2025-11-12 20:25:20Manager Liu waited until Carlos and Laura were gone before turning back to Declan. He bowed deeply.
“Young Master, I sincerely apologize for that disturbance. I should have handled the situation better from the start,”
Declan shook his head, “It's not your fault. You handled it well,”
"You're too kind, Young Master." Manager Liu said as he straightened, relief washing over his face, "If I may, I'd like to assign two plainclothes bodyguards to stay with you during your time in Boston. For your safety and convenience. They'll be discreet." He paused. "I'd also like to provide you with several outfits. Quality clothing that will ensure no one looks down on you again. Especially after what happened tonight,”
Declan raised an eyebrow. The offer was tempting. After years of wearing cheap clothes from dollar stores, the idea of having quality outfits was quite appealing.
But then he remembered what the security guard had said earlier. Old money intentionally wore understated clothing and accessories. Only new money liked flashy things.
"I don't need overly flashy outfits," Declan said. "A few old money-style outfits will do."
Manager Liu nodded respectfully. "Of course, Young Master. I understand perfectly. I'll have them prepared immediately."
---
The next morning, Declan woke up in the plushest bed he'd ever slept in. For a moment, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling. Everything still felt unreal but he was starting to get a hang of it.
He got up and stretched. His body felt rested in a way it hadn't felt in years. No aches from a bad mattress or stiffness from cold.
He found the clothes Manager Liu had prepared. They were custom made outfits with no brand labels anywhere. They didn't scream wealth, just quiet confidence – and they were the perfect fit.
Exactly what he needed.
He got dressed and headed to Boston Metropolitan University.
Today's class was taught by Professor Klint. He was a well known social climber who often abused his power for personal gain.
Declan did not want to provoke and risk his chances of graduating. Sure, that might not be a problem, given his current situation – but he still wanted to maintain a good record for when the Steele Family accepted him publicly.
Boston Metropolitan was one of those schools where most students came from money and spent most of their days talking about their trust fund.
Only a small number came from other backgrounds and this created a superficial atmosphere where everyone judged you by your clothes, your car and your family name.
Declan could have gone to a better school back then – his grades were good enough. But his adoptive parents refused to pay tuition anywhere else.
Boston Metropolitan offered him a half scholarship, so he had no choice But to attend the same school as Carlos which made everything worse.
The moment Declan walked into the classroom, he knew something was wrong.
The energy was different. Every single person was staring at him. The usual chatter had died completely. Even Professor Klint, who was standing at the front of the room, had stopped mid-sentence to look at him.
Declan's eyes swept across the room, trying to figure out what was happening. Then he saw them. Laura was lying in Carlos's arms in the back row surrounded by a group of people all staring at him with ill intent, ready for a show.
He knew without being told that they'd been talking, spreading stories and poisoning everyone against him.
Carlos spoke up first, his voice loud and mocking, “I can't believe you're not hiding in the security booth and actually dared to come to school today,”
Declan's jaw tightened, “If someone who bought his way in can attend, why can't I?”
Carlos' face went red with anger, “What did you say?”
Before Declan could respond, Professor Klint cleared his throat. His voice dripped with false concern, "Mr. Reyes, I advise you to treat your brother better. His family is rising in influence, you know. Someone poor like you should not be so clueless. You should be buttering up to him instead. That's how the world works,”
Declan's eyes went cold. He looked directly at Professor Klint.
“Mind your own business, Professor. Or risk being exposed in a scandal by the media someday,”
The class went dead silent, you could literally hear people breathing.
Professor Klint’s face went from pale to red. He looked like he'd been slapped. Fury flashed his eyes and his hands trembled slightly as they gripped his desk, “How dare you –”
A deep, aggressive voice cut him short, “Enough talk,”
All eyes turned to the back where a tall guy stood. He looked like he spent every day at the gym.
Louis Carter, Carlos’ best friend. He cracked his knuckles, grinning.
“I’ll teach this punk a lesson right now. Boys, Let's go,”
Three other boys stood up with him, all big and looking ready for a fight.
Declan's expression darkened. His whole body tensed, “Try it,”
He knew Manager Lou's bodyguards were positioned somewhere in the building. They'd step in if things got serious. But part of him wanted these bastards to try.
“Stop it,” an angry voice rang out. Georgina stood up from her seat in the front row. Her facial expression was somewhere between anger and disgust, “You're going too far, both of you. Acting like gangsters, not students. This is supposed to be a university,”
Georgina Harper was a good girl from a solid middle class family. She was also one of the few real friends Declan had at school. Unlike most people, she never looked down on him for being poor.
Carlos waved his hand dismissively. Louis and his crew sat back down, though they still looked eager, “Relax, Georgina. I'm not going to hit him,”
He leaned back into his chair and framed an arm around Laura's shoulders. A cruel smile spread across his face, “But he embarrassed me and Laura at the Grand Silverton last night. Made us look like fools in front of everyone. He has to pay some price for that,”
“What do you want? Spit it out,” Declan asked.
Carlos' eyes lit up with malicious glee. He'd been waiting for this, planning it. "Tonight. The fraternity's having dinner at Marconi's. You're picking up the tab. The whole thing. Every drink. Every meal,”
The class erupted in shocked whispers. People turned to each other with wide eyes.
Everyone knew about Marconi's. It was the most expensive restaurant near campus. One meal there could cost eight or nine hundred dollars.
The fraternity had at least thirty members. That bill would be in tens of thousands. Maybe twenty five thousand. Maybe more.
Georgina stood up so fast her chair fell backward. “Have you lost your mind? Marconi’s costs a fortune! Are you deliberately trying to trap him?”
She turned to Declan, with a worried expression on her face, “Don’t fall for it. This is obviously a trap. I'll do my best to help you. I have some savings we can –”
“I have money,” Declan said simply.
The whispers stopped and the room went completely silent again.
Georgina blinked, confused, “What?”
“I said, I have money,”
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Chapter 0155 - The Invitation
The envelope arrived on a Tuesday morning.It came through channels that told Declan immediately it wasn't ordinary correspondence. Not through Steele Corporation's mail system or through Franklin's usual network. It appeared on his desk in the training facility after his morning session with Edmund, placed there by someone who had accessed a room that regular staff didn't enter. The seal on the back was a jade-coloured phoenix in raised wax.He brought it to Edmund without opening it.His grandfather looked at the seal for a moment and then nodded once. "Open it," he said.Inside was a single card, heavyweight paper, the text printed in a style that was formal without being decorative. An invitation to a gathering of young cultivation talents from various families and organizations. The host was identified as the Jade Phoenix Society. The date was one month out. The location would be communicated separately to confirmed attendees.Edmund sat with the card in his hands for a while aft
Chapter 0154 - Growing
Georgina's last evening at the estate, they walked through the gardens after dinner.The grounds were lit at intervals along the paths, the main buildings visible behind them through the trees, the night sky clearer out here than it ever was in Boston.She had been quiet since dinner, not unhappily, more like someone processing a large amount of information and finding that it was taking longer than expected."Say what you're thinking," Declan said.She was quiet for another moment. "It's a lot," she said finally. "This place, your family, the scale of everything." She looked at the main building visible through the treeline. "I keep thinking about the café on Meridian Street where we used to sit and talk, and then I look at this and the distance between those two things is difficult to hold in your head at once.""I know," Declan said. "I live that distance every day.""Does it feel strange to you still?""Sometimes," he said honestly. "Less than it did."She looked at him. "Do you t
Chapter 0153 - The Visit
The crowd's reaction came in two distinct waves.From one side of the seating, genuine applause, building quickly into something sustained and loud. From the other side, where Sebastian's supporters had been most vocal during the duel, a silence that was heavy and particular, the silence of people revising their positions in real time.Declan stood in the centre of the arena and breathed steadily while his legs finished their complaint about the Phoenix Rebirth Strike and went back to functioning normally. His vision had fully cleared. He felt emptied out in the specific way that complete energy release produced, not weak exactly, more like a room after everything has been moved out of it, spacious and quiet.He looked across at Edmund.His grandfather was not applauding. He was sitting very still with his hands resting on his knees and an expression on his face that Declan had not seen there before. Something open and unguarded that the old man made no effort to conceal.His mother w
Chapter 0152 - Phoenix Rebirth
Sebastian entered first.He walked into the arena with the ease of someone who had been in formal settings his entire life and knew exactly how to use them. The cultivation robes he wore were elaborate, dark with gold detailing at the collar and cuffs, clearly chosen for the occasion. The ceremonial sword at his hip was decorative, its purpose symbolic rather than practical, but it completed the image he was presenting to the crowd. He bowed to the family elders with practiced precision and took his position at the far end of the arena.Several people in the crowd applauded.Declan entered from the opposite side.He was wearing a simpler outfit, dark and clean, nothing ceremonial about it. He bowed to the elders and walked to his position and stood there looking across the arena at Sebastian without any particular expression on his face.The elder who was officiating stepped to the centre and addressed the crowd and then both fighters in turn. The rules were clear and standard. The du
Chapter 0152 - The Duel
Declan raised the challenge at a family dinner three days after his father's warning.He waited for a natural pause in the conversation and then looked directly at Sebastian across the table and said, "I'd like to propose a formal cultivation duel. You and me. In front of the family."The table went quiet immediately.Sebastian set down his wine glass slowly. Whatever he had been expecting from Declan, this apparently wasn't it. He looked at Declan for a moment with the expression of someone recalculating.Then he smiled. "Accepted," he said.The confidence in his voice was genuine, which told Declan that Sebastian believed he had already won. Years of formal cultivation training from childhood, within a family that had practiced these methods for generations, against someone who had started learning a few months ago under a field medic at a war zone. From Sebastian's perspective the outcome was straightforward.The duel was scheduled for one week out.Edmund called Declan to the trai
Chapter 0151 - Settling In
The routine established itself within the first week. Mornings with Edmund in the training facility. The sessions ran two hours on easy days and closer to three when Edmund decided Declan was ready for the next layer of something. The old man was a demanding teacher, more exacting than The Physician had been and with considerably more depth to draw from. He rarely praised directly but Declan had learned to read the small indicators, the slight nod, the adjustment of a technique that meant the previous version had been accepted rather than corrected. His cultivation was progressing in ways he could feel clearly. The energy he could access was deeper and more responsive than what he had worked with at the Northern Border. The Phoenix Heart Ring was a constant presence, warming slightly each morning when he settled into practice as if it recognized what was happening and was participating in it. Afternoons with his parents in the Steele Corporation offices, which occupied an entire wi
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