Chapter 8: I Don’t Want Someone Like You
1577 Words
Even the media was drawn to the sweet sound of Andrea’s laughter.
“Ace? Poor? You must be mistaken. You’ve lost a good man,” Andrea said to Lisa, recalling the scene of Ace saving her during the ambush.
“I don't care. He never gave me anything, and he has nothing. I don't want someone who is nothing,” Lisa’s ego took a hit from Andrea's comment, and she retaliated.
“Ace? He's a million times better than your current man,” Andrea replied with a smirk.
Andrea knew that Ace would disappear after completing his job, but her curiosity got the better of her; she didn't want him to leave just yet.
“How do you know that?” Lisa asked, glancing at Ace and then back at Andrea. “Have you two been seeing each other?” Lisa questioned.
This time, Ace stepped forward.
“Not everyone would stoop as low as you have, and furthermore, what I do with my life is no longer your concern,” Ace retorted sharply.
“How dare you speak to her like that?” Richard rushed forward, ready to punch Ace, but Andrea's voice cut through the tension.
“Rather than settling this with a petty fistfight, why don't we make it more interesting?” Andrea suggested with a harmless smile.
Ace saw right through her intentions. “I have better things to do, Andrea,” he grumbled, but the lady ignored him.
“Let’s make a bet,” Andrea proposed with a wide grin.
“No,” Ace said instantly. He didn’t want to get involved in anything that would draw more attention to him, and Andrea wasn’t helping the situation at all.
“On what? I'd beat this little rat in anything,” Richard said confidently. He wondered if winning the bet could get him closer to Andrea, completely ignoring the fact that he was still dating Lisa.
Ace stayed silent, curious to see where Andrea planned to take her game.
The media buzzed with excitement.
“Is that the Conner family heir?”
“Who’s that dark-haired guy?”
“I heard he’s the Princess’s hired guard.”
Murmurs and whispers filled the place.
“A bet? What could Ace possibly beat Richard at? He doesn’t even have money,” Lisa scoffed. After the years she had spent with Ace, she believed there was nothing he could possibly win against Richard. This Andrea lady had to be blind not to see the obvious.
“The last person to create the most successful business would forfeit their wealth to the winner,” Andrea declared.
“That’s not fair. What does Ace have?” Richard snarled in anger.
Andrea looked confused and pondered for a while. “If you win, Mr. Conner, I’ll give you half of my wealth,” Andrea said clearly without hesitation.
Ace looked at her with narrowed eyes. “What are you doing?” he asked with a frown.
The media was flabbergasted. They didn’t expect so much drama at such an event.
“You need to give me all of it since I’d be giving you everything,” Richard said, his eyes gleaming with greed.
“Okay then,” Andrea agreed with a smile.
“Done!” Richard exclaimed, shaking hands with Andrea.
“Let’s leave, Richard,” Lisa muttered, trying to glance at Ace, but his eyes weren’t on her. She couldn’t understand why she felt a strange heat when she saw him looking at Andrea.
As soon as they left, Ace gripped Andrea by the shoulder.
“Do you know what you’ve done?” Ace snarled at her.
“Yes. By tomorrow, the whole world will have heard the news. The Golden Emerald Jade flower is part of my wealth, so you can’t have it—it’s now part of the wager. You’ll have to play the game, Mr. Ace,” Andrea replied with a subtle smile.
Ace let out a tired sigh. He had no choice.
“Let’s go. You need to give your speech,” he said, assisting her to the podium.
Andrea thanked her grandfather and delivered a brilliant speech.
The party soon ended, and Ace accompanied Andrea in the car.
“Are you angry about the bet?” Andrea asked. Ace had not said anything for a long time, and she wondered why.
“No,” he replied sharply. He wasn’t just angry; he was filled with rage. He had been one step closer to the Golden Emerald Jade flower, but now, this had happened. It was all this lady’s fault.
They arrived at the Grand Central, where they found Quinn standing at the door, holding a small box.
“I saw the news headlines from the event,” Quinn said softly.
Andrea lowered her head in respect while Ace stared angrily at the man.
“Did you put her up to this?” Ace asked, his voice thick with killing intent.
“Calm down, Ace. I didn’t know she was going to do something like this. I’ll still give you the flower, but you have to promise me that you’ll win this bet,” Quinn urged. He didn’t want to lose his wealth to someone like Richard. He had to admit that his granddaughter was hot-headed, but the deed was done.
“Okay then. You owe me for this,” Ace replied with a small smile.
“Yes, I will. May I have my granddaughter back? I’m sorry for all the trouble,” Quinn stated.
“Keep it. We were ambushed. My car got dented. I need a new one by tomorrow,” Ace demanded without a hint of fear, then turned around.
Quinn could only chuckle as he watched Ace walk away.
“Thanks, Papa. I’ll make you proud,” Andrea said.
“I know you will,” Quinn smiled at her.
Ace left the Grand Central with a box in hand, having secured the first ingredient for making the syrup. Now, it was on to the next task. He would claim his reward when he was done, then he could conquer this realm and leave it.
The next morning, Ace went to his school, heading straight to the Dean's office with a motive.
“Hello, Ace. I haven’t seen you around for a while. Have you finally decided to quit? Your fees are piling up,” the Dean remarked snarkily.
“I want to buy this school,” Ace declared without wasting a second.
“Get out of here. I’m not in the mood for your lying shenanigans,” the Dean snapped, livid with anger.
A smile slowly spread across Ace’s face, and the Dean felt a bad foreboding.
The door to the office opened, causing the Dean to stand up abruptly.
“Great Chancellor Quinn, you’re here!” the Dean exclaimed in shock.
No one had ever seen the Chancellor face-to-face except on television. He couldn’t believe he was getting this opportunity right in front of him. He might even secure a favor if he played his cards right.
The Dean glared at Ace, who was still sitting with his legs crossed.
“You’re a disgrace to this school. Don’t you know when to show respect? That’s the GC right there. Your filthy kind isn’t even worthy of his presence,” the Dean spat.
Ace ignored his words and stared at Quinn.
“You can give him the letter, Quinn,” Ace said, causing the Dean’s eyes to widen in shock once again.
With the shock he was receiving, he was sure his blood pressure was skyrocketing.
“Sure. I hate this place already,” Quinn groaned, dropping a letter on the table.
The Dean quickly picked up the letter and read it.
“The school is now yours?” the Dean asked in a low, surprised voice.
“Yes. Those are the documents. Ace is now the owner of the school,” Quinn explained slowly, in case the Dean couldn’t comprehend.
“You can leave now, Quinn. I’ll take it from here. Thank you,” Ace said, his eyes fixed on the Dean. Quinn nodded and stepped out.
“Please, have a seat, Mr. Julius,” Ace said slowly as soon as Quinn left the room.
The Dean obeyed immediately.
“You refused to listen to me because your daughter lied to you. However, that didn’t make me angry. I’m not angry, just disappointed that you took away the scholarship I worked so hard for,” Ace began. The air in the room grew thick and heavy.
“Do you know what I want you to do? I’d like you to publicly expel Richard and deny him his certificate. You might say he hasn’t done anything wrong, but he has. He’s a bully—use that,” Ace said, sitting back with a smile.
Julius felt cold sweat running down his back.
“In fact, as the school owner, I’ll give you a list of bullies, and I want you to expel them all,” Ace demanded calmly.
“Yes, I’ll do whatever you want, sir,” Julius said, his voice trembling with fear. He now understood that Ace was above him, and he would try to please him.
“Good. When you’re done with that, fire yourself,” Ace ordered, narrowing his eyes as he stood up.
Julius was stunned.
“I don’t want someone as evil as you in that position,” Ace said without turning back.
***
- Writer
