Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I got in!" Sophia yelled out to Justine immediately after she left the office.

Her cousin was sitting down, waiting for her to come out.

"Well, don't you think I'm surprised you got in? I knew us coming here was just a matter of formality. Congratulations, cousin! I'm proud of you. If there's anyone who deserves this in the world, it's you. You will do just well in this environment."

  "You know this would not have been possible without all the help you put in, both physically and financially. Thank you a lot, cousin."

"Please do not do that to me. Now, let's get out of here. Being around all these fancy rich folks for too long pricks my skin."

"Well, you better get used to it. You are going to be visiting me here very often."

"Don't count on it," Justine said as she laughed.

They both walked towards the gate, back the way they came in.

"Ryan! Ryan! Will you get out of bed? It's afternoon, for crying out loud! How much did you have to drink last night?"

Twenty-year-old Ryan scratched his eyes at the familiar voice of his mother. He felt his head spinning.

"I told you we have to go see the professor at Lerudia as early as we could, and here you are, lying on the bed, absolutely wasted!" His mother, Eleanor, kept on scolding him, her voice at the top.

"Will you stop yelling, Mum? My head is going to split in two," Ryan groaned.

"And why won't it split? When you drank like a fish last night! I don't know whose dumb idea it was to throw a party—all because you got into a university."

"Look, I am tired of yelling. Meet me downstairs in 30 minutes."

Ryan nodded back at her, relieved that the yelling would stop for now.

Ryan Walsh was the first and only son of the wealthy couple Eleanor Walsh and David Walsh, owners of one of the biggest companies in the country. Born into unimaginable privilege, Ryan had everything handed to him on a silver platter from the moment he came into the world. His parents, both business moguls, had built a vast empire through hard work, strategic decisions, and relentless ambition. However, in their pursuit of success, they often overlooked the more personal aspects of parenting, compensating for their absence with money and material possessions.

As a child, Ryan’s life was one of excess. His parents showered him with extravagant gifts—luxury toys, designer clothes, and expensive gadgets—believing these would suffice in their place. By the time he was a teenager, this pattern of indulgence had only grown. Ryan had access to an unlimited supply of money, a privilege he used to fund his lavish lifestyle. Parties, designer outfits, and flashy cars became his norm. He would spend thousands in a single night, simply because he could. For Ryan, money was never an obstacle; it was an endless resource that could buy him whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

But this wealth also shaped his personality in ways that were hard to ignore. Ryan was often labeled a spoiled brat, someone who didn’t appreciate the value of hard work or restraint. He had a sense of entitlement that was impossible to miss, and his arrogance often rubbed people the wrong way. Yet, underneath his seemingly carefree demeanor, there was a sense of loneliness. Despite the luxurious lifestyle and endless privileges, Ryan lacked the one thing money couldn’t buy—genuine connections.

His parents, though loving in their own way, were rarely present. Their lives revolved around board meetings, international trips, and managing their vast empire. Ryan spent much of his childhood in the care of nannies and tutors, surrounded by wealth but devoid of emotional intimacy. As he grew older, this void translated into reckless behavior. Alcohol, parties, and meaningless distractions became his way of filling the emptiness inside.

While Ryan basked in his privilege, there was an unspoken pressure looming over him—the expectation to one day take over the family empire. For now, though, he ignored it, choosing instead to lose himself in a lifestyle of excess. Ryan Walsh had everything money could buy, but whether he had what truly mattered remained to be seen.

      He stood up and walked into the bathroom. It had been crazy last night—the party had gone wild. He hadn't had that much alcohol in his system in a long time, and he was clearly hungover from it.  

He looked into the mirror in his bathroom; his eyes were kind of swollen. He reached into a closet and pulled out a painkiller.  

He couldn't look like this while following his mum to that fancy school. It was clear he was absolutely wasted, and his mum’s nagging actually had a valid reason.  

He threw the painkillers into his mouth, then walked into the shower. He turned it on, opened his mouth, and let the water run through, pushing the medicine down his throat.  

He grabbed his lotion and poured it all over his body as the shower ran down on him, singing a weird tune out loud as he did.  

He got out of the shower feeling slightly better. The throbbing pain in his head seemed to be reducing, but his eyes still looked swollen. He couldn't help but wonder if he had done hard drugs last night—everything felt like a blur.  

Whatever it was, he had to conceal it. This meeting at the university seemed very important to his mom.  

He opened his closet and scanned for what clothes he could pick. He had the best collection of designers, ranging from blazers to hoodies and jackets.  

He quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a blazer, put them on, and checked himself out in the mirror. Then he picked up a pair of dark shades to cover his eyes.

. "There, you look just perfect," he said to himself.  

He grabbed his phone from his bed, took a quick picture, and then uploaded it on his socials.  

Ryan went downstairs to find his angry mother waiting rather impatiently.  

"Hey, Mom… let's get going," he said to her, the tone of his voice low.  

"I can't even deal with all this right now. What is the meaning of those shades?" Eleanor sneered at him. "Go get in the car."  

He collected the car keys from his mother and began warming up the engine. A few minutes later, his mom joined him in the car.  

"I just got off the phone with the professor. She's been expecting us for hours. I really hope you will be proud of yourself if you don’t get in," Eleanor snapped at him.  

"I am sorry, Mom…"  

"You should be sorry for yourself. You've got maps on your phone, don’t you? Now drive. And I hope you can see with those dark shades you have on."  

Ryan fell silent and started the ignition. The gates leading outside their home opened automatically.  

It was a long and quiet ride for both of them. A few minutes later, they arrived at the gates of the school and were ushered in like VIPs.  

But of course, they were. The Walshes had funded different projects in this university. As a matter of fact, there was a whole auditorium dedicated to their family’s name. They were cheerful donors, which was one of the reasons Ryan was being offered a place here.  

If it were based on academics, he stood no chance of getting into an institution like this. He had tried at others and failed. This was his last resort—of course, after being pressured by his mother.  

They got to the office of Helena Cartz, and she was pleased to see Eleanor Walsh.

"Eleanor!" the professor greeted Ryan's mother in delight as soon as she walked in. "It's been quite a long time."

The two women walked toward each other and exchanged kisses on the cheeks.

"You look even more beautiful than ever," Professor Helena continued to compliment Eleanor.

"Likewise, you, Professor," Ryan's mother responded.

"Oh, stop it. I look like a pile of old books," Helena said with a chuckle. "How is David? And how is the business? Please, do have a seat."

Ryan and his mother sat down on the chairs offered to them.

"Business is doing well, and David is on one of his trips, sealing off a good contract," Eleanor said as soon as she was seated.

"That is very good to hear then," the professor replied.

She took off her glasses and sized up Ryan, who was fiddling with his phone. She was surprised to see him wearing shades but didn’t want to offend any of her guests.

"So, is this your son? The one getting into our institution?" she asked in the most polite way.

"Yes, this is Ryan," Eleanor said as she grabbed the phone from his hands. "Where are your manners, Ryan? At least show some respect to the professor, even if you have none for me."

"It's okay, Eleanor. It's common for teenagers these days to get carried away by their phones," the professor said with a reassuring smile. Then, turning to Ryan, she added, "Why don't you introduce yourself, young man? We are going to be together in this school, so it's best we start getting to know each other now."

Ryan adjusted awkwardly in the chair before saying, "My name is Ryan."

Professor Helena stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to say more. The silence lingered for a moment before she finally found her voice.

"Well, nice to meet you, Ryan!" she managed to respond. "What course would you like to study here? What interests you?"

Ryan sat there, looking at her, not knowing how to answer the question.

"Umm… I'm just here because my mom asked me to," he said bluntly.

The woman heaved a sigh, clearly irritated. Deep inside, she disliked potential students like this—the ones who got into the unive

rsity not by hard work or their brains but purely through their parents’ influence.