All Chapters of THE ORPHAN WHO INHERITED BILLIONS: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
90 chapters
CHAPTER 11
The arrival of Bradley Whitlock was treated with the reverence usually reserved for a minor deity. The door to the private room swung open, and there he was, as if conjured by Lisa’s worshipful description. He was handsome in a bland, catalogue-model way, with perfectly styled hair and a sweater tied around his shoulders like a parody of old-money elegance."Bradley! You made it!" Lisa trilled, jumping up to air-kiss his cheeks."Sorry I'm late, everyone," Bradley said, his voice a smooth, practiced baritone. "Board meeting at Benedetti ran long. You know how it is." He said it with a casual sigh, ensuring everyone understood the prestige of being too busy with billion-dollar affairs.His eyes swept the table, lingering appreciatively on Grace before landing on Alexander. His smile didn't falter, but it cooled by several degrees, a polite mask of confusion. "I don't believe we've met.""This is Alexander," Matthew said, his voice strained. "He's our roommate.""Ah," Bradley said, the
CHAPTER 12
The Audi’s engine was a muted purr as it navigated the streets back toward campus, a stark contrast to the roar of social combat Alexander had just left. Samuel’s presence was a calm, neutral force in the charged silence.“A difficult evening, Young Master?” Samuel finally asked, his eyes on the road.Alexander let out a short, humorless laugh. “You could say that. I was just informed my aesthetic is ‘shoplifting chic’ and that I should stick to taco trucks.”“A curious analysis from individuals who likely have never purchased their own clothing or cooked a meal,” Samuel observed dryly. “Their opinions are of no strategic consequence.”“It’s not about strategy,” Alexander sighed, leaning his head against the cool glass. “It’s about… existing. They look at me and see a list of everything I lack. They don’t see a person.”“A common flaw in those who define themselves by external validation,” Samuel replied. “It makes them predictable. And easily managed, should you choose to do so.”The
CHAPTER 13
The morning sun streammed through the grimy dorm window, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. The usual sounds of students heading to class filtered through the door, but inside Room 307, the atmosphere was thick with a silence that had persisted since the previous night.Joseph was the first to break it, his voice a low rumble. "You know, for a guy who just got a billion-dollar inheritance, you still snore like a chainsaw."Alexander, already dressed and staring at his phone, didn't look up. "And for a guy who knows about the inheritance, you still eat my leftover pizza.""It was a tribute!" Joseph protested, a grin finally cracking his worried expression. "An offering to the 'Young Master' so he doesn't have me disappeared."Matthew, however, hadn't moved from his bed. He was staring at his phone as if it were a live grenade. "Lisa... she sent forty-seven texts. The last twenty are just question marks." He looked up at Alexander, his eyes wide. "What did you do, man? Seriousl
CHAPTER 14
The news spread through the campus ecosystem not like a rumor, but like a shockwave. It didn't trickle; it detonated. The "pathetic liar" and "cake thief" was the secret heir to the Benedetti empire. The story was too insane not to be true, especially when corroborated by a sobbing, terminated Bradley Whitlock and a completely unraveled Lisa Williams.Alexander’s walk to his morning economics lecture was a study in shifting social dynamics. Where there had once been sneers and averted gazes, there were now stunned stares, hesitant smiles, and phones quickly raised to capture his image. He was no longer invisible; he was a landmark.He pushed open the lecture hall door. The usual cacophony of a hundred-and-fifty students died instantly, replaced by a breathless, anticipatory silence. Every head turned. He saw Grace Carson already in her seat, her posture rigid. She didn't look at him, but her entire body was angled away, a statue of pure, frozen mortification.He took his usual seat in
CHAPTER 15
The walk back from the administration building felt different. The whispers that followed Alexander were no longer just of shock or fear, but of something closer to reverence. He had become a force of nature on campus, an unpredictable power that could shatter fortunes and bend the university itself to its will with a single phone call.He found Joseph waiting for him on the steps of the economics building, his face a mixture of anxiety and excitement. "Well? What did the president want? Are you expelled? Knighted? What?""He wanted to discuss the weather," Alexander said dryly, starting to walk toward the student union. "And the fact that the library ban has been lifted."Joseph fell into step beside him. "You're kidding. Just like that?""Just like that." Alexander didn't elaborate. The full scope—the board of trustees, the threatened donation—felt too grandiose, even for Joseph. Some realities were best absorbed slowly.They pushed through the heavy doors of the student union into
CHAPTER 16
The Cooper estate was less a house and more a historical landmark, a sprawling colonial revival mansion set on manicured grounds. That night, it was ablaze with light, pulsing with music, and swarming with the university's most privileged.Alexander arrived alone, driving a sleek, gunmetal grey Aston Martin DB12. It was expensive, but not ostentatious. It whispered class, rather than screaming wealth.He handed the keys to a valet who looked at the car, then at Alexander's simple but perfectly tailored tuxedo, with newfound respect.The party was in full swing. Fraternity brothers in blazers and girls in cocktail dresses clustered around a massive outdoor bar and a swimming pool. Alexander moved through the crowd, feeling the stares and the sudden pockets of silence that followed him.He saw Steven Cooper holding court near the pool, surrounded by his usual sycophants, including a now-subdued Frank Collins. Steven was tall, blond, and possessed a relaxed, entitled confidence that was
CHAPTER 17
The fallout from the Cooper party was seismic. It wasn't a rumor or a threat; it was a financial fact, cold and unassailable. The story wasn't that Alexander had humiliated Steven Cooper; it was that he had, in the space of an evening, legally and quietly become his landlord. The "con artist" narrative championed by @TruthTeller evaporated overnight, replaced by a pervasive, almost religious awe. Alexander Rivera wasn't just rich; he was a natural disaster in a tailored tuxedo.A few days later, Alexander was in the library—no longer a place of humiliation but a quiet command center—when Joseph found him, his usual energetic self replaced by a hesitant anxiety."Hey, Alex. You got a minute?"Alexander looked up from a corporate report. "For you? Always. What's wrong?"Joseph shifted his weight. "It's my dad. His construction company... he's hit a wall. The big project he was banking on fell through. The bank's calling in his line of credit. He's... he's going to lose everything. The b
CHAPTER 18
The "Rivera Effect," as the campus paper had dubbed it, created a strange new normal. Alexander’s days were now a bizarre split between collegiate routine and corporate sovereignty. He’d solve differential equations in the morning and approve multi-million dollar acquisitions in the afternoon. The fear had mellowed into a profound, almost reverential respect. He was no longer just a student; he was an institution.This delicate balance was shattered one Tuesday evening by a frantic video call from Joseph. His face, usually so full of humor, was pale and slick with panic."Alex! You need to get to St. Jude's Hospital. Now!"Alexander’s blood ran cold. "What happened? Is it your dad?""It's my sister, Mia," Joseph choked out, his voice cracking. "There was a car accident. It's bad, Alex. It's really bad. They're saying she needs a specialized neurosurgeon and there's only one in the state who can do the procedure, a Dr. Evans, and he's booked solid for the next six months. My parents ar
CHAPTER 19
The miracle of Mia Blake’s surgery rippled through the campus with the force of a gospel. It was one thing to crush a rival’s family business or buy a campus administrator’s compliance. It was another to summon a world-class surgeon from the sky to save a young girl’s life. The "Rivera Effect" was no longer about fear or opportunity; it was verging on mythology.Alexander found he could no longer walk to class without being stopped by grateful strangers—a custodian whose nephew had gotten into a special program, a cafeteria worker whose mortgage had been mysteriously paid. His patronage had become legend, and with it came a new, uncomfortable level of visibility.He was seeking a moment of quiet in a secluded campus courtyard when a figure stepped from behind a large oak tree, blocking his path. It was a man in his late twenties, dressed in an impeccably cheap suit, with the hungry eyes of a journalist who’d been chasing a story for too long.“Alexander Rivera?” the man said, not aski
CHAPTER 20
The confrontation with Leo Finch had been a baptism by fire, solidifying Alexander’s resolve. He could no longer afford to simply react; he had to project power, to embody the "Young Master" so completely that no one would ever dare question his legitimacy again. The campus, he decided, was his training ground, and his first official act as its uncrowned ruler would be a demonstration of both his power and his vision.He summoned his inner circle—Joseph, Matthew, and a newly loyal Grace Carson—to his dorm room, which now felt less like a student’s quarters and more like a war room. A large blueprint was unfurled across his desk.“What’s that?” Matthew asked, peering at the complex architectural drawing.“The old student union building,” Alexander said, his finger tracing the outline. “It’s been underutilized for years. The university has been trying to fund a renovation for a decade.”Joseph grinned. “Let me guess. You’re writing a check.”“Not just a check,” Alexander replied, a glin