The Bullied Man's Hidden Legacy

Desperate Hideaway

As the appointed time approached, Zachary made his way to the meeting spot, eager to hear what Emma had to say.

As he arrived, he saw that a crowd had gathered in the fountain, but he ignored them and focused on finding Emma. Sure enough, he spotted her standing by the fountain.

However, he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Emma holding a lighter. She's at the center of the commotion, giving him a mysterious smile.

Suddenly, she leaned to the right, and Zachary saw a neatly arranged pile of money on the ground. His heart pounded as he saw another student lifting a sign that read "Zachary's Dirty Money."

Zachary was stunned and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Zachary rushed over to Emma, but it was too late. Emma had already set the stack of bills on fire. His heart was pounding, and he felt a mix of heartbreak and anger. The guy holding the board pushed him away despite his attempts to put out the flames.

"Why would you do that?!" Zachary exclaimed, tears streaming down his face. He was heartbroken and angry at the same time.

Emma smiled at him. "I didn't want to take your money, Zach. I refused it because I didn't want your dirty money. I said if you gave me money, I would burn it, but you insisted on giving it to me."

Zachary was still angry. "But I sent you to help your mom. What are you talking about?"

Emma looked at him suspiciously. "That's my question for you, Zach. My mother is fine. Are you dumb?"

The guy holding the sign insulted Zachary, saying, "You're so desperate, Zach. Did you think you could buy a girlfriend like Emma with money? Let me tell you, we're not like you. We're not short on money. Stop living in your fantasies and learn to grow up, you trash!"

Amidst the noisy crowd, someone spoke out:

"That's so messed up. He's trying to buy her affection."

"Seriously, how stupid can you be? That kind of money should be going towards your education."

"I can't believe he was dumb enough to spend all his scholarship money like that."

"What a delusional idiot. He needs to grow up and stop living in a fantasy world."

As Zachary was in extreme grief over losing his scholarship money, he suddenly noticed Nathanael Chapman and his supporters slowly advancing toward him.

Zachary was taken aback by sight and felt a wave of panic wash over him. Nathanael Chapman had bullied him in high school, and Zachary had thought he wouldn't have to deal with him anymore in college. Now, Nathanael was appearing at the school gates with Emma Sophia, the girl Zachary had spent a good day with yesterday, standing right next to him.

Emma Sophia stood next to Nathanael Chapman, holding onto his waist and cooing, "He's been bothering me a lot. He even gave me $100,000 and made threats."

Zachary's hands trembled slightly as he involuntarily took a step back. Nathanael Chapman held Emma Sophia's phone tightly, holding it up in front of Zachary. He gritted his teeth, rolled his eyes, and asked in a sneered tone:

"Why are you so dirty, Zach? Even my girlfriend you dare to dream of?"

"Why are you messing with the big boss's girlfriend? Don't you ever get tired of getting beaten up? Or do you have a death wish?" one of Nathanael Chapman's henchmen sneered.

The phone screen displayed the previous night's text message between Zachary and Emma Sophia. It showed Zachary's confession of love to Emma Sophia. The henchmen burst out laughing cruelly and mockingly.

The crowd near the university gates stopped and waited for the situation to escalate, pointing at Zachary and whispering. Looking at the text message, it was clear that Emma Sophia had deleted all of her responses to Zachary's confession.

In a weak voice, Zachary stammered and tried to explain himself, "No! No! Let me explain." But his throat felt tight, and he was unable to say more.

Zachary realized that Emma Sophia had tricked him. The messages he thought were filled with love, and respect was just part of a cruel prank. He felt betrayed, angry, and humiliated.

He had given his girlfriend his heart and trust, and she had thrown it away. He felt like a fool.

"Emma Sophia, why did you do this? Why did you lie to me?" Zachary asked, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Nathanael Chapman stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, and threateningly said, "Do you dare to keep talking?"

Zachary stammered, "Wait...wait...Emma! Please explain. Help me!"

Emma Sophia responded sarcastically and loudly, "What did you think? That I liked you? Get real. Look at yourself. You're delusional and inferior. Stop being delusional already."

"Why would a poor and incompetent guy like you even think about having a girlfriend?" Tyler Reynolds said.

Nathanael looked at Tyler Reynolds, holding a camera phone, ready to record. Another henchman stood beside Nathanael, having a female dress in his hand. Nathanael nodded and gave the signal to start their prank.

One of Nathanael's henchmen quickly caught Zachary from escaping and sneered, "Going somewhere, Zach? You're not leaving until you try on this lovely dress."

The other henchman pulled out a female dress, holding it up for Zachary to see. "It will go great with your pretty face," he said while the rest of the group laughed.

Zachary glared at them, trying to hide his fear and disgust. "You guys are disgusting."

The crowd laughed as Zachary grew angrier.

"Come on, Zach, it's just a bit of fun!" one person shouted.

"You'll look great in a dress!" another person added, causing the rest of the crowd to laugh even harder.

Zachary's face turned red with anger as he tried to push past the henchmen. But the more he struggled, the more the crowd egged them on.

The henchmen had grabbed Zachary, trying to strip him in front of the crowd before forcing him to wear the dress. As big guys had him pinned down while the rest of Nathanael's gang looked on and laughed, the sudden blare of sirens and flashing lights cut through the commotion.

People started to look around, confused and startled. Some crowds began to disperse as others pushed forward to see what was happening.

Within moments, a police car screeched to a halt on the street, followed by another and another. Police officers in full gear jumped out of their vehicles and began to push through the crowd, using their bodies and batons to clear a path.

As the police cars pulled up, Nathanael and his henchmen quickly scattered in different directions, including Zachary, who was determined to avoid being caught. He didn't want to risk being revealed as the heir of the city's wealthiest and most prestigious family.

The police officers tried to pursue them, but the bullies had already disappeared into the narrow alleys.

The police officers assessed the situation and began to calm the crowd, shouting orders and moving people back. Within minutes, the area was cleared, and the police officers left.

Zachary was left alone, feeling shaken by what had almost happened.

Zachary fished his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed the number of the person who had called him.

"Is everything all right, young master?" the butler on the other end of the line asked.

"It was you who called the cops. I've told you before that I want nothing to do with my family's influence," Zachary said, his voice tinged with frustration.

"I'm sorry for the overstepping, young master. But your safety is my primary concern. I urge you to consider returning to your family and taking up your position as heir," the butler replied.