Chapter 463: Demoted to a Commoner

The distribution manager never expected Mr. Walton to be so ruthless.

His own son had gotten into trouble, but not only did he refuse to help, he was actively working against him behind the scenes.

He had originally planned to help Zeke Walton by persuading the injured driver to be merciful. ‘To spare people when possible is a virtue,’ he had thought. After all, this was Young Mr. Walton, who would sooner or later return to the Walton Family. Offending him would mean a tough future.

But the driver, wrapped in bandages and lying in bed, gloated.

“I told you, a family like that would never have just one kid. Just because his last name is Walton doesn’t mean he has any real power. You just wouldn’t believe me. His old man just came to talk to me personally. He told me to insist my injuries were severe and to extort more money from him. It’s not that I’m ignoring your advice, Mr. King. I’m just following orders.”

The distribution manager felt his whole worldview shattering.

But on second thought, it made sense.

He’d heard that relationships in wealthy families were notoriously messy. It seemed President Walton really did have more than one son. Otherwise, how could he be so cruel?

‘Is he planning to depose the older heir for a younger one?’

‘Is this son going to be completely cast out, banished to the mortal realm, and reduced to a commoner?’

「Two days later.」

When Zeke Walton went to see him again, the distribution manager looked deeply troubled.

“Mr. Walton, it’s not that I don’t want you to come back to work, it’s just… Everyone already had issues with you joining so suddenly, and now this whole mess has happened. You can see I’m in a tough spot…”

Zeke Walton understood what he meant and could imagine the resentment from the others.

When it rains, it pours.

He was a man of pride and couldn’t stand seeing someone look so troubled because of him.

“I understand. I’m sorry for putting you in a difficult position. I’ll never forget this favor.”

The manager said, “No, no, no, please don’t say that, Mr. Walton. It’s my honor to be of service to you. I’d be more than happy to have you work here, it’s just… How about this? Why don’t you rest at home for a while? Wait for this whole thing to blow over, and for everyone to calm down a bit…”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Even if the people here did like him—which they didn’t—Zeke Walton had no intention of staying in this industry for long.

It was just a stepping stone. He knew he didn’t belong here.

But pride and self-respect were one thing. After truly leaving this place, what could he even do?

Zeke Walton returned the car to the distribution manager and left the fruit wholesale market, feigning a carefree attitude.

Standing on the street, he was lost in a fog of uncertainty.

Thanks to his dear father, despite having a degree from a prestigious university, not a single company dared to hire him. He couldn’t even get a job as a delivery driver. It was utterly ridiculous.

‘Does this mean my only option is to take Amina and leave Veridia?’

It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear to leave Veridia, but Zeke Walton felt things hadn’t reached that point yet.

Although he was furious with his father’s actions, he still worried about his mother.

He could never forget all she had done for him since he was a child.

They may have disagreed about his marriage, but that didn’t mean Zeke Walton no longer loved his mother.

He just wanted to make something of himself before he went back to see her.

Standing on the street, watching the bustling crowds, he thought and thought until an idea suddenly struck him.

‘If wholesale fruit is one path, what about wholesale vegetables?’

He couldn’t work in this industry anymore, so he would switch to a similar one.

He didn’t know anyone there, which meant he wouldn’t have to worry about anything. He could truly give it his all.

With that in mind, a little after one in the morning, Zeke Walton arrived at Veridia’s largest vegetable wholesale market.

Just like the fruit market, the place was bustling in the early hours of the morning, with rows of vehicles lined up, fully loaded with vegetables and ready to depart.

Drivers were shouting and calling out numbers, and business owners of all kinds were there to stock up, weaving through the dense crowd.

Zeke Walton didn’t know who was in charge, so he stood in a corner and observed quietly.

He watched and waited, and finally, around five or six in the morning, he saw him.

A man with a commanding presence and a street-smart look, a cigarette dangling from his lips, walked in, flanked by several burly men.

Everywhere he passed, people stopped what they were doing to greet him.

Zeke Walton saw his chance and ran up to him.

“Hello, excuse me, are you the person in charge of this market?”

Zeke Walton was more than half a head taller than him. He was wearing a designer black T-shirt, black casual pants, and a pair of white sneakers he’d brought from home. He had a clean-cut air and fair features.

The man looked up, sizing him up from head to toe.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“Hello, my name is Zeke Walton. I’d like to discuss a business proposal with you.”

Zeke Walton extended his hand, but the man didn’t take it.

He looked Zeke up and down again, then turned his head and spat the cigarette onto the ground, following it with a wad of spit.

“Discuss business with me? Are you even an adult? You barely look like you’ve hit puberty, and you want to talk business? Are your parents crazy, letting you run around this late at night? How interesting.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the bodyguards behind him moved to shove Zeke Walton away.

“Move it, move it! Get out of the way! Go play somewhere else, kid. Big Brother doesn’t have time for your games! Can’t you see he’s busy?”

Zeke Walton stumbled back a couple of steps from the push but remained poised.

“I am an adult! If you don’t believe me, I have my ID right here, I can show you! I’m not joking. I genuinely have a proposal I want to discuss with you! Big Brother, please give me a chance! I only need five minutes!”

The man ignored him and continued walking with a stony expression, while his men began pushing Zeke again.

Zeke dodged them while continuing to chase after the boss.

“It doesn’t matter who you do business with, right? Your goal is to make money, not to engage in targeted poverty alleviation, isn’t it? I have a fleet of vehicles. Right now, I just want to buy some stock from you. You just need to leave me a small profit margin; the rest is all yours. I’m just trying to make a living, that’s all. Big Brother, please give me a chance!”

“I can accept a lower price than anyone else. It’s all benefit and no cost to you! Big Brother, just listen to me for a minute!”

The men were still pushing him when, suddenly, the boss stopped walking.

He looked at Zeke Walton, his gaze sharp.

“Stop holding him back. Let him come here.”

Zeke walked up to him, and their eyes met.

“How old are you?”

Zeke Walton held his ID card out to him. It showed not only his age but also his home address.

The man’s eyes tightened. He paused for a moment.

“What did you do before? Why the sudden interest in this line of work?”

Zeke Walton told him the truth: he had graduated from a prestigious university abroad, then returned to work in fashion design, and later started a website. Now, due to some personal problems, he had transferred it to someone else and was starting over from scratch.

He explained that he chose this industry because he didn’t have much capital.

Food is the staff of life, he figured, so dealing with it was bound to be a safe bet.

He spoke with such sincerity that the man couldn’t find any fault in his story.

When Zeke Walton finished speaking, the man returned his ID, his tone softening slightly.

“Since you can accept a lower price than others, this is worth discussing. However, I don’t have time right now. Leave me your number. I’ll call you when I’m free.”