Everyone was stunned and wowed by the ingenious strategy, of Damon. No one saw it coming, as many thought he would just buy drinks like Ernie did in a bid to show off. Aria was impressed as well, and it gave her a little hope that they would win this bet after seeing how resourceful Damon was. Xavier realized their account was down by another $100k, which actually went to Damon. Their total spent was now at $300k; they had $1.2 million left. Xavier, now fully confident, clapped Ernie on the shoulder. “Alright, Ernie! Let’s show him how it’s done!” He turned to the club manager, who was still hovering nearby, his eyes wide with anticipation. “Manager! We want to book the entire club for the rest of the night. How much?”The manager’s eyes lit up. “For the entire night, sir? That would be… five hundred thousand dollars.”“Done!” Xavier declared, pulling out his phone. “Transferring $500,000 now, and once it clears, I want Damon Newton and his… entourage… out of my club. Unless he’s wi

Now the air in the VIP lounge was flickering with something other than fear. There was no more tension, just anticipation and excitement in the air. Damon, the pauper and harried errand boy, now the king of Club Moon and Aria, the untouchable goddess by his side.Ernie and his rest of his friends, looking just blank on the inside, sat in a corner with tired faces and angry lips, knowing that their lives had just changed dramatically -- now they were Aria's school pets, which meant it was all her business.At that moment Damon turned to Aria, and his face was lit up with a warm smile. ‘Are you ready to leave? ’ he asked, his voice a little more intimate, but I think we’ve seen enough of it for one night.Aria smiled back at him, smiling gleaming with amusement. “Definitely, ” she said in a husky, easy-going tone. “I’m all about some fresh air, maybe a little bit of schadenfreude. ”Damon laughed and took her hand. “Well I'm thinking exactly like that. ” He turned to the manager who was

The warm morning sun flared through the wide windows of Damon’s new mansion, lighting the master suite and the suite of his dreamlike escape. He woke up to that lovely sound of waves rolling against the private beach down below, a contrast to the loud and noisy hostel where he had once been. The memories of last night, of all the drama at Club Moon and of Aria’s lips kissing his swept off his canvas like an ocean breeze. It felt like a dream, but for real. The luxurious atmosphere, the soft sheets of his pillow and the faint smell of ocean breeze.He stretched, enjoying the height of comfort from a king-size bed, compared with the gallows-yet-brilliant cot he had taken over. Flexing past the bedside table, he glanced at Felix's silver tray with a cold cup of coffee and a collection of pastries on it. A pleased sigh rose from his lips. This was life he might get used to.As he looked out the window over his coffee, his phone appeared empty. No email. No text. No social media alerts. Al

It was a night that was marked by so much excitement and so much anticipation. The huge hall, used for lecture halls, classrooms and the like, was now lit up, music was played and the atmosphere was eminently more festive than ever. A line of students, alumni and faculty in their finest clothes came out of the lobby screaming to attend the social event of the year.Xavier and the guys at his clique, so confident in their social status that they didn’t care what Damon had planned, finally arrived early. They were planning to take their place right by the front door, so as to make Damon and Aria feel as unwelcome as possible. They stood close to the door and began to mock them, with their scripted lines.“Just wait until Damon comes up, ” Mason sneered, adjusting his heavily-strung tie. We’ll just make sure he knows he's out of place here.'And Aria, ' Sierra continued, her eyes flashing with horror, 'we're going to make sure she doesn't forgive him ever again.In the meantime Damon and

The gala buzzed, a hive of forced smiles and thinly veiled ambition. Damon excused himself from a conversation with a particularly persistent alumnus, pulling Aria aside."I need a minute," he murmured, guiding her towards a quieter corner of the hall."Everything alright?" Aria asked, her brow furrowing with concern. "You seem… tense.""I am," Damon admitted, pulling out his phone. "You see I just did some investigation on the guys and It's… comprehensive."Aria's eyes widened. "Comprehensive how?""Think of it as a deep dive into anyone's digital footprint, plus some… offline intel. I ran it on Xavier's friends.""And?"Damon hesitated. "It's not pretty. Mason's been cheating on exams. Harper's 'charity work' is mostly self-promotion with very little actual… charity. And Liam? His family's not as wealthy as he pretends. They're drowning in debt."Aria's expression turned serious. "Damon, you can't.""Can't what? Expose them? They're trying to ruin us, Aria. They're spreading rumors,