Corporate Villainy: Trampling Protagonists as a Business Dad

Liam Darrow sat hunched over his desk in the Academy’s common study hall, staring at a half-finished essay on "Corporate Governance in Modern Society." The irony wasn’t lost on him.

His pen hadn’t moved in twenty minutes.

Instead, he kept glancing at his phone, where the same three notifications blinked at him like accusations:

"Your mother has been seen entering Cornelius Holdings."

"Helena Darrow spotted having tea with Vincent Cornelius."

"Sources say the meeting lasted over two hours."

The fat boy beside him—Kaliya Patel—munched loudly on imported spirit-enhanced crackers, completely oblivious to Liam’s internal storm.

"Bro, you look like someone stole your cultivation manual," Kaliya said, crumbs falling from his mouth. "What’s eating you?"

Liam’s jaw tightened. "Nothing."

"Come on, we’ve been friends since orientation. I know your ’nothing’ face. This is your ’someone-needs-to-die’ face."

Friends. The word tasted bitter. In his previous life, Kaliya had been one of the first to abandon him when the Cornelius family came down on them like a hammer. The moment things got difficult, this so-called friend had transferred to a different academy, citing "family concerns."

But right now, Kaliya was the only person who’d listen without judgment.