Nathan stood right at the center of the ballroom, flanked by all seven beautiful women like an elegant guard of maidens ready to lay down their lives for him. Around them, camera lights blinked incessantly; phones poked out from the mass of the crowd, all recording, trying to capture fragments of the radiance that overflowed.Nathan could not help but smile. His hands were wrapped around the waists of the two closest to him—Gene and Avery. If he weren’t holding them, feeling the luxurious material of their dresses and the softness of their bodies beneath, he would certainly have considered himself living in a dream—one he did not want to wake from.“What is going on?” Michael said under constrained breath as he pushed out of the dazzled crowd, breaking away like a fish out of water. Amelia was clinging to his arm, herself in worry and shock at what she was seeing. Right behind her were her clique of pompous, spoiled girls: Ava and Bella.Their faces were already pale from seeing the s

The ballroom was electric with the energy of the crowd. Melody and Amelia stood by, watching as their friends embarrassed themselves. Ameila is more shaken by it, as inside of her she wondered if this wasn't all because of her. If she had not treated him poorly during the date, and made him seem like a scammer, would this have happened?Anyway, she strengthened herself, make her heart into that of steel. This was no time to grow a heart. She did not need one. And never did. The makeup on Ava and Bella's faces were now worn off by the tears flowing out of their eyes. Bella's phone buzzed violently in her trembling and sweaty hands. Before she pick it, she saw her boyfriend amidst the crowd. There was a frown playing on his face, with his arms across his chest. He shook his head angrily and turned to leave.Tears streaked down her face. "No," Bella whispered, voice cracking as she reached out her hands to him. "Don't go, baby. Please."He paid no mind to her. Her cries bounced across

Chapter 16The Rolls-Royce limousine cruised through the midnight streets of Manhattan like a shark cutting through a pitch-black sea. Neon lights flickered across the dark skin of the car, bathing it in brilliant, shifting lines of color.Nathan sat close to Stacy at the front while the seven women filled the back, their bodies pressed against the leather seats of the car.Their faces were gentle, eyes carrying soft gazes as they watched the streets pass by.Nathan stole a glance at them every few minutes. They beamed back at him with beautiful smiles, their bright teeth fully on display. They were so impossibly beautiful that he was still reeling from the fact that he had managed to get them to attend the gala with him. He had certainly taught his enemies a lesson.Behind the luxurious car, an Uber followed smoothly.“Yes, just follow that car,” Amelia instructed the driver.“Oh? Sure?” The driver nodded, suspicion clear in his eyes. But the woman behind him was so stunning that he

“Look,” Jaxon said, pointing a finger at Nathan. “Bro really thinks he’s going to get us scared by just calling a nobody on the phone. Ay, bro, ain’t nobody scared of no phone call!”Chase snorted. “Ain’t nobody—”All their phones rang out at once, the sharp, insistent tones cutting through the club’s bass like alarms. The three men froze in a state of momentary shock. They exchanged quick, uneasy glances with one another, then looked back at Nathan—who had already sat down again, calm and unruffled, one leg crossed over the other, sipping what remained of his untouched cocktail.“What? Why are our phones ringing at the same time?” Lil Tizzy asked, unable to hide the confusion that now coated his face.“I don’t know, man,” Chase said, raising his iPhone to his face.“Man, it’s my manager,” Jaxon said, his voice shaking slightly.“Me too,” Lil Tizzy and Chase said at the same time. It was obvious they were all scared of picking up the calls.“Go ahead,” Nathan said smoothly, controlled

“What are you two doing here, man?” Nathan asked, his face still wearing a look of surprise. Right before him stood Aaron and John, his friends from school. Both of them were still in their gala attire.“We’re the ones who should be asking the questions, bruh,” Aaron said, eyes wide as he tried to peek into the room behind Nathan.“Dude! The whole campus is blowing up because of you. You’re literally trending everywhere. What the hell did you do?” John asked. “We had to see it for ourselves.”Nathan was speechless. He didn’t know what to say to them.He outstretched his hands and placed both palms on both of their shoulders. “Guys,” he sighed. “Forgive me one last time if I ask the question. But how did you find me?”“Oh?” John brought out his phone and showed him the screen of his WhatsApp chats. “We found you through campus groups and sightings of you on the internet. We just really wanted to know what was going on.”Nathan sighed again. “I see…”“You good?” Aaron asked, a flicker o