Chapter 145 A Man Cannot Lose His Dignity

"Alright, I won't say it out loud. But you know what I'm getting at!" Eric grinned mischievously.

"Eric, your family's broke, and yet you signed up for this masquerade ball. What were you thinking? Where'd you get the money?" Tina said coldly.

There were rumors at school that Eric was loaded, but Tina never bought it.

She'd been to Eric's house before and knew how poor his family was.

"Tina, Eric really isn't poor," Kyle, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but say.

"You don't need to cover for him. I've been to his house; I know how poor his family is. He can fool others, but not me," Tina said coldly.

Kyle wanted to defend Eric, but Eric waved him off. "Kyle, don't bother."

Hearing this, Kyle stopped talking.

Tina looked at Eric and continued, "Eric, I know you're clinging to me because of my family's money! Just tell me, how much do you want to stop bothering me?"

"You really think I was after your family's money?" Eric sneered.

"Isn't that the case? I even suspect you want to use me to get my family's property. After all, I'm my dad's only daughter!" Tina said.

After Eric and Tina had sex, Tina kept pushing Eric away, thinking he had ulterior motives.

Tina continued, "Eric, I'm making it clear today, no matter what, I will never allow it!"

With that, she left.

Watching Tina walk away, Eric muttered, "So, she thinks I want to be with her for her family's money, and not to take responsibility for her. That's why she keeps rejecting me?"

Kyle nodded and said, "Eric, that really might be the case! I think you should reveal your true identity to her."

"It's time she knew." Eric nodded.

He had never formally revealed his identity to Tina before.

Eric even told George to keep it a secret from Tina.

In front of Tina, he always played the poor guy. But after this conversation, Eric felt it was time to come clean.

So, at this masquerade ball, Eric would reveal his true identity to her, let her know he was the chairman of the Power Group and the grandson of Sean. He definitely wasn't after her family's money.

Not long after Eric signed up, he got a text from the student council with the location and time of the masquerade ball.

The location was Moon Hot Spring Resort, and the time was Saturday.

Eric had been to Moon Hot Spring Resort once before when he was pretending to be Tina's boyfriend.

He also knew the owner of Moon Hot Spring Resort, who everyone called Fred.

There were still two days left until Saturday.

Meanwhile, in a luxurious VIP hospital room, Donald was lying on the hospital bed, looking at his missing left arm, feeling furious.

At that moment, Oliver walked in quickly, with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Hall, it's all set. I spent eight million dollars to hire a hitman from the Dark Web. This guy is very famous in the Eldoria hitman community. This time, it's sure to be foolproof!" he said with a smile.

"When will he get to Silverbrook, and when will he take action?" Donald asked eagerly.

"He should arrive this Saturday!" Oliver said.

"This Saturday? Then let Eric live for two more days and die! Haha!" Donald laughed grimly.

Two days passed.

On Saturday morning, Eric drove his Lamborghini to pick up Kyle from his house.

Kyle's family ran a small convenience store, which was their main source of income.

Eric walked into Kyle's family's convenience store.

"Eric, you're here. Kyle's in the bathroom, please wait a moment." Kyle's dad, Xavier Wright, a middle-aged man with glasses, greeted Eric with a smile when he saw him.

Eric and Kyle were tight, and Eric often hung out at Kyle's place, so Xavier knew him well.

"Morning, Mr. Wright," Eric greeted with a smile.

Even though he was loaded now, he stayed as down-to-earth as ever.

Xavier still had no clue about Eric's new status.

"Eric, have a drink!" Xavier said, grabbing a soda from the shelf and handing it to Eric.

"Thanks, Mr. Wright," Eric said, taking the drink. He knew better than to refuse; Xavier would just insist.

Every time Eric visited, Xavier would offer him a drink as a friendly gesture.

"Eric, I heard from Kyle you guys are heading to some gathering today?" Xavier asked with a smile.

"Yeah, Mr. Wright," Eric nodded.

Hearing this, Xavier pulled out an old, worn-out leather wallet and fished out five hundred bucks.

"Here's five hundred dollars. Take it with you. You should have some cash on you when you're out," Xavier said, handing the money to Eric.

"Mr. Wright, I can't take this! I have money," Eric quickly refused.

Back when he was broke, Kyle and Xavier had helped him out a lot, especially with money.

Whenever Kyle invited Eric out on weekends, Xavier would always give them some cash.

Back then, Eric really had no money. Now, with his bank account full, how could he take Xavier's money?

"Eric, don't be so polite. This is for both of you. A man should never be without money when he's out. Remember what I always say: no matter how poor a man is, he should never lose his dignity and pride," Xavier insisted, stuffing the money into Eric's pocket.

"Alright, I'll take it," Eric accepted the money.

Those five hundred bucks might be small change now, but it was the thought that counted. To Eric, it felt like a thousand pounds.

Eric would always remember Xavier's kindness and repay him a thousandfold, ten thousandfold!

Just then, Kyle walked out.

"Eric," he said with a smile as he approached.

Then, Kyle turned to Xavier, "Dad, we are heading out now. Don't worry about lunch."

"Go ahead, and be safe on the road," Xavier reminded them.

After leaving the convenience store, they headed straight for Green Hill Resort.

As the top resort in Silverbrook, Fred's family had invested heavily in Green Hill Resort, offering a wide range of high-quality entertainment options.

The expenses here were steep, so each male participant had to pay a fee of $3,000. With 80 male students from both schools, that totaled $240,000.

After parking the car, Eric couldn't help but remark, "Green Hill Resort is doing pretty well."

He glanced around and noticed the parking lot was packed with cars, the cheapest of which were worth $400,000 to $500,000, with many over a million dollars.

The last time Eric was here, there weren't this many guests.

Hearing Eric's comment, Kyle curiously asked, "Eric, do you know the owner of Green Hill Resort?"

"Yeah, I do," Eric replied with a smile.

They then made their way to the ballroom.

At the entrance, student council members were welcoming guests.

"Eric, you're here. Come on in. We've reserved the ballroom for today, and everyone inside is participating in the masquerade ball. They're all handsome guys and beautiful girls from our school and Silverbrook College of Finance," a student council member said with a smile.

Eric nodded, then took out two men's masks.

He and Kyle each put one on and walked into the ballroom.