2025-10-29 21:26:52The laughter had grown teeth. Every new comment from the crowd cut deeper into Michael than the last. His humiliation had become entertainment, and the sound of it filled the air like poison.
Danny Franchester, with his expensive smile and perfectly pressed designer suit, stood there with his arm snugly around Jane’s waist. They looked like a magazine cover—glamorous, elite, untouchable. Everyone saw perfection. Everyone but Michael.
He rose slowly from the ground, brushing the dirt off his cheap blazer. His voice was low but trembling.
“Jane… what are you doing with him?”Jane turned to him, her eyes sparkling with mockery. “What do you think I’m doing with him, Michael?” she asked, tilting her head as if speaking to a child. “I’m going to marry him.”
The words hit like a gunshot. Laughter erupted from every corner. Students clutched their stomachs and pointed.
Someone yelled, “Marry you? Michael, wake up!”
Another chimed in, “Bro, she just upgraded!”
Danny smiled lazily, his expression dripping with superiority. “You really thought you could marry someone like Jane Scott?” he asked, circling Michael as if inspecting livestock. “You? Look at yourself.”
Jane giggled against Danny’s chest, her manicured fingers tracing his jawline. “He actually believed I’d spend forever with him,” she said, loud enough for all to hear. “Michael was my biggest mistake. I thought he had potential—but he can’t even spell the word ‘future,’ let alone have one.”
The crowd roared again. Danny smirked, enjoying the attention. “Seeing how malnourished you look,” he said, eyeing Michael’s frail form, “I might help you out. How about I make you Jane’s laundry guy?”
“Too generous!” someone shouted.
Jane immediately shook her head, mock horror on her face. “No, Danny, please! I wouldn’t let him touch my clothes even with a twenty-foot pole!”
Laughter exploded again. Phones came up; cameras rolled. Michael could feel his humiliation being immortalized. His chest heaved as he struggled to hold back the anger boiling inside him.
“Two months,” he said finally, his voice breaking. “You’ve been seeing him for two months… behind my back?”
Jane scoffed. “And what if I have? It’s not like I ever let you touch me. Someone had to, Michael.” Her smile turned cruel. “And that someone was Danny.”
The crowd gasped, then burst into scandalous laughter. Michael’s vision blurred. In two years of dating Jane, the most he’d ever received was a hug—one single hug, the same day he had spent his entire savings to buy her a pair of $7,000 trending earrings. That memory stabbed at him now like a knife.
Danny chuckled darkly. “Want to see what you’ve been missing, huh?” he said, pulling Jane closer. “We could give you a little show—save you the trouble of dreaming and… you know.”
That was the last straw. Michael clenched his fists and stepped forward, ready to swing. But before he could, a voice boomed across the courtyard:
“Jane Scott!”
Everyone turned. A procession had appeared at the school gates—a breathtaking convoy of white-gold limousines and armored vans. The logo glimmered under the sun: Elite Inc., the country’s most exclusive luxury brand.
The crowd froze. Whispers filled the air. “Elite Inc.? No way…”
Everyone knew them. They didn’t deliver; they arrived. Their deliveries were events—reserved for billionaires and world dignitaries. Their arrival meant someone had just made a purchase worth over a billion dollars.
The lead envoy, dressed in a black-and-gold suit, stepped forward. “We’re here for Miss Jane Scott,” he announced. “Please sign for your special delivery—sent by your boyfriend.”
The courtyard erupted.
“Oh my God!”
“Danny must’ve done this!”
“Over a billion?”
Jane’s heart raced. Her mouth fell open. “Danny… you…” she gasped, covering her lips with trembling hands. “You didn’t have to—”
Danny blinked, his confidence cracking. What? He hadn’t ordered anything. Not from Elite Inc. Not even close. His family’s company was worth twenty billion, yes, but a billion-dollar purchase would shake their boardroom.
Still, with dozens of eyes on him, he smiled weakly. “Well… you deserve the world, babe,” he said, trying to sound confident.
But Michael noticed. The twitch in Danny’s jaw. The paleness creeping into his face. The sweat forming at his temple.
“Why do you look nervous, Danny?” Michael asked suddenly. “Is the gift really from you?”
The crowd fell silent. All eyes turned toward Danny. Even Jane frowned. “What do you mean, Michael?”
Michael’s smirk was faint, controlled. “Just asking. Because if I remember correctly, the heir of a measly twenty-billion-dollar empire shouldn’t be this pale. Unless… he wasn’t the one who ordered the gifts.”
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd.
Danny’s mouth opened, but no words came out. His silence was louder than any denial.
Jane snapped, her panic turning to rage. “Shut up, Michael!” she screamed. “You’re just jealous! You’ll never be in the same world as us!”
She stormed up to him and slapped him across the face. The sound cracked through the courtyard.
Michael froze for a second. Then, slowly, he smiled. A calm, unreadable smile that unsettled even the crowd.
“You know,” he said quietly, his eyes fixed on hers, “I planned to give you the world. But you… you traded it for smoke and mirrors.”
He turned to leave, his footsteps steady despite the sting in his cheek.
“Get yourself a decent outfit first before talking about giving me the world!” Jane shouted after him. “Danny is my man now—he’ll give me everything I deserve!”
Danny straightened up, trying to recover his image. “Of course, babe,” he said, forcing a grin. “Go ahead and receive your gifts.”
The crowd cheered again.
Jane hurried to the envoy, heart pounding. She signed the digital pad with pride, unaware of the amused look the envoy leader gave her.
“Congratulations, Miss Scott,” the man said. “You are one lucky woman.”
The convoy doors opened.
Out came the first case—a $100 million custom-made ultra-limited Caesar Bracelet, shimmering under the light. The crowd gasped.
Then the limited-edition Chanel bag and shoes, valued at $90 million—only nine of their kind in the world.
Then the final reveal: the NeoFuturist Anti-Aging Solar Beauty Set, rumored to cost one billion dollars—a product so rare that even the Franchester family couldn’t secure one.
One by one, the items were displayed before the crowd, glittering like treasures of another world. Jane’s knees almost gave way. The cameras flashed. Screams filled the air.
Danny’s smile faltered again. He stared at the gifts—the price tags, the detail, the authenticity. He knew these weren’t fake. He also knew, deep down, that they weren’t from him.
His thoughts flickered back to Michael. For a split second, his heart skipped a beat. Then he shook it off. Impossible. Michael was broke. He couldn’t even afford a decent suit, much less these billion-dollar items.
As Jane and Danny posed for photos beside the gifts, the students posted videos across every social platform.
Captions read:“Jane Scott just received a billion-dollar gift!”
“Danny Franchester is HIM!”
“Michael, the fool who lost the goddess!”
And somewhere in the background of one of those videos—walking away quietly, head held high—was Michael.
He wasn’t broken. He was smiling.Because this was just the beginning.
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Chapter 164
Michael and Celia shot up on their feet at the same time, their bodies moving before their minds fully caught up. “Mira’s here!” Barry repeated, his breathing uneven. “She’s not making any move right now. That actually alarms me even more.” Michael didn’t hesitate. He turned to Celia, his hands already on her shoulders. “Go find Adrian and stay with him. Don’t leave his side for a second, got that?” Celia opened her mouth, then stopped. She saw the look in his eyes and nodded instead. “Be careful.” She said quietly, then ran. Michael turned back to Barry. “Let’s go. Make sure your eyes are peeled for any funny business, lock the gates and Be ready for anything.” Barry swallowed. “You sure? Going out there by yourself is crazy.” Michael was already moving. “I’ll handle her.” He stepped outside the facility gates alone, rain soaking into his clothes as the cold night air wrapped around him. The floodlights revealed Mira’s convoy clearly. Armored vehicles lined up in a neat row,
Chapter 163
“Like my new skill, brother?” Mira asked, her voice calm and cruel at the same time. A twisted smile spread across her face as the crimson pressure tightened around Michael’s body. The raindrops above them that froze in the air sharpened and turned into thin, piercing drops that stabbed into his skin. “That pressure you’re feeling? Like your body’s about to crush itself? Yeah… It doesn’t go away easily. You’ll still feel it even after I let you go.” Michael tried to breathe, but his chest felt heavy, like something massive was sitting on it. Every breath burned and his knees shook as the invisible force squeezed him from all sides. The blue glow in his eyes flickered weakly. His vision blurred as sounds became distant, as if he were sinking underwater. His body had reached its limit. Mira stepped closer, enjoying the sight. The rain hovered around her, obeying her will. Then… Wham! A loud metallic sound echoed through the rain. Mira’s head snapped forward as something struck the
Chapter 162
“I’m here.” Michael said, already crossing the room. His hands moved fast, undoing the restraints at her wrists and ankles. “We’re getting you out. Right now.” Celia's knees almost gave out when she stood, and he caught her without thinking, pulling her close just long enough to feel her breathe against him. “I knew you’d come.” She whispered. “Always.” He said, pressing his forehead to hers for half a second. Then reality snapped back into place. “Can you walk?” She nodded. Barry leaned in from the doorway, scanning the corridor. “We need to move. Patrols are shifting.” Michael turned Celia toward the exit and took one step, then the lights suddenly cut out. Emergency red strips flickered on, bathing the room in an uneasy glow. A voice came from the doorway, calm, familiar, and far too close. “Running already?” Michael’s body went rigid. The lights fully came back on. Jace stood there, blocking the way out. His jacket hung loose on one side, the empty sleeve tied off at the
Chapter 161
Alex was buried on the grounds of the specialized training facility, beneath a tall steel arch that overlooked the open training fields. The rain had stopped by then, but the sky remained dull and heavy, as if the world itself hadn’t finished grieving. Soldiers stood in neat rows, heads bowed. Engineers, medics, trainees, everyone Alex had ever trained or mentored never left the city, they were all remained in the city because of the trust they had for him. No speeches were made, none were needed. His legacy stood in the people he had shaped. Michael stood at the front, silent. After the burial, he met with Alex’s development team in the lower wing of the facility. Half-finished components lined the walls. The prototype battlesuit rested in its frame, dark and lifeless without its creator. One of the engineers spoke hesitantly. “Alex was the lead developer. He designed the core systems himself. We helped, but he did most of the work.” “You still built it.” Michael interrupted cal
Chapter 160
Michael moved through the battlefield like water finding its path—smooth, deliberate, unstoppable. Every step, every turn, every strike carried the weight of Alex’s teachings. He didn’t rush. He didn’t waste motion. He let the chaos come to him and answered it with precision. Soldiers charged, fired, shouted orders, but none of it broke his focus. His body moved on instinct now, muscle memory sharpened by training and grief alike.Each takedown landed heavy in his chest.These weren’t faceless enemies. They were Scofield soldiers. Men and women raised to protect the empire. Raised to protect him. Somewhere along the line, they had chosen Mira. Or maybe they believed in her vision. Or maybe they were just following orders, the same way soldiers always did. Michael felt the sting of it with every blow he landed, but he didn’t stop.They had made their choices.And so had he.A blade came toward his side—he caught the wrist, twisted, disarmed, and struck the soldier unconscious with the
Chapter 159
The five war experts shot up from their seats almost in unison, metal chairs screeching harshly against the floor. “Have you gone mad?!” One of them barked. “You’ll bring the entire structure down!” Michael straightened, dust still drifting around him like smoke after an explosion. He casually rolled his shoulders once, looking bored out of his wits, then looked up at them with a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “That entertaining enough for you?” For a brief moment, none of them answered. The experts, who were legends carved into history through blood and war, stared down at him in stunned disbelief. No one had spoken to them like this in decades. No one had dared. But even in their shock, there was a trace of grim understanding. A Scofield doing the unthinkable wasn’t exactly unprecedented. It ran in the blood. Power, arrogance, defiance, it was practically genetic. One of them snapped out of it first and pointed sharply toward the man Michael had defeated earlier. “Get him ou
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