The New Syllabus Ch 7

The West Beverly Contingency

The leather-bound booth in the back office of Pruitt’s Steakhouse felt a world away from the chaotic, flashbulb-heavy atmosphere of the main dining room. Ray Pruit stood by the mahogany desk, a glass of bourbon catching the ambient amber light as he stared at the framed gold record mounted on the wall. It was a relic from a past life—the music industry, the tours, the Donna Martin drama, and the chaotic fame of the mid-90s. When the corporate casual dining market took a nosedive, Ray had seen an opening. Buying out the defunct TGI Fridays locations and transforming them into a premium steakhouse empire had required the same grit he used to survive the docks, and it had paid off.

A sharp knock broke his concentration. The heavy oak door swung open, and Noah Hunter walked in, looking every bit the smooth, effortlessly wealthy oil heir.

But Noah wasn't alone. Walking in lockstep behind him was a man built like a brick wall, wearing a tailored charcoal suit that barely concealed an athletic, military-grade posture. His sharp blue eyes scanned the room with cold, tactical precision before he even offered a greeting.

"Ray, thanks for accommodating the last-minute meeting," Noah said, offering a casual nod as he stepped inside. "You remember Teddy Montgomery, right? West Beverly alum, movie star's son?"

Ray squinted, the memories of the younger West Bev generation clicking into place. Teddy. The golden-boy tennis prodigy whose pro career had been cut short by a brutal knee injury years ago.

"Teddy," Ray said, shaking the man’s hand. The grip was like steel. "It’s been a minute. Last I heard, you were living out of the country."

"After the tennis circuit ended, I needed a complete change of pace," Teddy replied, his voice low and measured. "I ended up serving in the Air Force special forces, got my tactical certifications, and eventually started my own private security firm. Noah brought my team in to handle risk assessment and executive protection for Hunter Oil. Given what's brewing over at California University with Jasper and Annie Vance, we're treating this sponsorship as a high-threat environment." 

Noah slid into one of the leather chairs, gesturing for Teddy to take a post near the door. "Steve should be here any minute. Teddy’s team has been monitoring the campus feeds, and the situation with the Vance kids is getting volatile. If Hunter Oil is putting its name on that stadium, we need to make sure the student radicals don't try to burn it down."

Ray poured two more fingers of bourbon, setting a glass down in front of Noah. "Steve Sanders dealing with high-stakes corporate security. Now that's something I never thought I'd see."

Before Ray could answer, the office door flew open so hard it rattled the glass on the desk. Steve Sanders burst into the room, his tie askew and his face flushed a dangerous shade of crimson. He didn’t even look at the premium ribeyes sizzling on the platter Ray’s assistant had just brought in. He just slammed his phone face-up onto the mahogany table.

"Noah, we’re dead in the water," Steve gasped, leaning over the desk to catch his breath. "The deal is already leaking, and it’s getting ugly."

Noah didn't blink. He just picked up his glass of bourbon. "Calm down, Steve. Leak? The press release went out twenty minutes ago. It's standard corporate philanthropy."

"No, not the press release! An internal leak from inside the university board," Steve said, his voice jumping an octave. "Look at the student opposition boards. Look at the underground streams. Someone just fed the anti-Vance movement a massive payload of digital napalm. They're blasting it all over social media right now."

Teddy Montgomery stepped forward instantly, his tactical instinct kicking in. He tapped his own tablet, pulling up the live campus chatter feeds. His jaw tightened as the data rolled in. "He's right, Noah. It's an encrypted tip, but the source is highly placed. The message is tracking directly to the radical student opposition network."

Teddy turned the tablet around so Noah and Ray could see the blinking text.

“Follow the money. The university didn’t just welcome them back. Evil Hunter Oil is officially behind the curtain, funding the so-called movement to keep them here. Expose them.”

Ray leaned in, crossing his arms. "Who would drop something like that? It makes it look like Hunter Oil is bankrolling the protests just to manufacture a crisis."

"I'll tell you who," Steve groaned, throwing his hands up in the air. "Kelly! It has to be Kelly Taylor. She wanted Jasper and Annie banned, the school caved, she pulled her money, and now she’s burning the whole house down so Hunter Oil can’t build a stadium over her ashes. She’s framing your company as the bad guy to weaponize the campus against us!"

Noah’s eyes darkened as he stared at the screen. The smooth, easygoing billionaire persona vanished, replaced by the calculating executive who didn't like his corporate image being played with. "She's trying to start a corporate war using a bunch of twenty-something student activists as her frontline infantry."

Teddy minimized the text window, bringing up a live security grid of the California University campus. "And it’s working. The opposition group just shared this with Jasper and Annie's main faction. They think you're trying to control them. Both sides of the protest are uniting against the Hunter Oil announcement. The plaza is mobilizing right now."

Noah stood up, buttoning his suit jacket, and looked over at Teddy. "Deploy your team to the CU administration building. We need to secure the perimeter before Brandon Walsh's office gets overrun."

Steve looked at the untouched steak, then at Noah and Teddy, a sinking feeling in his chest. "Guys, I just wanted to save the alumni association. I didn't sign up to drop a tactical security force onto a college campus."

"Too late, Sanders," Ray said from behind the desk, taking a slow sip of his drink. "You brought Hunter Oil into the mix. You're in the trenches now."