The Ferrari’s V12 engine roared to life, a guttural scream that shattered the pristine, snobby silence of St. Jude University. Arthur adjusted his frayed hood, casually resting his heavy stack of hardcovers on the passenger seat of the $3 million Monza SP2.
Outside the window, Chloe stood paralyzed. Her jaw was practically unhinged, her arrogant smirk melting into a mask of pure, blood-draining horror. Beside her, Brad’s tough-guy facade violently crumbled.
“Wait,” Brad stammered, his voice cracking as he pointed a shaking finger. “That’s a rental. It has to be a stunt!”
Arthur didn’t blink. He calmly rolled down the tinted window. Picking up the top volume from his massive stack, he tossed it effortlessly onto the manicured grass at Chloe’s designer boots. It landed with a heavy, expensive thud, falling open in the autumn breeze.
It wasn’t a chemistry textbook. It was a stamped, gold-leafed financial ledger bearing the terrifying Sterling Empire seal.
“I told you I was here to study,” Arthur said, his voice slicing through the crisp air like a diamond-tipped scalpel. “But you misunderstood.”
Chloe’s trembling eyes darted down to the document. The bold print screamed off the page: *St. Jude University – Acquisition Finalized. Sole Owner: Arthur Sterling.*
“I wasn’t studying for finals,” Arthur smirked, his eyes completely devoid of warmth. “I was auditing my new property.” He shifted his gaze to the sweating jock. “By the way, Brad, my board just hostile-took-over your father’s hedge fund this morning. You might want to check your trust fund balance.”
Arthur slipped the Ferrari into gear. “Pack your bags. Both of you are trespassing.”
The scarlet supercar launched forward like a missile, leaving behind a cloud of exhaust and a shattered campus hierarchy that would never recover.