All Chapters of From Campus Trash To Tycoon: Chapter 41
- Chapter 50
63 chapters
Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One The atmosphere in the Great Hall was suffocating. Silas Vale sat on the stage like an inquisitor, his eyes fixed on Adrian with a predatory stillness. To the students and faculty, Silas was a god from the capital; Adrian was just a boy who had flown too close to the sun. "Mr. President," Silas said, his voice echoing with cold authority. "The Vale Group does not recognize the consultancy of this student. We believe the thirty-billion-dollar endowment was secured through fraudulent representation of our family’s interests. I move to freeze the funds and place Lina Andrew under immediate investigation." Lina’s face was ashen. She looked at Adrian, but he was merely leaning back, staring at the ornate ceiling as if he were counting the tiles. "Fraud is a heavy word, Silas," Adrian said, not even standing up. "Are you sure the Vale Group wants to go on record saying the Grand Azure Trust was tricked by a student? It makes your partners look like amateurs." "The Trust
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Chapter Forty-Two The ride home was not filled with the triumphant music of a victory. Instead, the interior of the black sedan was thick with a silence that felt heavier than the thirty-billion-dollar fund currently tied to Lina’s name. Lina sat in the back, her hands trembling in her lap. She looked out the window at the blurred city lights, her reflection showing a woman who looked the same as she did four hours ago, yet felt entirely alien. "Adrian," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Stop the car." Adrian signaled the driver, and the Rolls-Royce pulled smoothly to the curb of a deserted park. Adrian turned to her, his eyes soft but guarded. "Lina, you’re shaking." "Of course I’m shaking!" she burst out, tears finally spilling over. "Thirty billion, Adrian! People are murdered for thirty dollars! Why would your client put that kind of target on my back? I’m a student! I’ve never even managed a lemonade stand, let alone the University’s future!" Adrian reached out, taking her
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Chapter Forty-ThreeThe morning after the Gala, the Andrews’ small apartment building was suddenly the most popular address in Cape City. News of Lina’s thirty-billion-dollar fund and Adrian’s title had spread faster than wildfire.Before Lina even had time to fully process her new reality, the doorbell began to ring. And it didn't stop.Uncle Bob and Aunt Carol had arrived at 7:00 AM, bringing along with them their son Benny and a business associate named Victor, who looked more like a debt collector than a banker."Lina! My precious CEO!" Martha shrieked, embracing her daughter. "Your Uncle Bob and Aunt Carol are here! They’ve come to celebrate your success!""Lina, dear," Aunt Carol simpered, smoothing her fake pearls. "We were just saying how stressful it must be to manage thirty billion."Andrew sat at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of lukewarm tea. He was a quiet man who had been forced into early retirement five years ago after being framed for a bookkeeping error at the Vale
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Chapter Forty-FourThe silence in the apartment after Uncle Bob and Benny fled was heavy, only to be broken by the sound of Martha frantically ruffling through flour sacks in the kitchen.Andrew sat at the table, staring at the digital files on Adrian’s phone. For five years, he had been a criminal in his own mind. Now, the truth was laid bare in glowing blue light."Adrian," Andrew said, his voice cracking. "What happens now? Even if I know the truth, the Vale Group is a mountain. They won't care about a deleted ledger from a discarded employee. To them, I'm still just trash."Adrian tucked his phone into his pocket. "Uncle, the mountain only looks tall because you're standing at the bottom. But the people at the top? They’re terrified of the wind. And right now, the wind is blowing in your direction."Lina gripped Adrian’s arm. "What do you mean? You aren't planning to go to the Vale headquarters, are you? Silas Vale is there! He’ll have you arrested for hacking. Don’t do anything s
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Chapter Forty-FiveThe celebratory dinner Martha insisted on was at a mid-tier seafood restaurant, grand enough for her to brag to the waitstaff, but humble enough that Adrian could slip away unnoticed.While Andrew was busy being fussed over by a suddenly doting Martha, and Lina was distracted by a flurry of congratulatory emails, Adrian stepped out into the humid evening air of the parking lots.Two black SUVs with tinted windows were parked across the street, their engines idling with a low, predatory hum. These weren't the clumsy thugs of the Vance family; they were Silas Vale’s personal problem solvers.Adrian walked to the curb, pulled out a bottle of refreshment he rarely drank, and waited.One of the SUV doors opened and a man in a sharp, dark suit, Captain Chen, stepped out. He was a retired special forces commander who now handled the Vale family's delicate matters. He walked toward Adrian with the calm confidence of a man who had never lost a confrontation."You're a hard m
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Chapter Forty-SixAndrew Andrew stood in front of the full-length mirror in the hallway, his hands fumbling with his silk tie. He was wearing a bespoke charcoal suit that Adrian had happened to find at a clearance sale as he told them but in truth it was actually a $10,000 Italian cut delivered by a hidden courier."I can't do this, Lina," Andrew whispered, his face pale. "Silas Vale will be there. The board members who laughed at me will be there. I’ll just be a target.""Dad, look at yourself," Lina said, adjusting his lapel. "You’re the General Manager. Adrian says the client has cleared the path. Just walk in with your head high."Adrian leaned against the doorframe, sipping a coffee. "Don't worry, Uncle Andrew. In that building, the only people who should be shaking are the ones who owe you an apology."The Vale Logistics Headquarters was a glass-and-steel monolith that symbolized the family's grip on the city's trade.At the entrance, a crowd had gathered. Silas Vale was standin
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Chapter Forty-SevenAdrian sat at his desk breaking his fingers. The academic term had finally paused for the mid-semester holiday. But for the students of Greenhigh College, a holiday wasn't for resting, it was for extra activities.The annual Elite Wilderness Expedition was mandatory for the Finance and Management departments. To the wealthy heirs like Julian and Chloe, it was a chance to show off their $10,000 designer camping gear and custom-built off-road vehicles."I can't believe we have to sleep in the dirt," Martha grumbled as she helped Lina pack. Since Andrew had become the General Manager, Martha had become obsessed with high-society standards. "Lina, tell Adrian to hire a helicopter. A General Manager’s daughter shouldn't be riding in a dusty school bus!""Mom, it's a school trip," Lina sighed, stuffing a sleeping bag into her pack. "And Adrian is already loading the supplies. We’re going to be low-key, remember? Dad’s position is still being finalized."Adrian walked in,
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Chapter Forty-EightDown in the lower part of the valley, the situation was a disaster. The rain had turned into a torrential downpour, and the silver-tier trekking path Julian had bragged about had washed away in a landslide of mud.Julian stood under a leaking tarp, his expensive white sneakers of two hundred dollars ruined, beside him was Chloe, she was shivering and her designer tracksuit soaked through."Julian! You said your father was a Silver Member!" Chloe shrieked. "Why are we sitting in a puddle while the wind is howling? Look up there!"She pointed toward the peak high above the mist, the Diamond Villa was glowing like a palace of the gods. Even from this distance, they could see the golden light reflecting off the heated infinity pool."That’s the Diamond Plateau," Julian hissed, his teeth chattering. "Even my father hasn't seen the inside of that place. It’s reserved for the Global Sovereign level. But wait..."Julian paused and squinted through the high-powered binocu
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Chapter Forty-NineWhen the sun rose over Cloud-Peak Forest, the rain had vanished, leaving behind a sky of brilliant blue and a valley sparkling with fresh dew.In the lower camp, the students were coming out of their wet, cold tents. The mood was sad as most of them had spent the night trying to stop water from dripping into their tents and fighting mosquitoes. The Professor stood beside the dying campfire, looking at his clipboard with a deep frown."Has anyone seen Mr. Vale or Miss Chloe?" the Professor asked, his voice echoing in the quiet morning. "They didn’t report for the midnight check-in."Suddenly, a series of wet slapping sounds and raspy groans emerged from the thick brush near the river."Help, get us out..."The students rushed to the edge of the clearing. A collective gasp went up, followed quickly by a wave of snickers from some of the students.Emerging from the mud were five figures that looked less like humans and more like swamp creatures. Julian and Chloe were u
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Chapter FiftyThe black SUV idling at the edge of the camp didn’t belong to the school, nor did it bear the markings of the Grand Azure Trust. Its windows were tinted so deeply they looked so dark like midnight, reflecting the morning sun with a glint.As the shuttle took Adrian and Lina back to the base camp to pack their things, the SUV followed at a precise distance behind them."Adrian, that car has been behind us since we left the camp," Lina whispered, her grip tightening on her backpack. "Is that more security from the Villa?"Adrian glanced in the side mirror. He recognized the license plate prefix. It was a Capital registration. He sighed as he processed the prefix, so the main branch had finally lost their patience. "Don't worry about it, Lina. Probably just some high-end tourists that got lost on their way to the plateau."By the time they returned to the city, the atmosphere at the Andrews' apartment had transformed. The humble hallway was lined with massive bouquets of wh