Chapter 20: Private Gym Instructor Hired

Before May could even walk off toward the private studio area, a guy in a flashy gym hoodie strutted over, holding a protein shaker and sneering.

"May? Are you serious?" he laughed loudly, shaking his head. "Look at you, still embarrassing yourself in public. I told you three months ago when I dumped you—no amount of running is gonna change that body. You’re just wasting space in a place like this."

May froze, her knuckles turning white as her eyes dropped to the floor. The old shame hit her hard, her confidence instantly taking a blow.

The guy then turned his eyes toward me, looking at my dark designer fit, my diamond chain, and my $50k watch. His eyes flashed with envy, and he let out a mockingly fake laugh, trying to play it cool in front of the people watching.

"Bro, what are you doing?" he sneered, pointing a finger at May while looking at me like we were in on a joke together. "Did you lose a bet or something? Why are you even standing near this chick? You look like you got money, man—don’t let her drag down your reputation. She’s a joke."

I didn’t blink. I just took a step closer to him, towering over him until his cocky grin started to fade.

"You done?" I asked, my voice cold as ice.

"Hey, I’m just looking out for you, man—"

"You’re not looking out for anyone. You’re just a small-minded nobody who needs to talk down on a girl to feel like a man," I cut in, stepping directly into his personal space. "She has more drive in her pinky finger than you have in your entire body. In six months, she’s going to be a top-tier athlete, and you’re still going to be right here, running your mouth and accomplishing nothing."

I reached into my pocket, pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills, and slapped it straight against his chest, letting the bills scatter onto the floor at his feet.

"There’s ten grand," I said loudly enough for the whole room to hear. "Pick it up, go buy yourself some self-respect, and get the hell out of my sight before I buy this gym and ban you permanently."

The guy’s face went bright red. He looked at the cash on the floor, then at the dead-serious expression on my face, completely humiliated. People around the gym were staring and whispering. Unable to say another word, he backed away, turned around, and practically ran toward the exit without picking up a single bill.

I turned back to May, who was staring at me with her mouth wide open.

"He’s the past," I said smoothly, dusting off my sleeve. "Now let’s go unlock your future."

We pulled up to the private gym facility I booked for May. It was high-end, completely closed off from the public, and stocked with brand-new equipment.

Waiting inside was her new private instructor. He was a tall, sharp-looking guy with a world-class athletic build. May stopped dead in her tracks the second she saw him, her eyes wide as a huge smile broke across her face.

"No way..." she gasped, looking at me like I was a wizard. "Is that... Marcus Sterling? He’s a literal legend in track and field!"

I didn’t know the guy from a hole in the wall, but judging by May’s reaction, he clearly had a massive reputation.

"You must be May," Marcus said, stepping forward with a firm, welcoming handshake. "Your agent here booked my full schedule for the next six months. No distractions, no crowd. Just you, me, and the track."

Seeing May this hyped confirmed the move was worth every penny.

I checked my phone to look over the numbers. The $35,000 I dropped on her private gym, Marcus’s elite coaching, and her custom nutrition plan was just the initial capital. With her 30X cashback multiplier, that $35,000 investment locked in a staggering $1,050,000 payout waiting for me once her transformation hit its mark.

Combined with Chloe’s locked $500k+ payout for her 4.0 GPA, I was sitting on well over $1.5 million in guaranteed returns.

I turned to May, tapping my watch with a smirk. "Marcus is going to push you to your absolute limits. Work hard, follow the diet, and don’t worry about a single bill. I’ll check in on your progress."

"I won’t let you down," May said, her eyes burning with pure focus as she turned toward the track with her trainer.

Later that evening, Marcus Sterling called my phone to give me a full debrief on May’s first session.

"I’ve worked with top-tier talent for a decade," Marcus said over the line, his tone sharp and professional. "May’s got incredible natural stamina buried under that extra weight, and her mental toughness is off the charts. She didn’t quit once during high-intensity intervals today. Give us a few weeks of this routine and her custom nutrition plan, and you’re going to start seeing dramatic results. The scale is going to drop fast."

"Good," I replied, leaning back in my leather seat. "Keep her focused. Whatever she needs, put it on my tab."

Hanging up, I took a look at the live investment dashboard. The base work was done. May was in a private space away from public trash, getting coached by a literal track legend, and her drive was at an all-time high.

That $1,050,000 payout was moving closer to reality every single day.