2026-09-13 02:35:11
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17. A statement
The next day, the first person to approach Daniel at school was, unsurprisingly, Charlie."Well, well, well. I knew you were up to something, you little bastard." He planted himself directly in Daniel's path, blocking the way to class.A few students had gathered around, curious to see how the interaction would go. Something in Daniel's chest tugged at the familiarity of it, Charlie and his usual crowd of goons, cornering him just like old times. The only difference now was that no part of him would ever allow Charlie, or anyone else to bully him, ever again."So that's how you got everything you own," Charlie sneered. "Sleeping your way into it. Should've guessed. It suits you, honestly." His friends broke into laughter behind him. Daniel found nothing about it funny.Someone must have saw him getting into Lily's car and had taken a couple of photos, posting them online with a caption claiming he was sleeping with her for money. The thought made something cold settle in his stomach,
16. A scandal?
"Robert, I understand you're thrilled to have your son back," Grace said, settling further into her chair, "but don't you think you're moving a little fast? The boy clearly isn't ready for something like this." Daniel caught himself before his surprise could show any further and cleared his throat, forcing his shoulders to relax. "I gladly accept, Dad." He kept his voice steady. "I'll admit the timing caught me off guard, but I want to be clear — that has nothing to do with my competency." He let his gaze settle on Grace as he said it. In truth, he was quietly unraveling. He had six months left before graduation, and stepping into a company this size felt less like a step and more like a cliff edge. Worse — it meant stepping into public view as the long-lost son of the Raines family, and he wasn't remotely ready to have that many eyes on him at once. But he'd already learned, in just these few short weeks, that the fastest way to hand someone a weapon was to let them see you flinch.
15. The Meeting
Later that day, Rachel found Daniel sitting beneath a tree, a book propped over his face against the sun. "No one asked you to play hero. I'm not some little girl who needs saving — I can handle myself." "You're welcome," he said, without moving the book an inch. "Do you even understand what you just did? Michael Reeds isn't someone you humiliate and just walk away from unscathed." "Is this your version of worrying about me?" She scoffed, like the very suggestion offended her. "As if. I'm just telling you that you've dug your own grave, and no amount of fake confidence is going to climb you out of it." He finally lifted the book off his face and sat up, studying her. "Tell me, Rachel — what exactly should I have done instead? Left you standing there the way your boyfriend did? Is that what you'd have preferred?" Her frown deepened. She hadn't spoken to Charlie since that morning — or rather, he hadn't spoken to her, hadn't so much as looked her way — and as much as she hated adm
14. Michael Reeds
The following Monday, school reopened and lectures carried on as if nothing had changed. No one knew that Daniel now owned buildings worth two billion dollars, or that he was managing a redevelopment project that would reshape an entire section of the city.All anyone on campus seemed to care about was simpler, smaller: how had the school's unclaimed dog risen overnight to become King?"Good morning, Daniel!" a girl chirped as she passed, flashing a smile that would've been unthinkable two weeks ago."Sup, Dan," a guy he didn't recognize said, clapping him on the shoulder like they'd been friends for years."Hi," Daniel managed, the word coming out stiffer than he meant it to.After an entire year of being hated, avoided, ostracized by nearly everyone in these halls, the sudden warmth felt more disorienting than waking up a trillionaire. If anything, he found himself almost missing the silence — at least back then, he hadn't needed to smile at strangers who'd never once bothered to le
13. New Enemy
The first to recover was Henry Kings. "Preposterous. The last anyone heard of Adrian Raines, the boy was lost and never found. Years ago.""That's true," someone else agreed."Which means this kid has to be an imposter," another voice chimed in.The host frowned, clearly weighing his next words with care. "Is there... any way you could prove you are who you claim to be?"Daniel leaned back into his seat, unhurried. "Don't you think that's a little disrespectful?""Excuse me?""Asking me to prove myself." His tone stayed level, almost pleasant. "I'm here representing my father — the CEO of the Raines Empire. Questioning that is essentially telling me you don't recognize the Raines name at all. Would you like me to pass that message along to him personally?"The calm certainty in Daniel's voice made the host waver visibly. "Well — I — " He turned instead toward Mr Kings. "Why don't we all take our seats and continue with the auction?""What?! You can't possibly believe this kid!""Mr. K
12. The Auction
Eyes trailed him the entire walk down the hall. Whispers followed close behind — how had he actually won King of Campus? Who had even voted for him?Daniel didn't let it settle on him. His mind was already somewhere else, turned toward the evening ahead and the one job he couldn't afford to fail: win that auction, no matter the cost.His thoughts scattered the moment he spotted Rachel.She stood with her usual circle of friends, laughing easily at something one of them had said. But the moment her eyes landed on him, the laughter died on her face. She looked at him the way someone looks at a stranger wearing a familiar face — like she couldn't quite make the two versions of him line up in her head.Daniel felt a small, unwelcome twist in his chest. He pushed past it. Whatever they'd had was finished. If she wanted to stand there looking confused about the man she'd walked away from, that was her problem now, not his.He started to move past her when her voice caught him off guard."Da
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