Meanwhile, inside the abandoned lecture hall, the air was thick with the smell of cigarette smoke, marijuana, and alcohol. Broken chairs were scattered everywhere, empty bottles rolled on the floor, and cigarette butts filled the corners of the room.At the center of the room, five students were gathered around an old wooden table, playing cards. Money was scattered on the table, and the boys were arguing loudly.“Play your card!” one of them snapped impatiently.“Relax, I’m thinking,” another replied, scratching his head as he stared at his cards.“Thinking my foot. You’ve been thinking for five minutes. You smoke too much marijuana now your brain has become slow.”Not too far from them, Raymond sat on a chair like a king on his throne. One leg was crossed over the other, and he was smoking slowly, looking very relaxed.In front of him, a young student was on his knees, sweating heavily as he carefully washed Raymond’s feet with a small bowl of water and a rag. His hands were trembli

Eddie, who had been unusually quiet throughout the entire confrontation, finally shifted his weight and glanced down at his wristwatch. When he looked back up, there was a clear sense of urgency in his eyes.“Darren,” he said, his voice firm but slightly tense, “we only have fifteen minutes left. If we’re going to pull this off, we need to be very fast about it.”Jacob gave them a tensed but incredulous glare, “What… what are you guys planning?” Darren exhaled slowly, almost like someone mildly inconvenienced rather than pressed for time. Then he lifted his gaze and fixed it calmly on Raymond.“So,” Darren said, his tone even and unhurried despite the tension in the room, “what’s your decision?”He tilted his head slightly, his eyes steady.“We’re on a time frame,” he continued. “Are you going to follow us peacefully… or do you want us to drag you there?”Raymond’s frown deepened instantly. The faint amusement that had been lingering on his face vanished completely, replaced by somet

But before he spoke, his gaze moved again, this time towards Darren. Darren did not speak or make a body sign, he simply tilted his head slightly… and narrowed his eyes.That single look sent a chill down Raymond’s spine. The memory of what had just happened in the den flashed through his mind.Raymond shuddered slightly. He wouldn’t want to go through that experience all over again. Without wasting anymore time, he turned back to Dr. Maurice.“Yes,” he said. His voice was firm this time. “It’s true. Adrian paid me to delay Jacob so he would miss the quiz.”The whole hall erupted into murmur. Dr. Maurice frowned. His face a mixture of both shock and disappointment. He turned towards Adrian and demanded, “Is what he is said correct? Did you pay him to delay Jacob?”Adrian hesitated, but only for a few seconds. Then he rushed forward towards the stage.“That’s a lie!” Adrian shouted loudly as he walked up to the stage. “This is all fabricated!”He pointed toward Jacob and Darren.“T

The moment Darren finished speaking, the entire convocation square fell into a deep, heavy silence.It was the kind of silence that made people question if they had heard correctly.Students stared at him with wide eyes. Lecturers exchanged confused glances. Even the invited guests leaned forward slightly, trying to make sense of what had just happened.The man who had made the offer, Mr. George, stood completely still on the stage. His confident expression slowly faded, replaced by disbelief.For a few seconds, he simply looked at Darren, as though waiting for him to laugh and say it was a joke.But Darren remained calm.Mr. George finally let out a short breath and adjusted his suit.“Did I hear you correctly?” he asked slowly, his voice carrying across the quiet crowd. “Young man… did you just turn down my offer?”Darren nodded respectfully.“Yes, sir,” he replied calmly. A wave of murmurs spread across the audience.Mr. George frowned slightly, clearly not satisfied.“I am not su

George swallowed nervously, his lips trembling slightly as he tried to respond to Mr. Lawrence’s question.“No… sir,” he said hesitantly. “I did not ask him why he was here. But I am certain he is nobody of significance. He looked like—”Slap!Before he could finish his sentence, Mr. Lawrence’s wrinkled but surprisingly strong hand struck his face hard.The sound echoed sharply in the quiet lobby. Causing all the employees around to turn in alarm.George staggered backward, his head snapping to the side as he clutched his cheek in shock. His eyes widened, completely unprepared for what had just happened.Mr. Lawrence’s face was filled with anger.“You fool!” he barked, his voice trembling with fury. “How can you be so ignorant?! Do you want to destroy my thirty years of hard work with your stupidity?!”George’s body shook. He had never seen the old man this angry before.“Sir… I… I didn’t—”“Shut up!” Mr. Lawrence snapped, pointing a trembling finger at him. “Do you even understand wh