Beyond Riches: The Inexplainable Trillionaire

Chapter 2: The Verdict

Ethan’s knees started to bend. “Just kneel,” he told himself. “It’s not worth losing your arm.”

“Break his left arm first,” Jason said casually. “He’s right-handed, right? Let him keep the good one so he can still mop.”

Adam laughed. “Very generous.”

“Wait,” Ethan heard himself say. “I’ll...”

“What is going on here?”

The voice cut through everything. Vice Chancellor Hector Freeman stood in the doorway, a big man in his mid-fifties, built like someone who still hit the gym at five a.m. Behind him were two people Ethan knew well. Amelia Freeman, the VC’s daughter, she was considered the queen of the university, at just twenty years old she was the student union president, youngest board member, campus goddess, and, surprisingly, Ethan’s friend. And Trevor Stevens, last child of the thirty-billion-dollar Stevens hospitality empire, whose Mayfair Gardens resorts Ethan could never afford to enter, but who had been his friend for years.

Amelia took in the scene instantly, Ethan soaked in champagne, pinned by guards, ringed by laughing elites. She didn’t hesitate. “Let him go!” She rushed forward, Trevor right behind her. “Security, release him!”

The guards didn’t move. They were Brad’s men, not the school’s.

“If you don’t release him in three seconds,” Amelia’s voice hardened, “I’m calling my security team, and you don’t want that.”

Jessica hissed, “Here comes Saint Amelia, swooping in to save the peasants.”

Cady lowered her phone. “So sanctimonious. God this act is Exhausting.”

Amelia ignored them. “Two minutes tough guys, it your move.” The guards glanced at Brad with uncertain.

“Enough,” VC Hector said. “Everyone stand down. Guards, ease up on the boy, and nobody is calling anyone.”

Their grip loosened, but they still held Ethan. Trevor hurried to Ethan’s side. “Hey, man, what happened?”

Ethan’s voice cracked. “Celia. She dumped me for Brad.”

Trevor’s face fell. He and Amelia had warned Ethan a hundred times. “I’m sorry, man. I really am.”

VC Hector cleared his throat. “Someone tell me the hell is going on here.”

Amelia jumped in. “It’s obvious dad, Brad and his friends were bullying a helpless student again.”

“Helpless?” Jessica laughed. “More like pathetic.”

“Amelia, patience,” the VC said. “Let get the facts first.”

Ethan knew what that meant. VC Hector wasn’t a weak man, after all he had a forty billion net worth and connections across three continents, but the Golden Five’s families were in a different league of their own. Two were centibillionaires now, tied to the Silvercrest Clan and anyone connected to the Silvercrests was untouchable. Hector wouldn’t risk making enemies of them, not even for justice.

Amelia saw it. “Dad, punish them! They were clearly...”

“I said patience.” He turned to Brad. “Mr. Charlesly, tell me what happened.”

Brad straightened his jacket, calm. “Gladly, this janitor stole from us. We hired him to clean our apartments a while back, and he took jewelry, watches and cash with a combined value of about ten million dollars. We confronted him tonight and he got aggressive. So we called security for everyone’s safety.”

“No,” Ethan breathed. “That’s not...”

“That’s a lie!” Trevor stepped forward. “Ethan would never steal. I’d bet my life on it.”

Brad shrugged. “Then you’d die young, Stevens.”

“Trevor’s probably in on it,” Adam sneered. “Birds of the same feather.”

Trevor’s face went red. “Say that again and I’ll hit you with the biggest lawsuits you’ve ever seen.”

“Go ahead.” Adam stepped closer, chest puffed out. The Coles had a nine-billion gap over the Stevens, and Adam never let anyone forget it. “With the Silvercrest backing, we’ll wipe your whole bloodline to zero.”

Trevor’s mouth opened, then closed. He stepped back.

Jason laughed. “Not so tough now, are you Stevens?”

Cady batted her eyelashes at Trevor. “Every time he acts all protective like that, it kind of turns me on. Shame about his choice in friends."

Trevor’s jaw stayed tight, Ethan on the other hand found his voice. “Sir, I didn’t steal anything. Brad took my girlfriend, Celia. When I confronted them...”

Brad burst out laughing. “Stole your girlfriend? Look at me. Girls come to me on a daily basis, I don’t steal them. I’ve got a hundred in my DMs, it’s a scheduling nightmare.” The crowd murmured in agreement.

Amelia stepped forward, cutting through the noise. “Everyone here knows Brad is lying. These five are spoiled brats who torment students, I’ve seen it for years.”

VC Hector rubbed his temples. “There’s an easy way to settle this. The girl in question, where is she?”

Every head turned to Celia, still tucked under Brad’s arm, pale.

“Miss Morgan,” the VC said. “Come here.”

She hesitated at first, but then Brad whispered, loud enough for Ethan to catch: “I love you, babe. I promise to get you that new Mercedes you’ve been talking about.”

Celia stepped forward, trembling.

“Was this boy your boyfriend? Did Mr. Charlesly steal you, or did his version happen?” the VC asked.

She glanced back at Brad, who smiled and nodded. “Ethan is lying; I was never his girlfriend. He made it all up because he’s obsessed with me. And I saw him taking things from Brad’s apartment with my own eyes.”

The words hit like bullets. “Celia, why?” Ethan’s voice broke. “You know I never..."

“I don’t know you,” she said, refusing to meet his eyes. “Stop pretending.”

Amelia stepped toward her. “You’re destroying an innocent person. How can you live with yourself?”

Celia scrambled behind Brad. “I said what I said, now leave me alone.”

“Miss Morgan has testified,” VC Hector said. “Any other witnesses?”

The room was full of students who had seen everything, Brad’s taunts, Celia on his lap, the admission. But fear of the Golden Five prevailed and one by one, they looked away.

“I didn’t see anything,"  “Celia’s telling the truth,” “The janitor’s always been creepy.”

Trevor grabbed one boy. “Philip, you were right here! Tell them!”

Philip pulled away. “Hey man, i just got here. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Coward,” Trevor spat.

VC Hector’s face hardened, he despised theft and had never liked Ethan. “I’ve heard enough. Ethan, you are expelled from Silvercrest University for theft of property worth over ten million dollars. Security will escort you to the police station for formal charges.”

The floor dropped out from under Ethan.

“No!” Amelia shouted. “Father, he didn’t do anything!”

“The decision is made.” the VC said firmly.

Amelia frowned, “You know he’s innocent! You’re just scared of their families!”

“Amelia, enough.”

“This isn’t justice!” Trevor yelled. “It’s cowardice!”

The VC ignores both of them, “Security, remove the boy.”

The guards dragged Ethan toward the door. He was to numb to resist.

Amelia ran after him. “We’re going to fix this! Trevor and I will get you a lawyer and prove your innocence, I promise!”

Trevor called, “Don’t say a word to the police until we get there with legal help!”

Ethan nodded weakly as the doors closed behind him. In one night, he’d lost his girlfriend, his education, his reputation and his future, all for daring to love the wrong person.

Back in the lounge, the Golden Five celebrated. “Well,” Jessica said, adjusting her hair, “that was fun.”

Cady checked her phone. “Two million views on the livestream already. Comments are brutal, people love watching nobodies get destroyed.”

Adam elbowed Trevor. “Better hurry to the station, Stevens. Oh wait, he’s still going to jail.”

Trevor clenched his fists but stayed silent.

Jessica turned to Amelia. “Why are you so close to that pauper? He’s infinite levels below us. It’s embarrassing.”

“Is he not a human being?” Amelia’s voice was ice.

Adam snorted. “Hell no. He’s a parasite who thought he could rise above his station. We reminded him where he belongs.”

“He’s a better person than any of you,” Trevor said quietly.

“A good person with a criminal record now,” Jason said. “Very useful.”

Tension crackled in the air with Amelia and Trevor on one side, the Golden Five on the other, VC Hector exhausted in the middle. “This matter is settled,” Hector said. “Justice has been served.”

“Justice?” Amelia faced her father, eyes fierce. “Nothing about what you just did was just. Ethan is my friend, and you destroyed his life because you’re afraid of five spoiled children and their bank accounts.”

“Be careful who you associate with, especially a thief...” Hector said firmly.

Amelia cuts him off, “No. You don’t get to spin this, you made your choice.”

Silence fill the room once more, then Amelia smiled as she pulled out her phone.

“Who’s she calling?” Adam whispered. “Her lawyer?”

Amelia held the phone to her ear. The room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“Hey, Ray,” she said, her voice suddenly warm. “I need a favor.”

All eyes went wide with shock, including her father’s. Trevor’s face broke into a massive grin. “Told you. Ethan isn’t spending a single night in jail.”

He turned and followed Amelia out. Behind them, the room full of billionaires suddenly looked very, very worried. Everyone knew who Ray was and everyone knew that all their combined power, all their family fortunes stacked together, were peanuts compared to what Ray could do with a single phone call.

The door swung shut, and in the VIP lounge, and nobody laughed anymore.