Chapter 3: Missing Pieces
The luxury pathway cutting through Belford’s campus gleamed under the afternoon sun.
Students drifted down it in clusters, their laughter and easy chatter filling the warm air.
Craig Lesnar and his best friend Keith stood just beyond the stream of students. Not trying to be noticed, but still difficult to overlook. It wasn’t their style or wealth that made people glance twice. It was the quiet tension Craig carried, like his mind was always somewhere else, calculating, questioning, never fully present.
There was an aura about them, sure, but Craig wore his privilege more like armor than a crown, meant to distance, not dazzle.
"You know what I don’t get?" Keith said, casually tossing a small pebble from hand to hand. "People act like money’s the whole point. Bro, we were born with it. That’s not the flex."
Craig tilted his head slightly, a knowing glint in his eye. "It’s not about having it. It’s about what people think you could do with it."
"Exactly. Power. Presence. Status," Keith agreed, smirking.
"Legacy," Craig finished quietly.
Keith chuckled, nudging him playfully. "Lesnar Global’s next-gen leader talk. I see you, future king."
Craig offered only the faintest smile, but his mind was already elsewhere. His gaze drifted across the courtyard, and there she was.
Merlina.