2025-11-18 15:40:05Chaos 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 the crowd multiplying. Their anxiety shot through the roof.
“Jared… we still don’t know how you got back,” Brad whispered urgently. “If we don’t know that, how do we defend you?”
Becky nudged Jared harder. “He’s right! You’re acting like everything is fine but the director is coming here. You know he’ll try to hand you over to the police for stepping foot on campus again!”
Jared simply leaned back in his seat and took another bite of his lunch, calm as still water. “Relax. Everything is fine.”
“Fine?!” Becky’s voice cracked. “How is this FINE? We’re talking about Director Hill! He could—”
But before she could finish, Kirby’s loud laughter sliced through her sentence.
“Aww, look at you,” Kirby mocked Becky. “Panicking like a scared little kitten. What will you do now, Becky? Save Jared with your tears? Save him with your family name? Or maybe you’ll kneel and beg?” She laughed, flipping her hair. “You should have known better than to hang out with… this.”
Her insult stung. Becky clenched her jaw, a retort burning in her mind—yet she held her tongue.
Kirby moved closer and sneered. “Your taste in friends is as trashy as your personality.”
Enough was enough.
Jared turned slowly to Kirby, his eyes sharp. “Be careful,” he said quietly. “If Sammy Jo and his mother could get served this morning, who are you not to get served too?”
Kirby froze. “What—what does that even mean?”
“Oh?” Jared blinked innocently. “You haven’t been online today?”
Whispers rose immediately among the surrounding students.
“You mean she hasn’t seen it?”
“How can she not know?”
“Wait until she watches…”
Kirby grew impatient. “What haven’t I seen?!”
Someone nearby stepped forward. “The video. The… hotel footage.”
“What hotel footage?” Kirby hissed.
Jared leaned back and folded his arms. “Check your phone.”
She scoffed, pulled out her smartphone, and opened her social media feed. A second later, her eyes widened so far they nearly popped out of their sockets.
There it was.
Videos—multiple angles—of Rosaline Joackin, Sammy Jo, and even Lisa being dragged out of Diamond Manor Hotel by security like criminals.
Crowds laughing.
Security guards tossing their bags onto the pavement.
Rosaline screaming in humiliation.
Sammy Jo on his knees begging.
Lisa crying and pleading.
And the captions… oh, the captions.
#JoackinDisgrace
#DiamondManorThrowOut #GoldenBoyNoMore #KickedOutLikeThievesThe whole world was laughing at them.
As Kirby watched, her jaw trembled. The laughter around her grew louder, and several students couldn’t resist mocking.
“Wow, Sammy Jo looked like a wet puppy!”
“She said she was better than everyone—look at her now!”
“Oh my God, Lisa was crying? That’s karma!”
Kirby’s cheeks burned in humiliation, even though she wasn’t in the video. She slammed her phone shut just as Professor Bernard walked up behind her, his face tight and grave.
“Everyone, silence!” he barked, trying to restore order. But even he couldn’t hide his shock. He stared at the floor for a long second, pity crossing his face.
Meanwhile, Jared simply continued eating.
And then—
Director Hill arrived.
Silence swept the crowd like a gust of icy wind. The students instantly stepped aside, forming a path for the man. He marched forward with fire in his eyes, his presence alone enough to intimidate anyone.
He stopped in front of Jared, nostrils flaring.
“You,” he growled. “Are you trying to provoke me? You were expelled! How dare you show your face on school property?”
Jared did not move an inch. He lifted his gaze lazily and said:
“Call your boss. Timothy Monrell.”
Silence.
The entire crowd blinked.
Director Hill’s expression cracked. He pointed rigidly at Jared.
“D-Do not lie to me. You don’t know Mr. Monrell.”
Jared raised one brow. “Call him.”
The director clenched his jaw, but just as he opened his mouth to argue—
His phone rang.
Everyone gasped when they saw the name on the caller ID.
Timothy Monrell.
A hush fell so heavy it could suffocate.
Director Hill trembled as he answered the call and bowed his head.
“Y–Yes, sir… Yes, sir, I… I understand… I deeply apologize… It will be fixed immediately… Of course, sir… It will not happen again…”
Every second of that call drained the color from his face.
By the time he hung up, he looked like he had aged ten years.
The entire crowd exchanged shocked glances. Something was wrong—very wrong.
Kirby stepped forward, her voice trembling. “Sir, you need to send Jared away! And his friends too! They helped him sneak in!”
Professor Bernard quickly added, “Yes, sir! It’s clear they disobeyed you—”
Jared lifted a hand and silenced both of them.
“Director,” he said calmly, “your decision?”
Director Hill swallowed repeatedly. Sweat dripped down his forehead. In his mind, he was calculating the danger.
If he obeyed Rosaline Joackin:
He kept her favor—but risked losing his job, benefits, pension, and status if he disobeyed the Atlantic Group.If he obeyed Mr. Monrell:
He might anger the Joackins—but he would remain employed, protected, and aligned with the most powerful business conglomerate on the West Coast.There was no comparison.
“Sir—” Professor Bernard pressed again.
SLAP!!!
Director Hill turned sharply and struck Professor Bernard across the face, the sound echoing throughout the cafeteria.
The students gasped in horror.
“SHUT. UP.” Director Hill roared. “I DID NOT ASK FOR YOUR OPINION!”
Kirby staggered backward, horrified. Professor Bernard clutched his cheek, stunned into silence.
Director Hill turned to Jared—bowing slightly.
“Mr. Stevens…” His voice cracked. “Welcome back to Los Angeles University.”
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Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 197
Jonah stepped into the penthouse, and the world seemed to tilt, caught in a whirl of color, sound, and light. A chandelier scattered rainbows across the polished floors, the bass of the music thudding against his chest with every beat, each note vibrating through the soles of his shoes.Laughter, shouts, and the clinking of glasses echoed across the room, layered with the faint hiss of champagne corks and the rich scent of perfume and cologne mingling with the smoky tang of incense from somewhere near the balcony.He paused, letting it wash over him, and realized—this was a world entirely unlike the structured halls of the university, a world where rules bent to the whims of the wealthy and fearless.Sammy Jo, already in the center of the chaos, was laughing loudly, a glass of champagne tilted in his hand as a group of students leaned in, hanging on every word. Kirby was nearby, spinning on her heels, daring someone to dance with her, a mischievous glint in her eye. Lisa lounged elega
CHAPTER 196
The morning sunlight spilled across the campus, casting long shadows behind banners that fluttered lazily in the gentle breeze. Students moved between classes, backpacks swinging, headphones humming faint melodies, entirely absorbed in the rhythm of ordinary life.For the first time in weeks, Jared walked the quad without that subtle tension in his shoulders, without glancing over his back to anticipate conflict. The rumor that had spread like wildfire—the one that had painted him as a violator of trust, a target of the Iron Vow—was dissipating, replaced by evidence, calm logic, and undeniable truth.His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he checked it absentmindedly. A series of notifications flashed across the screen: screenshots, social media posts, and forum updates.The headline that caught his attention read, “Campus Video Debunked: Claim Retracted.” The clip had been manipulated. Metadata, cross-checked by the administration, revealed its forgery, and the young woman involved had
CHAPTER 195
The campus charity gala unfolded beneath strings of warm lights and carefully curated elegance. Banners bearing the university crest draped from the balconies of the student center, and clusters of well-dressed students moved between silent auction tables with glasses of sparkling cider in hand.Laughter rose in polite waves, the kind cultivated for donors and alumni who appreciated refinement over chaos. It was the kind of event where reputations were polished, not tested.Jared hadn’t planned on attending.But absence, tonight, would have looked strategic. And he was done feeding narratives.He stood near the edge of the courtyard, dressed in a dark tailored suit that drew subtle glances without demanding them. Conversations shifted when he passed, though not as sharply as before. The accusation had quieted, thanks in part to the Iron Vow’s silence.The forum thread had lost momentum. Comments had turned uncertain. Some posts had even disappeared.Pressure had receded—but not entire
CHAPTER 194
The far end of the parking structure was dimmer, the overhead lights flickering faintly as if undecided about whether to stay on. The concrete walls trapped sound, turning even quiet breaths into something heavier. The Iron Vow members remained several paces back, forming no visible barrier this time, just a silent perimeter. Their leader stood in front of Jared, posture relaxed but eyes sharp, measuring.“You said the footage was edited,” the leader began. “Prove it.”Jared didn’t rush to answer. He pulled out his phone slowly, deliberately, making sure every movement was visible. Escalation here would come from misinterpretation, not aggression. He opened the circulating clip first.“This is the version spreading,” he said, angling the screen slightly. “Sixteen seconds. Starts mid-motion. Ends mid-motion.”The leader didn’t take the phone. He watched.Jared continued, voice steady. “Look at the reflection on the car behind us. The timestamp on the dashboard clock. It reads 9:42 at t
CHAPTER 193
The pressure did not erupt. It accumulated.By the next morning, the shift had become structural. Jared discovered his access to the athletic wing had been formally suspended pending “conduct review.” A campus mentorship program he had quietly supported sent a brief, carefully worded message informing him that parent participants had expressed concern.Even the Robotics Club, which had casually invited him to open lab hours just days ago, posted an update limiting lab access to “verified active members only.” None of it accused him directly. None of it condemned him outright. It was administrative erosion—measured, procedural, clean.Walking through campus felt different now. Not hostile. Hostility was loud. This was calibrated distance. Conversations lowered when he approached, then resumed once he passed.A group of students at the fountain stopped mid-laughter as he walked by, their smiles tightening into neutral expressions. One freshman who had thanked him just days earlier avoid
CHAPTER 192
By the time Jared reached his suite that afternoon, the accusation had evolved from a whisper into a narrative. It wasn’t loud or chaotic. There were no shouting matches in hallways or dramatic confrontations on the quad. Instead, it moved like a quiet tide—steady, deliberate, and suffocating.The forum thread had doubled in size. Screenshots of the edited clip were circulating across multiple group chats. Someone had slowed the footage, zoomed in, added red circles and captions as if conducting a forensic analysis. The comments had shifted from speculation to certainty. “Look at her body language.” “He’s always been too smooth.” “Money makes people think they’re untouchable.” The transformation was efficient. Clinical.He tossed his phone onto the table and stood by the window, watching the campus below. Nothing outwardly chaotic. Students still walked in pairs.Clubs still advertised events. But he could see it now—the subtle recalibration of space. A group that might have waved now
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