Novels by Nikki Bella

“There’s nothing pleasant about this morning,” Mrs. Lee snorted, turning her head in the other direction as though she did not deem him worthy enough to receive a stare from her.“We saw the news,” Mr. Lee said, regarding Nathan coldly. “Those are some exploits you’ve made in the past few days, haven’t you? The last time we came across you, you were an errand boy for my son, Michael. I suppose you know him. And now you’re…” He raised an eyebrow, “Pauper King? That’s quite a surprise. A trillionaire the last time we checked.”“I guess people get lucky,” Nathan said, about to leave.“You will stay there when I am talking to you, young man,” Mr. Lee barked. Nathan stood still, wondering at the audacity behind those words. “How dare you try to leave me standing. Do you know who I am? Do you think stealing and scamming has suddenly placed you at my level? Let me tell you one thing, Mr. Rhodes: you were born a pleb, and you will always be a pleb. It doesn’t matter what you have right now, o

“But it’s trending worldwide and you’re the only ones I told,” Nathan said. “There’s no other way it could have gotten out. Are you sure you did not tell anybody else?”“No, man,” John said, his voice almost pleading. “We wouldn’t do that to you. You should know that.”“John is right,” Aaron continued, the hurt in his voice more apparent than anyone else’s. “We wouldn’t do that to you. You should know that by now, man.”Nathan sighed hopelessly. It hurt him as much as it hurt them that he was accusing them in that way. But he still had to steel his heart. It was a new life he was living—different from what he had known before, when he ran errands for rich kids at ESU. He did not want his good sensibilities to be taken advantage of just like that.Still, these were his friends—people he had been with ever since. He trusted them as much as he trusted himself, and they trusted him. The thought that they could even be lying to him ate at him from within, burrowing into his heart with a ho

Across the road from the Plaza Hotel, an Uber was parked. Behind its tinted glass sat Amelia, watching the hotel entrance as two young men strolled out: Aaron and John.“Can’t believe he actually gave us that huge amount of money, man,” John said. “I’m still shaking right now. In my life I never thought I’d be given a million dollars free of charge without being asked to offer anything else in return. It still feels like a dream.”“Man, Nathan has always been the best,” Aaron replied, staring up at the night sky littered with unblinking stars. “It might just be that he’s only being generous because he got the money without breaking a single sweat, but I wouldn’t put it past him to just be as generous as he is right now.”“You’re right,” John replied thoughtfully. “In any case, hurrah to friendship.”“Hurrah!” Aaron echoed.Amelia watched as they boarded a taxi back to school.“What?” she asked pensively. “What on earth does that good-for-nothing pauper think he is doing? Why is he giv

“What are you two doing here, man?” Nathan asked, his face still wearing a look of surprise. Right before him stood Aaron and John, his friends from school. Both of them were still in their gala attire.“We’re the ones who should be asking the questions, bruh,” Aaron said, eyes wide as he tried to peek into the room behind Nathan.“Dude! The whole campus is blowing up because of you. You’re literally trending everywhere. What the hell did you do?” John asked. “We had to see it for ourselves.”Nathan was speechless. He didn’t know what to say to them.He outstretched his hands and placed both palms on both of their shoulders. “Guys,” he sighed. “Forgive me one last time if I ask the question. But how did you find me?”“Oh?” John brought out his phone and showed him the screen of his WhatsApp chats. “We found you through campus groups and sightings of you on the internet. We just really wanted to know what was going on.”Nathan sighed again. “I see…”“You good?” Aaron asked, a flicker o

The door of the club opened onto the midnight air as Nathan stepped out, the seven women still flanking him like an elegant honor guard. They carried cocktail glasses in their hands—except for Nathan, whose were stuffed into his pockets. The neon lights and bass-heavy music receded behind them, replaced by a million flashing bulbs and the relentless clicking of camera shutters that barricaded their vision as they emerged.“What’s this?” Nathan asked, mildly horrified and surprised.The women swarmed behind him. Right in front of them stood a mob of paparazzi.“Pauper King! Pauper King! Pauper King!” a large portion of the crowd hailed, holding flyers aloft with his name printed boldly across them.His name had gone wide and viral after the incident with the three celebrities who tried to tear him down. He had become a mini-celebrity himself—and the realization scared him.“Stacy…” he called, trying to shield his eyes from the blinding flashes.“I’m sorry, boss. I’m here,” Stacy replie

“Look,” Jaxon said, pointing a finger at Nathan. “Bro really thinks he’s going to get us scared by just calling a nobody on the phone. Ay, bro, ain’t nobody scared of no phone call!”Chase snorted. “Ain’t nobody—”All their phones rang out at once, the sharp, insistent tones cutting through the club’s bass like alarms. The three men froze in a state of momentary shock. They exchanged quick, uneasy glances with one another, then looked back at Nathan—who had already sat down again, calm and unruffled, one leg crossed over the other, sipping what remained of his untouched cocktail.“What? Why are our phones ringing at the same time?” Lil Tizzy asked, unable to hide the confusion that now coated his face.“I don’t know, man,” Chase said, raising his iPhone to his face.“Man, it’s my manager,” Jaxon said, his voice shaking slightly.“Me too,” Lil Tizzy and Chase said at the same time. It was obvious they were all scared of picking up the calls.“Go ahead,” Nathan said smoothly, controlled