In the golden heart of California, where dreams were meant to be born and greatness molded, stood Los Angeles University—LAU, the supposed pride of the state. Once a sanctuary for merit, vision, and opportunity, it had long fallen into the polished claws of the rich. The school that once uplifted the hardworking had now become a private playground for entitled heirs whose parents purchased prestige the way they purchased yachts.At LAU, your worth wasn’t measured by brilliance or effort. It was measured by the thickness of your family’s wallet. And for someone like Jared Stevens, a poor student with a backpack full of hope and pockets full of nothingness, it was a battlefield he stepped into daily with nothing but grit as a shield.That chilling afternoon, Jared was on his usual grind—working one of his many menial campus jobs just to stay enrolled. What the state once subsidized had now become a full-blown business empire where fees rose for no logical reason except that the elites d

At first, Jared thought he had misheard the director. Expelled? The word sounded absurd—too extreme, too sudden, too unprecedented to be real. And from the looks on the surrounding students’ faces, he wasn’t the only one shocked. Whispered murmurs filled the air. Everyone knew Los Angeles University never expelled anyone. The most notorious troublemakers still walked the campus freely. Yet here was Director Martin Hill, announcing an expulsion without a disciplinary hearing, without board approval, without due process.It was clear to everyone that this wasn’t justice—it was fear. Director Hill had bowed to the Joackins.Jared stared at him in disbelief. “Sir… are you serious right now?”Professor Bernard cut in before the director could respond. “Are you stupid? Does Director Hill look like someone who would walk all the way here just to joke with filth like you? You are done. Finished. Start packing your things and take your stench off this campus!”A few students flinched at the cr

Jared sat in the back seat of the taxi, his head lightly resting against the window as the city rolled by in soft blurs. It was unbelievable how fast life could shift. Just yesterday morning, he had been a broke, struggling student—counting pennies, praying Nana wouldn’t die before he could raise the money for her surgery. Yesterday evening, he had been tossed out of the university like filth. And now… a prince restored. The heir of the Diamond Empire. The rightful owner of fortunes larger than most nations’ GDPs.All because he finally agreed to return home.His fingers brushed against the sleek metal of his seven premium black cards—platinum, titanium, unlimited credit. Cards he hadn’t held for three years. Cards that could buy buildings, cities… or even the very institutions that had looked down on him.Each card had at least $250 billion for his lavish spending. More money than he could ever spend in seven lifetimes. A small smile tugged at his lips. ‘Brad and Becky are going to

The slap that landed on Professor Bernard’s face echoed like a gunshot across the courtyard. Students froze in disbelief as a red imprint immediately bloomed across the professor’s cheek. Gasps rippled through the crowd. Someone dropped their drink. Another student instinctively covered their mouth.What on earth had they just witnessed?This wasn’t some regular professor being scolded. This was Professor Bernard—the man who practically carried the entire ICT faculty on his back. In the last five years alone, he had singlehandedly made LAU graduates the most sought-after tech recruits in the state. The man had connections in nearly every major tech corporation—Skyrun Inc., Hertz Cloud, Maxian Systems. Skyrun especially adored him. They had begged him multiple times to leave the university and work with their HR team, helping them identify and groom elite tech talent.He was respected everywhere.And yet here he stood, hand glued to his cheek, staring at Director Hill like a lost chil

The moment the Ladies of Helen stormed out of the gym, the atmosphere twisted. Every head in the room tilted toward Jared with a blend of disbelief, annoyance, and outright confusion.Whispers started like sparks… then spread into a full wildfire.“Did he really reject Shelly?”“He must be crazy.”“Bro thinks he’s Invincible Man because of $25 million.”“Isn’t this the same guy whose girlfriend dumped him yesterday?”“And Lisa isn’t even half as pretty as Shelly. What the hell is wrong with him?”The murmurs thickened with judgment, jealousy, and mockery. Some people looked at Jared like he was mentally unstable. Some like he was arrogant. Others like he was simply too foolish to understand the blessing he had just spat on.But Jared didn’t care at all.He simply continued his workout, switching machines, his breaths steady, his posture calm. Sweat slid down his arms and neck, and he adjusted the weights without acknowledging a single person around him.The more silent he remained, th