Infinite Wealth System: Crazy Tasks, Insane Rewards!

Chapter 31: Luka’s Apology

Jayden grasped that idea...

Not only had the system found something suspicious... He had also known that something was milky somehow.

"What do you want?" Jayden finally replied, glaring at Luka, who only maintained the smile.

His tone wasn’t friendly at all, and Luka could clearly sense it. The cold look on his face said it all.

The class fell quiet again, watching Luka try to befriend the guy he always joined Royce to beat up all the time.

Jayden kept his voice low but firm. "The last time I checked, you and your boys were experts at making me feel like garbage every chance you got."

Luka chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck as his ever-cruel face suddenly turned sympathetic.

"Yeah. We were jerks. I was a jerk."

Jayden arched a brow, unsure if this was some twisted setup.

"Look, I won’t act like we were just teasing. What we did back then? It was messed up." Luka’s voice was steady, and his smile faded a little. "I thought I owed Royce my loyalty. But I’ve been thinking... maybe I’ve been loyal to the wrong people for too long," Luka said in a mutter.

Jayden stared at him, skeptical but slightly intrigued.

"Does this have anything to do with your brother asking me to meet up with him?" Jayden couldn’t help but ask.

Luka smirked slightly, nodding. "My uncle, you mean? Oh, maybe. Uncle Kurtis sees things before I do. He always has. But me sitting here... This isn’t just about him. It’s about me being tired of pretending I’m someone I’m not."

Jayden leaned back in his chair. "And who exactly are you, Luka?"

He made sure to look stern and hard.

"Someone who’s trying to do better," Luka muttered, giving off a sincere look.

There was silence between them. It wasn’t tense but just uncertain. Like standing on the edge of something no one knew how to name yet.

Jayden didn’t reply, his face still showing a clear hint of pure hardness. After all he had been through here in Sky High University because of Luka and his friends, was this just how he was going to let it slide?

Although Luka was really not the boss of it all, he was still part of them.

Luka still tried to lighten the mood, regardless of Jayden’s coldness.

"You don’t have to talk to me, man. You don’t even have to forgive me. But I figured I’d sit beside someone real for once."

He shrugged, giving Jayden a half-grin.

Soon, before Jayden could say anything back, Professor Mendel strode into the hall briskly, placing his bag on the table.

"Quiet, everyone. Let’s get started," he ordered, casting a stern glance around.

The class obediently settled in. Jayden kept his eyes forward, trying to focus on the slides being projected, but his mind kept wandering.

Luka didn’t act weird during class. He took notes, paid attention, even asked a couple of intelligent questions. He was acting like... a real student. A normal person... Unlike before.

Not a bully. Not Royce’s shadow.

It took about an hour and thirty minutes before the lecture ended, and when it did, Jayden packed his stuff and attempted to make his way out since he was running out of time to take care of other things for the day.

"Jayden... wait," Luka called, standing as Jayden turned to leave.

But Jayden didn’t respond.

He grabbed the one book he held and his tablet and headed out, not bothering to look back or make the slightest turn.

He could feel Luka watching him.

So could everyone else.

But he didn’t stop.

...

Just when Jayden had left the hall, a loud and furious voice suddenly rose in the hall.

"LUKA!"

It was Royce.

The whole class became tense as some of the girls rushed out before any form of violence could occur. In cases like this where Royce is involved, something bad was likely to happen.

Before Luka could react, Royce grabbed him by the collar.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Huh?! Sitting with him? Snubbing me in front of the whole class?!" Royce barked, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

Luka’s face didn’t flinch. He simply looked at Royce, his calmness almost unsettling.

"Let go of me, Royce."

"No. Not until you tell me what the hell is going on with you," Royce insisted, his voice deep.

"Aight, then..."

Luka suddenly grabbed Royce’s hand and peeled it off his shirt, firm and aggressive, as a part of his shirt rumpled up.

"You don’t own me, Royce. You never did."

He adjusted his collar, stepped back, and added in a low voice, "Stay away from me."

The words hung in the air, sharp.

Everyone nearby stared as they reacted with stunned gasps and murmurs.

Royce looked stunned, his eyes slowly burning with intense anger. He felt betrayed, and at the same time, disappointed.

Luka didn’t spend another second there, as he gave Richy a look of disdain before walking out.

He walked off, hands in his pockets, his figure disappearing down the corridor as if he had just closed the door on a part of his life.

While Luka had left, Royce gave a chuckle and stared at Richy. "Are you going to betray me too?" he asked.

"Ah, ain’t no way, Royce. I’m loyal," Richy said with a reassuring look.

"Good," Royce smiled. "Now you’d have to head home alone. I’ve got something to tell my father before it gets too late," Royce said, offering a wry smile.

"Something like what? This is just a simple case, Royce," Richy spoke, confused by why Royce wanted to report such a thing.

However...

"Not really about what happened here. It’s just something related..." he said and left the hall.

"It’s like they already knew about it," Royce muttered to himself.

Jayden changed into something more professional—a blue suit—before heading to the office.

When he got there, Sabrina notified him that Mrs. Lynna Hartley had already arrived two hours ago and had been waiting for him.

"It’s great that I kept her waiting," Jayden smiled and left for the office.

After getting ready, he ordered that they send her in.

Sofia’s mother stepped into his richly furnished office, a completely shameful and innocent look already on her face.

The once arrogant and stern face was gone, replaced by something completely the opposite.

Jayden just couldn’t help but laugh... He really couldn’t help it, and Lynna had completely noticed him.

"Good..."

"No need for greetings, ma," Jayden interrupted her from greeting him, that smile of sarcasm still on his face.

Lynna sat unrelaxed on the visitor’s chair, but she was slightly confident. He sensed it...

She must be pretty confident about her qualification, which was no doubt.

"Mrs. Lynna Hartley. I already checked through your files. You are overqualified for the job. And experienced, no doubt," Jayden said.

"Thank you. I knew you’d have me," Lynna quickly began her celebration as she smirked.

Jayden frowned. "Who said anything about having you?"

Lynna froze, her jaw slightly dropping.

"Just yesterday, you insulted your boss in front of the crowd on the first floor. You called his own security on him... You weren’t even a worker here," Jayden said.

"I... I’m so sorry. I never thought you were the chairman," Lynna began apologising, that bad face of hers transforming into a pleading one.

"You see. That part where you said you didn’t know I was the chairman. That’s the part I loved to hear," Jayden spoke, smiling.

"Of course, you can just insult anyone you see just because they are of low positions, right?" Jayden asked.

"No... No, it’s..."

"Mrs. Lynna Hartley, mother of Sofia Hartley... Definitely like mother like daughter," he smiled.

"You are a very arrogant person. What good would you do when you become General Accountant? Fight with the financial planning committee every single time when it comes to findings? Insult low-ranked workers, bully them in whatever way you want? Tell me more of what you would do," Jayden asked.

Lynna just sat there, already speechless. Jayden was calm when it came to speaking, but his words hit hard.

"As a mother deadly hungry for money, it’s clear you’d be another source of liability to the company. Your qualifications are lacking overall, and just being educationally fit doesn’t mean you’d get a job here. Not even as a cleaner... You might just even attack someone for using the toilet twice in a day," Jayden spoke.

"What do you mean?" Soon, Lynna finally mustered the courage to speak.

"Here we go... You heard about being a cleaner and now you are furious. But you wouldn’t mind having someone do the job, right?"

"I can no longer take this insult from you," Lynna suddenly stood up as she barked, dark glints burning in her eyes.

"Royce is even ten times richer than the entire past and future net worth of this company. He would just have me work in one of the Kingsley companies and would pay me more than twice what this company can ever pay. I’m done," Lynna said as she attempted to leave.

"What if you are wrong?"

At that point, Jayden’s question suddenly made her halt.

"What if the sweet Royce you think loves your daughter is just a rich pathetic scum? What if he can’t even lend you a dollar? Would this pride of yours still stay alive?" Jayden added.

"You know nothing, Jayden. I’ll make sure he punishes you when I report this," Lynna said before leaving the office.

"I will be waiting!" Jayden shouted, shaking his head.

’Interesting. Though she didn’t let me finish breaking her down to tears,’ he said inwardly.

However, the most interesting part of it all was that this prideful old lady hadn’t known that her daughter had been dumped yet.

He was really looking forward to the moment she would finally know it, and by then...

Things would become even more interesting.

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[A/N: Wrote this Chapter with a slight fever. I hope you forgive me for any errors. Thanks!]