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 78
It was early evening, and Victor Moody was sat in a high-backed leather chair in his study, the room was dimly lit by a single desk lamp right in front of him, and the blue glow of his phone screen. The mansion was silent, all the staff bad longed been dismissed for the evening, only the faint tick of the grandfather clock in the hallway broke the silence.He held the phone to his ear with one hand, while his other hand held a glass of some red wine. The voice on the line was cautious, and even almost apologetic.“…the app’s metrics are clean, sir, but it’s not an app built for profit. It’s a platform for matching underprivileged kids with mentors, scholarships, and for finding small gigs to help them pull through. There are no premium tiers, and there are no ads, and even no data resale. At best it is doing to breaks after three years. At worst… it’s a money pit. I recommend pulling out now, before the PR shine wears off.”Victor took a slow sip of the wine. “I know,” he said, his
Chapter 77
The townhouse had felt too quiet after three days of Nathan avoiding the world. Aaron and John being there were the only new things to have happened in the last three days.Aaron spoke first. “Look, man, we get it. You’re hurting. But sitting in here letting the internet eat you alive isn’t fixing anything. And that's why I think we should take you out for sometime. You know, to get your mind off things.".Nathan leaned against the stair railing, his arms crossed. “I’m not in the mood.”John held up a pair of beat-up roller skates. He had carried it in his bag for quite sometime ever since he left his dorm's to come. "Exactly why you need to come. We’re going skating. No it's not a fancy restaurant, and there would be no bodyguards. It will just be us, some pavements, and zero phones. You need to get your head out of the loop for a couple hours.”Nathan looked at the skates, then at their faces. They were really serious about this."He sighed. “Fine. But if anyone recognizes me—”“W
Chapter 76
Aaron and John felt strangely hollow without Nathan’s presence. Three days had passed since the Larry incident at the beach restaurant, and the campus buzz on the issue had shifted from admiration, to confusion, and then to concern. Whispers followed Aaron and John everywhere they walked. People were looking at them, looking for Nathan, looking for signs of him wherever he was.“Have you seen him?” a freshman asked, clutching her phone like evidence, eyes darting from side to side. “He hasn’t been to class. I haven't seen him in even one lecture. Not even the gym.”Aaron shook his head. “No, we haven't seen him too. We don't even know where he is right now. We’ve been calling and it's just been going straight to voicemail.John kicked a stray pebble across the path. “He has not been answering his texts either. Theast message he sent was ‘Need space.’ That was really three days ago.”The girl looked disappointed. She had just gotten an admission into the school and really wanted to se
Chapter 75
Nathan sat at the head of a long conference table in Cloven Tower, his were sleeves rolled to his elbows, with the morning light reflecting on his brown eyes, cutting his vision.David Brune sat to his right as calm and composed as he usually was. Matthew Steel occupied the chair opposite. He was still visibly uneasy as he had been ever since he found out the truth about Nathan. His tie was too tight around his neck, while his fingers were drumming on the table before he caught himself and stopped.Nathan was the first to break the silence. “There’s a boy,” he said. “His name is Larry and he is just Seventeen. He approached me at the restaurant last night and aid he built an app that could scout for mentorship, scholarships, side gigs for kids like him who had nothing. But before I could respond, the security security dragged him away. They called him a thief and a pickpocket. I want to invest in him and give him a chance."David Brune leaned forward slightly, brow creasing. “Is th
Chapter 74
It was another date at the beachfront restaurant. The place glowed warm Edison bulbs all connected by strings dangling over the customer's heads, with the waves of water from a few feet away rolling in what seemed like whispers just beyond the open terrace.Nathan sat across from Golden, one of the seven women, at a corner table draped in yellow linen. Her golden-blond hair caught the light from the bulbs above her head, while her deep brown eyes reflected the candle flame between her and Nathan. She was mid-sentence, laughing softly about a ridiculous modeling gig, when a commotion erupted near the hostess stand. A boy who seemed to be no older than seventeen, broke through the velvet rope, his trainers skidding on the polished stone floor. He sprinted straight toward their table and dropped to his knees in right in front of Nathan and his date's table with a heaving chest and his palms flat on the ground.Nathan froze, would his fork halfway to his mouth. The boy looked up with w
Chapter 73
David Brune stood alone on one of the highest floor terrace of Cloven Tower. His hands were clasped behind his back, as he staring out into the city as the dusk bled into night. The wind carried a faint salt taste from the bay that was around the corner.There was no one but him and the distant hum of traffic far below in the city. He had sent the staff home early. The office was now empty, apart from some servers and an unblinking office, with a light that never died.He exhaled slowly. This is what being one of the most powerful men in the world, feels like, be thought to himself. He felt like nothing.The apology video from Matthew Steel had bought them some breathing room, and it was even barely. The internet had turned on Matthew almost overnight, but David knew better than to mistake public opinion for victory. Public opinion was fickle. It could flip again tomorrow if the right lever was pulled.His mind drifted to Nathan. The boy, who was now becoming a man now right in fron
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