The third-year girl grew more nervous by the second.Jace had taken her to a store only celebrities—and the disgustingly rich—ever stepped foot into.He told the stylists to “doll her up” with a firmness that made even the manager jump.Now she stood in front of a massive mirror…She looked like Cinderella designed by billionaires.The gown.The heels.The diamonds.Even though she was rich—really rich—the total of it all shook her to her bones.“Two million dollars, sir,” she heard the cashier say.She almost died right there.Her twenty-one-year-old instinct kicked in—this wasn’t right. He was eighteen.She should be the older, sensible one here.She hurried over just as he was about to hand over his card. She snatched it from him.“I want to talk to you,” she whispered urgently.Jace grinned at her. A full, bright, reckless smile.“You look fucking pretty.”She almost melted. For real. Her knees legit shook.They stepped aside to a quiet corner.“You can’t pay this,” she hissed. “T

Robert picked up the menu. “What shall we go with, babe?” he asked Maya.Maya blinked, caught in a storm of her own thoughts. She drew closer, trying to focus on picking a meal, but her eyes kept darting toward Jace and the third-year girl. The girl—dressed like a queen straight out of some fantasy store—looked insane. The way Jace had taken her shopping, spent like nothing mattered… Maya’s chest tightened. He had always told her, back when they were “together,” that when he became rich, he’d spoil his girlfriend crazy. But she had never imagined it this fast, this publicly, right in front of her.“Maya?” Robert’s voice cut through her haze.She jumped slightly, forcing a smile. “I’ll go with…” She pointed to a dish without thinking.Robert smirked and picked something else—two hundred thousand dollars. The waiter bowed and took the menu.Jace and his girl placed their orders, calm, collected, completely unaware of the storm brewing across the table.Robert’s mind ticked. Everything

“Three million,” Jace said, voice low but cutting through the room. Gasps. Shouts. The person running the livestream froze for half a second, then kept going. Comments exploded online like wildfire. Robert’s jaw tightened. He wanted to bury this kid in debt, to drag him into a pit of numbers he couldn’t handle. Jace’s competitive streak? Oh, it was real. He’d bite the bait every single fucking time. “Ten million dollars!” Robert barked. Someone choked on their meal. The room’s energy spiked. “Well…going…?” Robert’s voice wavered slightly. “Two hundred million dollars,” Jace shot back like it was nothing. Maya’s eyes went wide. Her heart skipped. Robert froze. Two hundred million. That number alone could break most people—but not Jace. Poor kid had that stupid ego, and he was riding it straight into chaos. Bid at an insanely higher amount and then, he'd stop so that Jace would be trapped into being the last bidder. Robert’s face hardened. He had to push harder. He looked Jace

Jace stared.Then, for some fucked‑up reason, a smile crept onto his face.“This is fucking insane,” he whispered.He checked the time.3:18 p.m.Jace grabbed an expensive jacket and shrugged it over his white shirt. Stood in front of the mirror. Fixed his hair. Swapped his earrings for the crazy ones. Changed the rings on his fingers—heavier. Louder.Armor.He walked out of the room without looking back.Downstairs.Into the Rolls‑Royce.The door shut with a quiet, final click.When you’re fighting rich kids without money, it’s miserable. Like you genuinely want to die.But when you’ve got cash and you’re up against them?You want to live long enough to watch every single one of them get embarrassed out of their fucking pants.Minutes later, Jace was already striding down the hallway toward the lecturer’s office—the one in charge of the course.He knocked once. Didn’t wait. Walked in.A guy with hair dyed white was already inside. He lifted his hand and waved, like they were buddies

The dean was pacing his office like a man waiting for bad news he already knew was coming.Up.Down.Up again.The VC’s voice was still ringing in his ears—furious, clipped, dangerous.Clear it up.Now.What the hell do you think you’re doing?The door opened gently.Too gently.The professor in charge of the course walked in like he owned the fucking place.The dean spun.“What the hell have you done?” he snapped. He tried to keep his voice steady, but the anger leaked out anyway. “Why didn’t you give him his required score? Do you want this whole school to burn? What kind of image do you think this portrays? Are you even thinking at all?”The professor raised a brow. Slow. Unbothered.Then he sat down.“I don’t think you should be talking to me like this.”The words landed like a slap.“What?” The dean stared at him.The professor leaned back. “One phone call. That’s all it takes. I call Maya’s parents, and you’re out of this office forever. I don’t know if that’s what you want—but