2024-10-29 00:32:28James couldn’t help but smirk as he read through the high school reunion chat on his phone. The messages from Luke Hunter, flaunting his “success” and throwing jabs about James’s past poverty, were nothing short of juvenile. The insults piled up, old accusations resurfacing, and his former classmates joined in, laughing at his expense.
Same old Luke, James thought, feeling a familiar anger simmer inside him. Memories of high school came flooding back—the day Luke had framed him for theft, the shame he endured, the way everyone had turned on him. But today, he wasn’t that powerless teenager anymore. He was ready to respond… in his own way.
James opened his banking app, set up a string of transfers, each accompanied by a custom message, and began sending money into the group chat.
A notification appeared in the chat:
James Smith sent $50
“Luke is a dumbass.”Within seconds, another:
James Smith sent $100
“Luke is a coward.”The chat exploded with curiosity and laughter as each new transaction hit, each one laced with another jab at Luke.
“What’s going on?” one former classmate typed, confused but intrigued.
“Free money? I’ll take it!” another replied, laughing.
James Smith sent $200
“Luke, bite me if you can!”People began accepting the transfers eagerly, laughing and repeating the messages as they joined in. The insults spread, echoing through the group chat as more people accepted the money, unaware of who was behind it or why.
Finally, their old high school teacher joined the chat, confused but intrigued by the free cash and copied the message: “Luke is a coward.”
Luke’s frustration was visible, his replies growing angry and desperate as he tried to stop the chaos. “Whoever is doing this—stop it right now!”
But the chat continued to spiral until James was finally removed from the group. He put his phone away, satisfied. The wealth his father had left him wasn’t just a lifeline—it was freedom, power, and, in this case, a bit of poetic justice.
Arriving at the towering Maple Properties building, James paused, taking in the sleek glass exterior. Just a few years ago, he had been thrown out of this very building, humiliated and penniless, while asking for wages he was rightfully owed. Today, he was returning—but this time, as the company’s new CEO.
As he approached the entrance, a security captain stepped forward, eyeing him skeptically. “What do you want?” the captain asked, his tone dismissive. “Here to demand money or something?”
James smiled calmly. “Actually, I’m here for business. My business.”
The captain raised an eyebrow, sizing him up. “Look, if you’re here to ask for a job—”
Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind. “Well, if it isn’t the pauper,” sneered Luke, stepping out of his car. He looked James up and down, still smug but visibly irritated from the group chat fiasco.
James turned to face him, holding his gaze with steady, unflinching eyes. “Luke,” he greeted, his tone cool and composed. “Funny seeing you here.”
Luke crossed his arms, his expression a mix of arrogance and frustration. “Thought you could humiliate me in that group chat and get away with it, huh? Still pulling those cheap tricks, I see.”
James smiled, unfazed. “Cheap? The money seemed to work pretty well, didn’t it? You could call it an investment in honesty.”
Luke scowled, shifting uncomfortably. “You think you’re clever, don’t you? But at the end of the day, you’re still just a nobody.”
“Maybe I was,” James replied, stepping closer until he was eye-to-eye with Luke. “But things have changed.”
Luke scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Oh yeah? Enlighten me. What could possibly be different?”
James glanced up at the Maple Properties logo gleaming above them. “I’m here to take over Maple Properties as CEO. So, if you’re looking for a ‘somebody,’ Luke, you might want to take a closer look.”
Luke’s jaw dropped, the smirk slipping from his face as the weight of James’s words sank in.
James offered a final, unwavering smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a business to run.” He strode toward the entrance, leaving Luke stunned, facing the reality that the man he once humiliated was now in control of an empire.
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Latest Chapter
Chapter 107
Note inside the box:“You missed. Again. But don’t worry—next time, I won’t.”—LVictor scanned the area with growing unease. “He’s mocking us.”James stared at the bullet in his palm. It was polished, engraved with a number: 82.Pamela’s age? A countdown? A code?Damien circled the perimeter. “No surveillance. No footprints. They scrubbed everything clean. He wanted us to find this.”James slipped the bullet back into the box and handed it to Victor. “Send it to forensics. I want every trace of print, chemical, or toolmark pulled from that casing.”Victor nodded, already on his comms.Damien tilted his head. “You think this is a threat to Pamela?”James didn’t answer immediately. Then, grimly, “No. I think it’s a threat to me. A reminder that he can reach anyone I care about.”James’s Estate – Later That MorningPamela sat curled on the edge of the sofa, watching the fire crackle in the hearth. Her hair was still damp, her robe exchanged for one of James’s oversized shirts.He steppe
Chapter 106
The Trap TightensThe next morning, Emily stood by the window of her safehouse, coffee untouched in her hands. She hadn’t slept. The silence of the apartment was suffocating, each creak and shadow pulling her nerves tighter.She flinched when her phone buzzed.Unknown Number: You should’ve stayed on campus.Her hands trembled. A second message appeared—this time, an image. It showed her from behind, standing at that same window, moments ago.Emily dropped the phone.Downstairs, one of the guards caught the alert from the security system. James’s team had swept the apartment, locked down the perimeter, but clearly, someone had gotten close—too close.Maple Group HeadquartersJames’s eyes were bloodshot as he read Emily’s forwarded messages.“She’s supposed to be in a secure location,” he growled.Victor was already coordinating. “I’m pulling the surveillance now. Whoever got that photo had to be within fifty feet. If we’re lucky, they tripped a motion sensor.”Pamela hovered nearby, te
Chapter 105
As Damien left the office, escorted by security, Pamela turned to James, her expression a mixture of disbelief and concern.“You can’t be serious,” she said, her voice low. “You’re really going to work with him?”James rubbed his temple. “I’m going to use him. There’s a difference.”Victor folded his arms. “Still, it’s risky. Damien could be feeding Liam everything we say.”James nodded. “Which is why we won’t say much. Only what we want Liam to hear.”Pamela narrowed her eyes. “So he’s bait.”“Exactly.” James turned to the window again, his gaze dark and steady. “If Liam wants to play with shadows, let’s give him ghosts.”Meanwhile…Across the city, in a high-rise suite dimly lit by the fading evening sun, Liam Donovan stood by the bar, swirling a glass of bourbon. A man stood opposite him—tall, lean, with slicked-back hair and a presence that carried quiet violence.“Damien met with James,” the man reported.Liam smirked. “Of course he did. Like a moth to flame.”“Should I intervene
Chapter 104
James set his phone down, his fingers tightening around the device. Liam Donovan wasn’t just another businessman—he was a predator, the kind who thrived on exploiting weaknesses. Gregory had been desperate enough to call in a man like that, and now, even behind bars, his reach still lingered.Pamela’s brows furrowed as she stepped closer. “What did he say?”James exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on the city skyline beyond his office window. “He made an offer.”Victor scoffed. “Let me guess. ‘Why fight when we can strike a deal’?”James smirked. “Almost word for word.”Pamela’s stomach tightened. “And what does he want?”James turned to her, his expression unreadable. “Control.”Victor’s jaw clenched. “Then we have a problem.”James’s eyes darkened. “No. He has a problem.”The Trap is SetBy morning, James had already begun countermeasures. Liam operated in the shadows, but that didn’t mean James couldn’t bring him into the light.Victor stood at James’s desk, handing over a file. “We fo
Chapter 103
The Last Loose EndDespite Gregory’s arrest, James couldn’t shake the feeling that something was unfinished. He sat in his office at Maple Group, fingers steepled as he studied the documents Victor had placed in front of him.“All of Gregory’s accounts have been frozen,” Victor reported. “The properties under his name are being seized. His investors have pulled out. On paper, he’s done.”James barely nodded. “And off paper?”Victor hesitated. “There’s one thing we haven’t accounted for—his offshore connections. Before his arrest, he made a large transfer to an unnamed entity. We don’t know where it went.”James’s jaw tightened. “Whoever received that money is still out there.”Victor sighed. “I’ve got people digging. But there’s something else you should see.”He pushed a file forward.James opened it. The first page was a printed email—one that had been sent from Gregory’s encrypted account just hours before his arrest.James’s eyes darkened as he read the message:“If you’re reading
Chapter 102
A Race Against TimeJames’s car sped through the city streets, Victor’s voice sharp in his earpiece.“We have a location. Gregory’s men were spotted near the east industrial district. They’re moving in on something—or someone.”James’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Pamela and Emily?”“They’re secure,” Victor assured him. “But this isn’t just a scare tactic, James. Gregory is making his final move.”James’s jaw clenched. “Then we make ours.”At the East Industrial DistrictThe air was thick with tension as Gregory’s men surrounded the abandoned warehouse. The target was inside—someone they had been paid to silence.Inside, a man sat in the shadows, his face pale with fear. He had once been one of Gregory’s closest business allies, but now, he was nothing more than a liability. He had agreed to testify against Gregory, and in return, Gregory had sent his men to eliminate him.A masked man stepped forward, gun in hand. “Mr. Shaw sends his regards.”The man squeezed his eyes shut
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