The Gilded Man With A Thousand Lives

The phone rang so suddenly that both Jerry and Ned leaped in fright.

"It is the long ring!" Ned exclaimed, breaking into a sweat. The gate phone usually had short rings for communications with the hotel's security team. However, the long ring meant that the big boss was calling.

Jerry pressed the receive button. "Hello? Mr. Anderson? This is Jerry from the main gate."

Silas Anderson was on the other end and wasn't in a good mood. "I don't care what your name is. I just received a message that someone swiped the diamond access card. Who is it?"

Jerry gulped anxiously. "Sir, please don't mind the notification. A bum who calls himself Tyler Grant found your lost diamond card. He tried to gain entry fraudulently. We've confiscated the card and will call the authorities right away. He'll be arrested for and thrown into prison."

There was a suspenseful pause before Silas replied. "Fools!" he thundered. "Tyler Grant is my esteemed guest! Do you think I hand out diamond cards to every commoner? Or do you believe I am so careless that I lost the exclusive card?"

"Sir, sorry, sir!" Jerry stammered. "I'll let him right in."

"Idiot! Escort him to my butler, who's waiting in the main lobby. Don't let anybody annoy him on the way. It is an inflexible order! Your ass is on the line!"

Jerry and Ned were shocked and terrified. How could an ordinary guy be close to the mighty Silas Anderson? Was he a powerful man in disguise?

Both gatekeepers bowed their heads with respect.

"We're sorry, Mr. Grant," Ned said, wringing his hands. "We made a severe mistake. Please follow me. I will take you to Mr. Anderson."

Tyler paid no attention to the gatekeepers' apologies and brushed past them. He walked into the Marian, one of the city's finest hotels.

The pathway to the main facade was a green boulevard, while the main lobby looked palatial. It was specially decked up today since the high-profile wedding of the Cooper heir was being held in the banquet hall.

When Tyler reached the main lobby, burly guards immediately blocked his path. However, the tall and sharply-dressed head butler, Marvin, awaited him. He intervened immediately, and they backed off. Everyone wondered who the stranger was, considering Silas sent his head butler to receive him.

Marvin took Tyler to the third-floor solar, where Silas rested on a rocking chair, gazing into the fireplace.

"Mr. Grant," he said, slowly getting to his feet. "I am delighted you accepted my invitation. Would you like to spend a lavish evening in our finest suite overlooking the sea? I'll arrange for you the most beautiful maids and the finest delicacies."

"That won't be necessary. Actually, I am here for-"

Before Tyler could finish his sentence, a voluptuous young woman dressed in a fashionable evening gown barged into the room. Her radiant skin and aquamarine eyes contrasted with her dark, lustrous hair, lending her an exotic beauty.

Tyler was transfixed for a moment before he recognized the familiar face.

"Dad! I heard the homeless fraud broke into our hotel! Have our security guards caught him?"

"What are you talking about, Nat?" Silas asked.

Natalie Anderson came face to face with Tyler Grant yet again. The young man couldn't resist peeking at her shapely body, which was evident under the flimsy silk gown.

Natalie's cheeks reddened on feeling his masculine gaze, and she immediately grabbed a jacket from the coat rack.

"I expected nothing less of you," she told him with crossed arms. "You're here to collect the check for treating my father, right? How much do you plan to extort from our family?"

While Tyler observed her silently, Silas's rigid voice rebuked his daughter.

"Nat! I invited Mr. Grant to the hotel! Don't misbehave with him! I owe him my life!"

"Why shouldn't I?" the young woman protested stubbornly. "I have zero tolerance for snake-oil salesmen like him!"

Tyler smirked thinly but offered no retaliation. He turned towards Silas instead. "Is Tony your adopted son?"

The billionaire was taken aback by the question. "Yes, he is. Why do you ask?"

"Under what circumstances did you adopt him?"

"Well… Tony's parents were my most loyal subordinates who helped me with humanitarian projects. They passed away tragically when he was a little boy of three. I felt responsible and adopted him as my own. Natalie was seven years old and always wanted a brother. She's loved him ever since as her own."

"Dad!" Natalie protested. "Why are you revealing our family secrets to a stranger from the streets? Don't you think it's fishy that he asked such a personal question?"

Her father shrugged. "I'm sure Mr. Grant has his reasons. He means no harm to our family."

Tyler nodded. "Tony was found unconscious in GlobeMall club's washroom."

Both the billionaire and his daughter's eyes widened. "What? Tony? Is he alright?" Silas asked in a panic. "Where is he?"

Tyler held up a reassuring hand. "Don't worry. Tony is out of danger now. He's resting in my car outside. I didn't want to alert the media and came to talk to you first. Send your most discreet staff to bring him around the back."

Silas immediately sent two of his butlers to fetch Tony. Natalie was so alarmed that she raced out to get her brother. Five minutes later, the boy was on the couch, still asleep.

The resident doctor performed a check-up. "He's perfectly fine," he said. "All he needs is a carb-loaded dinner once he wakes up."

Natalie sat by her brother, caressing his head with teary eyes. After the doctor left, Tony was shifted to another suite, and nurses were stationed to care for him.

Natalie returned in a huff, and her expression had changed from sorrow to fury. She approached and stared daggers at the stranger.

Judging by the young woman's expression, her hatred for Tyler had doubled. "What did you do to my brother, you monster?!" she asked, jabbing a finger into his chest.