Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

The Prince Without a Crown

"Not every prince lives in a palace. Sometimes, their story begins in a rented room."

~ ● ~

Some people are born with nothing and have to work hard to become wealthy, some are born into wealth and then there are those who are born so incredibly rich... that even their problems are worth millions.

Clarence Keiv Spencer was one of them but to almost everyone who knew him, he had only one name.

Keiv.

Not because it was his real name but because it was the name he chose whenever he wanted to live like an ordinary person...

And whenever he wanted to find genuine friends.

Inside the exclusive Vanguard Elite University of the Philippines, a prestigious international university located in the heart of Bonifacio Global City, students were being groomed to become the next generation of CEOs, lawyers, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, politicians, and industry leaders from around the world.

Getting accepted into the university was no easy feat.

Most of its students came from the wealthiest families in the Philippines and abroad-heirs to powerful corporations, children of influential politicians, international scholars, and young people raised to one day lead their own empires.

But behind its luxurious buildings, modern laboratories, world-class facilities, and demanding academic standards...

It was also a place where every student's intelligence, discipline, and character were tested every single day.

Here...

Being rich wasn't enough. Being smart wasn't enough either. You had to prove that you deserved to stay. The university gymnasium looked more like a boxing arena. Students were shouting. Some were recording with their phones. Others were yelling at the top of their lungs.

"Bro! Bro! Fight him!"

"Keep recording!"

"This is going viral again!"

In the middle of the chaos... Keiv stood perfectly still. His white polo shirt was wrapped around one fist, while his other hand rested casually inside his pocket.

Calm.

Expressionless.

At his feet...

Three young men lay sprawled across the floor, groaning in pain with bruised and bloodied faces.

Meanwhile... Keiv wasn't even breathing heavily.

"Are we done?" he asked coldly.

One of the men struggled to his feet, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Not yet! Hyaaa!"

He charged once more but before he could even get close...

A quick sidestep.

An elbow strike.

Then a flawless roundhouse kick.

Thud!

The entire gym erupted into cheers and screams. Several students instinctively stepped backward.

"Dang..."

"He's a monster."

"Who's crazy enough to fight him?"

Keiv didn't even bother looking at them. Instead, he bent down and picked up the cellphone that had fallen onto the floor. He looked at the screen. There was a scratch. He sighed.

"What a waste."

Everyone assumed he was talking about the three men lying unconscious on the floor. He wasn't. He was talking about his phone.

"KEIV!"

The principal's voice echoed throughout the gymnasium. The vice principal rubbed his forehead.

Here we go again.

Third incident this month.

Fifth this semester.

Eleventh this year.

Guidance Office

Keiv sat quietly inside the Guidance Office.

No emotion. No guilt, as if nothing had happened.

"Do you even realize what you've done?" the principal asked.

"Yes."

"And?"

"They started it."

The principal closed his eyes.

"They're in the hospital!"

"They'll live."

"You broke someone's nose!"

"He tried to stab me."

Silence.

The principal replayed the CCTV footage and Keiv was right. The three students had attacked first.

But still...

Sending all of them to the emergency room might have been a little excessive.

"Mr. Spencer..."

"Yes?"

"We're calling your parents."

Keiv simply nodded because he was already used to it.

"As expected."

-

5:00 PM

At the very top of Spencer Global Holdings Tower in Makati... Silence filled the luxurious conference room.

Floor-to-ceiling glass windows, Italian marble flooring, Modern architecture and seated at the far end of the table...

Mr. Cevin Klein Spencer. The Chairman of Spencer Global Holdings. Recognized as the richest man in the Philippines.

A billionaire.

A business tycoon.

One of the most powerful businessmen in Asia.

He didn't say a word, he simply stared at the report lying before him. Across the table sat Keiv, looking equally calm.

The difference between them... the father was silent because he was composed. The son was silent because he simply didn't feel like talking.

"CCTV."

That was all Mr. Spencer said. The secretary immediately handed him a tablet. He watched the entire security footage from beginning to end.

When it finished... He handed the tablet back.

"Correct."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, the principal, the lawyer and even his assistant.

"You did the right thing."

The principal's jaw nearly dropped.

"Sir?"

"Self-defense." Mr. Spencer nodded once. "But..." He turned toward his son. "You're becoming a problem. You always end up in trouble."

Keiv remained silent.

"Not because you start the fights... but because you always finish them."

A faint smile appeared on Keiv's face.

"Someone has to."

"Exactly."

His father stood and walked toward the massive glass window. From the look on his face...

He had already made his decision.

"You're becoming too dependent."

Keiv frowned.

"I don't."

"You do."

Silence settled over the conference room.

"The company cleans up every mess. The lawyers handle everything. We pay for every consequence."

He turned to face his son.

"Enough."

-

That Evening, the Spencer family gathered for dinner. Although, in truth... there were just only two of them. Father and son. Keiv looked at his father.

"So?"

"So."

The older man's voice remained cold.

"Starting today... you're cut off."

Keiv laughed.

"Funny."

"I'm deadly serious, Clarence."

The smile disappeared from Keiv's face.

"No more personal driver. No more bodyguards. No more credit cards. No more unlimited allowance. No more housekeeper. No more penthouse. No more luxury condominium."

Each sentence landed like a hammer striking his ears.

"And you're moving."

"Where?"

"Malolos."

One eyebrow slowly rose.

"Bulacan?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to experience life without carrying the Spencer name."

Silence.

"Starting tomorrow... you'll do your own laundry. You'll cook your own meals. You'll buy your own groceries. You'll pay your own rent and you'll ride a jeepney and..."

Then came the hardest part of all.

"Here's your allowance."

His father placed an envelope on the table. Keiv opened it and his eyes widened.

"What is this?"

"Your monthly allowance."

"Dad..."

"Seriously?"

"Yes!"

"This isn't even enough to pay for my car's gas."

"You don't have a car anymore."

Silence. That was a complete silence. Several seconds passed before Keiv finally let out a deep sigh.

"So... this is my punishment."

"No." A small smile appeared on his father's face.

"This is life. Earn your own respect. Not the respect that comes from being the son of the richest man in the Philippines."

He walked over and gently patted Keiv's shoulder.

"And when you prove that you can survive on your own... I'll give everything back. The title, the money, the business and everything! But not now."

Keiv quietly stood. He picked up the envelope and before walking out of the room... He doesn't bother to looked back at his father.

"Okay. Fine!"

"Game on."

Neither father nor son realized... that single decision would lead Clarence Keiv Spencer to a condominium in Tikay, Malolos.

To a simple life he had never experienced before and most importantly...

To the first woman who looked at him not because of his surname...

But because...

She found his face incredibly annoying.