2025-12-14 00:32:15The third-year girl grew more nervous by the second.
Jace had taken her to a store only celebrities—and the disgustingly rich—ever stepped foot into. He told the stylists to “doll her up” with a firmness that made even the manager jump. Now she stood in front of a massive mirror… She looked like Cinderella designed by billionaires. The gown. The heels. The diamonds. Even though she was rich—really rich—the total of it all shook her to her bones. “Two million dollars, sir,” she heard the cashier say. She almost died right there. Her twenty-one-year-old instinct kicked in—this wasn’t right. He was eighteen. She should be the older, sensible one here. She hurried over just as he was about to hand over his card. She snatched it from him. “I want to talk to you,” she whispered urgently. Jace grinned at her. A full, bright, reckless smile. “You look fucking pretty.” She almost melted. For real. Her knees legit shook. They stepped aside to a quiet corner. “You can’t pay this,” she hissed. “Two million? That’s… that’s insane.” Jace blinked at her, confused for exactly one second. Then— “What?” he scoffed. “Do you really think I’m paying this with my fucking money?” She looked at the card again. Black. Sleek. But not one of those exclusive store-issued cards. It didn’t match the place at all. Her brows drew together. “Jace… what is this?” He smirked. “Well, some fucking group reached out to me before I slept this morning. They needed a model. For this store… and for Dreg’s restaurant.” Her confusion tightened. “Like—listen,” he said, lowering his voice. “I’m the CEO of some company now. I can’t tell you the damn name, but this is what we do.” He nudged his head toward the corners of the store. She followed his gaze. People with phones. People taking discreet videos. “Everywhere I go now, I’ve got free cameras,” he said. “Free promo for any business I step into. And if they want my face in any fucking video that had their store? They pay. They cover everything.” She blinked. Hard. “Wait—you mean right now… you’re in partnership with a group? A conglomerate?” “Fuck, yes,” Jace said. “I get anything I want from their subsidiaries. For free. Dreg’s… this store… that’s just two of them.” Her hand flew to her mouth. She looked like she’d just discovered the prince she kissed was actually a king. Jace winked, took back his card, and walked over to get the payment authorized—more like “documented,” since he wasn’t the one paying for shit. Every second that passed, she fell deeper. It wasn’t even the money. It was how effortlessly he bent the whole situation to benefit him. How he absorbed chaos and turned it into leverage. Outside, a Rolls Royce ghosted up the curb. Men in suits stepped out, walked respectfully to Jace, and handed him the key like he’d owned the damn vehicle since birth. The online livestream from the crowd was blowing up like a damn grenade. “Bro’s ultra rich!” someone screamed. “This can’t be real!” “This is the second Rolls he’s buying in twenty-four hours!” Jace opened the door for the girl, whose cheeks were flaming like she’d swallowed fire. “I’m… the girl you met on the road earlier. In traffic,” she blurted out the moment he started driving. Jace snorted. “Fuck, I know. What—you think I didn’t know?” She inhaled like she was about to dive underwater. “If you don’t mind… I’ll love to be your girlfriend.” “Unless you want to get fucking played, don’t say that,” Jace said, completely unfazed. Not a blink. Not a breath. “We can do one-time dates. But anything exclusive? That shit will hurt you.” The way he dropped it—raw, sharp, zero emotion—stabbed her a bit. She bit the feeling back. Ridiculous that she was falling for someone three years younger… but shit. Jace was hot. Dangerous. That kind of hot that made your brain melt into soup. She glanced at him. He looked like a rockstar who didn’t give a damn whether the world lived or burned. The kind of guy you underestimate and then regret it instantly. Jace pulled the Rolls up in front of Dreg’s Restaurant. The exterior glimmered in solid gold, loud enough to tell you: If your account isn’t breathing money, don’t even fucking step inside.
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“Three million,” Jace said, voice low but cutting through the room. Gasps. Shouts. The person running the livestream froze for half a second, then kept going. Comments exploded online like wildfire. Robert’s jaw tightened. He wanted to bury this kid in debt, to drag him into a pit of numbers he couldn’t handle. Jace’s competitive streak? Oh, it was real. He’d bite the bait every single fucking time. “Ten million dollars!” Robert barked. Someone choked on their meal. The room’s energy spiked. “Well…going…?” Robert’s voice wavered slightly. “Two hundred million dollars,” Jace shot back like it was nothing. Maya’s eyes went wide. Her heart skipped. Robert froze. Two hundred million. That number alone could break most people—but not Jace. Poor kid had that stupid ego, and he was riding it straight into chaos. Bid at an insanely higher amount and then, he'd stop so that Jace would be trapped into being the last bidder. Robert’s face hardened. He had to push harder. He looked Jace
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He reached out, ready to reveal the card—and Robert raised a hand, voice smooth and dangerous:“And, man, if my card is picked, I’ll cover your entrance fee to the basketball team. But if it’s yours… you’re paying double.”Maya’s jaw tightened. She knew this was Robert’s trap—he was trying to shove Jace out before he even got close.“How much is the bill?” Robert asked casually.The waiter swallowed. “Three million dollars, sir.”The comment section online was going insane.“Bro that’s a whole lifetime savings!”“No way Jace can pay that!”“This is INSANE.”“Can’t wait to see Jace cry fr.”“Jace RUNNNN!!”Robert smirked, “You can opt out of the game if you can’t play it, dude,” he called across the table, loud enough for the livestream mic to catch every syllable.The third-year girl’s chest tightened. She looked from Robert to Maya, wishing—begging—they’d understand.If this meal was two hundred million, Jace still wouldn’t be paying with his own money.“Jace, you can tell us now—” M
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Robert picked up the menu. “What shall we go with, babe?” he asked Maya.Maya blinked, caught in a storm of her own thoughts. She drew closer, trying to focus on picking a meal, but her eyes kept darting toward Jace and the third-year girl. The girl—dressed like a queen straight out of some fantasy store—looked insane. The way Jace had taken her shopping, spent like nothing mattered… Maya’s chest tightened. He had always told her, back when they were “together,” that when he became rich, he’d spoil his girlfriend crazy. But she had never imagined it this fast, this publicly, right in front of her.“Maya?” Robert’s voice cut through her haze.She jumped slightly, forcing a smile. “I’ll go with…” She pointed to a dish without thinking.Robert smirked and picked something else—two hundred thousand dollars. The waiter bowed and took the menu.Jace and his girl placed their orders, calm, collected, completely unaware of the storm brewing across the table.Robert’s mind ticked. Everything
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Inside, Robert told Maya to go take a seat while he went to talk to the manager.Your parents’ friends are your network, huh? The manager of this restaurant happened to be one of his father’s old buddies. Robert had already called the man on his way over.The manager walked up with a big smile, hand stretched out.Robert shook it firmly.“It’s so nice to see you, Robert. How’s your father? I don’t remember the last time I saw him… two months ago?” the manager asked.“He’s fine—somehow. I don’t know,” Robert laughed.“You’re still not a kid he’s proud of, I guess.”“Never been his favorite,” Robert said, and they both chuckled like it was normal.“How can I help you today?”“Actually…” Robert leaned in slightly. “Some guy’s coming in soon with his girlfriend. Trying to screw me over. One of those poor dudes who suddenly gets lucky and thinks he can disrespect me.”The manager blinked. “Okay… so how do I come into play?”“Whatever we buy, I want you to make it five times the price.”The
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The third-year girl grew more nervous by the second.Jace had taken her to a store only celebrities—and the disgustingly rich—ever stepped foot into.He told the stylists to “doll her up” with a firmness that made even the manager jump.Now she stood in front of a massive mirror…She looked like Cinderella designed by billionaires.The gown.The heels.The diamonds.Even though she was rich—really rich—the total of it all shook her to her bones.“Two million dollars, sir,” she heard the cashier say.She almost died right there.Her twenty-one-year-old instinct kicked in—this wasn’t right. He was eighteen.She should be the older, sensible one here.She hurried over just as he was about to hand over his card. She snatched it from him.“I want to talk to you,” she whispered urgently.Jace grinned at her. A full, bright, reckless smile.“You look fucking pretty.”She almost melted. For real. Her knees legit shook.They stepped aside to a quiet corner.“You can’t pay this,” she hissed. “T
20
He came around, grabbed Maya’s hand, and shoved through the crowd until they reached Jace and the third-year girl—who hadn’t made it far because everyone was blocking the path, trying to record the drama. “Hey, Jace,” the guy drawled, stepping directly into Jace’s path, still gripping Maya like she was some trophy. “How about a double date with you and your new girlfriend?” Jace eyed both of them like they were fucking ants crawling on his shoe. He had never seen this clown before, but the trust-fund energy was loud as hell. “Why the fuck would I want a double date with you two?” Jace asked flatly. “Oh, right—my bad,” the guy said with a fake, polished smile. “I forgot to introduce myself. Name’s Robert. Thing is, we placed a bet on that fresher’s party night.” He turned to Maya. “I personally laid down a million dollars, because I didn’t know Maya would pull that off. I already paid her.” Jace blinked once, unimpressed. “How the hell does that relate to me?” Robert gave a slo
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