—The weight of a name isn't in the money behind it… but the respect it demands.
Inside the Black Mercedes-Maybach
1:12 PM — Berlin Streets
The inside of the luxury car was cloaked in stone silence, so tense it was as though the leather itself held its breath. Henry Vinson, usually lounging in the back seat like a prince, sat upright this time—rigid, eyes forward, arms crossed tight against his chest. His father's presence beside him felt like a storm barely contained.Alex Vinson, one of Germany's most powerful businessmen, said nothing. Not a word since the moment they left the university gates. He hadn't even spared Henry a look—just climbed into the car, said "Home," and that was it.The driver didn't dare utter a word.
Not with Alex's jaw clenched tight and the silence screaming between father and son.
---
Vinson Mansion – Entrance Hall, 1:35 PM
The car pulled up before the sleek glass doors of the Vinson estate, the sun reflecting off its polished marble like it was burning.
Henry stepped out, adjusting his jacket, trying to prepare for whatever was coming.
But as soon as Alex stepped inside the house, the storm broke loose. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"His voice boomed, reverberating off the Italian stone walls.Henry flinched, then clenched his fists.
"Dad—"
"No!" Alex snapped, turning to face him fully. "Don't 'Dad' me right now, Henry."The maids in the hallway stopped dead, pausing mid-errand. One of them quickly took a step back, bowing her head and walking away silently. "Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?" Alex shouted, pacing now. "Being summoned to your college like a damn juvenile's guardian?" "He overreacted," Henry muttered. "It wasn't—"
Alex turned sharply."You think this is about him? This is about YOU! About how you carry this name. I built this family from blood and steel, and the entire country knows the name Vinson means something—power, discipline, control! And today, in front of other parents, I was treated like your babysitter!"Henry's expression cracked slightly—he was angry too. But it was buried under guilt and shame. "I didn't ask you to come."Alex's eyes burned."You shouldn't have had to. If you weren't out drinking, skipping classes, sneaking out of campus like a damn schoolboy—none of this would have happened!"
---
At that moment—footsteps.
From the top of the grand staircase, Clara Vinson descended slowly in her silk house gown. Graceful, elegant… and emotionally distant as always. Her heels echoed with soft power.She reached the last step and raised an eyebrow, her voice cool as porcelain.
"What's going on?"Alex turned toward her, still seething."Your son just got us publicly embarrassed by a professor half his age because he thinks rules don't apply to him."
Clara's gaze flicked to Henry, lips parting slightly in surprise—but her expression stayed unreadable."That professor was the same age as Henry?" "Yes. And sharper than every brat in that room combined," Alex said sharply. "And if this boy doesn't get his act together now, he's going to destroy everything we've built."Clara sighed, folding her arms. "I always told you—don't spoil him too much. Now see? The crown is slipping."
Henry stared at both of them. For the first time, he didn't feel like the center of the house. He felt like a shadow standing inside a legacy that was crumbling under his own recklessness."I didn't mean to bring shame on us…" he said quietly.Alex stepped closer. His voice dropped—no longer shouting, but sharper than a blade."You were born with privilege. But if you think the world outside gives a damn about your money or your face—you're wrong. All you'll have is your name. And you're dragging it through the mud."
Henry's throat tightened. Something inside him shifted—something between realization and rebellionAlex didn't wait for another word.He turned to the butler. "Tell the security. No more late-night drives. No cards. No parties. And no stepping out without a schedule clearance from the driver or myself."He turned back to Henry one last time. "You're grounded. Not as a punishment. But as a wake-up call. Earn your right to be a Vinson."Then he walked away.Clara simply watched him go, then gave Henry one final, unreadable look before disappearing down the hall.
---
Henry was left alone.In the giant hall of a mansion he once ruled like a spoiled prince.The silence returned.
But this time, it wasn't powerful.It was suffocating.And in his mind, a single image returned—
Lukas.That cold voice. That steady gaze. That dominance earned without wealth.
And the way he made everyone listen… even Alex Vinson.Henry swallowed hard.
For the first time, he didn't want to be envied.
He wanted to win—on his own terms.
Vinson Mansion – Henry's Bedroom
8:19 PM | Silence wasn't peace anymore. It was punishment.
The room was glowing with blue LED lights that traced the walls, flickering faintly like memories. The large balcony curtain swayed slightly from the summer wind, and the hum of the air conditioner filled the background.
But inside Henry's head?It was chaos.
He was sprawled across his oversized bed, still dressed in half his uniform shirt, buttons loose, collar crumpled. His phone lay beside him, buzzing with group messages from his gang. Timo: Bro my dad made me wash the car today 💀 like we still live in 2005. Felix: Mom's crying, says her "golden boy" is now "a liability." I think she watched too many dramas. Max: I'm grounded for LIFE. Jonas: At least your parents spoke to you. Mine sent a 7-minute voice note titled
"Disappointment."Henry read each one with half a smirk.But he didn't type anything back.
Instead, he stared at the ceiling, eyes distant, unfocused. Lukas.That name hit harder now than it had when he first saw him in the classroom.That face. That voice.
So sharp, so firm. So… cold.Henry turned, arm over his eyes. But no matter how he moved, he couldn't shake the weight pressing down on his chest.Lukas Richard.
Not just a professor.Not just someone from a rival family.But the boy Henry once called his closest friend.The same boy who used to tug at his backpack zippers, who carried his lunch tray in second grade, who stood in front of bullies like a small shield and said, "Don't touch Henry." He was the kindest boy I ever knew.
And I ruined him.Henry's jaw clenched. He hated thinking like this.He never liked feeling wrong.He never admitted being wrong.
Not in school, not at home, not ever. That was the rule of being a Vinson.But tonight, Lukas's voice played in his head again:
"Don't call your mother. Call your father."
There had been something personal in that tone. A challenge. A reminder.
Not just about discipline—but about revenge.Henry sat up suddenly, pulling his knees to his chest, frowning.He really came back.He never thought he'd see Lukas again after what happened that summer years ago.
After that one thing Henry did.Back then, he'd told himself it wasn't that bad. That Lukas would understand. Lukas would forgive.Because Lukas was soft. Gentle. Always trying to protect Henry—even when it cost him. But now?That softness was gone.Henry had seen it in his eyes—in the way Lukas made him wait outside the class like a nobody. In the way he made even Alex Vinson sit and listen. "He changed…" Henry whispered, almost to himself.He stood, walked toward his glass balcony, and stared out at the city skyline.The reflection on the glass showed something haunting.Not Lukas. Not Henry.But a memory of two children—one with a chubby smile, the other a protective arm around him, laughing under the sun in their second-grade uniforms.
But then the image shattered—replaced by two men now on opposite sides of something twisted.Henry pressed his forehead to the glass. "I know what I did, Lukas… but I never thought you'd turn into someone I couldn't recognize."His phone buzzed again. Timo was calling now. Henry rejected it.He didn't want to talk to anyone.
He didn't want to laugh it off.Because for the first time, someone he once hurt was standing above him.And it burned.
Heinrich Von Falken University – IT Department, 3rd Semester Classroom
8:58 AM | A Morning Without Power
The campus was buzzing as usual, but inside the third-semester IT classroom, the atmosphere was a little too charged today. The same chairs. The same projector. The same chaotic crowd.But one thing had changed.Henry Vinson walked in without his swagger.No golden card in hand.
No smirk. No iced coffee. No entourage waiting to hand him a smoke or escort him through the hallway like he was Berlin's most-wanted heartthrob.He wore the uniform today—neatly, no hoodie to cover it, no sunglasses.Just… quiet.Henry slumped into his seat, tossing his bag onto the desk with a thud. He rubbed the back of his neck like the weight of the world was knotted into his spine.Timo, sitting next to him, leaned in, "Yo, man. You good?"Felix turned around from the front row with a playful grin, "You look like someone just cancelled your birthright."Jonas chuckled faintly, "Or worse… took away your Netflix password."
Max, ever the innocent one, frowned. "What did your dad say last night?"Henry just stared ahead, silent for a beat, before muttering: "Card's blocked."The boys blinked."Wait, what?" Felix leaned closer, like he misheard.Henry exhaled and leaned back in the chair, arms crossed tight.
"Blocked my platinum. Told the driver to drop me off today. He's assigned a schedule. No going anywhere after college. Straight home."He rubbed his face, then his hair, frustration leaking through every gesture.
"No parties. No wallet. No escape. I'm basically in luxury house arrest."
Timo whistled. "Damn, that's the Vinson version of jail time."Max mumbled, "At least he didn't take your phone."Henry gave him a glare. "Don't jinx it."The group chuckled uneasily, but none of it erased the tension in the air.Felix leaned closer and whispered, "Dude… he really flipped." "Yeah," Henry muttered. "He doesn't want anyone raising a finger at me. Especially not because of me."
There was something heavy behind those words. Not just frustration.Regret.
Jonas spoke calmly, observing, "So the golden boy lost his crown."Henry didn't respond to that.Instead, he sat still.
Fingers tapping his desk slowly.Eyes fixed ahead.Not at the board But at the empty space where Lukas would soon walk in.And this time, Henry wasn't thinking about bunking class Or skipping the lecture,He was thinking—
If I ever get a chance to talk to him alone... will I apologize?