Gideon suddenly turned around, his chair scraping loudly against the floor as his temper finally ignited.“Still eating?” he snapped at Kenny and the others. “What are you guys, pigs? Hurry up and call the waiter. Bring the bill—we’re leaving!”“Huh? Oh—oh!” Kenny, who had been happily gnawing on a drumstick, nearly choked. The sudden outburst startled him so badly that he bobbed his head repeatedly before scrambling out of his seat. Still, even as he hurried away, he shamelessly stuffed two drumsticks into his pocket.The lively atmosphere vanished in an instant.The room fell deathly quiet.Everyone stared at Gideon in bewilderment.“What is he trying to do?” “We’re leaving already?”A few brave whispers slipped out, sounding far louder than intended in the silence. But the moment they saw Gideon’s furious expression, no one dared say another word. One by one, people quietly set down their silverware and began gathering their things.Not long after, the waiter arrived.“Sir,” he

Mario continued talking the entire way, barely pausing to breathe.“Wait, I don’t remember you ever being into the lottery,” he said, rubbing his chin. “Damn, your luck is insane. You randomly buy a ticket and hit the jackpot? But still—man, you shouldn’t spend money like that. Forty thousand dollars on one meal? I know you wanted to humiliate Gideon, but that was way too much.”He shook his head, then suddenly leaned closer. “Oh, by the way… how much did you actually win?”I waited a second, then answered casually, as if I were talking about the weather.“One million.”“ONE MILLION?!”Mario practically exploded.His roar shook the taxi, making the driver glance at us through the rearview mirror. Mario’s eyes were so wide they looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. He stared at me, frozen, mouth hanging open, like his soul had temporarily left his body.That expression stayed glued to his face for the rest of the ride.Every few minutes, I glanced at him and couldn’t

The night passed quietly.When I opened my eyes again, it was already nine in the morning—time to start a new day.Victor’s bed was empty. He clearly hadn’t returned to the dorm last night. Lucas was gone too; he was probably already at the library, buried in books like always. The only one still around was Mario, sprawled across his bed, snoring like the world owed him money.I shook him a few times, trying to wake him up so we could head out together.“Five more minutes…” he mumbled, rolling over and pulling the blanket over his head.That told me everything I needed to know.After washing my face and getting dressed, I headed to class alone.I had two morning classes today, and the first one was Introduction to Management. The lecture hall could seat about two hundred people. Normally, only around a hundred students from our department were supposed to attend.But when I walked in, I froze.Almost every seat was taken.Not only that—most of the students weren’t even from our departm

After Sabrina's outburst, the entire lecture hall went silent. Sabrina gave me a smug look topped with disdain and ridicule. With an indifferent face, I opened my mouth. Just as I was about to speak, another voice interrupted me."Sabrina, stop talking dirt. You have been dropping dirty words in every other sentence. Even your mouth reeks of filth now."I turned my head. The person who interrupted was Mario's girlfriend, Lena. Since I borrowed money from Mario in the past, we did not have the best relationship.She looked down on me and would often ridicule me. What was up with her today? I was a little surpsised with this development but I quickly made the connection. She must have learned about what happened at last night's farewell party. She knew that I was no longer the poor loser they all threw cusses at.Instead, I was now a rich person who could spend 40K at the drop of a hat. That would explain her sudden change in attitude toward me. Ay, humans are so materialistics.I sighed

Viktor lunged at me, eyes wild. His movements were sloppy with anger, but they were still predictable. The blade came down and I shifted to the side, catching his wrist in a single, practiced motion. With a twist the knife flew from his hand and clattered to the floor.Before he could recover, I stepped in and pulled his arm back hard. A sickening pop echoed through the corridor as his shoulder dislocated. Viktor screamed; his legs buckled and he dropped to his knees, clutching at the joint.I let him stumble back, then faced the rest of them. Ten men, frozen and indecisive, staring at the heap of bodies and the one man left standing. I cracked my knuckles and let a smirk cut across my face.“Waiting for an invitation?” I said, voice flat. “Come on—come all of you.”That was all it took. They roared and charged.The first man lunged; I ducked under his fist and drove an elbow into his ribs. He folded in a breath and I followed with a knee to the gut that sent him sailing into the othe