Luke woke up around noon. The sun had already climbed high by the time he made it back to their dorm. With how long he had talked things over with Leon and Malcov, it was already close to dawn when they finally called it a night.Tony and the others were nowhere around. Probably still in class. They almost skinned him alive because of how worry they were.They had bombarded him with questions when he returned, questions he dodged by pretending to be drunk and passing out.He checked his phone. There was a missed call and one message. Both from Bernard.He read it.‘There will be a gathering at your Uncle Damian’s restaurant at 6 p.m. today. Well known businessmen from all over the country will be attending. Can you come? This is a good opportunity for you to meet them, and it will help a lot with your business training.’Luke paused for a moment after reading the message, then replied that he would attend.Bernard had no

Everyone who heard Luke’s reply froze for a moment, mouths wide open in shock. Not only did he look like he could not care less, he had even dared to challenge the man.The man’s eyelids twitched as his expression darkened while he stared at Luke. He had been caught completely off guard. He never expected someone who looked this poor to be bold enough to talk back.Who did this idiot think he was?“Hmph!” The short-haired woman stepped closer to the man and pointed angrily at Luke. “Fool! What right do you have to challenge my brother?” she snapped. “Do you even know who our father is?”Arrogance was written all over her face as she crossed her arms.“Our father is Derek Carpio, the Mayor of this city. Believe it or not, we can make you vanish here anytime we want just for offending us.”The blonde woman smiled widely and wrapped her arm around the tall man’s. She looked at Luke like she was enjoying every second of it.

Lauren quietly observed Luke as he ate. He had already offered her to join him several times, but she refused every single time. Multiple dishes were served so he could take his pick, yet in the end, he nearly cleared everything on the table.Joey could only blink in disbelief while watching Luke, genuinely wondering how one person could stuff that many dishes into his stomach. He looked like someone who had not eaten for days, maybe weeks.“Are you done?” Lauren asked when Luke finally placed his spoon and fork down.“Hmm.” Luke wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Totally worth it. Your food here is amazing.”After praising the meal, he casually took out his wallet, pulled out his SVIP card, and handed it to Joey. “Password’s six zeroes.”Joey’s eyes widened the instant he saw the card the waiter had talked about earlier. Even the head of the powerful Dela Vega family only owned a diamond card, not even a VIP one. Yet this young man already

“Do you know me?” Luke asked, one brow raised. “Wait, do you study at La Berania University too?”So that was it. Most likely, the man had recognized him from the very beginning, which explained why he helped him.Even though La Berania had thousands of students, it would not be surprising if most people there knew him. If not as Luke Cruise, then as the famous pauper, the campus loser, or simply the good for nothing trash.That nickname had followed him for three years. Perhaps he had become even more well known after his breakup with Veronica. Bad news travels fast, and in universities, it travels faster than wildfire in a dry forest.He gave the man a small smile and decided to thank him for earlier.“By the way, thanks. I’ll return this to you later,” he said, referring to the uniform the man had lent him.But he paused at what the man said next.“You’re from the Cruise family,” the man said without looking at him as

After passing through several turns in the hallway, Bernard and Luke entered a room that Luke assumed was his uncle’s office.Inside were the same people who had been with his uncle and Bernard earlier in the dining hall.The woman in the red dress was also there. She was the first person Luke noticed. Or perhaps his eyes had simply landed on her first. She sat quietly on a long sofa, watching whatever was happening in the middle of the room.Two middle-aged men sat beside her on the same sofa. They were also watching intently and seemed not to notice their arrival.“Is there really nothing I can do?” Damian asked, breaking the silence in the room.Luke and Bernard walked closer. Only then did Luke realize what had everyone so focused.They were playing chess.“You can just resign, Mr. Barlowe. One million dollars is nothing to you anyway, right?” Damian’s opponent said with a laugh.“You’re right, Mr. Zheng. I