From Campus Trash To Tycoon

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The taxi stopped in front of the Vista Hotel. Luxury supercars lined the entrance, their engines humming softly under the brilliant golden light.

Adrian stepped out, his worn sneakers hitting the pristine pavement. He gripped his phone tightly as the $50 million notification was still burning in his mind like a hot coal.

He hadn't walked five feet before a hand blocked his path.

“Where do you think you're going? Deliveries are at the back, kid," the doorman said. His white-gloved hand remained held out like a wall. He didn't even look Adrian in the eye, he was too busy opening a door for a man in a tuxedo.

"I'm not a delivery driver," Adrian said, his voice calmer than he expected. "I’m here to see Chase Goodman."

The doorman finally looked at him and sneered. "The General Manager? You think a man who manages the portfolios of oil tycoons has time to meet a student in a thrift-store jacket? Get moving before I call security."

“I have a meeting with him. At least let him know Adrian Vale is here,” Adrian countered.

The doorman ignored him, turning to attend to the customers who actually mattered in his eyes. Behind Adrian, a familiar engine roared. A sleek Audi R8 pulled up, and Lukas stepped out, flushed with alcohol and arrogance.

Jason stepped out from the passenger side, his arm wrapped possessively around Mira’s waist. They were laughing until they spotted the figure in the frayed jacket.

"Wait, is that Adrian?" Lukas shouted, his voice dripping with mockery. "Did you follow us here, bum? I told you, the lounge has a dress code. You can't even afford the water in the lobby."

Mira looked at Adrian with a mixture of pity and annoyance. "Adrian, stop this. It’s embarrassing. You showed us a piece of paper at the party, fine. But this is Vista. You don't belong here."

Jason smirked, pulling Mira closer. "I told you, Mira. Some people just don't know when to stay in their lane. Hey, doorman! Why is this beggar still breathing the same air as my girl?"

The doorman chuckled and nodded to Lukas and Jason. "Don't worry, Mr. Leonardo, Mr. Jason. I'll handle this nuisance."

"Wait—" Adrian started, but the doorman grabbed his shoulder roughly.

"I said, move! Why are you being so stubborn?”

"Take your hands off him."

The voice was like a whip-crack. It didn't come from the students. It came from the lobby.

A man in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit rushed toward them. His face was pale, his forehead beaded with sweat despite the air conditioning. It was Chase Goodman.

The doorman stood straight and smiled, still gripping Adrian. "Mr. Goodman! I was just removing this—"

Slap.

The sound echoed off the marble pillars. The doorman’s hat flew off as he stumbled back, clutching his face.

"Do you have any idea who you are touching?" Chase shouted, his voice shaking with fear and anger.

Before the stunned eyes of Lukas, Jason, Mira, and the entire valet line, Chase Goodman—the most powerful hotelier in the city—turned to Adrian and bowed a perfect ninety degrees.

"Young Master Vale," Chase gasped, his voice carrying across the silent driveway. "Your sister told me you were coming. Please... forgive this blind fool. The Presidential Suite has been sanitized and prepared for your exclusive use."

Adrian felt cold inside. He looked at Lukas, whose jaw was hanging open. He looked at Mira, whose eyes were wide with fear as she suddenly realized.

"It’s fine, Chase," Adrian said, stepping past them without a second glance. "But the lobby is a bit... crowded. Let’s go up."

"Immediately, sir!" Chase snapped his fingers. "Clear the private elevator! No one moves until Mr. Vale is settled!"

Twenty minutes later, Adrian stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror in the $20,000-a-night suite.

He was no longer wearing the shabby jacket.

At Chase’s command, the hotel's private tailor had arrived with a midnight-blue Brioni suit. A Patek Philippe watch, worth more than Lukas’s car, sat heavy on his wrist. His hair had been swept back, revealing the sharp, cold lines of a face that had been hidden for too long.

A knock came at the door. Chase entered, carrying a leather-bound folder.

"Sir, while you were changing, I pulled the evening's guest list for the Skyline Lounge," Chase said politely. "Lukas Leonardo’s father has a corporate account with us. They are currently $4 million in debt to the hotel for a failed ballroom renovation project. He asked for more time to pay."

Adrian adjusted his cufflinks, his reflection staring back with a predatory stillness. "And the students downstairs?"

“They are at the bar,” Chase said. “Lukas is ordering the most expensive drinks on his father’s account to impress Jason and the others.”

Adrian picked up a gold fountain pen. He looked at the extension contract for Lukas's father.

“Do not stop them,” Adrian said quietly, a dangerous smile spreading across his face. “Give them everything they want. Expensive champagne. Caviar. Put it all on the Leonardo tab.”

"Sir?" Chase looked confused.

“Why the look? Is that not what they had planned initially?” Adrian turned away from the mirror, the city lights reflecting in his eyes like distant fires. “At midnight, go to their table. Tell them the new owner of the Vista has demanded full payment. I want to see how Lukas tastes the champagne when he realizes he is drinking to his father’s ruin.”

As Chase turned to leave, Adrian’s phone buzzed. It was a text from Mira.

“Adrian, I’m so sorry about earlier. Lukas and Jason were being jerks. I’m at the bar... can we talk privately? I think I made a mistake.”

Adrian deleted the message without replying.