There were only three certainties that Leon had acquired in his nineteen years of life.The first was that his girlfriend, Brittany, was the most beautiful woman in the world and he was lucky to have her.The second was that if he got through his terrible school hell, he would get through anything and be worthy enough of Brittany's love.And the third was that the man who was now beating him severely, smiling between his punches and kicks, would be the first to be eliminated by Leon when, one day, he had the chance to strike back.The taste of blood ran down Leon's throat as he did little to defend himself. As a mere scholarship student at a school where most of the students were rich, even attempting self-defense could be a problem.Curled up on the floor, the boy just felt the pain of the beating as he silently prayed for it to end soon.Without saying a word, the boy who was beating him stopped and began to stare down at him, his eyes blazing from the gratuitous violence and Leon's

The slap resounded in the hallway, echoing the tension that had been building up for years. Brittany, surprised and indignant, stared at Leon, her eyes blazing with anger."How dare you talk to me like that!" she shouted.Leon, without flinching, held her gaze."You were there, Brittany. You saw what happened, and you still chose to take his side. Worse still, you were his mistress all this time! All that time I thought you loved me, that you wanted something serious with me!""You don't understand anything, Leon. You don't know what it's like to have a reputation to maintain, a guaranteed future.""Reputation? A guaranteed future? Does that justify what they did to me?""Haven't you realized where you are? Have you ever understood, or come close to understanding, what the world is all about? Not the fantasy world you and your father live in, but the real world?""You're a viper! A fucking bitch, that's what you are.""No, you idiot. You can call me whatever you like, but you know it'

Leon looked at the principal with a cold smile on his lips, enjoying the moment of total control. His eyes, now full of confidence, stared at the woman who had once humiliated him. The principal, for her part, was visibly disconcerted. Shocked. Flabbergasted. Her crimson-painted lips trembled with rage and her eyes were injected with pure hatred.Juan Alvarez remained silent, calmly observing the scene. He didn't need to say anything; the documentation in the briefcase spoke for itself. Leon's father's serious expression contrasted with the satisfaction on the boy's face."What's this? What did you do? How..." stammered the principal, trying to understand the turn of events."How? I mean how. The last time I was in this room, you basically said that money changed the course of things, even changed judgments. Losers and winners, strong and weak. I was weak, Mrs. Parker. But now, I'm stronger than you.""But-""Was I not clear enough? Get your things and get out of my school before I c

Brittany looked up, her eyes meeting those of Leon. Real fear was present on her face.As he stared at her, Leon remembered the tender kisses they had shared, the nights they had spent together, the promises they had both made to each other. The love story they had, or at least the boy thought it was one."You liked to spread rumors and create lies about me, didn't you, Brittany?" said Leon, keeping his cool."You always acted like a snake, poisoning my existence without me even noticing your tyranny. Now, the consequences of your actions are knocking at your door."He approached her, and Brittany swallowed nervously."Dean is now my employee. You, on the other hand, will not have this enormous privilege. For you, I've chosen something particularly terrible."With a flourish, Leon pulled out a brown paper envelope from inside his jacket."Open it," he ordered, holding it out to the girl.Pursing her lips to prevent them from quivering with nervousness, the girl hesitantly obeyed. Her

Two days after the incident with Brittany, Leon felt something change in the world.A kind of strangeness took hold of his heart; what many would call an ill-feeling.He no longer believed in such things, however. After all, the boy had seen with his own eyes that nonsense like that meant nothing. Money was the only thing that mattered.But the strange feeling didn't go away when, discreetly and subtly, his ex-girlfriend and now servant handed him a letter."You've only just arrived, sir," she murmured, looking down.Without even glancing at her, Leon tore open the envelope and read the contents of the letter."Dismissed, Brittany."The girl went off to find something to do while the man continued to read the invitation.For that was what the letter contained: a formal request for him to attend a business event of a company that rivaled him in financial terms.A trap? Or a desperate way to make them prosper as much as his own company?Leon stood up. Those old bastards might like thing