Rejected By The Club, I Pulled My Funding

Chapter 2

"What brings you to my office, Lucas?"

Nolan leaned back in his swivel chair without looking up. Before I could answer, Madison's voice carried down the hall.

"Mr. Pierce, just freeze the 2,000 dollars in Lucas's team account and transfer the money to Tyler's project. They couldn't build anything useful with it anyway."

I kept one hand on the door handle and listened.

"Oh, and Tyler asked me to bring you this. It's a premium supplement from his multimillion-dollar company. You can't buy it in stores."

I pushed the door open.

Madison was bending over to place an expensive-looking gift box on Nolan's desk.

She froze when she saw me, then smiled.

"Well, look who decided to show up. Can't you see Mr. Pierce and I are discussing something important?"

Nolan looked up and pushed the gift box toward his drawer.

"Since you're here, this saves me the trouble."

He clicked a few times on his computer.

"Your innovation credits for this semester are now pending because of the irregular status of your project."

"What does pending mean?"

"It means they don't count." He pressed the confirmation button. "They can be restored when your project status returns to normal."

Madison leaned against the desk and crossed her legs.

"Don't blame Mr. Pierce, Lucas. Our club has strict rules. Once a project is merged, you follow the process. If you cooperate, you might get those credits back."

She swept a stack of scrap paper off the desk and scattered it at my feet.

"Oops. My hand slipped. Pick that up for me, would you? It's not like you have anything important to do."

I didn't move.

Madison raised an eyebrow.

"You can't even bend down? No wonder you don't belong among the elite. You have no sense of service."

Tyler walked in holding a cup of coffee. When he saw me, he laughed.

"So the loser came to beg Mr. Pierce for resources?"

He approached and looked down at my shoes.

"What are those? Bargain-bin shoes worth 100 dollars?"

Tyler suddenly turned his wrist and poured the scalding coffee over them.

"Cheap things belong in the trash once they're dirty. The same goes for people like you."

The liquid soaked through the leather, burning the top of my foot.

Nolan merely frowned. "Watch it, Tyler."

Madison covered her mouth and laughed.

I looked down at my drenched shoes, then past Tyler at the box on the desk.

The manufacturer's address on the side read Helixor Biotech of Ashford.

I raised my eyes to Nolan.

"Could I have a printed copy of the withdrawal and merger statement for the Challenge? I need it for my records."

He frowned. "What do you need that for?"

"In case I need supporting documentation for a future scholarship review."

He seemed to think I had surrendered. With an impatient expression, he pulled out a printed statement, signed it, and tossed it toward me.

"Take it, and stop bothering me."

I folded the document and slipped it into my pocket.

Madison walked over.

"The administration building is hosting a preliminary review with senior investors at 3 p.m. Listen carefully, Lucas. Stay away from that building."

She reached out to pat my shoulder.

"Someone at your level couldn't even qualify as a security guard at the entrance."

I stepped aside before she could touch me and walked out.

Downstairs, I immediately searched for Helixor Biotech of Ashford.

The company had been involved in financial disputes, and its business license had been revoked 2 months earlier.

I saved a screenshot in my evidence folder.

Ryan messaged me to ask how the meeting had gone.

I replied that I had obtained Nolan's handwritten signature.

Ryan sent several question marks and asked whether Nolan had given me a hard time.

I looked at the coffee stain on my shoes.

Lucas: No. Everything went smoothly.