Chapter 13: Five Star Hotel?
The classroom fell silent. All eyes were on Nolan.
But Nolan didn't speak. He didn't react. He just sat there, his face completely calm, his eyes fixed on the window.
Chad walked toward him. Lila followed behind, her arms crossed, her expression cold. Chad's smirk was wide. Confident. He had been waiting for this moment.
Chad stopped in front of Nolan's desk. He didn't sit. He stood there, looking down at Nolan like he was looking at something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
"You know," Chad said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "I guess I satisfied Lila quite well that night."
A few people laughed. Others shifted in their seats, uncomfortable.
Lila's face turned red. She looked down at the floor, her arms tightening across her chest. She didn't laugh. She didn't smile. She just stood there, awkward, embarrassed, not meeting anyone's eyes.
Chad reached up and touched a necklace around Lila's neck. A thin gold chain with a small diamond pendant. He held it up, letting it catch the light.
"See this?" Chad said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Twenty-five hundred dollars. Real gold. Real diamond. Something a broke guy like you could never afford."
He let the necklace drop against Lila's chest. She flinched slightly.
"And that ring you bought that day," Chad said. "How much did that cost? Fifty dollars? A hundred? You really thought that was good enough for her?"
Nolan didn't move. Didn't speak. His face was stone.
Lila's face burned brighter. She tugged Chad's arm. "Chad, stop. Let's just go to our seats."
Chad pulled his arm free. "I'm not done."
"Chad—"
"You made your choice, Lila," Chad said, not looking at her. "The better choice. Let him see."
Lila opened her mouth. Closed it. She looked at Nolan for a brief second—something flickering in her eyes—then looked away.
The bell rang.
Professor Walker walked in, a stack of papers under his arm. "Alright, everyone, settle down. Take your seats."
Chad made one more sound—a low chuckle—and walked to his seat. Lila followed, her head down, her hand rubbing the necklace at her throat.
Nolan didn't watch them go. His eyes were still on the window.
The lecture began. Professor Walker's voice droned on about economic theories and market structures. Nolan didn't listen.
He let his eyes drift across the classroom. Faces he had seen every day for months. People who had laughed with him. People who now whispered about him.
Then his eyes landed on her.
'Yuna Hale.'
She sat near the window, three rows ahead and to the left. Her glasses were perched on her nose. Her dark hair was pulled back. She wasn't talking to anyone.
She was looking at him.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither looked away. Yuna's face was calm, but her cheeks turned a faint pink. She held his gaze for a second longer than expected.
Then she looked down at her notebook.
The system flashed.
[Yuna Hale]
[Favorability: 84]
Nolan blinked.
'Eighty-four. It was eighty-three before. It went up. Every time our eyes meet, it goes up by one.'
He stared at the back of her head. She didn't look up again. She kept her eyes fixed on her notebook, her pen moving slowly across the page.
He tried to glance at her again. A quick look. Just to see.
She didn't glance back.
Nolan frowned. 'What the heck. She looks at me. I look at her. Favorability goes up. I look again. She doesn't look back.'
He shook his head and turned back to the window.
The bell rang. 3:00 PM.
Chairs scraped against the floor. Voices rose. Bags were packed.
Nolan looked at his system timer.
[System Upgrade: 5 minutes remaining]
'Almost there.'
Chad's voice cut through the noise. He was standing at the front of the class, grinning, arms spread wide.
"Listen up, everyone! I'm throwing a party tonight. Aurora Heights. 7:00 PM. The 666 Private Dining Hall. Everyone's invited. Food. Drinks. Music. The whole thing."
A girl in the front row gasped. "Aurora Heights? That's a five-star hotel!"
Another voice chimed in. "The 666 Private Dining Hall? I saw that place on Instagram! Some influencer posted about it. Floor-to-ceiling windows, crystal chandeliers, a view of the whole city. People say it's impossible to book unless you know someone."
Chad laughed, his chest puffing out. "My father knows people. Money opens doors. That's something you'll learn eventually."
People gathered around him. Whispers spread through the classroom.
"Isn't that place like, thousands of dollars just to book?"
"I heard the minimum spend is ten thousand."
"Chad's family is loaded. He can afford it."
Chad's eyes cut across the room. They landed on Nolan.
"Oh, Nolan," Chad called out, his voice sweet and fake. "You should come too. I mean, it's a party for everyone. Even broke guys deserve to have fun once in a while, right?"
A few people laughed nervously.
Lila, standing beside Chad, rolled her eyes. "Don't waste your breath, Chad. He won't come."
Someone else muttered, "Probably can't afford the cab ride there."
Chad grinned wider. "Come on, Nolan. Don't be shy. I promise we won't laugh. Much."
Nolan didn't respond. He was packing his bag slowly, his eyes fixed on the system timer.
[3 minutes]
Chad's smile faltered for a second. He wasn't used to being ignored. He stepped closer to Nolan's desk.
"What's the matter?" Chad said, his voice lower now, meant to cut. "Still crying over Lila? I get it, man. It hurts to lose. But some people just aren't good enough for a girl like her. You understand that, right?"
Nolan zipped his bag. He stood up.
[2 minutes]
Chad stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "You're not even going to say anything? No threats? No crying? Nothing?"
Nolan looked at Chad. His face was calm. Unreadable.
[1 minute]
Chad leaned closer. "You know what, Nolan? You're pathetic. You always were. That's why she left. That's why everyone leaves. You have nothing. You are nothing."
Nolan's eyes didn't move. They stayed fixed on Chad's face. But his mind was elsewhere. On the timer. On the upgrade. On what was coming.
[30 seconds]
Chad opened his mouth to speak again.
[10 seconds]
[System Upgrade Complete.]
[Bonus: Aurora Heights - Ownership papers have been placed in your backpack.]
Nolan froze.
'What?'
He blinked at the system screen. Read it again.
[Bonus: Aurora Heights - Ownership papers have been placed in your backpack.]
His mind raced. 'Aurora Heights. The hotel Chad is throwing his party at tonight. The 666 Private Dining Hall. The five-star hotel. The one everyone is talking about.'
'That hotel is mine.'
A slow smile spread across his face.
Chad was still talking. Still mocking. "What's that look for? Did you win a lottery or something? Oh wait—you can't even afford a lottery ticket."
A few people laughed nervously.
Nolan's eyes met Chad's.
Then he spoke. His voice was calm. Clear. Loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I'll definitely come. Let's meet there."