The Rightful Heir

Chapter Five

Liam’s POV

As the elevator went down, my heart beat fast against my ribs.

This morning, I was just another scholarship student at Crestwood, surviving on part-time jobs and some minimal jobs I could find. 

But now?

I was a billionaire. The heir to a conglomerate. A man with power that I barely understood.

And, according to Charles Davenport, a target. I wonder why he said that to me when I was just a kid, a teenager. 

The elevator doors slid open to the underground parking lot, where the same black luxury car was waiting. The driver from earlier stood beside it, his face devoid of any emotions.

I guess he was a chauffeur meant to drive me up and down. 

“Where to, Mr. Carter?” he asked.

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Crestwood.”

The ride back was quiet, but my mind was anything but.

How much had my life changed in just a few hours?

It felt strange and I still didn't understand what was going on. It felt like a dream. 

The money, the power, the weight of an entire empire now resting on my shoulders.

I needed to process it.

But first, I needed to return to where it all began. The chauffeur drove me back home because the meeting took all night. 

I quickly dressed up and headed out to Crestwood University.

The car stopped just outside the campus gates. I was glad that he stopped where he had stopped because I was just thinking of telling him to park where no one could see me. 

At least, not yet. 

Students walked past, some in small groups, others alone, but none of them paid me any attention.

Good.

I wasn’t ready to be noticed yet.

I stepped out, adjusting my jacket, and walked toward my dorm. The familiar cracked pavement, the ivy-covered buildings, the scent of freshly cut grass—everything looked the same.

But I wasn’t the same.

As I walked past the student plaza, voices caught my attention.

Laughter. 

Sneering.

Familiar voices.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who they belonged to.

Ryan Blackwood and his clique.

I should have kept walking. I should have not listened to them.

But when I heard my name, my steps stopped abruptly.

“Seriously, Liam still goes here?” one of Ryan’s friends scoffed.

Ryan laughed. “Guess Crestwood needed a charity case.”

More laughter.

Melissa’s voice chimed in next, laced with fake concern.

“He was so obsessed with me. Honestly, it was pathetic.”

I clenched my fists.

But I didn’t turn around. Not yet.

Then Ryan spoke again, and his words made my blood boil.

“You know, it’s actually kind of sad. He’s nothing. Just a loser trying to act like he belongs here.”

That’s when I stopped walking.

I turned around.

And for the first time, Ryan Blackwood met my gaze.

He smirked when he saw me. “Oh, look who it is. Speak of the devil.”

His friends chuckled, but I barely heard them.

Melissa was standing close to Ryan, her arms wrapped around him like a trophy.

When she saw me, she smiled.

But it wasn’t the smile of an old friend.

It was the smile of someone who had already won.

“Liam,” she said sweetly. “Didn’t see you there.”

Liar.

Ryan tilted his head. “You look tired, Carter. Long shift at the coffee shop?”

Another round of laughter.

I said nothing.

I just watched them.

Ryan. His expensive watch glinted under the shining sun. His well-tailored jacket, the brand is probably worth more than my tuition.

Melissa. Her designer heels. The way she clung to Ryan like a queen at his side. She had a look of disdain as she locked eyes with me. 

“What is that smell? Ew!” 

“Did he even wash that?” One of the students said and the rest reeled with laughter. 

They were comfortable. 

Secure.

Certain that I was beneath them.

And why wouldn’t they be?

For years, I had been nothing more than a punchline.

But they didn’t know.

They had no idea that the world had changed.

I almost laughed.

Melissa sighed dramatically. “You know, Liam, you should really consider transferring. I mean, let’s be real. Crestwood isn’t for guys like you.”

Ryan chuckled. “She’s got a point, man. Maybe try a community college.”

I tilted my head, studying him.

Ryan Blackwood.

For years, he’d been the king of Crestwood. The one everyone feared. The untouchable.

But not anymore.

I felt a slow, dangerous smirk stretch across my lips.

“Don’t worry, Ryan,” I said calmly. “You’ll be seeing a lot more of me.”

Ryan’s smirk faltered—just for a fraction of a second.

And Melissa?

She frowned.

Good.

I turned away and walked off, but I wasn’t done.

Not even close.

Back in my dorm, I locked the door behind me and sat on the edge of my bed.

My phone buzzed.

Unknown Number: “Your official bank account has been activated. Current balance: $50,000,000,000.”

I exhaled slowly.

Fifty billion dollars.

I could leave Crestwood right now. Buy a mansion. Disappear from this world entirely.

But I wouldn’t.

Not yet.

I wasn’t here to run.

I was here to take back everything they stole from me. I laid back on my bed with only one thing in my mind. 

How do I humiliate them and make them pay? 

And of course, I was going to make Ryan wish he never met someone like me. 

I picked up my phone and dialed the only number I’d been given at Carter Enterprises.

It rang once before a familiar voice answered.

“Charles Davenport.”

I took a deep breath. “I want to make a move.”

A pause.

Then, “Go on.”

I clenched my jaw. “I want to crush Ryan Blackwood. Not just humiliate him. Destroy him.”

Another pause.

Then, Charles chuckled.

“I was wondering when you’d say that.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Can you do it?”

“Mr. Carter,” he said smoothly, “with your resources, we can ruin him. But first, I need to know how far you’re willing to go.”