Ghost Billionaire
Chapter 49: Ominous

Chapter 49: Ominous

When he woke up the next morning, the light filtering through the curtains was soft. He sat up slowly, stretched, and dragged himself toward the mirror inside the bathroom.

He stared at his reflection, blinking once.

Then again.

"I actually feel... good," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. So, sleeping helps him recover his strength too.

The headache had disappeared, and he felt as if he’d just woken up from a two-day rest.

His mind felt clear, like fog had lifted. There was no lingering fatigue, no weight in his chest, no ache behind his eyes.

"I feel like I’ve leveled up or something," he mumbled. Was that even possible?

He turned his hand palm-up, clenching and unclenching his fingers. Energy moved underneath his skin. Not much—but steady. Stable. And strong.

"Being strong definitely has perks." He flexed his fingers again. "But it’s not free. Burn too much, and you pay the price."

He remembered the weakness, the near-collapse, the pressure in his skull after using too much of his memory and not feeding enough. He hated that feeling.

"I’m not going through that again." Absorbing ghosts might work, but he couldn’t keep running to that part of the school every time he had a headache. It wasn’t practical. "That ghost girl mentioned a spirit stone. I need access. I need more information." Sadly, that ghost girl isn’t that reliable either.

His eyes narrowed slightly at his own reflection. Then he blinked, shook his head, and forced a short laugh.

"Day two," he muttered. "Let’s see what else this exam week has in store."

He dressed quickly, tying his uniform properly this time. No more half-tucked shirts or untied shoes. He stopped by the kitchen, grabbed toast and two boiled eggs, ate standing near the sink, and then called out toward the garage.

"Ottep! Let’s go."

The drive back to the university was quiet. Matthew leaned back against the seat, staring out the window. But just as they passed the main gate, a familiar image flashed in his mind again.

Jerome.

That same picture. That same face. The makeshift memorial, the candles, the name.

The memory hit him again—the ghost’s cold, focused hostility. That hadn’t been confusion. It wasn’t instinct or desperation. It was intent. It wanted him dead.

But why?

Matthew clenched his jaw and forced the thoughts back. He shouldn’t dwell too much about these things. Poking around in things that didn’t concern him never ended well. People who couldn’t mind their own business usually didn’t live long enough to regret it.

Still... he glanced out the window as the school gates came into view.

Had Argent played a role in that boy’s death?

The car came to a stop near the university’s main entrance. As soon as Matthew stepped out, his eyes narrowed.

Parked just a few spaces down was a police car. The doors were closed, the engine still running. Two uniformed officers stood near the rear, talking quietly to someone from the administrative building.

Matthew shut his door and walked forward, adjusting the strap of his bag over one shoulder. His gaze flicked between the officers and the nearby students.

He stopped beside a boy in a gray hoodie who was leaning against the side of a tree.

"Hey," Matthew said. "What are the cops doing here?"

The boy glanced at the cruiser, then shrugged. "Investigation. A college student died. They said it was a possible homicide. Guy was supposed to graduate next month. Rich family too."

"Homicide?" Matthew repeated, more to himself.

"Yeah." The boy glanced over. "I heard they found the body dumped in a commercial dumpster downtown. Rumor is, some organs were missing, too."

Matthew gave a short nod and kept walking.

A wealthy student, close to graduation. That would make him around 22 or 23—legal age. A mutilated corpse missing organs?

He clenched his jaw.

"A rich kid," he muttered under his breath. "Following Argent around."

His steps didn’t slow as he turned the corner. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Argent really did scam that man. Did something go wrong? Did it end with Argent killing him?"

"So you are still alive?" the ghost girl suddenly appeared in front of him. Matthew frowned and tried to ignore the girl. "I thought that exam would kill you. Interesting. How are you still alive without absorbing some spiritual energy?"

Matthew rolled his eyes inwardly and kept walking. Soon, he reached his classroom and took his seat. He still hadn’t said a single word to the ghost girl.

"Alright, you should stop this and talk to me," the ghost girl said, hovering over Matthew’s shoulder.

Matthew didn’t lift his eyes from the book he was reading. The classroom was quiet except for a few murmurs near the door. Most students hadn’t arrived yet.

"I get it... You were upset, I suddenly left," the ghost continued. "But did you really expect me to help you out? I can’t even find my own body. How am I supposed to save you?"

Matthew turned a page. Still no reaction.

"I mean, yeah, I’m strong—but not that strong," she said. "If that thing sensed me, it would’ve torn me apart. You saw what it did. And I didn’t even know what it was. You... you were just standing there. You didn’t even realize you were in danger."

Matthew snorted inwardly as he thought, "So you ran because you were scared it would target you. Not even thinking that I was just some idiot human without a clue why he should be running." What a smart ghost.

Then she hovered a little closer. "You should do your research. Whatever that thing was, it shouldn’t be anywhere near a school. Or people. Something like that—"

"It wasn’t normal," Matthew said flatly, cutting her off. He remembered the sound of chains and the wave of fear that hit him just being near that thing.

"Exactly!" the ghost said, clearly startled that he finally acknowledged her. "It’s unnatural. It doesn’t belong here. That school’s basement, it’s not just holding that thing. There’s something else. I don’t know what it is, but I can feel it. Like pressure under the floor. Like something buried but not dead."

Matthew finally glanced at the ghost girl. He already knew he couldn’t trust her, but her words struck him as strange. Buried but not dead? It sounded like the start of a horror film.

"Either way, you should be careful. This place is more ominous than I originally thought."

Ominous? Matthew frowned. It was just a school. What could possibly be ominous about it?