Ultimate Cash System-Chapter 171: Coach Henry.

Lukas jotted as much as he could, but the pace was relentless.

Lana raised her hand mid-sentence.

"But wouldn’t that application of the NAIRU model fail if we account for the recent hybrid inflationary behavior observed post-2022?" she asked.

Halbrook smiled. "Excellent. That’s the nuance most students miss. It does fail—unless you adjust expectations dynamically. Very few models account for that correctly. Which is why you, Ms. Rhodes, will be presenting on this next week."

Lana blinked. Then slowly nodded. "Understood."

Lukas stared at her. She was intimidating. Brilliant.

By the time class ended, Lukas’s notebook was a battlefield of messy thoughts, notes, and question marks.

Professor Halbrook approached him as students filed out.

"Mr. Martin," the older man said. "You’ve got potential. But you’re not there yet."

Lukas stood straight. "Yes, sir."

"Keep showing up early. Keep asking questions. Princeton doesn’t make men—it reveals them."

With that, Halbrook turned and walked away.

Lukas stared down at his notes. He had a long way to go.

And Lana, already halfway down the corridor, didn’t glance back once.

But just outside the lecture hall, as he was slipping his notebook back into his bag, a familiar voice called out.

"Lukas!"

He turned to see Lana jogging up, one strap of her bag half slipping off her shoulder. She looked a little less serious now, her pink hair bouncing lightly as she caught up to him.

"Hey," she said, catching her breath. "Do you want to grab lunch? I was going to hit the café near Firestone. They’ve got that grilled chicken pesto thing again."

Lukas blinked, a little surprised. "Sure. Yeah, that sounds good."

She smirked slightly. "I mean, we are friends, right? Doesn’t have to be a big deal."

"Right. Friends," Lukas echoed with a faint grin.

He didn’t mention Annie or Bella. He didn’t have to. Not now.

The two of them walked side by side into the bustle of campus life, surrounded by autumn leaves and the murmur of a thousand ambitions.

[Lana Rhodes] *Wink*

It was lunchtime, and the café outside the economics building was packed. Lukas and Lana sat under the shade of a big elm tree, trays filled with sandwiches, iced tea, and a half-finished apple pie between them.

Lana poked her straw into the ice of her drink. "You seemed spaced out during the second half of class," she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

Lukas smiled faintly. "Yeah. It’s been a long morning."

Lana didn’t press. She was headstrong, but she wasn’t nosy.

They ate in a calm rhythm, surrounded by the usual lunchtime buzz of Princeton. That’s when a silver SUV rolled up to the curb.

Out stepped a large man with a sturdy build and a belly that pressed comfortably against his tucked-in polo shirt. Khaki shorts, white sneakers, and aviators over his eyes. The kind of man who looked like he’d just come from a sports meeting—or was about to host one.

"Yo! Lukas!" the man called out with a booming voice, waving one thick arm.

Lana blinked. "Wait... that’s Coach Henry, right? Professor Henry?"

Lukas stood up, wiping his hands on a napkin. "Yeah. Just Henry. He’s not really a professor. He’s the baseball coach here. And also... my manager."

Lana raised an eyebrow. "You’re what now?"

Henry approached with his usual casual swagger and patted Lukas on the back like he was checking the firmness of a watermelon.

"Didn’t mean to interrupt," Henry said, adjusting his sunglasses. "But I got some news."

Lukas tilted his head. "About the property?"

Henry grinned. "Yup. That fortress—Clairmont, the one you liked with the crazy driveway and the gothic gate? It’s open for viewing. Tomorrow at noon. I already booked the slot. Just you, me, and the real estate guy."

Lana looked between them. "You’re house shopping? What kind of place is it?"

Henry chuckled. "Calling it a house is like calling a lion a kitten. It’s a mansion. Twenty million dollars. A literal fortress. Big enough to get lost in. Think stained glass, grand staircases, stone towers—medieval fairy tale stuff."

Lana’s eyes widened. "That’s insane. Can I come? Just to see it?"

Lukas blinked. "You want to see it?"

"I’m an architecture nerd when it comes to stuff like that," Lana said, trying not to sound too eager. "Besides, it’s not every day someone from class tours a castle."

Henry laughed. "Why not? The more, the merrier. It’s a big place. Bring whoever you like. I’ll send you both the address and the time."

He tapped his phone quickly, then handed Lukas a printed brochure.

"Anyway, that’s all. Didn’t want to bug you during lunch. Just wanted you to know it’s on for tomorrow. Noon sharp."

He gave them both a nod and walked back to his car. The SUV hummed to life and rolled off down the campus road.

Lana looked at Lukas. "You’re full of surprises."

Lukas shrugged. "You have no idea."

They went back to finishing their lunch, but both of them were thinking about the same thing: tomorrow, they’d be stepping into a real-life fortress.

As soon as Henry drove off from the university parking lot, the soft hum of the engine filling the air, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it, saw Lukas’s name, and picked it up with a slight grin.

But this time, it wasn’t Lukas calling Henry. It was Henry calling Lukas.

Lukas answered casually, not expecting a follow-up call so soon. "Yeah, Henry?"

Henry lowered his voice, as if he didn’t want anyone in his car to overhear. "Hey, uh, I just wanted to say something real quick," he started, almost nervously. "You know that money you gave me last time?"

Lukas raised a brow, his tone curious. "Yeah?"

Henry chuckled. "Well... I bought this car with it. Nothing flashy, just this nice smooth ride. Drives like butter. I wasn’t going to say anything, but it felt weird just driving past you without telling you. Figured you ought to know."

Lukas laughed lightly. "Good for you, Coach. You deserve it. You’ve been helping me a lot."

Henry sounded genuinely grateful. "Thanks, kid. Really. Just, uh... don’t tell the others, alright? Let ’em think I won the lottery or something."