Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Trouble Strikes

Luca Hall was a bit startled when he got off the plane – hardly surprising, given the shocking nature of the case. As a commercial lawyer at Pruett Law Firm, the largest law firm in the North Federation, he had seen it all. At 45, he had handled numerous major cases, including those involving anti-dumping settlements for the Flame Nation and Belmare Country.

Yet, the case at hand had Luca questioning if he was the punch line to a grand cosmic joke. A college student from Flame Nation had become the largest individual shareholder in Fruit Computer Co., Ltd., the highest-valued high-tech company in the North Federation, owning a staggering 4.8% of the shares. This alone guaranteed the student a place in the top 30 of the Forbes’ World Billionaire list!

After receiving this confidential assignment, Luca was excited but refrained from leaking any news, traveling alone to Flame Nation. After all, establishing a good relationship with this young man could mean becoming his spokesperson in the North Federation.

“Mr. Lewis, would you kindly come with us?” Sharp James finally made a decision. He then turned to Cora Franklin and Yuri Lucas, “Considering that you want to file a report, I’d appreciate it if you also accompanied me.”

“Wait, Principal Thom! Is it necessary to make a scene? They are our school’s students, can’t we conduct an internal investigation instead? We don’t know the truth yet— isn’t it inappropriate to go directly to the police station?” a somewhat panicked Mr. Wood tried to reason with Robert Thomp.

“Mr. Wood! Yes, they are our students. But didn’t you hear what he just said? He fired obscenities and showed complete disrespect. As a teacher, I may overlook it, but in society, this behavior could lead to slander and defamation lawsuits! And this is not a trivial matter. If those hundreds of thousands of dollars were illegally obtained, that would carry a hefty prison sentence!” Robert Thomp sternly retorted.

“But…” Mr. Wood was about to object when Finn Lewis interrupted with a cold laugh, “Mr. Wood, don’t bother. Go to the police station, be it. If one has done nothing wrong, one has nothing to fear. As for who can’t withstand the investigation, we’ll see. Mr. Wood, you should go back to class. And thank you.”

“Finn, that’s probably for the best. At the police station, you should plainly explain your situation to the officer. They can help keep your business secrets confidential. Have you got that?” As clueless as Mr. Wood might seem, Robert Thomp’s attitude was a telltale sign.

Mr. Wood could only turn to Finn and firmly remind him.

“Got it,” Finn assured him with a smile.

With the discussion concluded, Sharp James stood up, “Let’s get going, shall we?”

Upon leaving the school building, Finn got into the police car. Cora Franklin and Yuri Lucas hailed a taxi to follow them to the station. Watching the departing police car, Mr. Wood clenched his teeth, stomped his foot and headed towards the headmaster’s office.

However, Mr. Wood hadn’t expected that Robert Thomp was already there, apparently having had a lengthy discussion with the headmaster.

“Headmaster Green,” Mr. Wood expressed his urgency. Would Robert Thomp’s pre-emptive talk mar the impression of the headmaster?

“I see. Mr. Wood, please sit down,” Headmaster Robert Green instructed, pointing to a chair in the office.

Once Mr. Wood sat down, Headmaster Green began, “Principal Thom has briefed me on the incident. I have a basic understanding. I heard about yesterday’s incident this morning. I have one question — do you believe that Finn Lewis can make two thousand dollars in a short period?”

“Shouldn’t we look at this differently? He might not be the best student, but everyone has their strengths. Maybe he’s business-savvy despite his underperformance at school? Isn’t that possible?” Mr. Wood quickly interjected.

“Alright, I admit, you make a valid point. But success in business ties in with family, educational background, etc. Considering his background, his family is just an ordinary farming family. I don’t scorn farming families, but his background has bound him to a certain societal level. He went to an average high school, got good grades, and got into our college. But in college, he spent most of his free time working part-time,” Headmaster Green seemed well-versed in Finn’s background.

He paused briefly before resuming, “My reluctance to believe in our students is not the issue. Mr. Wood, consider this: if he did, in fact, possess such commerce acumen, it wouldn’t make sense that he spent nearly three years in college working part-time jobs, only to showcase this talent after a breakup, right?”

Headmaster Green’s point was objective and made sense. This viewpoint made Mr. Wood wonder if it was as unlikely as it sounded, and he hurriedly spoke, “Alright, Headmaster Green. Your point is that two thousand dollars is a large sum to Finn, correct?”

“Yes! Perhaps two thousand dollars isn’t much to others, and while we have many rich students at our school, it’s a huge amount for Finn,” Headmaster Green nodded.

A sense of smug satisfaction flickered on Robert Thomp’s face before he replaced it with a mournful look and he firmly said, “Therefore, Headmaster Green, we should consider my proposals seriously. We must expel these morally corrupt students immediately before they harm others.”

“Principal Thom! Aren’t you taking this too far? Finn is a young man. So what if he cursed a few times in anger in the office? You can’t just expel him for that! When did our school start expelling students so easily?” Mr. Wood was taken aback and stood up violently from the sofa to protest.

“Harsh? I don’t think so at all! With such students, every additional day they are allowed to stay risks leading other students astray,” Robert Thomp retorted quickly.

“Wait! Headmaster, there’s something else I haven’t mentioned. We all agree that to Finn, two thousand dollars is an astronomical figure and could be considered illegally gained. But the bank message I saw on his phone showed a balance of not just two thousand dollars but one hundred million!” Mr. Wood exclaimed.

“How much?” Headmaster Green and Robert Thomp were taken aback.

“A whole one hundred million! If two thousand dollars could be illegally obtained, then one hundred million, how could it possibly be gained illegally?” Mr. Wood rushed to clarify.

“Mr. Wood, are you sure about this?” Headmaster Green was flabbergasted. After all, one hundred million Flame Nation coins would weigh over a ton in cash – definitely limited in how it could be illegally obtained.

“I’m sure! He showed me himself,” Mr. Wood asserted vehemently.

“Did you notice when this transaction was made?” Headmaster Green mused and continued questioning.

“Uh? I didn’t pay attention, but I think it was roughly early morning yesterday,” Mr. Wood hesitated before replying.

Upon hearing the time, Headmaster Green’s expression grew grave.