2026-01-01 00:27:36After Amelia and her friends finally walked away in laughter, the noisy tension they left behind slowly settled. Nathan stood still for a moment, his chest rising and falling as he tried to rein in the anger boiling inside him. His grandmother tugged gently at his sleeve, her wrinkled face filled with worry.
“Nathan,” she said softly, “what was all that talk about seven women? Where will you even find them?”
Nathan exhaled and gave a small, embarrassed smile. “Grandma… I honestly don’t know. I spoke too fast. I was angry.”
She sighed, shaking her head slightly. “My boy, words spoken in anger are like stones thrown blindly. You can’t take them back.”
“I know,” he replied. In his mind, however, a name surfaced—David Brune. The man who had called him earlier. The man who had told him the unbelievable truth about his father’s abandoned crypto project and the wealth attached to it. Nathan glanced at his phone briefly, then tucked it away. ‘I’m meeting David later today,’ he thought. ‘If anyone can fix this mess, it might be him.’
He forced a smile and gently nudged his grandmother forward. “Come on. Let’s keep shopping. We didn’t come here to be upset.”
They moved deeper into the mall, passing glass displays that glittered with luxury. His grandmother slowly regained her cheer, stopping to admire items she would never have dared to look at closely in the past. Eventually, her eyes fell on a handbag displayed on a velvet stand.
She froze.
Nathan noticed immediately. “Grandma?”
She stepped closer, her eyes shining. “This bag…” Her fingers trembled slightly as she pointed. “This is the rebranded version of a bag that was very popular when I was a young girl. Everyone wanted it. I wanted it too—but we were too poor. I promised myself that if I ever got the chance, I would own one.”
Nathan didn’t hesitate for a second. “Then take it.”
She turned to him sharply. “Nathan, this place is expensive. This bag—”
“I don’t care about the price,” he said firmly. “You deserve it. After everything you’ve done for me since my parents died… this is nothing.”
Her eyes welled up. “My boy…”
“Please,” he said gently. “Let me do this.”
She nodded slowly and reached for the bag.
Before her fingers could touch it, a sharp voice cut through the air.
“Excuse me.”
An elderly couple stepped forward. They were both in their seventies, dressed in tailored designer clothing that screamed old money and influence. The man’s posture was rigid, his eyes sharp. The woman’s lips were curled in disdain.
“That bag,” the man said coldly. “My wife wants it.”
Nathan instinctively picked up the bag and placed it into his grandmother’s hands. “I’m sorry,” he said politely. “We picked it first. I’m buying it for her.”
The woman scoffed loudly. “Buying it?” She looked Nathan up and down in disgust. “Do you think this is some cheap street fashion? Stinking peasants like you wouldn’t even afford the dust on this bag.”
The man’s eyes hardened. “Release the bag now, young man. Or you will regret it.”
Nathan’s grandmother stiffened. She tugged at Nathan’s arm urgently. “Nathan, please. Let it go. These people… they look powerful. I don’t want trouble.”
The couple laughed mockingly.
“Listen to your old woman,” the man sneered. “A small brat like you should know your place.”
That was when something inside Nathan snapped. The insult, the assumption that he couldn’t afford the bag—it all ignited his fury.
“I’m buying this bag,” Nathan said calmly but firmly. “And you will not intimidate my grandmother.”
The woman’s face twisted with rage. “How dare you!” she snapped. “Anna! Jenna!”
Almost immediately, two young, beautiful salesgirls rushed over. They wore practiced smiles that vanished the moment they took in Nathan and his grandmother’s appearance.
“Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Toadson,” Anna said with a deep bow. “It’s always an honor.”
“Yes, welcome,” Jenna echoed sweetly. “How may we assist you?”
The woman pointed at the bag in Nathan’s hands. “We want that bag. Take it from them.”
Anna and Jenna turned to Nathan, their faces scrunching in visible disgust.
“Sir,” Anna said sharply, “you need to hand over the bag immediately.”
“This bag is not for people like you,” Jenna added. “You’re contaminating the store.”
Nathan’s grandmother’s grip tightened around his arm. “Nathan, please. Let it go.”
The couple laughed again, loudly, drawing attention from other shoppers.
Nathan clenched his jaw. His grandmother’s fear mattered more than his pride. He was just about to comply when Jenna suddenly raised her voice.
“Security!” she shouted. “We have filthy troublemakers here!”
Nathan’s eyes darkened. ‘Now you’ve crossed the line.’
Three security guards arrived quickly, forming a loose circle around Nathan and his grandmother.
“Sir,” one of them said politely, “please hand over the bag.”
Their politeness infuriated Jenna. She stormed forward and slapped each guard in turn.
“Do you know who these people are?” she screamed. “This is Mr. and Mrs. Toadson! Multimillionaires! Parents-in-law to the manager!”
Anna nodded smugly. “Our boss, Jessica Toadson.”
The guards stiffened but stood their ground.
“We cannot use force,” one said apologetically. “Please calm down.”
The couple’s faces turned crimson with rage.
“You’ll all be fired!” the man roared.
“Call Jessica!” the woman snapped.
Nathan merely smiled faintly.
His grandmother leaned closer, whispering anxiously, “Nathan, what kind of trouble are we in now?”
“Just trust me,” he said quietly.
Minutes later, the sound of hurried heels echoed across the floor. A young woman in her late twenties approached, clad in a sharp executive suit. Everyone bowed instinctively.
“Manager Jessica,” Anna and Jenna chorused.
Jessica’s eyes lit up when she saw the elderly couple. “Mother! Father! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“We didn’t want to disturb you,” Mrs. Toadson said dramatically. “But these people forced our hand.”
Jessica turned to Anna. “What happened?”
“These paupers,” Anna said contemptuously, pointing at Nathan, “refused to give your mother-in-law the bag she wanted.”
Jenna added, “They stink and they’re causing trouble.”
Jessica turned to Nathan, her expression cold. “Is that true? Are you disrespecting my parents-in-law?”
Nathan met her gaze evenly. “We were the ones disrespected. We picked the bag first.”
Jessica smiled thinly. “Even if that were true, I’m sorry to inform you that the bag is no longer for sale. As manager, I’m recalling it to the vault.”
Laughter erupted around them.
Nathan calmly handed the bag to the security guard. Then he turned to Jessica, his voice steady.
“You have no such authority,” he said. “You’re no longer the manager of this store—from this very minute.”
The laughter died instantly.
Everyone stared at him.
Jessica blinked, then laughed incredulously. “Are you delusional or something?”
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Chapter 163
The family mansion of the Lee Family wax gated and fenced by wrought-iron gates, that swung open as Melody’s town car rolled up the long driveway that led to the building. She was exhausted from another long day at Cloven Tower, reviewing Helping Hand cutbacks, and sitting through strategy meetings, pretending she didn’t feel the weight of every executive’s side-eye that was given to her. The last thing she wanted was more drama. But drama, was one thing that would always be waiting for her.Just before her, although she hadn't seen it before, a sleek black Lamborghini Urus was already parked at the top of the steps, with the engine still ticking as it cooled. Michael leaned against the hood, with arms crossed, and sunglasses pushed up into his perfectly styled black hair. The moment her car stopped he straightened, and a cruel smile curled his lips.Melody stepped out and started walking toward the grand entrance without a word, her heels clicking on the marble path as she stroll
Chapter 162
The visitation room felt smaller than it really was in reality. The thick glass between the two women did nothing to dull the hostility radiating from Icel’s side of the glass. Amelia gripped the black phone receiver tighter, her knuckles becoming whiter. She had come here for answers, and not games, but Icel was clearly enjoying herself with everything that was going on.She leaned closer to the glass, her orange jumpsuit hanging loose on her thin hour glass frame. “Why do you even want to know who owns DodgerCoin, princess?” she asked, with a voice dripping with mock sweetness. “And while we’re at it, what businesses are you into these days? Are you still trying to climb the same ladder that kicked you off?"Amelia’s jaw tightened. “It’s a private matter," she said. "You really don’t need to know.”Icel’s smile turned malicious, curving slowly and sharp like a blade sliding from the sheath it had been hidden in. “If it’s so private, then keep it to yourself. Don’t come crawling into
Chapter 161
Three days had passed since the merger papers between Cloven and the Lee enterprise were signed, and ESU campus felt different for some reason The whispers in the hallways had turned into those of open speculation. Students who at one point mocked Nathan Rhodes now watched him with a mix of awe and caution, there was something almost godlike to them.The Pauper King had swallowed one of the greatest family empires in the city, and everyone could feel the shift in power that had come of it. Students were uncertain of what would happen next, and so it was about this time, this exact moment, that Michael chose make his entrance.A sleek black Lamborghini Urus roared through the main gates of ESU, with security guards watching in awe as the chrome wheels gleamed under the morning sun. Heads turned instantly. Girls clustered near the steps of the business building let out excited cheers and whistles as the car cruised slowly past them in all of its glory.Michael sat behind the wheel in
Chapter 160
The trap house felt strangely smaller tonight to Michael. The air was thicker, and heavier. Above them fluorescent bulbs buzzed with insects if varied shape and sizes flying close to it, and some of them even dying from going too close, as the lights casted harsh shadows across the stained concrete walls. The chemical stench was still in the air. An acrid smell of burnt plastic, bleach and a ton of other things too numerous to mention, clung to every breath Michael Lee took in, burning the Inside of his nose. He was still not used to this life. His palms were slick with sweat as he stood at the round table, staring at a burner phone Caesar had just slid across the scarred wood.Caesar leaned back in his chair, with his prosthetic arm glinting under the light from the flouroscent bulb. The scar on his face twisted when he smiled. “Listen carefully, Michael and all of you. From here on, there’s no going back. Once the money moves from you, you’re blood in. There are no refunds, and e
Chapter 159
In a penthouse overlooking Central Park in all its beauty, one was supposed to feel like they had just won something glorious, something ever lasting, a victory like no other. Instead, Amelia Frank paced over the marble floor like she was a caged animal in heat, while the seven beautiful vixens lounged on the cream sofas that were across the living room of the penthouse. Donna, Avery, Gene, Golden, Bella, Rene, and Chloe watched her with a mixture of amusement and boredom, they lips looking like they were they were just a little push away from laughing disastrously.They had grown closer in the last weeks with Amelia, bonded by a single thread that still held them together: every one of them still felt that they had been betrayed in some way by Nathan.“I still can’t believe it,” Amelia spat, voice sharp enough to cut the glass that framed the high floor to ceiling windows. “The one person that I thought would never break, the one person who I thought hated Nathan the most, just han
Chapter 158
The hallway outside the business wing of ESU was filled up with whisperes from the students all clustered in various groups, as they stood with their phones out, and their voices low but with that same excitement that characterized gossiping students, especially with the recent news that was pervading across all walls of the school and beyond. “Did you see? The Lees folded. Cloven owns everything now," one student said with an electrifying tone to his voice. It almost seemed like the news was the best thing ever. "Those damn Lees would surely have their tails under their legs in school, wouldn't they?" “The Pauper King just swallowed another empire," another student said to his own group. "That Nathan is not slowing down isn't it? He is like a moving train, you better get off the way or get knocked into a sea of sharks. Loan sharks. Get it?" He laughed. His other friends thought he was being corny, yet laughed as well.Meanwhile, Melody kept her head high and her pace steady as alwa
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