The Domination Of Young Master Luke

Chapter 2 - Unimaginable Wealth

Luke returned to their dormitory. The moment he stepped inside the room, he went straight to his bed and sat down. He was supposed to attend class, but he no longer had the energy for it.

His eyes drifted, slightly damp now, to the picture frame resting on the small drawer beside his bed.

It was a photo of him and Veronica, taken on their first anniversary.

The tight feeling in his chest deepened the moment he saw her smiling face in the picture. He reached for the frame, stared at it for a few seconds, then flipped it over and opened the back. He pulled the photo out and tossed the frame into the trash.

A bitter smile formed on his lips as his thumb brushed over Veronica’s face on the photo.

“Why?” he muttered under his breath.

“Is it because you think I’m trash, just like everyone else says? Or because you think I can never compare to that Richard guy?”

Those were the questions he wanted to ask her earlier. But he didn’t. He was afraid of the answer.

After a moment, Luke tore the photo in half and dropped it into the trash as well. Along with it went a silent promise to himself... he would start forgetting everything about the two of them. Even if he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

He let out a long breath and fell back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Nearly half an hour passed like that, his thoughts running in circles without getting anywhere.

Eventually, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and scrolled through his contacts until he found his grandfather’s name. Duncan.

He tapped call.

It rang only a few times before the other line picked up.

“Luke!” Duncan’s voice boomed through the phone. “How are you? Have you finally decided to come back to the Manor?”

Luke smiled faintly. Even without seeing his grandfather’s face, he could imagine the excitement on it.

“I’m... fine, Grandpa,” Luke replied, but his voice betrayed him.

Duncan immediately caught it. “You know you can’t lie to your old man,” he said with a chuckle. “I can hear it. You’re not fine.”

Luke narrowed his eyes slightly.

That laugh… it sounded like his grandfather already knew something.

‘Did Zachary tell Grandpa about what happened earlier?’

Zachary was the son of their family butler, Sigmund, and also one of the family’s top security personnel. Duncan had personally assigned him to Luke years ago, long before Luke’s poverty training even began.

Officially, Zachary was just a janitor at the university. Unofficially, he was there to make sure Luke stayed alive and unnoticed.

Luke sighed. “I’m sorry if I disappointed you, Grandpa.”

Choosing the right woman was one of the most important rules in the Cruise family. It didn’t matter if the woman came from a rich family or not. What mattered was that she loved him sincerely, not for money, status, or power. Especially since Luke was the top candidate to inherit the family.

That rule was also one of the main reasons he had to pretend to be poor in the first place.

“There’s nothing to be disappointed about,” Duncan said calmly. “You still have plenty of time. Don’t rush yourself. You’re only twenty.”

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Luke said, smiling a little more naturally now. Then his tone shifted. “Actually, I called because… I want to start my business management training.”

Luke had already completed his three-year poverty training months ago. Duncan had been urging him to return to the family manor for the next phase, but Luke chose to stay behind at the university to continue his studies, and his low-profile life.

Now that his fourth training phase was done, there was no reason to delay the fifth.

The family business training.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. Duncan was obviously thinking.

“Grandpa?” Luke asked.

A quiet inhale came through the speaker. “Of course,” Duncan said. “That’s great, actually.”

But Luke could hear it. There was hesitation.

“You did just break up with your girlfriend,” Duncan continued. “What was her name again? Bernadette? Ber—”

“Veronica,” Luke corrected.

“Right, Veronica.” Duncan laughed softly. “You can start your fifth training, but you’ll still need to keep a low profile. I hope you understand.”

Luke sat up and wiped the tear that had been clinging stubbornly to the corner of his eye. He understood perfectly.

Even now, he wouldn’t be allowed full access to the family’s resources. Unlike his cousins, who were already in legal relationships and could openly use their identities, Luke was still restricted.

Especially now that he and Veronica had just broken up. He felt like he had gone back to the start, back to square one.

Finding a ‘right woman’ in this kind of society, where status is more important than personality, it wouldn’t be an easy task.

“I understand, Grandpa,” Luke said. “Don’t worry. I’ll find the right woman eventually.”

His gaze drifted toward the trash can as he said that.

“I know you will,” Duncan replied. “With that handsome face of yours, any woman would fall for you, even without status.”

Luke smiled wryly. If that were the case, Veronica wouldn’t broken up with him.

“Anyway,” Duncan continued, his tone shifting into business. “I’ve already prepared a company where you’ll begin your training.”

Luke straightened slightly.

“The ENDX Corporation,” Duncan said, deliberately pausing before adding, “We have a branch there in Quezon. That’s where you’ll start.”

Luke froze.

“…ENDX?” he repeated.

The ENDX Corporation? The global automotive giant worth hundreds of billions?

For several seconds, his mind went completely blank.

ENDX wasn’t just famous, it was legendary. Middle-class families admired it. Upper-class families chased partnerships with it. Anyone interested in cars knew the name.

And now his grandfather was telling him...

It belonged to their family?

“G-Grandpa,” Luke said slowly. “Are you serious…? You’re not joking, right?”

Just the Quezon branch alone was valued at over tens of billions.

Luke had researched ENDX before, purely out of interest. It was an automotive company that dominated the industry within just five years and never slowed down.

Its headquarters were in Manila, with branches across multiple countries. The Quezon branch wasn’t even treated like a normal branch. It operated independently, like a sister company.

Duncan laughed. “Why would I joke about something like that? ENDX is only one of our companies. It’s fourth in terms of net worth.”

Luke swallowed. Hard.

Fourth?

If ENDX was only fourth… then just how wealthy was the Cruise family?

“When are you coming?” Duncan asked casually, interrupting his thoughts.

Luke cleared his throat and steadied his breathing. His hands were trembling slightly. He hadn’t even noticed until now.

“I can go today,” he said.

The excitement surged through him, wiping away the heaviness he’d been carrying earlier.

Losing Veronica felt like sinking into the ocean. This, on the other hand, felt like hitting a billion-dollar jackpot right after.

“Good,” Duncan said. “I’ll inform Bernard that you’re coming. He already knows you, so there won’t be any issues. I’ll forward his number so you can contact him when you arrive.”

The line suddenly went quiet.

“Luke?” Duncan said. “You still there?”

Luke wasn’t breathing.

Bernard.

Bernard Bautista.

The president of ENDX Corporation.

One of the most famous businessmen in the world.

And he worked for their family?

“O-Of course, Grandpa,” Luke replied, barely holding his voice steady. “I’ll head there now.”

Duncan’s laughter echoed through the phone before the call ended.

Luke stared at his phone for a long moment.

So it was real. His family wasn’t just rich. They were on a completely different level.

A laugh escaped him. Soft at first, then louder, until it filled the entire dorm room. Anyone who saw him at that moment would probably think he’d lost his mind.

All this time, he had been living as someone insignificant. Taking insults. Enduring humiliation. Letting people walk all over him.

If he were the type to hold grudges, the list of people he could ruin would be endless.

Lucky for them, he wasn’t. But that didn’t mean they’d get another chance.

Luke stopped laughing. His expression hardened, focus replacing amusement.

He stood up, left the dormitory and went straight outside the campus. He hailed a taxi.

“Downtown,” he said to the cab driver, smiling almost ear to ear. “To the ENDX Corporation.”