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 10
Jared followed Angela into the elevator without saying another word. She kept glancing at him, waiting—hoping—for fear to show on his face, but all she found was that same expressionless confidence that was eating her alive. She jabbed the top-floor button with unnecessary force, nearly breaking her nail in the process.The elevator doors slid open into a luxurious hallway lined with polished marble and gold-trimmed wall lamps. This was the upper sanctum of the Fitness Directorate, a place only the elite members ever stepped foot into. Angela always felt important coming up here. Today, however, she felt something else—pressure. Something about Jared’s calmness irritated her beyond measure.They arrived at a glass office door with the name MS. BRIDGET HAMILTON — DIRECTOR OF FITNESS & PREMIUM AFFAIRS etched in silver lettering across it.Angela straightened her blouse, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.Inside, Ms. Bridget looked up from her monitor. She was a striking woman
Chapter 9
The moment the Ladies of Helen stormed out of the gym, the atmosphere twisted. Every head in the room tilted toward Jared with a blend of disbelief, annoyance, and outright confusion.Whispers started like sparks… then spread into a full wildfire.“Did he really reject Shelly?”“He must be crazy.”“Bro thinks he’s Invincible Man because of $25 million.”“Isn’t this the same guy whose girlfriend dumped him yesterday?”“And Lisa isn’t even half as pretty as Shelly. What the hell is wrong with him?”The murmurs thickened with judgment, jealousy, and mockery. Some people looked at Jared like he was mentally unstable. Some like he was arrogant. Others like he was simply too foolish to understand the blessing he had just spat on.But Jared didn’t care at all.He simply continued his workout, switching machines, his breaths steady, his posture calm. Sweat slid down his arms and neck, and he adjusted the weights without acknowledging a single person around him.The more silent he remained, th
Chapter 8
Jared spent the rest of the afternoon at the university gym, needing somewhere to burn off the steam boiling inside him. The chaos of the morning—the downfall of Professor Bernard, the shock of Director Hill’s surrender, the roaring crowd—had left a tension in his chest that only physical exertion could dissolve. He had once come here every day, not to train but to wipe equipment, scrub mats, and take whatever degrading tasks Angela could cook up just so he could earn enough to eat. But today, he was here for himself. No more scrubbing machines. No more dusting lockers. No more bowing his head.He was Jared Diamond again. Heir to trillions. Owner of holdings that stretched across states. A man who, with one phone call, could freeze or collapse almost any business in the city. Nobody on this campus knew it yet—but they would.He had been running on the treadmill for almost thirty-five minutes, drenched in sweat. His breathing was steady and relaxed. But from the moment he walked in ea
Chapter 7
The slap that landed on Professor Bernard’s face echoed like a gunshot across the courtyard. Students froze in disbelief as a red imprint immediately bloomed across the professor’s cheek. Gasps rippled through the crowd. Someone dropped their drink. Another student instinctively covered their mouth.What on earth had they just witnessed?This wasn’t some regular professor being scolded. This was Professor Bernard—the man who practically carried the entire ICT faculty on his back. In the last five years alone, he had singlehandedly made LAU graduates the most sought-after tech recruits in the state. The man had connections in nearly every major tech corporation—Skyrun Inc., Hertz Cloud, Maxian Systems. Skyrun especially adored him. They had begged him multiple times to leave the university and work with their HR team, helping them identify and groom elite tech talent.He was respected everywhere.And yet here he stood, hand glued to his cheek, staring at Director Hill like a lost chil
Chapter 6
Chaos was already brewing around the lunch lounge before Director Hill even arrived. Kirby, convinced that she was about to witness Jared’s final downfall, flicked her hair sharply and turned to her friends.“Start recording,” she ordered. “I want every moment caught on camera. When the director gets here, we will show him that this criminal snuck his way back into the school.”Her friends obeyed immediately, pulling out their phones like paparazzi waiting for a star’s meltdown. Professor Bernard, energized by the attention, puffed out his chest and raised his voice.“Everyone gather around!” he barked. “A student is about to face consequences for defying the rules of this university!”In seconds, hundreds of students flooded the space—whispers, gasps, and curious glances filling the room. Some came because they despised Jared, but many came because they felt something was wrong with the way he had been expelled. Still, nobody dared challenge the system openly.Brad and Becky watched
Chapter 5
Jared 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
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