Chapter 5: An Accident

The words hit Benjamin like a tidal wave, leaving him stunned and breathless. His classmates' jeers only added salt to the wound.

"Expelled? Good riddance!"

Maybe now he'll learn some manners."

Desperation etched across Benjamin's face, he implored, "Please, Mrs. Ann, I understand I was late, but we have a test coming up. If I miss this class, I'll fail."

But Mrs. Ann remained unmoved, her expression stern. "I've made my decision, Benjamin. You've disrupted this class enough."

"Mrs. Ann, please, I beg you. I can't afford to fail this test. I'll do anything to make up for being late."

Mrs. Ann's stern demeanor remained unchanged. "Your actions have consequences, Benjamin. I've made my decision."

His voice trembling, Benjamin continued, "I promise I'll never be late again. Just give me this chance, please."

But Mrs. Ann's expression remained resolute. "Leave this class, Benjamin."

Seeing his pleas fall on deaf ears, Benjamin's desperation surged. "Please, Madam Ann, I'll do anything. I'll take any punishment you give. Just let me stay."

Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Mrs. Ann took matters into her own hands. She grasped Benjamin's collar, her grip firm, and forcefully began to lead him out of the classroom. The resistance in Benjamin's steps was visible, but he knew he was powerless at this moment.

The classroom door closed behind them. Benjamin was now outside, looking angry and sad.

As Benjamin stood in the hallway, the whispers of passing girls reached his ears.

"Hey, isn't he that guy from yesterday night?"

The other girl nodded, her expression scornful. "It's him. Look at how shameless he is."

"It seems he's been kicked out of class," the third girl remarked, a smirk playing on her lips. They all burst into laughter.

Benjamin could only shake his head and mutter, "It's all because I don't have money; I'm being looked down on as if I committed a crime. Since I've been kicked out, there's no need to be here. Let me go out and do any part-time job to see if I can earn something."

With that in mind, he walked out of campus and hailed a taxi. After getting down, he headed to a restaurant, hoping to secure some part-time work, but he was promptly turned away at first sight due to his shabby attire. For hours, Benjamin trudged from one place to another, scouring for any opportunity to earn meager pocket money.

Hours passed, and Benjamin found himself traversing from one place to another, relentlessly searching for any opportunity to earn meager pocket money.

His shirt clung to his body, drenched in sweat, and his shoes were now caked with dust. With the last of his change, he purchased a slice of bread and pressed on with his search. As the day waned and dusk began to settle in, a heavy sigh escaped his lips.

"Been walking from morning till now and still nothing. Shall it ever be well for me, Benjamin?" he asked himself. "Now that all my money is used up, I have to hurry and walk back to the dorm before it closes," he said before walking down Elysian Street.

He walked for about half an hour when a car pulled up beside him in the quiet area of the road, abruptly stopping. The door swung open, and five rough-looking individuals emerged. Some had cigarettes dangling from their lips as they encircled Benjamin.

Frowning with a touch of panic, Benjamin asked, "What's wrong? Who are you people?"

One of them blew a cloud of smoke in his face and inquired, "You're Benjamin Hayes, right?"

Benjamin nodded creasing his brow. "Yes, I am. What's wrong?"

Without a word, the man raised his hand, poised to strike Benjamin.

Swift as lightning, Benjamin caught the man's hand and countered with a retaliatory blow.

Bang!"

"What's wrong? Who are you people?" he demanded.

"Aushh!"

A guttural cry escaped the man as he spat out a mixture of saliva and blood, and his cigarette fell to the ground.

"You dare hit me?" he yelled.

Still wearing a frown, Benjamin retorted, "You were about to strike me, and I..."

Before he could finish, a blow from behind sent him stumbling. Caught off guard, he lost his footing and fell. The onslaught of kicks from the assailants followed, each strike intensifying the pain.

Weak and battered, Benjamin winced, his strength draining faster. They pummeled him relentlessly.

Finally, one of them leaned down, his voice a malicious whisper in Benjamin's ear. "Next time, be careful when touching Maverick Stone."

It became evident that Maverick had ordered these men to find and settle the score following the previous day's public altercation where Benjamin hit him.

Benjamin, still in a state of shock, attempted to speak but could only cough up blood. His body weakened. The assailants swiftly retreated to their cars and sped away.

"Ah, God help me." Benjamin was still on the floor, wincing in pain. He picked up his phone, which was on the ground with a cracked screen. He managed to get up, wiping the blood around his mouth, and then continued walking. His movements were not steady as he swayed from one side to another.

All of a sudden, his phone started ringing, but to the crack, he couldn't see the screen well. He didn't care much about it and declined the call himself.

It rang again, which made him a bit angry. "Who keeps calling me over and over?" he thought, this time turning the phone off as he placed it in his pocket and kept walking.

Benjamin was seeing the street blurry; he was hungry and weak too. He was about to cross the road to the next junction when a car mistakenly crossed him, nearly hitting him. The driver was fast enough and stepped on the brake, so it only touched him slightly.

Benjamin was so weak that even though he wasn't hurt, just the touch made him fall. He was seeing things in a deep blur until he completely lost consciousness.

The door of the car, an expensive Rolls Royce opened, and quickly stepping out was a woman who was around the age of 45 dressed beautifully. She looked well maintained despite her age. The necklace around her neck was purely gold, from which just a glance, one could tell she was rich.

Two bodyguards also got down from a car, following the Porsche, and followed her as she quickly rushed towards Benjamin. The man who was driving, around the age of 30, also quickly got down and followed.

Seeing Benjamin on the floor with blood stains in his shirt, the woman panicked a bit. She looked at the man driving angrily.

"Couldn't you see the road? You hit someone? Do you want to give me problems?"

"I'm sorry, madam," he stammered. "He was the one who crossed, but I think he already had those stains because I didn't hit him; it just scratched."

"You..." The woman gritted her teeth angrily. She looked at the two guards and said, "Quickly, put him inside, and you, hurry up and drive home."