Bullied No More: Rise of the Forgotten Heir

CHAPTER 1: THE DAY THEY LAUGHED

“Say it again.”

Elias Ward didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. The words trembled anyway. Mira didn’t look at him.

“I said I’m done,” she replied, scrolling on her phone like he wasn’t standing three feet away. “We’ve talked about this.”

“We haven’t talked about this,” Elias said. “You said you were studying. You said”

“God, Elias.” She sighed and finally looked up. “Don’t do this here.”

Around them, lockers slammed. Laughter bounced off concrete walls. Someone whispered his name. He swallowed. “So it’s true?”

Mira hesitated. Just long enough. That was answer enough. “Wow,” Elias said quietly. “So… how long?”

A shadow fell across him. “Depends,” a smooth voice cut in, amused. “You counting weeks? Or the nights she said she was ‘busy’?”

Elias turned. Julian Crest leaned against the lockers like the hallway belonged to him. Perfect hair. Expensive watch. That easy grin that said he’d never been told no and never cared who noticed.

Julian draped an arm around Mira’s shoulders. She didn’t pull away. “I asked her,” Julian continued, eyes flicking Elias up and down. “She said you’d be cool about it. Guess she overestimated you.”

Elias’s hands curled into fists. “Get your arm off her.”

Julian laughed. Not loud. Worse, indulgent. “Buddy,” he said, “you don’t own anything here. Least of all her.”

Mira’s jaw tightened. “Elias, stop. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

That hurt more than the cheating. “You let him talk to me like that?” Elias asked.

She shrugged. “You’re making a scene.”

A few students slowed. Phones lifted. Someone whispered, “Isn’t that Julian Crest?”

Julian leaned closer, lowering his voice just enough to sting. “Listen, man. I know your type. Scholarship kid. Cheap shoes. Always apologizing for existing.” He smiled. “She wanted more.”

Elias stepped forward. “Say one more word.”

“Oh?” Julian raised an eyebrow. “What are you gonna do? Write me a strongly worded essay?”

Laughter rippled. Mira crossed her arms. “This is exactly why I couldn’t stay with you. You’re always angry, Elias. Always acting like the world owes you something.”

“I just wanted honesty,” he said.

Julian snorted. “He wanted loyalty,” he corrected. “Cute, right?”

Elias’s chest burned. “Mira. Look at me. Was any of it real?”

She looked away. That was the moment something inside him cracked. “Answer him.”

The voice didn’t shout. It didn’t have to. The hallway went silent. Footsteps echoed, slow, deliberate. A man in a charcoal suit stepped between Elias and Julian like he’d always been there. Tall. Silver hair. Eyes sharp enough to cut glass.

Julian frowned. “Who the hell are you?”

The man didn’t look at him. He looked at Elias. And inclined his head. “My apologies,” the man said calmly. “We are late.”

Elias blinked. “I… think you have the wrong”

“Unlikely,” the man replied.

Julian scoffed. “Hey, old man, this doesn’t concern you.”

That was a mistake. The man turned. For the first time, his expression shifted, not to anger, but something colder. “Remove your arm,” he said.

Julian laughed. “Or what?”

The man leaned in just enough for only Julian to hear. Whatever he said wasn’t loud. But Julian went pale. His arm dropped instantly. “Good,” the man said, straightening. Then, louder: “Now apologize.”

Julian stared at him. “You’re insane.”

The man’s gaze flicked to the crowd. “Does anyone here know who Julian Crest is?”

Hands shot up. Murmurs spread. “And does anyone know who Elias Ward is?”

Silence. The man smiled thinly. “That will change.”

He turned back to Julian. “You are standing in front of the last living heir of the Aurelian Line. A family whose name was erased so people like you could feel important.”

Mira laughed, a sharp, nervous sound. “Is this a joke?”

The man’s eyes met hers. She stopped laughing. Julian swallowed. “That’s not funny.”

“It isn’t meant to be,” the man replied. “You insulted him. You touched what was never yours. Apologize.”

Julian looked at the watching students. The phones. The whispers. Then at Elias. “I’m not”

The man lifted a finger. Every light in the hallway flickered. Just once. Julian exhaled shakily. “I… I’m sorry.”

Elias stared at him. “What?”

Julian’s jaw clenched. “I said I’m sorry.”

The hallway erupted. Mira stepped back. “Elias, what is this? Did you plan this?”

Elias shook his head. “I don’t even know him.”

The man turned to Elias again, voice softening. “You were never meant to grow up like this.”

“Like what?” Elias snapped. “Poor? Invisible? Humiliated?”

The man didn’t deny it. “That ends today,” he said.

Mira stepped forward. “Wait. Elias, if this is some kind of prank”

“It’s not,” the man interrupted. “And you are no longer permitted to address him.”

Her face flushed. “Excuse me?”

“You made your choice,” the man said. “Choices have consequences.”

Julian grabbed Mira’s wrist. “Let’s go.”

They pushed through the crowd. Elias stood frozen. “Who are you?”

The man extended a card. Black. No name. Just a symbol burned into it. “I am Victor,” he said. “And your life has been a lie.”

Elias laughed weakly. “Yeah. Join the club.”

Victor’s eyes hardened. “Your mother died protecting you. Your name was buried under blood and contracts. You were hidden so others wouldn’t kill you before you learned how to stand.”

Elias’s heart pounded. “Stop.”

Victor leaned closer. “They found you anyway.”

A chill ran down Elias’s spine. “Who did?”

Victor straightened. “Everyone who matters.”

The bell rang. Students scattered, buzzing. Elias looked at the empty hallway, then back at Victor. “If this is real…”

Victor nodded once. “It is.”

“And if I say no?”

Victor’s gaze flicked to the security camera, shattered without a sound. “You already said yes,” he replied.

Elias stared at the broken glass. And for the first time in his life, the fear wasn’t about being weak. It was about what he might become.