I stared at the screen, frozen in disbelief and shock. The words were clear, glaring at me like a cruel joke. How could this be? My grandfather wouldn’t lie to me—this card was real, wasn’t it? It has $1 Billion in it so why did my transfer fail?
Before I could process what was happening, Mikky’s laughter exploded into the air, loud and obnoxious. He slapped his thigh, doubled over in amusement, while Diana clung to his arm, laughing right along with him.
"I knew it!" Mikky howled, pointing at me like I was the punchline to some cruel joke. "You really thought that card would work because it's flashy, didn’t you? What a loser!"
Diana chimed in. "Honestly, Jordan, you shouldn’t have stoop this low. This is just embarrassing. Did you really think we’d fall for that little show?"
“This is ridiculous, I thought for a second he had the $20 Million.”“Such a shameless pauper, he wasted our precious time.”
“So unfortunate I staked a bet on you.”
“Nothing good can come from an arrogant pauper, you just lived to your name.”
Harsh comments flew in from all directions, and I was particularly shocked that people were placing bets. Was it really that entertaining? But I had more serious problems to worry about.
The director, who had been standing by with his arms crossed, shook his head in disappointment, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "Well, well, well. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a fraud. You should’ve thought twice before making such a foolish promise, Jordan."
“Mikky!”
“Mikky!!”
“Mikky!!!” The crowd was yelling happily.
I turned to face my grandmother’s worried gaze burning into me, and Josh’s hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some kind of solace.
I could easily call my grandfather or Cole to fix this, but I thought against it. I sighed, wondering what could make the transaction fail.
Mikky crossed his arms, eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure. "So, what’s it going to be, Jordan? You’re already expelled so time to start stripping down. I hope you’re ready for your internet debut."
Just as the tensions were escalating, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I quickly brought it out and glanced down to see a message from the bank:
[Card activation required for transactions. Please follow the instructions to proceed.]
Relief and fury flooded through me in equal measure. Of course—that’s why the transfer had failed. I quickly followed the instructions, tapping the screen as I activated the card. I knew something was wrong and couldn’t wait to see their reaction when the transfer pulled through.
It was done in moments, and the realization of my next move surged through me like electricity. But before I could even finish, Mikky’s sneering voice cut through, making me look at the direction.
"Well, well, your failure of a son, Jordan. Looks like he's stalling." He walked toward her towering over my grandmother. "Time’s up. You lost the bet, and now she will have to pay also." Mikky shouted at me.
Diana stood beside him with a cruel smile, added, "Since you can’t seem to transfer the money, we’ll make this simple. Your grandmother should kneel down and lick Mikky’s shoes clean to apologize for wasting our time."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Why can't they leave the poor old woman out of this? My blood boiled as I stared at Diana, this woman I had once cared for—who I thought had cared for me.
How had I ever been so blind?
The disgust I felt for her now was overwhelming, almost suffocating. It was hard to believe that this was the same person I’d once looked at with affection.
My grandmother stood frozen, her frail frame trembling at their threats. I could see the fear in her eyes as she tried to hold back tears, and my heart twisted in anguish.
She didn’t deserve this humiliation—no one did. My fists clenched as the anger surged, barely held in check.
“Director Martins, you have to agree to this. After all, he brought it upon himself,” Mikky said, turning to the director for approval.
“The old lady will have to lick my shoes for the audacity of her peasant son.”
Mikky faced the crowd, and they roared in approval.
He turned back to the director, who shrugged in agreement. Though he pretended to be strict, it was clear he was eager to stay on Mikky’s good side. I wondered what favor he was trying to protect.
"Yes, that seems like a fair compromise, given the circumstances. You should have known better than to challenge someone in Mikky’s position, Jordan."
"How dare you," I muttered under my breath, fury bubbling up inside me like a volcano about to erupt.
"What was that?" Mikky taunted, leaning in closer with a grin. "Go on, tell us how you feel."
I stared at him, then shifted my gaze to Diana. I spoke through gritted teeth. "I can’t believe I ever fell for someone as heartless as you."
Diana shrugged, completely unfazed by my words. "Oh please, Jordan. You were just a convenient distraction. I never took you seriously."
The casual cruelty in her voice ignited something inside me. The urge to wipe that smirk off her face was overwhelming, but I held back.
"You want me to pay? Fine. Leave my grandmother out of this, she will never kneel to the likes of you."
I turned back to my phone, activating the card with a single, deliberate motion.
Immediately, the director's phone buzzed, his face pale. He looked at the screen, eyes widening as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He hesitated, glancing at me with a look that wavered with disbelief.
Mikky noticed the change immediately and pounced. "What's wrong, Mr. Martins?" he asked, his voice dripping with mockery.
The director swallowed hard but said nothing, still staring at his phone. The silence was enough to make me step forward, my pulse racing. The transfer went through? I actually proved them wrong?
The transfer went through, and I received a notification of the transaction—my balance was now $980,000,000. I smirked proudly. “Now, what do you have to say, Director?” I asked, turning to face him. He continued to stare at his phone, frozen in disbelief. I knew he had received the notification, but he wasn’t saying anything. He was just glaring at me and the phone, as if unable to process what had just happened.The silence was deafening. Mikky and Diana rushed over to him, their expressions shifting from smug confidence to shock as they saw the same thing on his screen. I could tell they had just received the shock of their lives.Everyone was waiting, holding their breath, for the director or Mikky to say something.Mikky whispered something inaudible to the director, who quickly adjusted his demeanor.“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Joker of the Year at Kingsford University,” the director announced, trying to mask his shock with a forced laugh.The crowd erupted in c
The principal stood in front of me, bowing with a level of respect I had never experienced before. It was an odd feeling, not one of triumph or revenge, but something much more profound—a sense of quiet assurance.I noticed the crowd around us, watching in stunned silence as they took in the unexpected scene. I could tell they were still live streaming, judging by the comments flying in. “Why did the principal act like that?” “This is wild; I bet everyone in the city is tuning into this.”I stole a glance at the director, still holding his sore cheek, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief. The principal had just slapped him in front of the whole school.“Get this disgrace out of here,” he ordered, pointing at the guards. “And just so you know, you’re fired.” “Fired?” echoed the director along with a few others.The director attempted to reason with the principal, but the guards stepped in, dragging him out like a common criminal—just moments ago, they had been the ones res
"What if Jordan actually made that payment?""Yeah, I agree. Didn't you notice the principal's reaction? I think he's going to address it.""No way, he couldn't possibly pull that off. Look at his clothes—barely holding together.""How could he have been able to pull out such a huge amount of money?" Whispers broke out. "That can't be possible. He's the grandson of a janitor." Another person said."Well, he might have done something illegal to get such money. I hear that he's into drugs." A third person who I recognized as one of the quarterback's girlfriends spoke.All eyes were fixated on me as their speculations continued. I would never have imagined that a day would come when I would have to start defending myself from being able to do things myself.I had been ridiculed severally because of my poor status, now that it seemed like things were going well for me, they still had a problem with it."Why isn't he saying anything?" One of the girls asked incredulously.I moved away fro
"Strip!""Strip!""You wouldn't believe this! The views are climbing massively!" One girl yelled, distracting everyone. Another girl closed a palm over her lips. "My goodness! It's almost 20 million, in just five minutes. We are trending again!" She yelled."The site is about to crash from the traffic!" Another girl yelled, making me smile softly. This was the best way to go. He needed to be taught a lesson.The hall was plunged into disarray, making me smile inwardly as Mikky's cheeks blazed with embarrassment. "Y’all should stop shouting!" He yelled with all his might but the students were in a frenzy. Their energy was crazy.I raised a finger, silencing the "Do the needful and strip." I ordered and he moved away. "You can't force me to do something I don't want to do!" Mikky yelled. "Oh, but you have no choice, Master Mikky. You were aware of the consequences of your bargain. You made the call, so dance to it." The principal interrupted, making me smile softly. Mikky's face b
"You must be kidding me," Josh exclaimed, his mouth falling open the moment we arrived in front of the Danish restaurant. The best in town. I was expecting this reaction from him because I wouldn't also believe it if I didn't know how much I possessed in my account. I still had a total of 980 million dollars untouched so I was very confident in my abilities. They deserved everything and more. Josh had rallied around to help me in my downtime without asking for a refund. Even my grandmother had combed everything she had to help me. "Are you sure you will be able to afford even the smallest plate of food?" He inquired from me and I kept on chuckling. "Are you sure you didn't get involved in money laundering or something illegal? This is unreal. We cannot afford the hefty prices attached to these meals. Let's just go back before we get disgraced. It wouldn't make any sense if that happened to us now, would it?" He inquired with a whisper, concerns stretching across his face as he tri
The leader threw his head back and laughed, "You think this is funny? Do you even know how much he owes me?""I'm guessing he hasn't filled you in, which is why you think you can help him out. It's pretty laughable to think someone like you could actually do anything for your friend in this situation." His tone was serious now, and the grin vanished as he shot me a fierce look.I stood my ground, legs firmly planted, ready to face whatever they wanted to throw at me.Josh had done too much for me to let anyone disrespect him like that.I crossed my arms and waited for them to finish. "Are you done yet?" I asked, brushing off the gentle pull from my friend who was probably worried about me getting
I quickly performed a head count as the men alighted from their cars. Twelve solid men in powerful suits, looking every inch as powerful as they should.A man stepped forward out of the dozen and headed towards me.He was intercepted by the leader of the gang and his henchmen. "Good..." The leader trailed off when he saw their faces grow grim.The group moved past the leader and his gang towards me and bowed as soon as they got close. "Young master." They chorused."Is this the guy who offended you?" I could see the perplexed look on the leader's face, and there was nothing wrong with him."I am sorry," the leader quickly apolo
"I will see you guys later. Thanks for coming earlier." I told Cole and his men cryptically who nodded, before bowing."You are welcome, young master." They chorused.I felt weirded out because I wasn't used to something like this but understood that it was their way of life."Tell him I said thank you," I replied again cryptically hoping that Josh didn't decipher it."We will... If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to call us." Cole spoke.I nodded curtly, watching as they entered into their cars and drove off.A hand tapped on mine aggressi