2025-11-18 15:37:36Morning sunlight pushed gently through the penthouse windows as Jared stirred awake, the previous day playing back in fragments—Director Hill’s authority, Lisa’s betrayal, Kirby's actions, Sammy's mockery, Professor Bernard's insults, the laughter on campus. All of it simmered in him like a quiet storm. Before he could gather himself, his phone vibrated on the nightstand.
Mr. Anders.
Jared sat up, cleared his throat, and answered.
“Good morning, Young Master,” Joseph Anders said, his voice crisp as always. “I come with news. Your father has completed the last of your requests from yesterday.”
Jared blinked. “Already?”
“Indeed, sir. Los Angeles University and Skyrun Inc. now belong to you. But… your father went further. He bought out their parent companies entirely—The Atlantic Group, owners of LAU, and the Blue Belt Group, owners of Skyrun and several other tech subsidiaries. You are now the sole heir and controller of both groups. Whenever you are ready, you may visit their headquarters to assume official control.”
Jared let out a slow exhale. He knew the Diamond family moved quickly, but this was beyond even his expectations.
“Thank you,” Jared said quietly.
“One more thing,” Anders continued. “Master Diamond personally arranged for your grandmother to be airlifted to Tokyo General Hospital. She is receiving full intensive care under Japan’s top cardiac specialists. Everything is handled.”
Something inside Jared tightened—something soft, something old. His father may have been controlling, overbearing, and at times ruthless, but when he decided to do something… he did it thoroughly.
“Tell him… thank you,” Jared said.
“Yes, Young Master.”
After the call ended, Jared showered, threw on a simple black T-shirt, joggers, and white sneakers, then headed downstairs. He didn’t expect trouble. Not this early.
But trouble was waiting.
Right in the center of the lobby stood Sammy Jo, Lisa, and Rosaline Joackin herself—dressed like she owned the entire city, chin high, eyes dripping with disdain.
They saw him at the same time he saw them.
The shock on their faces lasted only a second before it morphed into disgust and confusion.
“What are you doing here?” Sammy Jo blurted sharply, stepping forward as if the marble floors could be contaminated by proximity.
Jared didn’t even bother replying. He walked past them.
“Hey!” Sammy Jo barked. “I asked you a question!”
Jared didn’t bother turning. “And I don’t owe you any explanations.”
Lisa scoffed loudly. “Unbelievable. Jared, what exactly are you doing here? Are you stalking me now? Do you have any idea how creepy you are?!”
Jared finally paused, turned slowly, and looked at her—really looked at her.
“You think everything is about you,” he said calmly. “Relax. You’re not that important.”
Lisa flinched. Sammy clenched his jaw.
Rosaline stepped forward, narrowing her eyes. “Sammy, who is this gutter rat?”
“The idiot who assaulted me,” Sammy replied, jabbing a finger at Jared. “The one you told Director Hill to expel.”
Recognition flashed across Rosaline’s face and immediately twisted into revulsion. She walked straight up to Jared, her designer heels clacking like gunshots.
“This is the filth?” she hissed. “This… thing touched my son? If I had known, I would have had his hand severed. People like you don’t deserve to breathe the same air as us.”
Jared chuckled.
Rosaline’s nostrils flared. “What are you laughing at?”
“You,” Jared said simply. “You and your son both talk like you own the world. But you have no idea what you’ve just stepped on.”
Something in his tone made Sammy’s confidence waver for a moment, but Lisa stepped forward before anyone could respond.
She slapped him.
Hard.
The sound cracked through the lobby.
“Shut up,” she snapped. “Just shut up, Jared. I know you better than anyone here. You’re nothing. Stop acting like you’re somebody just to scare us.”
Her voice trembled slightly—fear, or guilt, Jared couldn’t tell.
He laughed softly, touching his cheek. “Lisa… the things you don’t know could fill a mansion. And you… you're standing on sinking ground, smiling like you’re on a throne.”
Lisa’s eyes flickered with something like confusion, but she tried to hide it.
“Let me give you advice,” Jared said, stepping closer. “Leave this falling family while you still can.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Rosaline barked.
“You’ll understand soon,” Jared replied. “Enjoy your breakfast while it lasts.”
He turned and walked out of the hotel doors, their angry voices echoing behind him.
Outside, he dialed Caroline Leavitt—manager of the California branches of Diamond Manor Hotels.
She picked up instantly.
“Young Master!” she said warmly. “I heard you came in last night. I planned to greet you this morning but didn’t want to disturb your rest.”
“No worries,” Jared replied. “I need a favor.”
“Anything, sir.”
“The Joackins are inside the hotel,” Jared said. “Probably heading to the Sky Diner for breakfast. Evict them from the building. Ban them from all Diamond Manor Hotels globally. And make sure the footage goes viral.”
Caroline didn’t need further explanation. “Consider it done, Young Master. They will be handled with precision.”
***
Inside Sky Diner…
The Joackins, oblivious to the storm heading toward them, strutted confidently toward the Sky Diner entrance—the most elite dining floor of the entire hotel chain. Billionaires booked months in advance. Tech moguls used it as a playground. Scoring a reservation there was a sign of power.
Rosaline held her handbag like royalty. Sammy adjusted his shirt as if preparing for his coronation. Lisa followed behind, smiling now that she’d fully won Sammy’s approval.
“This is it,” Sammy whispered with excitement. “If we meet even one of the tech giants today, Skyrun will double their offer.”
Rosaline smirked. “With my influence and your future position in the company, they won’t refuse us.”
They reached the entrance.
“Excuse me.”
A firm voice cut through the air behind them.
They ignored it. Surely it wasn’t directed at them.
“Security,” the voice commanded. “Stop them.”
Four elite Sky Diner security guards stepped forward immediately and blocked their path. The Joackins turned in confusion—then the color drained from their faces.
Caroline Leavitt approached, heels clicking, expression sharp enough to cut steel.
Rosaline’s voice trembled. “Miss Leavitt. Good morning. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Caroline didn’t smile. “Mrs. Joackin. I received a direct call from my employer moments ago. He informed me that you harassed him this morning. As such, you and your family are banned from this hotel and every Diamond Manor Hotel worldwide. Effective immediately.”
Gasps rippled.
Sammy’s jaw dropped. Lisa froze.
Rosaline stuttered. “W–what? We didn’t harass anyone! We haven’t even met your employer! If we saw a Diamond, we would kneel! Please, Miss Leavitt, this must be—”
Lisa cut in. “The only person we met was Jared Stevens, and trust me, he is not your employer. Not even on his best day.”
Caroline looked at her with pity.
“My employer,” she said coldly, “is not someone you have the privilege of discussing.”
Before they could process her words, Caroline turned to the security team.
“Throw them out.”
Security grabbed them.
“Wait! STOP—”
“Do you know who we are?!”
“Let go of me!”
Their screams were useless.
Everything—every humiliating second—was recorded on multiple devices by staff who had been subtly signaled to film.
The Joackins were dragged through the lobby, past morning guests, business elites, camera flashes, and shocked whispers, and finally tossed outside the main entrance.
The videos hit social media within minutes.
#ExitOfShame
#JoackinFamilyBanned #DiamondManorScandalEverywhere.
Rosaline could barely breathe from embarrassment. Sammy was pale. Lisa clutched her chest, horrified as the comments poured in.
“This can’t be happening,” Sammy muttered. “This can’t be real!”
Lisa swallowed hard. “First Director Hill humiliated Jared… now we get humiliated in the exact same way? This timing is too perfect.”
A thought flickered through all their minds at once—
Could Jared have somehow…?
They shook it off instantly.
Impossible.
“Jared is nothing but a broke scholarship student,” Rosaline snapped. “He couldn’t pull off something like this even in his dreams. He must have called Caroline and lied we harassed some big VIP. The nerve! That bastard thinks he can play games with us?”
Her eyes burned with fury.
She pulled out her phone.
“Find someone for me,” she ordered the person on the other end. “Find Jared Stevens… and capture him.”
Her voice dropped to a chilling whisper.
“I want him delivered to me alive.”
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 125
The announcement came at 9:17 a.m.Across Los Angeles University, screens flickered to life at once—lecture halls, libraries, cafeterias, even the digital boards lining the quad. Conversations stalled mid-sentence. Professors paused in front of whiteboards. Students instinctively reached for their phones as the LAU crest filled every display.Then Director Hill appeared.He stood behind the familiar podium, suit pressed, shoulders squared, expression composed. At first glance, he looked the same as always—but something in his posture felt tighter, more deliberate, as if every word had already been weighed and reweighed before being allowed to exist.“Good morning, students of Los Angeles University,” Hill began. “This is an official campus-wide announcement.”The background hum of campus life faded into silence.“Over the past several days,” Hill continued, “our university has experienced a series of incidents that have raised serious concerns about student conduct, faculty behavior,
CHAPTER 124
Hill pulled up Jared’s student profile on his computer. The screen loaded, displaying a clean, unremarkable record on the surface.Enrollment status: Active (Suspended – Pending Review)Background: Financial aid recipient (prior)Family: Limited disclosureHill frowned.“Limited,” he muttered.That wasn’t common. Most students—even wealthy ones—had something on file. Parents. Guardians. Emergency contacts tied to verifiable identities.Jared’s file felt… scrubbed.Hill clicked deeper. Access logs. Overrides. Administrative notes.There it was.A sealed addendum dated months earlier. Board-level encryption. He hadn’t noticed it then—or hadn’t been allowed to.His mouth went dry.Hill leaned back slowly, hands steepled beneath his chin, and let his memory rewind.The call ordering him to reverse Jared’s expulsion.The threat to his job if he didn’t comply.He’d assumed it was donor pressure. Maybe Sammy Jo’s family being outmaneuvered by someone richer, louder.But the tone hadn’t been
CHAPTER 123
Director Hill did not like surprises.He especially did not like them at night, when the campus had gone quiet and the weight of responsibility settled heavier than usual on his shoulders. The disciplinary reports lay open across his desk, pages spread like evidence at a trial he could already feel slipping out of his control.The cafeteria altercation.The hallway fight.Suspensions.Videos circulating unchecked.Hill removed his glasses and rubbed his temples slowly.Too many incidents. Too much attention. Too many names repeating themselves.A soft chime broke the silence.His computer screen lit up with an incoming secure call.Hill straightened immediately.Only three people had access to that line.He accepted the call.“Director Hill,” came the voice on the other end—calm, measured, unmistakably corporate. “Thank you for taking this so late.”Hill swallowed. “Of course. Is there a problem?”There was a brief pause.“Yes,” the voice said. “There may be.”Hill’s fingers tightened
CHAPTER 122
Jared didn’t dream that night.There was no replay of fists or voices, no flashbacks of raised knuckles or Becky’s scream echoing down the hallway. When he slept, it was heavy and blank, like his body had finally decided it couldn’t afford memory.Morning came quietly.Sunlight filtered through the tall windows of the guest suite, casting long bands of gold across the floor. Jared lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling, taking inventory of the dull ache in his ribs, the stiffness in his jaw, the faint throb behind his eyes.Pain was familiar.Confusion wasn’t.He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, rolling his shoulders slowly. The mirror across the room caught his reflection: split lip crusted over, faint bruising along his jawline, shadows under his eyes that had nothing to do with exhaustion.He looked… calm.That realization surprised him more than the injuries.Brad was gone.Emotionally, the space he’d occupied in Jared’s life had emptied out completely. N
CHAPTER 121
The hallway smelled faintly of antiseptic and metal.Jared sat on one of the molded plastic chairs outside the disciplinary office, his back straight despite the ache spreading through his ribs. His jaw throbbed with every heartbeat, the taste of blood still lingering in his mouth where his lip had split. One side of his face felt swollen already. He barely noticed.Across from him, a campus security guard stood with his arms folded, posture rigid, eyes trained somewhere over Jared’s shoulder like he was guarding a crime scene instead of a student.Brad wasn’t there.They’d been separated almost immediately—pulled apart, restrained, marched in opposite directions down branching hallways. Jared hadn’t seen Brad’s face since security dragged him away, but the image of his raised fist, frozen midair, wouldn’t leave his mind.The sound of muffled voices drifted through the closed office door.Jared flexed his fingers slowly, wincing as soreness flared through his knuckles. He hadn’t even
CHAPTER 120
The hallway outside the cafeteria was louder than it should have been.Students poured out in clusters, voices overlapping in excited fragments, everyone buzzing with versions of the same story. Phones were already out. Someone laughed nervously. Someone else whispered Jared’s name.Jared kept walking, his grip firm around Becky’s hand. His jaw was set so tight it ached, his pulse still roaring in his ears. He could feel Becky trembling—not weakly, but with adrenaline that hadn’t burned itself out yet.“Jared,” Becky said breathlessly. “Let’s just go.”“I am,” he replied, without slowing.They were halfway down the corridor when footsteps closed in behind them.“Hey.”Brad’s voice.Jared stopped.He closed his eyes for half a second, exhaled slowly, and turned around.Brad stood several feet away, Sammy Jo just behind him. Brad’s expression was tight, conflicted, anger barely contained beneath the surface. This wasn’t the detached indifference from the hallway days earlier. This was s
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