2025-11-18 15:39:04Jared sat in the back seat of the taxi, his head lightly resting against the window as the city rolled by in soft blurs. It was unbelievable how fast life could shift. Just yesterday morning, he had been a broke, struggling student—counting pennies, praying Nana wouldn’t die before he could raise the money for her surgery. Yesterday evening, he had been tossed out of the university like filth. And now… a prince restored. The heir of the Diamond Empire. The rightful owner of fortunes larger than most nations’ GDPs.
All because he finally agreed to return home.
His fingers brushed against the sleek metal of his seven premium black cards—platinum, titanium, unlimited credit. Cards he hadn’t held for three years. Cards that could buy buildings, cities… or even the very institutions that had looked down on him.
Each card had at least $250 billion for his lavish spending. More money than he could ever spend in seven lifetimes.
A small smile tugged at his lips. ‘Brad and Becky are going to freak out when they find out who I truly am.’
But first—he had unfinished business.
He had been expelled. Publicly. Unjustly. And that stain needed to be scrubbed off immediately.
And as for Professor Bernard… the old fool liked talking big. Today, he would learn who he challenged.
Jared pulled out his phone and dialed the direct number of Timothy Monrell—the COO and acting CEO of Atlantic Group, the parent company of LAU. The line rang once before the man answered.
“Hello? Who is this? How did you get this private num—”
“This is Jared Diamond,” Jared said calmly. “New owner of Atlantic Group.”
There was dead silence for two seconds.
Then Monrell spoke, suspicious but cautious: “Then please confirm your identity with the Diamond Executive Verification Code.”
Jared smirked. He knew the code by heart—he was the one who created it years back before walking out of the family.
“Verification code: A–LX–92–TRI–7.”
The phone nearly fell from Monrell’s hand.
“Y–Young Master Jared!” His voice immediately shifted into deep respect. “My deepest apologies. I didn’t know it was you. Sir, when will you be coming to the company? Should I assemble the board? Should—”
“No need for that right now,” Jared cut in. “I have a more urgent situation.”
“Yes, Young Master! Anything. Please instruct me.”
Jared leaned back in the taxi seat, voice steady, cold, and commanding.
“I was unjustly expelled from LAU yesterday.”
Timothy sucked in a sharp breath. “Expelled? By whom?”
“Director Martin Hill. Over a biased and baseless complaint. And more importantly—my grandmother needed surgery. The school’s golden boy, Sammy Jo, caused chaos and indirectly endangered her life. Now, Director Hill has sided with them again.”
“Young Master, this is unacceptable,” Monrell said, his tone now trembling. “Please, give me your orders.”
“Good,” Jared replied. “Here is what you will do:
“One, call Director Hill immediately. Give him one hour to revoke my expulsion and issue a public apology.
“Two, mandate that Sammy Jo and his family pay me—under the name ‘Jared Stevens’—a settlement of $25 million for the cost of Nana’s surgery.
“And lastly—remind Director Hill that Professor Bernard made a public bet with me. He must fulfill his end. I want that carried out today.”
Timothy answered instantly, “Consider it done, Young Master. I will not leave a single detail unattended.”
“Good,” Jared said. “Call me when it’s done.”
He ended the call.
A slow smile rose on his face.
‘Now… let’s go back and visit the university.’***
LAU Campus—One Hour Later
Jared walked through the school’s large gates as though he had never left. Students turned their heads in shock—some whispering, some blinking rapidly like they were hallucinating.
“Is that… Jared?”
“But didn’t they expel him yesterday?”
“Did he sneak in again?”
No one dared approach him, but every pair of eyes followed him.
He went straight to the lunch lounge where he knew Brad and Becky would be. His friends had called him more than twenty-seven times since yesterday. Even now, three missed calls blinked on his phone.
As he entered the lounge, he spotted them immediately.
Brad Trodman—genius ICT student, quiet but brilliant.
Becky Hollins—fiery, confident, second-generation rich, loyal to a fault.They were arguing about him, clearly distressed.
Jared walked up behind them and tapped Brad’s shoulder.
Both turned—and screamed.
“JARED!!!”
They jumped up and pulled him into a tight hug.
“Where have you been!?”
“Why did you switch off your phone!?” “How’s Nana!?” “Why are you back at school? I thought they expelled you!?”Jared chuckled, sat down, and casually took Brad’s drink for a sip.
“I’ll tell you everything,” he said, “but first—”
The cafeteria door slammed open.
Kirby stormed in with her entourage, eyes wild.
“SO IT’S TRUE!” she shrieked. “You’re back! How? Did you sneak in? Do you think you’re funny? Jared, if you don’t explain right now, I swear I’ll call security and—”
Jared didn’t even look at her.
Kirby froze.
Being ignored was her biggest trigger.
“You—YOU PUNK!” she yelled. “I said LOOK AT ME when I’m talking!”
She rushed forward and reached to grab his shirt.
But before her hand landed—
SLAP!
Becky smacked Kirby’s wrist so hard Kirby yelped. Becky’s glare could slice steel.
“Touch him again,” Becky said coldly, “and I’ll break your fingers one by one. You think you can bully Jared after everything you caused? Nana is in the hospital because of you! And you feel no remorse?”
Kirby stumbled back, fear flickering in her eyes. Becky’s family wealth—and reputation—far outweighed hers. Ten times even.
Still, Kirby hissed, “I’m calling Professor Bernard. He’ll throw Jared out again. Just watch!”
Jared’s smile widened.
‘Perfect.’Five minutes later, Professor Bernard barged into the lounge.
He froze the instant he saw Jared.
“You—you’re back!? How?! Director Hill never—”
Jared leaned back in his seat. “Professor, I believe you have a challenge to honor.”
Bernard’s face drained of color.
The challenge. The one he never believed Jared could meet.If Jared returned to school:
Bernard must replace Sammy Jo with Brad Trodman for Skyrun’s recruitment.
OrLick Jared’s boots and run around the campus naked.Bernard swallowed hard.
“I—I am not obligated to do anything,” he stammered. “You sneaked in here! You must have! I’m calling the director right now! When he gets here, you’ll be thrown out again—and probably arrested for trespassing!”
He dialed Director Hill instantly.
“Director! Jared Stevens is here! He snuck into the faculty lounge. Please come immediately!”
The call ended.
Bernard puffed up proudly.
“Just wait, Jared. When Director Hill arrives, you’re finished.”
Jared only smiled.
Little did any of them know… Director Hill had exactly fourteen minutes left before Monrell’s deadline hit.
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CHAPTER 225
The morning after the ballroom felt quieter than it should have.The entire Diamond Manor Hotel seemed to breathe differently now, as if the weight of what had happened the night before had settled into its walls. Outside, Los Angeles carried on in its usual noise, but inside Jared’s private floor, there was only controlled silence broken occasionally by distant footsteps from staff trying to act as if nothing monumental had just unfolded.Jared stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in a dark robe, his gaze fixed on the skyline. The city looked unchanged, indifferent to the collapse of fortunes that had taken place just hours earlier. On a nearby table, his phone lay face up, notifications still trickling in—messages from executives, board members, and people who had once pretended not to recognize his name.A knock came at the door.“Enter,” Jared said without turning.The door opened and Caroline stepped in carefully, her posture respectful but tense. “Sir,” she began softly, pausing
CHAPTER 224w
The command did not register immediately.For a moment, the room remained suspended in disbelief, as though Jared’s words had not fully settled into meaning. The same people who had been pleading just seconds ago now stood frozen again, their expressions caught between desperation and refusal.Then the movement began.Security stepped forward—not aggressively, not hurriedly, but with quiet certainty.And that was when the panic shifted.“Wait—no, you can’t do that,” a man said quickly, stepping forward with both hands raised, his voice trembling despite his effort to stay composed. “We’re not leaving like this. Not without resolving this.”“Yes, we need to talk about this,” another parent added urgently, glancing between Jared and the approaching guards. “This is a misunderstanding. It has to be.”“There’s no misunderstanding,” Jared replied calmly.The words hit harder than any raised voice could have.A woman shook her head rapidly, tears streaking her face. “No, please,” she said,
CHAPTER 223
The silence in the ballroom did not break immediately, and at the center of it all, Jared stood beside his father, his expression calm, unreadable, as his gaze moved slowly across the crowd.They were still processing him, the whole situation.Brad hadn’t picked his phone back up. It remained on the polished floor where it had fallen, his eyes fixed on Jared as if trying to reconcile two completely different realities into one.Sammy Jo’s lips parted slightly, his disbelief refusing to settle into acceptance. “This… this doesn’t make any sense,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head faintly. “He’s just…he’s—”“He’s exactly who we were warned about,” a parent whispered sharply, though whether it was directed at Sammy Jo or himself wasn’t clear.Shelly didn’t speak at all. Her gaze lingered on Jared, steady but unsettled, as though she were trying to piece together every moment she had dismissed, every warning she had ignored.And still… no one mentioned Jonah.Jared noticed it
CHAPTER 222
Chaos didn’t arrive all at once. It fractured the room into jagged pieces, like glass cracking under pressure. Voices overlapped, sharp and uneven, cutting through each other as accusations spiraled without direction. Parents demanded answers, students turned on one another, and the fragile confidence that had filled the ballroom just minutes ago crumbled under the weight of reality.I didn’t move. I stayed exactly where I had been from the beginning, observing it unfold with the same calm I had carried into the room. There was no panic in me, only a careful calculation of timing and presence.Brad was the first person I focused on. He hadn’t joined the shouting; he hadn’t even looked up. His eyes were glued to his phone, his fingers frozen mid-motion as if he had forgotten what he was trying to do. The color drained from his face, his jaw tightened, and his breathing was uneven in a way that told me the realization had already landed. Not doubt. Not confusion. Understanding. Slow.
CHAPTER 221
The energy in the room didn’t settle after the announcement.It spiked.Excitement surged through the crowd, voices rising as anticipation spread from one group to another. Parents straightened their posture, students adjusted their outfits, and conversations shifted instantly toward one expectation.Howard Diamond was about to walk in.And Jonah stood at the center of it all.I watched him carefully.He didn’t look surprised. If anything, he looked ready.“This is it,” he said, raising his voice just enough to pull attention back toward him. The conversations softened, then faded, as people turned once more to face him. “I know many of you have been waiting for confirmation… for something more concrete.”A few parents nodded immediately.“This is that moment,” Jonah continued, his tone smooth, controlled, carrying confidence that felt almost practiced. “Everything we’ve discussed, everything we’ve built toward—it leads here.”He paused just long enough to let the weight of his words
CHAPTER 220
At the edge of the room, Shelly stood slightly apart from the crowd, her posture composed, her arms folded loosely across her chest as she watched everything unfold. Her expression hadn’t changed much—but there was a tension in her gaze now, something quieter, harder to define.Not doubt.Not fully.But not blind confidence either.Our eyes met briefly.She didn’t look away immediately this time.There was a flicker there—brief, controlled, almost buried beneath the surface.Then it was gone.She turned her attention back to Jonah.And just like that, the moment passed.I shifted my focus.Because something else had changed.It wasn’t obvious.Not to them.But it was there.Staff movement.Subtle.Coordinated.Security had repositioned—not aggressively, not in a way that would alarm anyone—but enough that the pattern had changed.Communication was happening in low tones, quick exchanges that didn’t belong to normal event flow.And none of them noticed.Not Brad.Not Sammy Jo.Not even
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