Rise of the Masked King

Chapter 6: The New Lord

By morning, Anthony’s name had taken over every corner of the internet. Within hours, videos from Vionna’s birthday party had flooded social media. His face was everywhere—on blogs, news platforms, and trending pages. His social media accounts, once almost empty, now overflowed with follow requests, messages, and endless comments.

When he got home, exhaustion hit him like a wave. He dropped his phone on the bed, still buzzing with notifications, and lay down without changing clothes. The world outside was spinning with excitement, but inside, silence took him. His thoughts drifted somewhere between disbelief and relief, and before he realized it, sleep pulled him under.

Fenrick came in quietly a while later, saw him asleep, and decided not to wake him. Anthony’s phone kept vibrating beside his hand—calls, texts, news alerts—but none of it reached him. Somewhere in his dream, he was walking through a world made of glass and gold, one where his mother smiled again, and his pain was finally gone.

The next morning, loud banging on the door tore him from his sleep. He groaned, rubbing his eyes, and stumbled toward it. When he opened the door, his stepbrother Jimmy stood there—with Jackson beside him.

Before Anthony could even speak, Jimmy grabbed him by the collar and dragged him outside. The punches came fast. Jackson joined in, their fists landing with rage and humiliation from the night before.

Fenrick rushed out, shouting. “Stop it! Stop!” He shoved them apart, his voice trembling with anger. “Are you insane?”

Jimmy pointed at Anthony, his voice full of venom. “Watch your back, Anthony. You think this is over? You embarrassed us, but we’ll see who laughs at the King of the Campus event.”

Jackson spat on the ground beside Anthony. “If you’re really rich, show it there.”

They stormed off, leaving Anthony bruised but quiet. Fenrick helped him inside, his worry etched deep across his face.

“What’s going on?” he demanded. “How did you get that kind of money? Everyone’s talking about it.”

Anthony hesitated. He wanted to tell him the truth—that his world had changed overnight, that he wasn’t just a random student anymore—but he couldn’t. Not yet. He remembered his grandfather’s warning about revealing his identity too soon.

So he sighed and said, “I told you already. I won the lottery.”

Fenrick didn’t believe him, but before he could say anything else, Anthony was already heading for the bathroom. “We’re late for class,” Anthony said simply.

When they got to campus, the atmosphere was tense. Conversations stopped when Anthony passed by. Groups of students whispered, their phones out, their eyes filled with curiosity and envy. Some laughed, others stared, but Anthony kept walking as if none of it mattered.

He had just entered the classroom when he heard his name.

“Anthony Parker.”

The voice came from the back door.

He turned—and froze. Ravina, the daughter of the Head of Department, stood there with two stern-looking security guards. Her sharp gaze told him everything before a word was spoken. He was in trouble. Serious trouble.

The guards walked straight to him, grabbed his arms, and pulled him out. Phones were already in the air, recording. Students whispered and pointed, some even livestreaming as they dragged him down the hallway.

By the time Vionna and Liora saw the video and rushed to the class, he was gone. They called his phone again and again, but it was switched off.

Inside the HOD’s office, Mr. David sat behind his desk, smiling faintly as Ravina stood beside him. On his computer screen was a page from the school’s portal. Earlier that morning, the school’s financial system had been hacked, and according to their “trace,” the source pointed directly to Anthony’s account.

“We have evidence,” Mr. David said coldly.

Anthony stared at the screen. The supposed logs looked real—but he knew immediately they were fake. “This isn’t mine,” he said firmly.

“Save it for the police,” Mr. David replied, leaning back. He nodded to the guards. “Take him.”

They dragged him out as the office door shut behind him.

Back inside, laughter broke out. Ravina turned to her father with a grin. “That should keep him quiet.”

Her brother, sitting in the corner with a laptop, smiled. “The trace worked perfectly. No one will suspect us.”

Mr. David leaned back in satisfaction. “Good. Let’s celebrate before the police arrive.”

But fate had already begun to turn.

As the police van carrying Anthony pulled onto the expressway, three black SUVs suddenly surrounded it. Their tinted windows rolled down, revealing armed men in immaculate suits. The officers barely had time to react before one of them stepped out—a man Anthony recognized. It was Mr. Ronan.

“Anthony Parker belongs to us,” Ronan said calmly, flashing a golden insignia that made every officer freeze.

Within minutes, Anthony was freed and escorted into one of the SUVs. The convoy sped through the city until they reached a hidden compound—massive, guarded, and gleaming like a private kingdom.

When Anthony stepped out, his breath caught. The Jodah Empire.

Everywhere he looked, technology and luxury blended perfectly. Security drones hovered in silence. Vehicles moved without drivers. Marble fountains shimmered in the courtyard.

At the entrance of the main building, an elderly man stood waiting. His presence commanded respect—the same warmth in his eyes that Anthony remembered from the voice on the phone.

“Grandfather,” Anthony whispered.

The old man smiled and opened his arms. “Welcome home, my boy.”

He hugged him tightly, and for the first time since his mother’s death, Anthony felt the weight of the world ease.

Inside, the grandeur was overwhelming. The air smelled of cedar and power. They sat in a vast room filled with portraits and golden emblems.

His grandfather spoke softly. “Your father was a good man. He was assassinated for what he knew. Your mother left the Empire to save you. We searched for years, but when we found her, it was too late.”

Tears welled in Anthony’s eyes. He clenched his fists, trying to stay composed.

The old man placed a hand on his shoulder. “Now, it’s your turn to lead. You are the heir to the Jodah Empire. It is time to take your place.”

Moments later, the family’s lawyer and manager entered, carrying several documents sealed with the Empire’s crest. Anthony’s hand trembled slightly as he signed each page. When the final one was done, the lawyer bowed deeply.

“From this day,” the old man declared proudly, “you are Lord Anthony Jodah—the new head of the Empire.”

Every staff member in the room went down on one knee, their heads bowed. The sight filled Anthony with both awe and resolve.

He turned to his grandfather. “I’ll return to school soon,” he said quietly. “But before that, I need to deal with the man who framed me—Mr. David.”

His grandfather chuckled, a low, knowing sound. “Let me show you how bosses deal with betrayal.”

He picked up his phone, dialed a number, and spoke only a few words. The call lasted less than a minute.

Within five minutes, chaos erupted miles away.

In Mr. David’s office, celebration turned into panic. His phone buzzed repeatedly with alerts—his hotel had been seized, his accounts frozen, his estate locked down.

“What’s happening?” Ravina shouted.

Mr. David stood, pale and shaking. “No… no, this can’t be real.”

He rushed outside, only to find hundreds of angry students surrounding the building. They held signs demanding justice for Anthony. When he tried to retreat, they dragged him out, their chants echoing through the campus as cameras recorded every second.

Ravina heard the commotion from her father’s office window. Her heart pounded. She jumped out of the window and ran, her phone buzzing.

When she checked, her screen filled with breaking news—her father’s fraudulent documents had been leaked. Her brother’s arrest photo was already circulating online.

She called her mother, but when the line connected, a man’s voice answered. “This number is under investigation.”

Her world crumbled. She tried to run, but before she could leave the campus gates, police surrounded her. Her mother was also taken into custody that same hour.

The news spread like wildfire. Every TV station replayed footage of students dragging Mr. David across the campus grounds.

By nightfall, the story dominated the headlines. “HOD Arrested in Fraud Scandal,” “Corruption Exposed at All Star University,” and “Students Protest for Justice.”

Anthony watched the reports silently from the Empire’s private lounge. His phone rang—it was the new doctor from the hospital.

“Sir,” the man said cautiously, “your stepfather just arrived for his treatment. Should we proceed with your instructions?”

Anthony’s voice was calm, almost cold. “Yes.”

The call ended, and he leaned back in his chair, eyes glinting with quiet resolve.

The boy who had once begged for mercy was gone.

The new Lord of the Jodah Empire had just begun his reign.