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 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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