Chapter 10

The crowd fell into a stunned silence, and the director’s smirk faltered for a brief moment before returning, though now tinged with disbelief.

 "Ten times?" The Director echoed, laughing mockingly. “You’re joking, right?”

I didn’t flinch, keeping my gaze locked on his. "On one condition," I continued. "That Mikky is expelled from this school."

Mikky doubled over, clutching his sides, while the director shook his head in disbelief. I could see my grandmother looking at me from my side view with wide eyes, as if I’d lost my mind. 

"Ten times?" the director repeated, struggling to contain his amusement. “That’s $20 million, Jordan. Are you sure you haven’t hit your head too hard? You expect us to believe that you can just pull $20 million out of thin air?”

I remained unfazed, locking eyes with him. I could see his confidence waver for a moment, as if he wanted to believe me. But after sizing me up, he clearly concluded that I was mad. “Give me the school’s official account number, and I’ll transfer it right now.”

“This guy has lost it. I think he needs to be checked.”

“$20 million for someone who can’t feed himself or pay his tuition?”

“Take your sickly grandmother and use the $20 million to give her good treatment, if you even have that much.”

Their comments were expected. 

I turned to see a large crowd gathering, worth their attention as more people trouped in. My eyes scanned the crowd and noticed some people were holding the phone and making a livestream of this.

I wondered what the live stream comment section would look like. But I envisioned how disappointed they’d be when I shocked them.

The director’s eyes narrowed, still not taking me seriously. “Sure, Jordan. I’ll humor you. Let’s see this magic $20 million.”

Mikky’s laughter died down, his expression quickly shifting from mockery to smug anticipation. He glanced at Diana, who was standing at his side, her arms still crossed and that same arrogant smile still plastered on her face.

"What do you think, babe?" Mikky asked. 

Diana didn’t even hesitate. She tilted her head, eyes flicking toward me with disdain. "Sure. But let’s make it fun. If his transfer fails, he has to run around the school naked. We’ll record the whole thing and upload it for everyone to see. That should teach him a lesson, don’t you think?"

The crowd erupted with cheers, the idea clearly amusing to them. Mikky’s grin widened as he turned back to me, relishing the chaos. "Well, Jordan? Are you up for it?"

"Jordan, this is madness! Please stop, don’t put yourself through this humiliation. It’s not worth it." Josh warned me, but I am determined.

Even my grandmother tugged on my sleeve, her voice trembling. "Jordan, please stop. You don’t have to do this. Don’t make a fool of yourself and me." I have clearly disobeyed her way too much today to question my upbringing, but these jerks need to be put in their place.

"Just give me the account number." 

I turned to face her, gently removing her hand from my arm and handing her over to Josh to take care of her. "Don’t worry, Grandma," I said softly, my voice steady with confidence. 

"Are you serious, man?" Josh pulled me aside, whispering urgently. "This is insane! They’ll destroy you if the transfer doesn’t go through. Me and you clearly know you have no such money. You’re risking everything for what? Revenge?"

I met his worried gaze with a calm confidence I hadn’t felt before. "Josh, relax. Just trust me on this. This isn’t about the money. This is about respect. Mikky’s going to regret humiliating my grandmother like that. Just keep her safe for the meantime."

Josh looked at me like I’d completely lost it, but I didn’t care. I was done playing their game, and I wasn’t backing down now.

The crowd was chanting now, as if the stage lights had turned on us, putting us in the school spotlight. I could bet every activity had paused, all focus now on this showdown.

I could see the director still standing there, watching with indifference. He finally spoke, his voice filled with smug superiority. "Fine. I’ll give you the account number, Jordan. But when this fails, you’ll be the laughingstock of the entire school and that will be on you."

After writing down the account number, the director tried to pass it to me, but Mikky snatched it from him and handed it to Diana, signaling her to take over. 

Diana began calling out the account number one by one, the crowd echoing each digit after her. I rolled my eyes at their ignorance. Mikky paused for a moment, studying me as if he suspected something was off. He pointed at his eyes and then at me, gesturing, “My eyes are on you.” I smiled; he wanted to intimidate me, but it didn’t work.

I focused on the account number, feeling the tension in the air grow thick. All eyes were on me as I pulled out my phone.

Mikky’s mocking laughter filled the air as I pulled out the platinum card my grandfather had given me, and his laughter immediately died. I had so many surprises in store for them. 

The sleek design gleamed under the bright lights of the day, and I caught the amusement in the crowd as they gasped. I noticed the director shrugging in discomfort, a million questions written across his face.

“Where’d you get that?” Mikky sneered, leaning in with a smirk, his earlier surprise vanished. 

"Did you steal it? Or maybe you found it in a dumpster somewhere?" Diana giggled beside him, her arms wrapped around his waist.

"It’s probably one of those fake cards they use as props," Diana added. "He’s desperate to show off, but this is just pathetic."

Their insults were like darts thrown at my pride, but I held my composure. I knew the truth, and I wasn’t about to let their petty taunts shake me.

 Ignoring them, I keyed in the account details and initiated the transfer from the account binded to the platinum card I was given, because my main account was still empty.

 This was the moment that I would crush Mikky’s ego. 

My screen rolled, more people were closer to me so they could capture my screen closely.

Then, it happened.

Transfer failed.