthy family like mine. Even five million dollars is just pocket change. Unlike people who live on salaries, we don't have to worry about something small like ten thousand dollars." He shot me a look, then gave Lily a fake, sincere smile. "Remember to choose better parents in your next life if you have the chance, little girl. Then, no one will be able to steal the fruits of your labor." Lily smiled at him. "No one can take what's mine, Sir!" I stepped forward, still smiling, and spoke without hurry. "That's right. No one can take what belongs to my daughter. It's only five hundred thousand dollars." A kind teacher came over and held my arm. "Mr. Irvine, five hundred thousand dollars isn't a small amount. It may be the price of a handbag for a wealthy family, but it's an astronomical sum for a normal family. The advanced training opportunity is rare, but you shouldn't gamble away your family's future over it." Several concerned parents also urged me not to act recklessly while Ryan's bootlickers mocked me. "How much could he possibly earn in a year? He wants to imitate the rich? He might even lose his house over this!" "Some people will do anything to show off without considering what they can actually afford!" I had always taught Lily to keep a low profile, so everyone assumed we were an ordinary working family and that her grades were the only reason she attended the international private school. I scanned Ryan's bootlickers. The companies connected to each of them immediately came to mind, and I already had a plan hatching inside of me. Then, I smiled politely at the teacher. "I'll do what Ryan does and transfer the money into the school's account." A chime sounded from the teacher's phone. "You have received five hundred thousand dollars." The area fell silent as the mechanical voice came out from the teacher's mobile phone. Then, someone shouted, "Holy moly... Lily's father really just donated five hundred thousand dollars!" Ryan's expression darkened. He gritted his teeth and tapped rapidly on his phone. Another automated announcement followed. "You have received one million dollars." The whole place went wild as the parents stared in disbelief. "One million dollars? Has he lost his mind?!" "You don't understand. This is what real wealth looks like! Jack's father clearly has the money! There's really no way not to be impressed by this!" After three large donations arrived in rapid succession, even the teacher had to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Jack puffed out his chest. "Dad, you're the best!" Ryan soaked up the praise and patted his son's head. "Don't worry, Son. Your mother said she'll support anything you want, no matter what it costs. What's one million dollars to her?" True. What was one million dollars? She was a cheating wife who was using her husband's money to finance her lover while they bullied her daughter! They had no idea what was coming for them! However, I was curious to see how far Claire would go for this father and son, and how much money she had siphoned off behind my back. Under Ryan's arrogant gaze, I spoke unhurriedly. "Two million dollars." Chapter 3 Everyone stared at me with wide eyes, their disbelief plain to see after they heard what I said. "Has Lily's father gone crazy? Does he really have two million dollars?" Ryan gritted his teeth. "Empty words won't help you..." But before he could finish, a chime sounded, followed by the automated announcement. "You have received two million dollars." My smile widened. "I certainly don't mind contributing more to education. Do you want to increase your donation again? I'll keep going as long as you do!" "My goodness… Lily's family isn't some ordinary family at all! I never would have guessed!" The teacher wiped the sweat from her forehead again. Still, she simply turned to Ryan, barely suppressing the joy and excitement on her face. "Do you want to increase your donation?" Ryan's cold expression gradually darkened. He pulled out his phone and called Claire again. Before long, his smugness returned. He deliberately unfolded his tri-fold smartphone and casually made sure everyone saw the lock screen. Someone with sharp eyes immediately cried out, "That woman on the screen is Claire, the general manager of Oceanic Group. Oh, my God! She's Jack's mother!" "Look at the family photo on the screen. Who would have imagined that the cold, brilliant businesswoman known for dominating the corporate world could smile so sweetly?" "Then Lily has lost first place for good... Her father may be rich, but no one in Oceanton can surpass Oceanic Group." A concerned parent grabbed my arm and spoke earnestly. "Mr. Irvine, stop trying to prove yourself. Everyone in Oceanton knows how powerful Oceanic Group is. If you offend them, no one will do business with you again. You'll lose everything." Ryan walked toward me with his chin lifted, his eyes full of contempt. "I wanted to keep a low profile, but some people just have to get in my way. Do you understand now? You may have a little money, but it means nothing to a truly wealthy family like ours!" I raised an eyebrow and deliberately asked, "You're saying your wife is Claire, the general manager of Oceanic Group?" "But Dad, she's clearly..." Lily almost blurted out the truth, but I quickly stopped her and winked. She understood at once and nodded. Ryan and Jack did not notice our exchange. They were too busy enjoying the endless flattery from the others. Ryan nodded haughtily at me. "Now you understand why you should fear me." Then, he smiled maliciously. "You've crossed me today. However, I'm a generous man. If you grovel at my feet and slap yourself three times, I'll ask my wife not to hold your mistake against you. Otherwise, my wife will bankrupt your family." Then, Ryan turned to Lily and said, "Forget about entering another robotics competition, you won't even be able to afford school!" Lily glared at him. "I've never met anyone so shameless!" Then, she immediately spat in Ryan's face. Jack lunged at her viciously. "Why, you little witch! How dare you spit on my dad?!" My expression hardened as I reacted instantly and shoved him to the ground. He screamed, "Dad, my knee is bleeding! It hurts!" Ryan glared at me. When he saw Jack's raw, bloody knee, his eyes turned menacing. "There's no way to end this peacefully now. My wife will be here soon! Oceanic Group's legal team isn't to be trifled with! You and your daughter can spend the rest of your lives in jail!" I raised an eyebrow. That would save me the trouble of finding another way to call Claire over. The company's special assistants and top legal experts were already on their way with the divorce papers and Claire's termination notice. Today would be the end of the line for these two idiots! As soon as Ryan's groupies heard that Claire was coming, they rushed to fuss over Jack in hopes of impressing her. At the same time, their insults toward me grew more vicious. "As always, mere peasants really don't know their place. People like you can't survive Claire's anger! Get ready to pay until you lose everything!" "Lily, you won't need school anymore. You can rummage through garbage with your father!" "Rummaging through garbage won't pay enough! Her father can find a rich woman to support him, and the daughter can learn from him and find men to support her, too! Money comes much faster that way." At that moment, a Porsche Cayenne sped toward the school. Someone shouted, "That's one of the vehicles reserved for Oceanic's senior executives!" "Claire is such a devoted wife. She cares so much about her husband and son that she came immediately! Irvine and Lily are finished!" Ryan's supporters openly turned their malice on Lily and me. Their eyes alone made us feel like they wanted to tear us apart. Ryan's face was filled with anticipation and arrogance, as if he were about to finally get his revenge on us. Even his smile looked warped. "You're nothing but a broke loser! My wife is here now. You and your daughter are done for!"