Chapter 7: Disgrace
The Rolls-Royce slid through the college gates so quietly it almost didn’t sound real. Conversations died mid-sentence. Students on the lawn turned to stare as the black car rolled toward the freshman welcome party.
Phones appeared almost instantly.
"Wait... is that a Rolls-Royce?"
"At a college party?"
"Who the hell owns that?"
The car stopped right in front of the entrance.
Music pulsed from inside the building, bass vibrating through the walls. Banners hung above the doors, balloons crowded the railings, and clusters of freshmen stood around pretending not to be nervous.
At the center of it all stood Rebecca and Anthony.
Rebecca looked stunning in a fitted red dress, her makeup flawless, her hair falling perfectly over one shoulder. Anthony stood beside her in a tailored suit, greeting people with the confidence of someone who thought the night belonged to him.
Sean stared at them through the tinted window.
In another life, he would’ve been standing beside Rebecca right now. Smiling. Happy. Oblivious.
Completely unaware that the two people he trusted most were betraying him behind his back.
"We’re here, sir," James said from the front seat. "Would you like the full entrance?"
Sean smirked. "Make it dramatic."
James gave a slight nod like he’d been waiting to hear exactly that.
He stepped out first, straightening his gloves before walking around the car with calm, practiced precision. The crowd near the entrance gradually fell silent as he reached for the rear door.
Then he opened it.
Sean stepped out.
The reaction was instant.
"No way—that’s Sean Miller."
"Bullshit."
"Didn’t he drive a junk Honda?"
"Look at that suit..."
Sean ignored all of it.
He adjusted his cufflinks slowly, giving everyone enough time to take in the car, the tailored suit, the driver, the confidence. Then he started walking toward the entrance.
Rebecca froze.
Anthony looked like someone had punched him in the stomach.
Sean walked straight past them without even acknowledging their existence.
"Sean—wait!"
Rebecca hurried after him, heels clicking against the pavement.
He kept walking.
His phone buzzed.
[Quest Available: The Ultimate Comeback]
Objective 1: Reject Rebecca’s advances (0/3)
Objective 2: Humiliate Anthony publicly (0/1)
Objective 3: Become the center of attention (0/100 admirers)
Reward: $200,000 + Mystery Box
Sean accepted the quest without hesitation.
Game on.
---
Inside, the party was packed shoulder to shoulder.
Music blasted from oversized speakers near the DJ booth while students crowded around tables stacked with cheap snacks and drinks. It looked exactly like every freshman party Sean remembered.
Except now people were staring at him.
He headed toward the bar.
The student bartender handed him a beer, eyes darting nervously toward the windows outside.
"Dude... is that actually your car?"
Sean took a sip. "Yeah."
"How much does something like that even cost?"
"About two-fifty."
The bartender blinked. "Thousand?"
Sean nodded casually.
The guy nearly dropped the bottle opener.
Within minutes, people started gathering around him.
Questions came nonstop.
"What do your parents do?"
"Are you famous or something?"
"Can I sit in the car later?"
"Bro, seriously, what happened to you?"
Sean answered a few. Ignored most.
Across the room, Rebecca stared at him like she was looking at a stranger.
Anthony looked worse.
Jealousy was written all over his face.
Then Rebecca started making her way through the crowd.
Sean’s phone buzzed again.
[Objective 1: Reject Rebecca’s advances (0/3)]
He almost laughed.
Right on schedule.
Rebecca stopped in front of him and forced a smile onto her face.
"Okay... wow," she said softly. "You look really good."
Sean looked at her but said nothing.
Her hand brushed his arm. "Seriously, what’s going on with you? The car, the suit... where did all this come from?"
Sean glanced down at her hand before calmly moving it away.
"Do I know you?"
Her smile twitched.
"Sean, come on."
"Oh. Rebecca." He nodded slowly. "Right."
She frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Just remembered who you were."
For a split second, something dark crossed his expression.
Images from his previous life flashed through his head.
The divorce papers.
The fake scandals.
The wedding invitation.
Anthony standing beside her while she smiled at Sean like none of it mattered.
Rebecca looked confused. "Are you okay?"
Sean blinked and forced the memories away.
Wrong timeline.
Not yet.
"I’m fine," he said flatly. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to talk." She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You’ve changed."
"People do that."
"I kind of like this version of you."
Sean laughed once under his breath.
"Too bad."
Her expression tightened.
"Sean—"
"I’m not interested."
He walked away before she could answer.
Behind him, she stood frozen.
His phone vibrated.
[Objective 1 Completed: 1/3]
---
A group of girls intercepted him near the snack table.
One of them, blonde and energetic, grinned at him. "You’re officially the hottest topic on campus."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It probably is," another girl laughed.
They asked for selfies. Sean agreed.
More students joined in.
Someone started recording TikToks beside the Rolls-Royce outside. Others crowded around Sean asking questions about investments, cars, watches, money.
The attention spread through the party like fire.
[Objective 3 Progress: 23/100 admirers]
Across the room, Rebecca whispered something sharply to Anthony.
Anthony’s jaw tightened.
Then he started walking over.
Sean saw it coming before the system notification even appeared.
[Objective 2: Incoming — Anthony]
Perfect.
Anthony pushed through the crowd with a grin that looked painfully fake.
"Sean, my guy!" he said loudly. "Since when are you rich?"
Sean didn’t answer right away.
Anthony held out his hand for a handshake.
Sean looked at it.
Then looked back at Anthony.
Slowly, awkwardly, Anthony lowered his hand.
A few people nearby snickered.
Anthony forced another laugh. "So what’s the deal? Lottery? Crypto? Secret millionaire parents?"
"Smart investments," Sean replied.
Anthony scoffed. "Bro, we’re eighteen."
"And?"
"You expect people to believe you bought a Rolls-Royce with investments?"
Sean shrugged. "Believe whatever you want."
