From Campus Trash To Tycoon

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Lina glared at Lukas. Her jaw ached from clenching it so hard as his smug smirk widened.

“What is the meaning of this, Lukas?” The dorm head finally cut in, his voice dropping into a low warning. “Do you have something against Adrian?”

Lukas just laughed. He lifted his glass with an agonizing laziness and took a slow, deliberate sip of wine. There were rules against alcohol but the rules seemed to bend around Lukas easier than anyone else.

Lina set her glass down right next to Adrian. She tapped his shoulder in apology, but Adrian just cleared his throat and stayed perfectly still. He was hiding his gift. She knew revealing it publicly was never his plan, but the suffocating weight of the room was already shifting against them.

One by one, the parade began. Her friends stood up to present their offerings, each brand name dropping onto the mahogany table like a heavy weight.

“Cartier,” Lukas announced. He slid a slim red box toward her with casual indifference.

The girls gasped instantly.

“Wait,” someone yelled, leaning so far over the table she nearly tipped her glass. “Isn’t that the Tutti Frutti bracelet? Lukas, where did you even find that? This piece is easily five figures!”

Erica’s eyes caught the light as she stared at the craftsmanship. “I always wanted this piece. You are such a generous man.”

“My father is the CEO of Quicknest Broker,” Lukas said, flashing Erica a sharp wink. “You can expect at least that much from me. Don't worry, I will get one for you, too. Depends on how things go between us.”

Then came the rest of the pack.

Shainaan stepped forward next. “Hermes.” The bright, obnoxious orange packaging was unmistakable.

Larry smiled, sliding his forward. “Fendi.”

“Prada.”

The names echoed through the lounge, carrying their own heavy authority. These wealthy heirs lived for this exact moment, basking in the sudden, sharp attention from every girl in the room. The luxury watches and the casual, disgusting display of money suddenly made their arrogance look attractive.

Two girls leaned in close, as they whisper. “Why were we even talking about Adrian earlier?”

The other laughed into her hand. “Exactly.”

“Wait.” Erica’s sharp voice sliced right through the chatter. “Not everyone presented their gift yet.”

Erica’s gaze locked straight onto Adrian. The entire room turned following her eyes.

Lina felt a sickening drop in her stomach. Lukas had set the trap earlier; Erica was just wrapping the execution in high-class elegance. Lina leaned closer to Adrian, her voice dropping into a frantic, guilty whisper meant only for him. “You do not have to do this. I’m so sorry, Adrian. Inviting you tonight... it was a mistake.”

“I know,” Adrian replied smoothly.

Larry chuckled from the couch. “Come on. Let us see what the genius brought.”

“After all these major brands, the suspense is killing me,” Shainaan added, mocking him.

Lina watched as Adrian reached down. He picked up the simple, flimsy paper gift bag at his feet and handed it straight to her. “For you. I thought carefully about your skin tone. This necklace matches it perfectly.”

Lukas and his friends rolled their eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't get stuck. But the moment Lina pulled the velvet lid open, the breath caught tightly in her throat. The sheer beauty of it hit her like a physical wave.

“It is beautiful,” Lina said, her voice fiercely protective, leaving absolutely no room for hesitation. “It is the most beautiful gift I have ever seen.”

She lifted the piece out. The deep blue gems caught the ceiling lights, scattering brilliant fractures of color across the table.

For one beautiful second, the room went dead silent. Then, the illusion shattered. Someone laughed.

“Oh,” one of the college girls said, tilting her head with a fake, pitying smile. “That looks... expensive.”

Another girl squinted, leaning so close her nose almost touched the velvet. “Or fake. It is definitely fake.”

Erica stood up, her eyes wide with a sharp, lethal curiosity. “Let me see.”

Lina handed it over, her fingers trembling with a mix of rage and anxiety. Erica held the necklace under the light, turning it slowly. Lina saw a flash of recognition cross her cousin's face and a memory of a two-point-eight-million-dollar online advertisement. But Erica shook her head, forcing the thought out. The idea of a poor scholarship student owning something that expensive was pure comedy.

Erica smiled thinly, tossing it back toward the table. “The weight feels off. These replicas get better every year. They look convincing until you know what to look for. Of course, this is not high jewelry.”

Lukas burst into a loud, obnoxious laugh. “Bold move, Adrian. Going fake instead of cheap.”

The room erupted into sneers. The words pelted Adrian from every direction.

“Why would you even do that?”

“You should have just gotten something small.”

“At least buy something honest within your lowly range.”

Adrian watched the insults fly across the table, recording every face, every laugh, every sneer. His expression remained a flawless, unbothered mask. Beneath the fabric of his jacket, his fingers brushed lightly against his pocket. The original boutique receipt sat there untouched.

Lina was on the verge of tears, her face flushed with anger. “It is not fake!”

Erica shrugged, waving a dismissive hand. “I am just saying. People do this all the time. Tell me, Adrian, where does a scholarship student see the money to afford jewelry worth almost three million? Spare me the defense. Don’t dream of a place so high. You are a poor scholarship student. Let that reality sink into your head.”

Lukas leaned back in his chair, a man thoroughly satisfied with his day's work. “I told you he would embarrass you, Lina. You don't need to keep hanging around with losers. It is only a matter of time before his rotten lifestyle infests you.”

Adrian finally spoke. “It is real.”

The room quieted down, the sudden shift in his tone catching them off guard.

Erica let out a mocking laugh. “Based on what? Show us some actual evidence.”

Adrian met her gaze, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. “Based on the store it came from.”

Lukas smirked. “Sure.”

“Then prove it,” another voice barked from the back.

Adrian’s hand drifted slowly toward his jacket pocket. He stared directly into Lukas and Erica's eyes. A cold, dangerous calm settled behind his ribcage. Lukas, you son of a bitch. You want a bite? Come get one.

Lina was looking at him, panic flickering in her eyes, desperate to stop him before the room turned completely ugly.

Erica handed the necklace back to Lina with a final, dismissive wave. “You should be careful next time. Not everyone here is naive.”

Lukas leaned across the table. “Since it’s a fake, Lina won't be needing it. I'll do the Andrew family a favor and throw it where it belongs.”

“Lukas, stop!”

Lina bolted out of her chair, but the lounge doors hissed open before she could cross the floor. The room froze. Mr. Arthur Andrew and Mrs. Martha Andrew stepped into the lounge. The suffocating weight of their presence instantly turned Lukas’s loud confidence into child's play.

“Mother! Father!” Lina’s voice sounded incredibly small.

Martha’s eyes swept the room. She offered Erica a rare, calculated smile before her gaze flicked over to Lukas. The moment she saw the sapphire dangling carelessly from his hand, her brow arched in deep disdain.

“Lukas Leonardo,” Martha said smoothly, her voice carrying the practiced ease of old money. “I saw your father’s gift on the registry. A Tutti Frutti bracelet. Excellent choice. It is good to see that someone here understands the prestige of this event.”

Lukas beamed, practically wagging his tail as he bowed his head. “Thank you, Mrs. Martha. I was just helping Lina dispose of some fraudulent items.”

Martha stepped closer. She looked down at the sapphire Adrian had brought, completely ignoring Adrian himself. To her, he was just part of the background furniture. “Erica, dear. You have the finest eye for gems in this family. What is the verdict on this piece?”

Erica stood a little taller, basking in the matriarch's praise. “It is a high-grade replica, Auntie Martha. A designer Sapphire imitation. Convincing at a glance, but obviously fake.”

Martha let out a sharp, mocking breath. “Of course it is. The real designer Sapphire sold at a private auction in Hong Kong just this afternoon for two-point-eight million dollars. Only a fool would believe a scholarship errand boy could even afford the insurance on the box.”

She turned a look of pure disgust toward Adrian, her lip curling. “Lina, I am disappointed. You should learn from Erica. Instead, you let this boy bring garbage into a high-class lounge. Lukas, throw it away. It is a disgrace to have it on the table.”

Lukas grinned, his eyes lighting up with malice as he raised his hand to toss the masterpiece straight into the trash bin.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you, Auntie Martha.”

Adrian’s voice was low. It cut through Martha’s arrogance like a diamond slicing through cheap glass. Sharp gasps rippled through the lounge. Nobody—absolutely nobody—addressed the matriarch so bluntly.

Martha froze. Her face flushed a furious, toxic red as she snapped her head toward him. “What did you say to me, you little beggar?”

“Since you trust Erica’s eye so much,” Adrian said, his fingers tightening around the receipt in his pocket as his eyes turned completely to ice. “Why don't you have her read the Store Stamp and the Transaction Total on this receipt? Then we can see who the real fool is."