The Return of the Campus Trillionaire

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