THE ORPHAN WHO INHERITED BILLIONS

Chapter 6

 

Alexander pushed through the heavy doors of the university library, his backpack weighing down his shoulders as he searched for a quiet corner to work on his macroeconomics report. The morning sun streamed through tall windows, casting long shadows across rows of mahogany tables where students hunched over textbooks and laptops.

He found an empty table near the economics section and spread out his materials. The library's peaceful atmosphere was exactly what he needed after last night's chaos at The Golden Terrace. He still couldn't quite believe what had happened – the way everyone's faces had changed when they realized he had money. Real money.

After settling in, Alexander realized he needed several reference books from the upper floors. He gathered his notes and headed toward the staircase, leaving his backpack to mark his territory. The economics section was three floors up, and it took him nearly twenty minutes to locate the specific texts Professor Williams had recommended.

When Alexander returned to his table, he stopped short. Sitting prominently in the center of his workspace was an elegant golden butter cake in a clear plastic container. The pastry looked expensive – layers of rich yellow sponge with intricate butter cream decorations and what appeared to be real gold leaf dusting the top.

Alexander looked around, confused. Had someone left this for him? Maybe Sophia had stopped by as a thank-you for last night? Or perhaps it was from Lorenzo's people, some kind of welcome gift now that he was officially part of the Benedetti family.

His stomach growled loudly. He'd skipped breakfast to get to the library early, and the cake looked absolutely delicious. After hesitating for a moment, Alexander opened the container and took a bite. The buttery sweetness melted on his tongue – it was the best cake he'd ever tasted. Before he knew it, he'd finished the entire thing.

"Oh my God! Where is my cake?!"

The shriek echoed across the quiet library, causing dozens of heads to turn. Isabella Chen, a petite social science student Alexander recognized from campus, stood at the end of his table with her hands on her hips, her face flushed with anger.

"I'm sorry?" Alexander said, confused.

"My cake!" Isabella's voice rose even higher. "I spent $150 on that golden butter cake from Delacroix Bakery! I left it right here while I went to the bathroom, and now it's gone!"

Alexander felt his stomach drop as he looked at the empty container still sitting on his table. "Wait, this was your cake?"

"Are you serious right now?" Isabella's eyes blazed with fury. "You actually ate my cake? My entire cake?"

The library had gone completely silent. Students were pulling out phones and gathering around to watch the confrontation unfold.

"I thought someone left it for me," Alexander said desperately. "It was sitting right on my table when I came back—"

"Bullshit!" Isabella screamed. "You saw my expensive cake and decided to steal it because you're too poor to buy your own food!"

Daniel Ross, a third-year law student with perfectly styled blonde hair and an expensive suit, pushed through the crowd with a malicious grin on his face.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Daniel said loudly. "Looks like the campus charity case has been caught red-handed."

"Daniel, stay out of this," Alexander warned, but Daniel was just getting started.

"Oh, I don't think so, poverty boy," Daniel continued, his voice carrying across the entire floor. "This is too good to miss. Isabella, tell everyone what happened."

Isabella pointed accusingly at Alexander. "This thief ate my $150 cake! I saved up for weeks to buy it as a treat for myself, and this beggar just devoured the whole thing!"

The crowd murmured with shock and disgust. Alexander could hear fragments of their whispered conversations.

"He actually stole someone's food..."

"That's so desperate..."

"How pathetic can you get..."

Daniel clapped his hands together mockingly. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Alexander Rivera – so broke that he has to steal desserts from hardworking students!"

The crowd erupted in laughter. Alexander felt heat rising in his cheeks as more students gathered to witness his humiliation.

"It wasn't stealing!" Alexander protested. "The cake was on my table when I came back from getting books. I thought someone had given it to me!"

"Right," Daniel said with exaggerated skepticism. "And I'm sure you just happened to think someone would leave you a $150 gourmet cake out of the goodness of their hearts?"

More laughter rippled through the crowd. Isabella was practically vibrating with anger.

"You disgusting thief!" she shouted. "Do you have any idea how hard I work for my money? I have a part-time job at the campus bookstore, and I saved for three weeks to afford that cake!"

"I work too," Alexander said quietly. "Three jobs, actually. I understand—"

"No, you don't understand!" Isabella cut him off. "Working people don't steal from each other! Only worthless beggars do that!"

Daniel nodded sagely. "Exactly. This is what happens when you let charity cases into a prestigious university. They bring their criminal habits with them."

A student in the crowd called out, "Maybe he should be expelled for theft!"

Another voice added, "Seriously, who steals food? That's like homeless person behavior!"

Alexander felt like he was drowning. Every face in the crowd looked at him with disgust, contempt, or amusement. The humiliation was suffocating.

"Where's the evidence?" Alexander asked desperately. "How do you know I stole it and didn't just find it on my table?"

Daniel laughed harshly. "Oh, now you want evidence? Fine, let me break this down for you, future defendant. First, Isabella's cake goes missing. Second, you're sitting right here with cake crumbs all over your shirt. Third, you admit to eating the entire thing. Case closed."

The crowd applauded Daniel's impromptu legal argument. Alexander looked down and realized there were indeed golden crumbs on his clothes.

"That's not proof of theft," Alexander said weakly.

"It's enough for me," came a stern voice from behind the crowd.

Professor Maria Evans, the head librarian, pushed through the students with a disapproving frown. She was a woman in her sixties with silver hair pulled back in a severe bun and glasses that magnified her cold stare.

"What exactly is going on here?" Professor Evans demanded.

Isabella immediately launched into her explanation. "Professor Evans, this student stole my expensive cake and ate the entire thing! He's a thief!"

Professor Evans looked at Alexander with obvious distaste. "Mr. Rivera, is it? Is this accusation true?"

"I ate the cake, yes, but I didn't steal it," Alexander explained. "I found it on my table and thought—"

"Thought what? That cake fairies had visited you?" Professor Evans's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Mr. Rivera, this is a library, not a food court. Even if your unlikely story were true, you should have turned the cake in to the front desk."

"But I was hungry, and I thought—"

"You thought you could take what didn't belong to you," Professor Evans interrupted. "This behavior is completely unacceptable in my library."

Daniel smiled triumphantly. "Professor, I think this warrants serious disciplinary action. Food theft is still theft."

"I agree," Professor Evans said firmly. "Mr. Rivera, you are hereby banned from this library for one month. Security will escort you out immediately."

The crowd burst into applause and cheers. Alexander felt like the ground was falling away beneath his feet.

"One month?" Alexander protested. "Professor, I need the library for my research. I have three major papers due—"

"You should have thought about that before stealing from your fellow students," Professor Evans replied coldly. "Perhaps this will teach you some respect for other people's property."

Isabella smirked with satisfaction. "Maybe next time you'll think twice before stealing someone's food, you pathetic beggar."

As security guards approached, Alexander gathered his materials with shaking hands. The crowd parted to let him pass, their whispers and laughter following him toward the exit.

"There goes the campus thief," someone called out.

"Hope he learned his lesson," added another voice.

Just before he reached the doors, Alexander caught sight of Daniel Ross in his peripheral vision. For just a moment, Daniel's carefully composed expression slipped, and Alexander saw something that made his blood run cold – a look of pure satisfaction, like someone who had just executed a perfect plan.

The realization hit Alexander like a physical blow. Daniel had planted the cake on his table. He'd waited for Alexander to leave, placed the cake there, then somehow alerted Isabella to come looking for it at exactly the right moment.

But there was no way to prove it. No witnesses, no evidence, nothing but his word against theirs. And in the court of public opinion, Alexander had already been tried and convicted.

As the library doors closed behind him, Alexander heard the crowd still laughing and discussing his "theft."