Jason closed his system panel, the corner of his mouth tugging upward in satisfaction. The donation was paying off far better than expected.
On paper, he had pledged ten million dollars over ten years, but in reality, only two million had gone out so far.
Even with that much, his reputation on campus skyrocketed. The university board treated him like some young tycoon, and to his surprise, Olivia's sensitivity score had jumped by thirty the moment the bursary was approved.
And her rating—9.1. Higher than Mia, the reigning campus queen at 8.9. Jason rubbed his chin. So the forums underestimated her. Figures. Photos never capture the whole truth.
As he mulled it over, another thought surfaced. How do I funnel the remaining nine hundred and ninety-two million Points straight into my pocket?
Still lost in thought, Jason finished his last class. As he stepped out of the lecture hall, a guy with a sly, almost greasy smile approached him.
"Jason, hey, mind if we talk in private?"
Jason gave him a quick glance. "What do you want?"
The guy leaned in conspiratorially. "It's about Olivia. Thought you might be interested."
"Not interested," Jason replied flatly, moving to walk past. He wasn't about to entertain some random gossip-monger.
The man blinked, surprised, then hurried to keep pace with him.
"Look," he said, lowering his voice as they cut down a side path. "I know all about Olivia's bursary. Just found out she finally got approved. And I also know you signed off on it. Thing is, how does a student like you get that kind of authority? So I did a little digging… turns out you're not just rich—you're crazy rich."
He said this with a smirk, clearly proud of his detective work.
Jason stopped, fixing him with a calm stare. "Your intel's pretty sharp. This just got processed, and you already know."
"Of course," the man said smugly. "I work in the admin building, next to Finance. I've got connections. One of the assistant deans tells me things." He stuck out his hand. "Name's Frank, sophomore in Finance. My dorm's right next to yours."
Jason made note of the name, but didn't take his hand. "Which assistant dean?"
Frank withdrew his hand without shame, still grinning. "Dean Martin, you know him?"
Jason filed that away, then asked, "So why did you really come to me?"
Frank finally cut to the chase. "Thing is, Olivia's not what you think. She owes me a lot of money—hasn't paid back a dime. I was counting on her bursary to square it, but even after approval, nothing. Since you've got money to burn, and you clearly like her, why not help cover her debt?"
Jason didn't flinch. "That's funny. From what I know, Olivia lives frugally. What makes you think I'd believe she owes you money?"
Even as he spoke, Jason casually texted Eric to confirm. He didn't trust a word Frank said.
First off, whether Olivia owed anyone was none of his business. And second, Frank's approach was suspicious as hell—using debt as leverage to involve Jason smelled rotten.
Besides, Jason already knew Olivia's rating: 9.1. A girl like that wouldn't need to stoop to scamming for cash. If her morals were that low, she'd already have a line of guys throwing money at her.
He'd been burned before—Emma taught him not to blindly worship women—but he wasn't going to swing to blind cynicism either. From everything he'd seen, Olivia didn't fit that mold.
Moments later, Eric's reply came through:
"What?? That creep Frank actually tried to shake you down? Don't listen to a word he says. Olivia's never owed him a cent. Honestly, it's the opposite—Frank owes the Olivias more than he could ever repay."
Jason's expression didn't change, but inside, a faint chill spread.
"Actually," Eric explained over text, "Olivia's family wasn't poor before. They ran a small manufacturing business. For years, they weren't rich-rich, but definitely well-off."
She paused before sending another message.
"But Olivia's mom had a big heart. She spent nearly twenty years sponsoring poor kids—one, two hundred of them altogether. Tuition, books, food stipends—you name it. Their savings went into that. They still live in the same old house they had since Olivia was a kid, never upgraded, never moved."
Jason frowned as he read, slowing his walk.
Eric's next message came quickly:
"Then the business tanked. Her mom worked herself sick, ended up needing surgery. The hospital bills ran into six figures. With no savings, everything flipped—suddenly they were deep in debt. And you know those kids who'd been sponsored? A lot of them had good jobs by then. Not one offered to help. White-eyed wolves, all of them. Some even had the audacity to keep asking for money while she was in the hospital."
Jason's eyes narrowed.
Eric finished:
"And that guy Frank? He was one of the ones sponsored from elementary school all the way to college. When the family couldn't afford to keep paying, he still harassed Olivia for more. That's the kind of person you're dealing with."
Jason finally looked up at Frank, expression unreadable. "Funny. Because what I heard was Olivia's family funded you through school."
Frank froze for half a second, clearly not expecting Jason to check so fast. Then, with a greasy laugh, he brushed it off.
"Yeah, that's true. They helped me before. But her mom promised she'd cover me through college. Then freshman year came, and poof—nothing. I've been stuck working part-time ever since. You tell me, Jason—what kind of promise is that? Not keeping your word? That's what I call untrustworthy."
Jason had already hit record on his phone. He didn't bother hiding it.
A moment later, he shot off a message to the vice provost and Dean's office:
"Our admin is leaking information too easily. Sensitive bursary details are already circulating. Attaching recording."
His clout was strong enough now that one word from him could set investigations in motion.
Meanwhile, Frank leaned closer, voice dropping. "So yeah, she owes me. If you're so into her, why don't you cover it? For a guy like you, that's pocket change."
He gave a sly grin. "Otherwise… people might start talking. About how you're stringing along all three campus queens—and Olivia, too. Imagine that hitting the forums, with a little spice added. Your reputation wouldn't look so clean anymore."
Jason had been about ready to brush him off. But at that, he squinted and let a slow smile curl across his face.
"You know what," he said lightly. "Give me some time to think about it."
Frank smirked, satisfied. "Sure. Just don't think too long. News doesn't wait."
Jason turned and left, his expression calm, but in his mind, Frank's fate had already been sealed.
A few minutes later, another student who had overheard everything—one of the student council guys—approached Frank, looking horrified.
"Wait, did I just hear you right? You were threatening Jason?"
Frank waved him off with a smirk. "Threatening? No, man. Just asking for a little help."
The council member stared at him like he was watching a man walk off a cliff. "You have no idea who you're messing with. Forget dorm buddies—we don't know you anymore."
And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving Frank standing alone, still smiling smugly—clueless to the storm already coming his way.
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