The hefty men behind him were monsters compared to Maya’s “muscle.” Those bouncers? Mosquitoes. And in two seconds, every single one of them was on their knees, faces puffed, eyes spinning from the beatdown. They could barely even raise their heads from the pain and the humiliation. The men bowed to Jace and planted themselves like a wall behind him. Silence crashed over the hall. Even the people streaming everything online were panicking, screaming into their phones like the apocalypse had arrived. “Well,” Jace said, his voice low, sharp, dripping fire, “since you said our fucking relationship was all a game, I think it’s only fair I show you… I’m a gamer too.” Maya froze, pale, staring at the destruction her friends had just endured. Yet somehow, she tried to keep that superior, untouchable look, like he was a bug she could squash. Too late. “Remember that dream house of yours?” Jace leaned in, eyes black with menace. “The one you said cost ten million? Part payment alrea

Maverick didn’t even realize the scream was coming from him until he crashed into a shelf stacked with shoes. Some of the shoes tumbled over him, like they were trying to hide his shame.The room went heavy with silence.The livestreamer whispered to her audience, which was climbing past ten million. She was the only one capturing the madness—Jace’s chaos going viral in real-time.“What the fuck…?” she murmured. Comments flooded in instantly:“Action movie!!!”“I got popcorn!”“Please go closer so I can see Mav’s face!”“Jace’s a fucking legend!!”Jace laughed, right in the middle of the room. “Maverick, you still breathing? That was just a punch. Two more, and I’ll send you straight to hell.”Maverick forced himself up, bent in half, every bone screaming. All the pain in his body was explicit. Yeah, that word’s usually for scenes minors shouldn’t see, but this? Not even humans should experience this much agony.“Doctor…” he croaked, terrified he was about to die right there.Just whe

Jace dragged himself into the hotel room around 7 a.m. His eyes were bloodshot, and every muscle in his body buzzed like he was seconds away from collapsing. But the bed… even now, it still felt wrong to lie on something so soft. His body didn’t trust comfort yet. His phone rang — Trevon’s number. “Hey, man,” Trevon said. “I’m home.” “Home?” Jace blinked. “Which home?” “I had to come back, bro. Mom lit the neighbor’s kitchen on fire. Cops arrested her. I had to come get bail money and shit.” Jace sucked in a breath. “Leave them alone, Trev. They’re old enough to sort their own mess.” “Dad doesn’t know about what happened to you,” Trevon rushed to say, talking over him. “And most people don’t. I’ll make them shut up if they start. Just… don’t worry about me.” “You want to babysit them for the rest of your life?” Jace snapped. “You’ve got your own fucking life.” “Woah, calm down. I know. I’ll handle it. Maybe take my SAT in a few months. You focus on yourself, man.” Jace’s jaw

Weirdly, the release helped. Even if just a damn inch.A few minutes later, he called for breakfast.Shoved some omelette into his mouth, eyes glued to his phone.He couldn’t miss class.No matter what shitstorm he was in, he needed that fucking degree.Needed to graduate and tell every last person who doubted him to fuck off.To burn.Plus, he’d promised Trevon this morning.And Jace wasn’t breaking that one.“Shit,” he muttered.He yanked on his designer threads, stormed in front of the mirror, and swallowed hard.Crazy how his life had flipped in a few hours — and he hadn’t even had the time to appreciate it.Rings went on. Earrings clicked in. Never did this before. Never had the guts.But fuck it — today was dreams colliding with revenge. And a message to Maya about what she’d lost.He rushed out. Thirty minutes to lecture.Slid into his Rolls. Sunglasses on. Bubble gum popped in rhythm with the engine.Pew… heavenly. Driving felt like air in a rich man’s lungs.Stopped at a ligh

He came around, grabbed Maya’s hand, and shoved through the crowd until they reached Jace and the third-year girl—who hadn’t made it far because everyone was blocking the path, trying to record the drama. “Hey, Jace,” the guy drawled, stepping directly into Jace’s path, still gripping Maya like she was some trophy. “How about a double date with you and your new girlfriend?” Jace eyed both of them like they were fucking ants crawling on his shoe. He had never seen this clown before, but the trust-fund energy was loud as hell. “Why the fuck would I want a double date with you two?” Jace asked flatly. “Oh, right—my bad,” the guy said with a fake, polished smile. “I forgot to introduce myself. Name’s Robert. Thing is, we placed a bet on that fresher’s party night.” He turned to Maya. “I personally laid down a million dollars, because I didn’t know Maya would pull that off. I already paid her.” Jace blinked once, unimpressed. “How the hell does that relate to me?” Robert gave a slo