Chapter 129 Bragging

"C'mon, prez, everyone knows he's full of it, yet he's dead serious," Cody chuckled.

Stella glanced at Eric Phillips with disappointment and then announced, "It looks like everyone's here. Let's get seated."

At her cue, people began to take their seats.

Cody turned to Aria, the class beauty, and with a smile, he invited her, "Hey Aria, wanna sit with me?"

"Sure," Aria replied with a smile, nodding.

Eric Phillips was taken aback when Aria accepted the invitation.

"Aria, don't you remember how Cody used to hassle you in high school? And now you agree to sit with him?" Eric Phillips frowned.

Cody's successful invitation to Aria was the last thing Eric Phillips had expected.

"What? Do you think you got a shot at swan meat? Do you even deserve it? Swans like me don't go for just anyone," Cody taunted Eric Phillips.

Aria scolded Eric Phillips, who looked slightly annoyed, "Eric, this is my decision."

"Kid, did you hear me? Beat it!" Cody barked.

"Can't you hear Cody, boy? Buzz off! Or are you asking for trouble?"

Cody's buddies, Mateo and Lincoln, stepped forward and shoved Eric Phillips away.

"You can’t afford the consequences of pushing me," Eric Phillips warned them with a chilling gaze.

"Oh, it looks like you're asking for it," Mateo and Lincoln retorted, ready to start a fight.

Observing the rising tension, Stella, the class president, quickly intervened, "Guys, Mateo, Lincoln, today is a day for our reunion; it's meant to be happy. Please, no fighting."

"Mateo, Lincoln, back off for now. Let's spare him today for our class reunion," Cody said, signaling them to stand down.
Cody looked dismissively at Eric Phillips and sneered, "Listen, Eric, you're nothing but a loser doomed to be beneath me for life, got it?"

"Ha, come on, Aria. Let's get out of here," he laughed, leading Aria toward the banquet area.

"You're lucky Cody stepped in, or you would've had it rough today!" Mateo and Lincoln said coldly.
After their terse remark, they hurried to catch up with Cody.

"A beating? Haha," Eric Phillips muttered to himself with a shake of his head and a wry smile.

He swore to himself that if they had dared to lay so much as a finger on him, he would have made them regret it deeply.

His gaze then shifted to Aria's retreating figure. She seemed so distant to him at that moment.

"Just another woman blinded by reality," he sighed to himself.

Class president Stella approached him and said, "People change, Eric, especially after being shaped by society. Don't be so surprised."

"And what about you, Stella? Have you changed?" Eric looked at her.

"A bit, but not who I am at heart," she replied.

She paused, then smiled, "Haven't you changed as well? You might not have stood out in high school, but you were the resilient boy who never gave up with a strong sense of morality. And now, even you've started to boast."

Eric smiled, choosing not to explain whether he was boasting. Any explanation at this point seemed feeble.

Soon enough, he'd show them all—Stella, Cody, Aria, and every classmate here—just what he could do.

"Let's take our seats," Stella suggested.

...

Everyone started finding their seats, gravitating towards familiar faces from high school.

Upon reaching the banquet area, Eric heard someone calling, "Eric, over here!"

He turned to see Gary, his old high school deskmate. "Gary, there you are, man!" Eric greeted him with a smile and walked over.

Gary was not just an old classmate but a friend from those days.

Eric took a seat next to Gary. "It's been a while, man. What are you up to these days?" he inquired.
"Man, what could I do? After high school, I teamed up with my dad and ran a late-night food truck. It was tough, but I made some cash," Gary said.

Eric Phillips knew Gary's family business was a food truck.

"How about you, Eric? You're still at NYU. Haven't seen your girlfriend Wendy Taylor around," Gary inquired.

"We split ages ago. She thought I was broke and ran off with someone else," Eric replied with a wry smile.

Hearing this, Gary couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Ah, women these days, most of them are so materialistic. Even Aria, the former school beauty, used to be such an innocent girl, but now she's throwing herself at Cody just because he's made it big."

"Yeah, I didn't see that coming either," Eric commiserated, shaking his head.

"Look, Eric, so many of our old classmates are rushing to toast Cody," Gary pointed out.

Eric looked up and saw it was true; a bunch of former classmates were flocking to Cody's table, making toasts, trying to curry favor with him.

The reason was simple: they saw Cody's success and wanted a piece of the pie.

"You see the people toasting him? Some were the very ones Cody used to pick on," Gary continued.

Eric saw that Gary was right.

"Are you going to join them, Gary?" Eric asked with a chuckle.

"No way I'm toasting that jerk. He bullied us in high school; there's no way I'll ever forget that!" Gary said through clenched teeth.

After a pause, Gary added, "Just look at that smug face; it gets my blood boiling. This world is screwed up, letting scumbags like him thrive."

Eric laughed, patting Gary on the shoulder, "Great minds think alike. Here's to us!"

Their brief conversation revealed to Eric that Gary was still the same old Gary, unchanged.

After they downed a drink, Gary said with a laugh, "By the way, you've grown some nerves standing up to Cody like that in public. I can't stand the guy either, but, to be honest, I wouldn't dare openly challenge him. Trouble seems to follow guys like him."

"What's there to be scared of? He's nothing to me," Eric scoffed confidently.

With Eric's current clout, dealing with Cody would be a walk in the park.

Gary laughed, "Eric, I didn't expect you to become such a big talker."
"I wasn't bragging when I said I have a Lamborghini, and that wasn't hot air either," Eric Phillips stated coolly.

"Come on, man, blow smoke with them if you've got to, but save it with me. How in the world could you afford a Lambo?" Gary chuckled.

Gary and Eric had been desk mates in high school, and he knew all about Eric's family background. The thought of Eric owning a Lamborghini seemed ludicrous.

"Don't you believe me? Here are the keys to my Lamborghini." Eric laid out his car keys on the table.

Gary picked them up, inspected them, and laughed, "Where'd you get these, some knockoff online store? They're pretty well-crafted. Someone could easily think they're the real deal."

Eric smiled softly, took back the keys, and pocketed them without further explanation.

Eric knew it was futile to say anything more. It was normal for Gary to be skeptical, especially knowing his family's financial status.

Actions spoke louder than words, and Eric was determined to let his actions do the talking.

…

The meal lasted a full hour.

During that time, Cody's table was the most lively. Flushed with pride from the praise of his classmates and with Aria sitting at his side, he was having the time of his life.

If things continued as they were, Cody and Aria seemed destined to end up at a hotel that night.

Cody was visibly smug and pleased with himself.

As for Eric, apart from chatting with Gary, he was mostly ignored by the other classmates, except for the class president, who'd stopped by to make a toast.

An hour later, Cody stood up and announced loudly, "Folks, looks like we're all about done here. Let's move the party to another venue. I've booked a big VIP room at the karaoke bar, and it's all on me!"

"Awesome!" came the unanimous cheer from the students.

Excitedly, everyone got up and made their way out.

Outside the restaurant, a student asked, "Cody, which bar are we hitting, and how far is it?"

"Don't worry, class. I've got transportation covered. This minibus right here will take us straight there," Cody assured them.

"Cody, you've thought of everything," someone remarked.

"Cody rules!" echoed another.

The crowd continued their praises, which Cody soaked in with glee.

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