From Campus Trash To Tycoon

Chapter One

“Hey.” A young man with curly locks snapped his fingers, the sound sharp in the quiet corridor. “You want easy money or not?”

Adrian Vale did not flinch. He stood with his shoulders relaxed and eyes lowered, as if he had heard worse before.

He had.

He had been mocked by teachers, ignored by his peers, and discarded by the very city he called home.

Words like these came easily to people who never worried about rent, tuition, or survival. Lukas Leonardo was the undisputed king of the campus—a young student defined by fast cars, loud parties, and a total lack of restraint.

“I’m throwing a party tonight,” Lukas continued, his voice dripping with condescension. “And I need a dog to fetch the ice, pour the drinks, and stand in the corner and do exactly what he’s told.”

Adrian didn't hesitate. Pride was a luxury for people with full stomachs. “How much, Lukas?”

That amused them even more.

“Look at him!” Lukas shouted, turning to the circle of his friends. “Did you hear that? I didn't even have to whistle, and the dog is already wagging its tail!

Lily, the only girl in the group, added with a smirk crossing her arm. “At least he knows his place.”

“He has to,” Jack taunted, leaning in close. “Haven’t you heard? Adrian isn't just broke; he is the epitome of poverty and a master of begging. Utterly useless and quite repulsive. Lukas is taking it easy on you. Just be on time tonight.”

Jack’s words elicited uproaring laughter. Stung and speechless, Adrian felt dazed. Pride did not keep the lights on, especially for a scholarship student like him.

Adrian stifled a bitter smile and walked away.

The Leonardo’s villa was already loud when Adrian arrived that night. Music thumped through the walls, the heavy bass vibrating under his shoes. Sleek and foreign cars lined the driveway and each one worth more than everything Adrian owned combined.

At the door, Lily shoved a black shirt into his chest, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Put this on. You look too much like a guest.”

He changed in the bathroom without complaint.

As he stepped out a tray was pressed into his hands. “Loser, get to work.” Jack hissed.

Guests bumped into him without a glance. He spent the next hour dodging stray elbows, spilled drinks, and mocking stares from students that recognized him as the scholarship bump.

“Hey,” someone shouted loudly as he passed. “Careful with that bottle. You might drop something you cannot replace.”

“We’d deduct it from his tuition fees!” another voice shouted.

Laughter followed him, but Adrian kept moving. At the center of the room, Lukas raised his glass and cheers erupted. Adrian poured drinks, wiped spills, and swallowed the weight pressing against his chest.

Then Lukas whispered something into Jack’s ear. Jack leaned close to Adrian and bumped his chest. “Go to the wine cellar. Bring the most expensive champagne. The real bottles. Do not mess it up... or you pay for it.”

The stairs down were cold and quiet. Adrian exhaled slowly as he descended with frustration. The silence wrapped around him like relief. For a brief moment, he was just a person again. Not a joke for their mocking or a servant for survival.

Then, he heard a soft, familiar laughter.

His steps slowed. Around the corner, framed by rows of imported wine, his girlfriend, Mira, was pressed against the wall, kissing someone else. Her hands were tangled in the boy’s jacket. She laughed between kisses, unhurried and unafraid of being seen.

The boy holding her was everything Adrian was not. Rich. Confident. From a powerful family. He was Jason, the young master of the Whitmore family whose father owned the largest share in the university.

Adrian felt the ground tilt. He had accepted this humiliating job just to get enough money to buy her flowers. He realized now that Jack sending him to the cellar wasn't an errand—it was a trap. They wanted him to see this.

Adrian stepped forward. And Mira's eyes met his between kissing. For a fraction of a second, surprise flickered across her face. It was quickly replaced by irritation.

“What are you doing here, Adrian?” she asked sharply.

“I was sent to get wine,” Adrian said quietly.

Jason laughed, fiddling with Mira’s hair like she was his pet. “Of course you were. Jack is such a nuisance to my advantage.”

Adrian ignored him, his gaze fixed on Mira. “Can we talk?”

She sighed as if he were an inconvenience. “Not now.”

“When then?”

“When you stop pretending this was ever going anywhere,” Mira snapped.

Adrian’s chest tightened. “I thought we mattered.”

Mira let out a short and cruel laughter. “You never did anything for me. Not once. No dates. No gifts. No plans. I was always waiting for you to become something. It's better we part ways than become an inconvenience to each other.”

“I tried Mira, God I really tried,” Adrian said, his voice cracking.

“Tried with what?” she shot back. “Your empty promises? Or the fact that you're willing to sell your pride for any job that comes your way?”

In her brown eyes, Adrian saw his reflection clearly for the first time, he was just a useless campus errand boy to her. "I worked this job for you, Mira. I swallowed my pride and took their insults just to buy you a gift. And you threw it all away for a guy who treats you like a trophy."

Jason smirked, resting an arm on her shoulder. “I flew her out last weekend. I buy her designer bags and jewelry. Things you cannot even dream of. Things bigger than your vegetables which you call flowers that will die in a few days.”

Jason teased with a wide grin, “Come on Adrian, you can’t afford this girl. She’s way bigger than you.”

Adrian looked at Mira. “Is this true?”

She crossed her arms. “Yes. I moved on. I am tired of pretending love is enough. I deserve more. You... you embarrass me.”

Those words cut deeper than the laughter upstairs.

“You were never capable of giving me the life I want,” she continued. “I’m done with looking at you and seeing a dead end.”

Jason laughed again. “You should thank me. I took the burden off you. A man like you shouldn't be trying to keep a thoroughbred when you can barely afford the hay.”

Adrian said nothing. He wanted to strike Jason, but he knew the consequences. With Jason’s status, Adrian would be expelled and his life made a living hell. He turned and walked away, his eyes burning with a silent curse.

No one stopped him. No one cared rather they mocked him.

A girl sneered, pointing her champagne glass at his back.

“I’m glad Mira's eyes finally opened.”

“He actually thought he was in the same league as us. He’s just a scholarship beggar. Mira was way too kind to him; she should have kicked him to the street years ago.”

“I’m embarrassed I even know his name,” another girl whispered, laughing behind her hand. “He’s so pathetic. If I were him, I’d jump into the river rather than show my face here again. He’s a stain on the school’s reputation.”

The insults were a lash against his soul. Just as he reached the exit, Lukas stepped in his path. “Hey, trash. Where do you think you’re going? Don't tell me a beggar like you actually has somewhere important to be?”

Adrian ignored him, his jaw clenched. Lukas reached into his pocket and threw several dollar bills onto the floor.

Lukas waved his hand in dismissal. “You're a scholarship trash, a charity case, and a total embarrassment to this school. Get lost from my sight.”

Adrian stood still for a heartbeat. Then, he leaned down, picked up the dollar bills from the floor, and dusted them off before putting them in his pocket. He placed his tray in the kitchen and slipped out the back door without a word.

The dorm room felt small and empty when he returned. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor as the night replayed in fragments. The laughter. Her voice. The harsh words settling.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz

Adrian blinked back the blur of his vision. He wondered who might be calling him late into the night and he swiped the screen lazily without expecting anything. Instead, his eyes widened.

It was a text from an unknown number.

Transaction Alert!

A deposit of one billion dollars has been made to your account.

Adrian stared at the screen.

The amount was impossible!

His breath caught. His heart slammed against his ribs.

For the first time that night, he doubted his own eyes. Maybe it was the heartbreak that was making him see double, he thought. But he checked again.

His eyes flashed open at the impossible number of zeros (1,000,000,000)!!!