The Poor Orphan Boy Is The Campus God

Chapter 2

"Let me go!" Jimmy shouted. "Who are you?"

Nobody answered him. Someone punched his stomach, and he stopped shouting.

The van drove for about 30 minutes. Jimmy's body was already broken from the beating at the party, and now this.

His mind raced the whole way. He was afraid he already knew who had taken him.

When the van finally stopped, he was dragged out and thrown onto a cold concrete floor. Then the bag was pulled off his head.

He was inside a huge, dark warehouse with a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. About 10 men stood around him.

Jimmy knew every face in that circle. His heart sank.

They were the loan sharks.

Months ago, Jimmy had borrowed $62,000 from them. He used the money to settle his school bills and some of Mirabel's.

He planned to pay it back with his part-time jobs. But the interest grew faster than he could earn, and he fell behind.

After that, the threats started. Jimmy had been hiding from them ever since.

He had changed his phone number twice. He had even stopped sleeping in his own room.

A tall man with a scar on his cheek stepped forward. His name was Santos, and he was the leader.

"Look who we found," Santos said with a cold smile. "The rat who thought he could run."

"Please," Jimmy begged. "Give me more time."

"Time?" Santos laughed, and his men laughed with him. "You've had months, boy."

He bent down and gripped Jimmy's chin. "Tonight you pay everything, with interest."

"If you can't, we'll cut you open and sell your organs. A single kidney will cover your debt."

Jimmy froze with fear. These men were not joking.

He thought about the $20,000,000 in his account. He didn't know if it was real, but he would say anything to save his life.

He couldn't die like this. Not on the same night he heard his mother's voice for the first time.

"How much do I owe?" he asked. "I'll pay it."

For a moment, there was silence. Then the whole warehouse burst into laughter.

"Did you hear that?" one of the men shouted. "This broke boy wants to pay!"

"You don't even have $100 in your pocket," Santos mocked. "Where will you get the money?"

"Just tell me the amount," Jimmy said, with all the courage he had left.

Santos stopped laughing. He checked his phone and read out a number.

"$120,000. That's the full amount with interest."

"Give me your account details," Jimmy said.

The men looked at each other in shock. Santos shrugged and read out the account number, sure that the boy would fail.

Jimmy opened his banking app with shaking hands. He held his breath as the balance loaded.

$20,000,000.00. It was real.

He didn't waste time celebrating. He typed in the account number, entered $120,000, and pressed send.

A moment later, Santos's phone beeped. He looked at the screen, and his smile disappeared.

"It's... it's all here," Santos stammered. "Every cent."

His men crowded around to see. Their mouths fell open, and Jimmy was just as shocked as they were.

"I've paid you," Jimmy said, standing up slowly. "Now let me go."

Santos looked at the phone, then at Jimmy, and greed filled his eyes. "Not so fast."

"A boy who can send $120,000 like that has more where it came from," he said. "Send another $500,000 for the trouble of catching you."

"No," Jimmy said firmly. "I paid what I owed, and nothing more."

Santos's face turned dark. "Boys, teach him some respect."

4 men cracked their knuckles and walked toward Jimmy. He backed away, but he had no strength left to fight.

Just as the first man raised his fist, Santos's phone rang. Everyone in the warehouse froze.

Santos looked at the screen, and the color drained from his face. His hands began to shake.

"Everybody stay back," he whispered. Then he answered the call with a trembling voice.

Jimmy couldn't hear the person on the other end. But he watched sweat run down Santos's forehead.

"Yes, sir... No, sir... I didn't know, sir..." Santos kept repeating.

The call ended. Santos stood still for a few seconds, staring at the floor.

Then he did something nobody expected. He dropped to his knees in front of Jimmy and bowed his head.

"Please forgive me, sir," he cried. "I didn't know you were this powerful."

His men were stunned. They had never seen their leader kneel for anyone.

"What are you talking about?" Jimmy asked.

"That call was from Don Callaway," Santos said, trembling. "He is the most notorious kingpin in this city."

"He told me he is a subordinate of your mother. He said he will castrate every one of us if we lay a finger on you."

The men behind him went pale. Some of them covered their groins without thinking.

Jimmy stood frozen. He didn't know any Don Callaway, and he knew nothing about his mother's world.

But deep down, he understood. The woman who called him wasn't just rich.

She was powerful enough that the city's most feared man worked for her.

Jimmy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Everything was happening too fast.

"Please, sir," Santos begged. "From today, my men and I belong to you."

"If you ever need muscle, just call us. We will come running and fight for you with our lives."

Santos lifted his phone with shaking hands.

"Let me return your money, sir. All $120,000."

"Don't," Jimmy said. "That was the debt I owed, and I won't take it back."

Santos stared at him with new respect. "As you wish, sir."

Jimmy walked out of the warehouse without another word. Nobody dared to stop him.

Outside, the night was cold and the streets were empty. He had no idea where he was.

In just 1 night, he had lost a girlfriend, found a mother, and paid off his debt.

His clothes were torn, and every part of his body ached. It was almost 1:00 a.m., and no cab would be available at that hour.

He decided to find a hotel and rest. So he started walking, limping and holding his ribs.

After a few miles, he saw a huge building covered in golden lights. It was among the biggest hotels in the city.

Jimmy walked into the lobby in his torn, muddy hoodie. The receptionist looked at him like he was a beggar.

"I need a VIP suite," he said. "For tonight."

She almost laughed, until he showed her his banking app. Her face changed at once.

He booked the suite and paid in full. Minutes later, he held the key card in his hand.

He entered the suite and sat on the edge of the huge bed. It was the most beautiful room he had ever seen.

He took a long, hot shower and washed the blood from his face. For the first time that night, he felt safe.

A few hours ago, he was a beaten and broken orphan. Now he was a man with nearly $20,000,000, a mother he didn't know, and Santos as his subordinate.

Jimmy looked at the ceiling and whispered, "Who are you, Diana Levruff?"

He had no idea his troubles followed him to the same hotel that night.