“After your graduation, you will inherit everything—the entire Langston Consortium.”
“The entire consortium? But why the rush, Grandpa?” I asked, my face betraying my shock. I was only a student and not a business mogul, the idea of managing a massive consortium was unimaginable. The discomfort of it all made me pull a funny expression.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here to guide you. I won’t throw you into the deep end without support. But my priority is to hand everything over and... focus on my health.”
I swallowed hard, feeling the enormity of what he was saying.
His pride was palpable, but behind it, I could sense the years of weight he had carried.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a sleek platinum card. The logo on it was familiar; I had seen it on almost everything, including Grandfather’s phone and the documents handed to me earlier.
I quickly recognized it as the Langston logo, with many items, especially gadgets, being customized and carrying the logo design.
He handed me the card, a gleam in his eyes.
“There are only three of these in existence,” Mr. Langston said, his voice low but serious. “This card is linked to a personal account with one billion dollars. It’s for your personal spending. You’re part of the Langston family now, and you’ll live like it.”
A billion dollars? My heart raced as I held it, its significance felt surreal in my hand.
This was more money than I could even fathom, let alone dream of having.
But before I could ask any of the dozens of questions swirling in my head, my phone buzzed loudly in my pocket. The sound cut through the room, drawing all eyes to me.
Embarrassed, I excused myself and quickly checked the screen.
Josh’s name flashed on it. A pit formed in my stomach—he always brought bad news, and I silently hoped today would be different.
“Dear friend and bearer of bad news, tell me you don't…” I joked, trying to keep it light as I answered. But Josh cut me off, and I knew something was wrong. His voice said it all.
“Jordan!” His voice was frantic, barely held together. “You need to get back to school, now. It’s your grandmother. Something happened, and it’s bad.”
It felt like the ground had disappeared beneath me. My grandmother—why was she at the school? I hadn’t told her about my suspension, or had Josh? I didn’t need the details; I just knew I had to get back immediately.
“I’ll be there as fast as I can,” I muttered into the phone, already moving toward the door.
“Jordan!” My grandfather called, but I couldn’t stay. The urgency in Josh’s voice echoed in my head.
“I’m sorry,” I said, turning briefly to face him. “Something’s happened to my grandmother, and I have to go.”
Concern clouded his face, but I didn’t have time to explain. I bolted out of the grand house, my mind spinning.
The billion-dollar card, the inheritance—none of it mattered right now. I jumped into the waiting car, barely registering the luxury around me as the driver sped off toward school.
My heart pounded, fear gnawing at me. What could have happened to her?
I scolded myself for being distracted by wealth and inheritance while forgetting my real family.
The city blurred outside the car window. This ride was a far cry from the Rolls-Royce Cole had used earlier to Kidnap me—this might be Porsche, more luxurious and spacious.
Arriving in such a flashy vehicle would only draw attention, and I wasn’t ready to reveal the truth about my sudden wealth.
I could already sense the whispers swirling around me from the drama with Mikky and wanted to keep my life under the radar, at least for now.
I got out a few blocks away, choosing to walk the rest of the distance alone.
As I approached the school gate, I froze at the scene in front of me.
Mikky stood there, arrogance pouring off him as usual, with Diana clinging to his side. And standing in front of them—was my grandmother.
She looked fragile, her back slightly hunched, her clothes modest as always. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her as if she was holding herself together. The sight of her in front of them, of all people, made my stomach twist.
“Please,” she said, her voice shaking slightly. “I know Jordan made a mistake, but he didn’t mean to cause trouble. I’m begging you—just help him stay in school. We don’t have the money to pay more tuition if he misses his exams.”
Diana smirked wickedly and unashamedly, not even trying to hide her amusement. My chest tightened as I watched her. The same girl who I thought loved me, was now standing there, cruelly enjoying my grandmother’s pain.
“Oh, Mrs. Kline,” Diana said with a mockery dripping in her tone. “I’m not sure what you think I can do. I’m not Jordan’s babysitter anymore.” She glanced at Mikky, who grinned.
My grandmother’s eyes widened in shock, but she didn’t back away.
I could see the tremble in her hands.
She clearly had no idea who Mikky really was, but she did know Diana. She probably still thought Diana was still my girlfriend, so she turned to Diana, and my grandmother asked with a pleading tone, “Diana, please. You must understand. Jordan cares about you. Can’t you speak to the director? I thought—”
Diana cut her off with a laugh. “Cares about me? Oh, old woman, Jordan is nothing to me now. I’ve moved up in the world. Higher than your peasant son.”
“Tell you what, old lady,” Mikky said, stepping closer to her, with his bratty tone towering over her like her lord. He is truly a bastard and I tight my fist harder.
“If you want Jordan to come back, if you want his suspension canceled, then you have to kneel right here before me. Beg me for it.”
My blood ran cold. Mikky’s words were loud, cruel, and sharp like a blade.
I couldn’t take it anymore. Watching them degrade the woman who had raised me—who had sacrificed everything for me—I felt my chest burn with rage.I rushed to them and stopped my grandmother from kneeling. Mikky’s eyes locked onto mine just as I approached, and that smirk of his deepened.“Well, well, look who it is—the pauper himself,” Mikky sneered. “Come to watch the show, busboy? Maybe you could serve us some wine and cheese to make it more fun and memorable”I clenched my fists, fighting to keep my cool. I wanted nothing more than to knock that smug look off his face.“Grandma,” I said, stepping in front of her protectively. “Let’s go. You don’t need to beg anyone for anything.”Mikky stepped forward, blocking my path. “Oh, leaving so soon? I thought we were just getting started,” he said.I glared at him, my voice low and uninterested in his antics. “Move.”He laughed. “Or what? You’ll hit me again, Jordan? You want to make this worse for yourself?”I glanced briefly at Diana,
I froze, my fist mid-air, my body trembling with rage. I slowly turned to see Mr. Martins, the school director, storming toward us. His expression was clearly annoyed, his gaze fixed squarely on me. Diana stood behind him, her arms crossed and a smug smile playing on her lips. Yeah, she called him. But who cares anyways.Diana stepped forward, her voice filled with false concern. "Mr. Martins, thank goodness you’re here. Jordan just attacked Mikky out of nowhere like a wild animal. He’s been holding a grudge ever since that fight in the dorms, and now he's taken it too far. Look at Mikky!” Her tone was all too sweet, her words carefully chosen to paint me as the villain.Mikky groaned dramatically from the ground, clutching his side as if I’d broken every bone in his body, well I guess I did. “He went crazy! I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. He just jumped me—he's out of control, Mr. Martins!”I clenched my fists, still fuming with rage, yet somehow, a part of me felt
The crowd fell into a stunned silence, and the director’s smirk faltered for a brief moment before returning, though now tinged with disbelief. "Ten times?" The Director echoed, laughing mockingly. “You’re joking, right?”I didn’t flinch, keeping my gaze locked on his. "On one condition," I continued. "That Mikky is expelled from this school."Mikky doubled over, clutching his sides, while the director shook his head in disbelief. I could see my grandmother looking at me from my side view with wide eyes, as if I’d lost my mind. "Ten times?" the director repeated, struggling to contain his amusement. “That’s $20 million, Jordan. Are you sure you haven’t hit your head too hard? You expect us to believe that you can just pull $20 million out of thin air?”I remained unfazed, locking eyes with him. I could see his confidence waver for a moment, as if he wanted to believe me. But after sizing me up, he clearly concluded that I was mad. “Give me the school’s official account number, and I
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
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