**Chapter Three: A Life Worth Lying For**
Jayden stood frozen on the steps of the Lexington estate, the sunlight glinting off the mansion's marble walls like it belonged in a different universe—because it did.
It was a different world.
Only 24 hours ago, he was dodging muddy potholes on his way to school with nothing but an apple in his pocket and a half-torn math book. Now, a butler in a crisp tuxedo was holding the front door open for him with a bow.
"You're free to rest in the East Wing, Master Jayden," the man said in a smooth accent. "Your belongings have been taken care of."
Jayden blinked. "I… don't have any belongings."
The butler nodded respectfully. "They've been provided."
---
The room was more like a hotel suite than a bedroom. Plush carpeting, a flat-screen TV, glass walls that overlooked a private garden, and a king-size bed with black and gold linen. He walked slowly, like touching anything would cause it to vanish.
He moved to the closet and opened it. Designer suits. New school uniforms. Fresh sneakers. A note pinned to the inner door read:
**"Your school fees have been handled. Your transportation is private. Welcome to your new life. — R.L."**
Jayden stared at his reflection in the mirrored wardrobe.
New life.
New lies.
---
**Back at Eastview High**
When he returned to school three days later, the change was both invisible and overwhelming.
He still wore his old, faded uniform. He still used the same torn bag, repaired with thread and safety pins. But there was a fire in his eyes now—a calm, unshakable strength.
He didn't arrive in a limo, though he had the option.
He didn't flash his new phone, though he had three.
Instead, Jayden walked onto the school grounds like a ghost returning from war—quiet, unnoticed, but different.
The ones who noticed were the ones who knew how to watch.
---
**Kevin and Brian**, his closest friends, greeted him at their usual lunch table under the tree near the science lab.
"Bro, you've been MIA," Kevin said, mouth half-full of mandazi. "We thought you dropped out or died."
"I'm alive," Jayden said, sitting down and pulling out a brown paper bag with homemade chapati and beans—same as always. A complete illusion.
"Where were you?" Brian asked. "That principal's been asking too."
Jayden shrugged. "Family stuff. You know how it is."
The truth was now poison. He couldn't afford to share it.
He watched as Brian passed his soda over. "Here, have mine. You look like you haven't had sugar in days."
Jayden smiled and took it. "Thanks, bro."
How could he ever leave them behind?
---
**Across the Yard**
Sasha watched him from her new circle of friends—girls who cared more about Instagram followers than classwork. She noticed something different about Jayden. Something unspoken.
He walked taller.
Smiled less.
And he didn't look at her once.
That annoyed her more than she expected.
"Why is he acting like he doesn't care?" she murmured.
"Who? That broke kid?" one of the girls said.
She didn't answer. Because she wasn't sure what bothered her more—that she had dumped Jayden, or that he didn't seem broken anymore.
---
**Nightfall at the Mansion**
Jayden sat alone in the study, leafing through photos of a man who was his father but felt like a stranger. Richard Lexington didn't return that night. He was in Dubai for business. As always.
The butler brought a tray of food—steak, roasted potatoes, asparagus—and a note.
**"I admire your silence. But your silence can be dangerous. Let me teach you how to use your voice. Tomorrow. — R.L."**
Jayden stared at the plate. He missed his mother's ugali. He missed beans. He missed… not being complicated.
He got up, walked to the kitchen, and asked the chef for a simple meal. Something "normal."
The chef looked confused but nodded.
Jayden ate a plate of plain ugali and sukuma wiki on the balcony in silence, staring at the city lights.
---
**The Double Life Begins**
From that day forward, Jayden led two lives.
By day, he was the poor, brilliant student with threadbare clothes and a heart of gold. The boy who helped classmates study. Who shared his lunch when he had none to begin with.
But by night, he became something else.
Under the name **"Anonymous Legacy,"** he began channeling money from Lexington's private charitable fund. He didn't use it for luxury or cars. He used it for:
* Clearing school fees for struggling students at Eastview
* Buying textbooks for underprivileged schools in Kibra
* Stocking food donations under church programs
* Paying hospital bills anonymously
The press began whispering about a mysterious benefactor in Nairobi—no one could trace him.
But Jayden wasn't after praise.
He was chasing peace.
---
**One Day, at the Library**
Sasha cornered him near the back shelves.
"You've been ignoring me," she said bluntly.
Jayden looked up from his book, cool and composed. "No. I've just been busy."
"Too busy for friends?"
He blinked slowly. "Are we still friends?"
She hesitated. "I don't know. Maybe."
Jayden closed the book and stood. He was taller now. Not physically—but something had grown inside him. She could feel it.
"I hope he's treating you well," Jayden said.
Sasha smiled weakly. "Not like you did."
"But better, right?" he said, voice flat.
She said nothing.
Jayden walked past her without another word.
And for the first time, Sasha felt poor.
---
**Richard's Lesson**
The next morning, Jayden sat across from Richard Lexington in the study. The man had returned, darker tan from his travels, wearing a watch worth more than a Range Rover.
"You've done well," Richard said. "Donating. Staying silent. Humble."
"I'm not trying to impress anyone," Jayden replied.
"You're lying to everyone," Richard said. "Including yourself."
Jayden narrowed his eyes. "So are you."
Richard laughed. "Good. You'll survive."
He leaned forward.
"You have power now, Jayden. But if you don't learn how to use it, it'll burn you alive. Money is like fire. It cooks food or burns down houses. Your choice."
Jayden said nothing.
"I'll teach you business, legacy, leverage. Not so you become me. But so you don't get destroyed by men like me."
Jayden nodded once.
"Good," Richard said. "Your training starts tomorrow."
---
**The Return of Sasha**
Weeks passed.
Jayden's world grew wider. He started managing mini-projects, meeting advisors, attending discreet online classes in business and finance. At school, his grades remained perfect. His friends still saw the same Jayden.
But Sasha was not the same.
She had broken up with Brandon. It hadn't lasted.
He was flashy. Controlling. And uninterested in anything beyond himself.
Jayden… he was different. And she now realized it too late.
She began messaging him.
**"Can we talk?"**
**"I miss you."**
**"I made a mistake."**
**"Please reply."**
Jayden read them all.
He replied with one line:
**"Some mistakes are meant to hurt."**
---
**Secrets and Shadows**
But peace doesn't last.
Not in a world of wealth.
Word began spreading.
A student claimed to have seen Jayden near Karen in a black car. A teacher whispered about an anonymous donor with Jayden's handwriting.
Kevin and Brian started asking more questions.
"Are you okay, man? You've changed."
Jayden smiled. "Change is part of life."
"Not this kind," Brian said. "This is the kind that makes friends disappear."
Jayden wanted to tell them the truth.
But the truth could destroy them.
And him.
One night, as Jayden stood on the Lexington rooftop, overlooking the Nairobi skyline, his phone buzzed.
It was an anonymous message.
**"We know who you are. You're not the only secret child of a billionaire. Watch your back."**
Jayden's heart froze.
He stared out at the glowing city.
The lights looked beautiful from up here.
But some of them were burning.
---
**End of Chapter Three**