The Charismatic Student Heir

006

Marcus sat upright on the hospital bed, eyes fixed on Duke like the world had suddenly tilted under him. Everything felt unreal, the bright white walls, the polished tiles, the quiet hum of machines.

He still didn’t understand how he ended up in the most expensive hospital in the entire city, and why a powerful old man was calling him “young master.”

Duke could read the confusion on Marcus’s face. He moved closer with slow, deliberate steps, steps that carried authority, age, and something even heavier… a sense of loyalty.

"I understand this's all hard and knew for you but it's the truth and you need to embrace it!" He outlined.

Marcus swallowed. His voice cracked when he finally spoke.

“Why isn’t my father here then? If he’s really alive… if he’s truly my father… why isn’t he standing right in front of me?”

"Why did he send some..."

Duke’s expression shifted. His jaw tightened, eyes turning sharp and serious.

“Because your father has enemies, young master. Dangerous enemies. Your identity is too valuable, too explosive to expose carelessly. If he steps out openly, it won’t take long before someone tries to get to you through him.”

Marcus frowned, unconvinced but silent. Duke exhaled gently before continuing.

“He wanted to come to you. Trust me, he did. But revealing himself right now would put your life in more danger than you can imagine. You were already attacked last night. Imagine what would happen if your identity leaked before you even healed.”

Marcus slowly dropped his gaze to his hands. His knuckles trembled slightly.

This wasn’t what he expected to hear.

He had imagined his father bursting through the doors, tearful, overwhelmed, hugging him after years of separation. Not… this cold reality filled with enemies, danger, and secrets.

Duke gently placed a sleek black card on the bedside table.

“This is a personal directive from your father. A temporary card for you until your full identity is secured. It contains several million dollars."

Marcus’s breath hitched. “M—millions?”

Duke nodded without flinching. “Yes. And that’s only the beginning.”

He placed another document on the table and a tape

“Your father is giving you one of his companies to manage. A relatively small empire in his portfolio, but it is still worth billions. He believes you are ready. And this tape was recorded by him, an heartfelt message from father to son!"

Marcus stared at him like he’d spoken another language.

He felt his heartbeat hammering violently.

Just last week, he’d been struggling to save for textbooks.

Just yesterday, he’d been working as a waiter to buy an absurd wig for a girl who didn’t love him.

Just hours ago, he’d been beaten to death by thugs hired by her new millionaire lover.

Now… they were telling him he was the rightful heir of a trillionaire?

Marcus covered his face with both hands and exhaled shakily.

Everything was moving too fast. Too unreal.

Like someone had opened the sky and dropped him into a life he’d never even dreamed of.

But his hands circled around the tape more firmly.

Duke rested a firm hand on his shoulder.

“I know it is overwhelming. But you must prepare yourself. Your life is no longer ordinary. Your status has changed.”

Marcus didn’t argue. He couldn’t.

He just sat there trembling quietly as the weight of his new reality settled on him.

---

Marcus was discharged the next evening. The doctors bowed when he left the room, the nurses greeted him like royalty, and Duke walked beside him like a personal guardian.

But the moment Marcus stepped outside the hospital, he begged Duke for one thing.

“Please… no escorts. No cars. No attention. I need to breathe. I need time to think.”

Duke studied him for a long moment, then nodded.

“As you wish, young master. But do not go far without informing me. Your father worries.”

Marcus sighed. “I… I just need normal for a little while.”

He made his way back to school quietly.

When he reached the hostel, his friends almost jumped him.

“Bro! What happened to you?”

“We thought you were dead!”

“Fred’s boys were looking everywhere. We heard you got beaten!”

“And… Jane"

Marcus held up his hand. “Guys, I’m fine. Just… needed space.”

They exchanged looks, thinking he was heartbroken over Jane, he always spoke about her and their future together. And to them, it was only right for him to be.

And seeming to understand what Marcus needed, they gave him enough space and never spoke about the name again.

They didn’t know his entire life had just been rewritten.

Marcus collapsed onto his bed and stared at the ceiling.

His mind was a storm, his father, enemies, billions, his new identity.

Nothing felt real.

And he finally had a father, a part of his life and a figure that he had always craved for. But this time, he hesitated.

But he tried to sleep anyway, tomorrow when he was alone in the room, he was going to play the video.

---

The next morning, Marcus got a message on his half cracked phone from Mr. Marcus.

They obviously ran the city and it would be easy for them to get his contacts.

“Good morning, sir. Trust you had a good night rest. This's to inform you that the entire presidential dining hall has been cleared out for you alone this morning. Breakfast is prepared. Transportation is ready outside.”

Marcus’s eyes widened. His heart almost stopped.

That place was somewhere he would have never dared to even think of dining in. Even someone like Fred would have to break a bank just for a day there and it would still be at the lowest section.

Yet, the whole place was being cleared out to have his meal.

“No—no. I’ll come alone. No pickup car. I’ll meet them there by myself." He quickly replied the message

Marcus breathed out slowly. He couldn’t let his friends see the sudden change in his life. Not yet, least he frightened them. And he wasn't in the mood for too many explanations yet.

He dressed simply, put on a hoodie, and left the hostel quietly.

"Heading someone?" Patrick inquired.

"Yeah! A quick stroll!"

"Poor soul!" They whispered under their breathes still thinking about Jane.

He reached the luxurious hotel minutes later and stepped inside.

His breath caught instantly.

The entire dining hall was filled.

Not with guards.

Not with hotel staff waiting for him.

But with students.

Dozens of them. Almost the entire class.

Jane was sitting on Fred’s lap, laughing, tossing her hair as people around her watched a phone connected to a Bluetooth speaker.

Marcus froze.

The sound echoing across the room,

Was Jane’s moaning. Loud. Shameless. Exposed.

The whole room burst into laughter.

Marcus felt something crack inside his chest.

As if sensing him, Jane turned around.

Her eyes widened.

Her mouth dropped.

Shock shot across her face, Fred’s too.

He’s… alive?

Their first reaction was fear and a quick flash of terror.

Marcus saw it and his hand balled into a fist.

But it didn’t last.

Jane quickly masked it with a cold sneer, flipping her hair.

Fred forced a laugh.

Fred scowled. “Did you miss your way or what? This place isn’t for people like you.”

Jane folded her arms, glaring with a disgusted frown.

“He should be dead. I mean… didn’t you get beaten for attacking Fred? How are you even standing?”

Their classmates snickered.