Sandra set her food container to one side.She picked up her pen and turned to a fresh page in her notepad "I have an idea," she said.She looked at both of them."We set a trap."Chris watched her."The call worked as a scare tactic because we were not ready for it," Sandra said. "We didn't record it. We could not even trace it. The number disappeared. Whoever made that call knows it worked; they got a reaction, even if they don't know the specifics of what our reaction was." She paused. "So we give them reason to try it again. But this time under different conditions.""How?" Jessica said."Two things," Sandra said. "Chris stops coming to school for a few days. He didn't go today, so we add Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Unexplained absence. And we quietly withdraw the civil suit from the court." She held up a hand before either of them could respond. "No official hearing date has been set yet for that case. The window to withdraw without formal consequence is still open. We p

"Tyler said his father spoke to Hargrove this morning," Chris said. "Principal Hargrove is coordinating with Brooks to kill the civil suit. And Hargrove called me this morning to warn me off." He looked at his phone, at the corridor camera feed still on screen. "It is the same person running the same operation through two different channels. One official, one not.""Which is useful," Sandra said. "Because the official channel, the committee, the school's response to our demands, and the attempt to bury the suit are documented. And the unofficial channel is going to be documented too.""So what if he calls again? What do we do since the plans have changed?" Chris asked."That will be a part of the unofficial channel, and we will record it too to buttress our case.""Because now we are not backing down, and he is going to feel that. The civil suit stays filed. The court date for the police case is Monday. You have been publicly vindicated at assembly and publicly questioned whether t

Saturday morning.He slept until 10:15 am.He had slept late in the night around 3 am. He had been reading market commentary until nearly 2 am.His body had eventually made the decision for him and switched off without permission.He woke to the Saturday morning with cool air blowing into his room from the windows.He picked up his phone.Binance first, the morning reflex.Bitcoin: $40,100.He looked at the number for a moment. Stabilised. Forty thousand was still a significant distance from two hundred thousand, where it had been two weeks ago. But at least it was not falling anymore, so it was definitely stabilised. The panic selling had exhausted itself, and the market had found something like a floor.He scrolled through the morning news briefly. The commentary had shifted from crisis to analysis, the first signs that the emotional phase of the crash had passed and the rational phase was beginning. People were asking the reasonable questions now."What does this mean? What comes

He called Diane on the phone and told her he had arrived at the premises.She responded that she was inside and was coming out.She appeared from the entrance thirty seconds later.She was clearly in her mid-forties; she was looking fully professional with a simple smile on her face.She seemed to recognise Chris and simply walked towards Chris with a smile"Christopher, right?" she said.Chris nodded in the affirmative."Yes, that is me. I am Christopher." He responded as he nodded "Right on time." She replied to him.She shook his hand formally, and they went into the building together.The reception area was clean and simply furnished with a desk, a seating area, and a board on the wall with building notices. A receptionist on duty who looked up and gave the standard acknowledgement.Diane went to the desk and returned with a key ring.Three keys.She held them out to him."These are yours," she said. "Two spares and the main. The building management holds a master key for all un

MONDAY MORNING.The morning was clear and cold.Chris met Jessica at Sandra's building at 8:15. She was waiting in the lobby with a briefcase and court attire."Ready?" she said."Ready?" he said.“The driver I booked has already arrived. Let’s get going then."They took a cab together.The courthouse was a mid-sized building in the civic district.It was not the largest facility in the city, but properly imposingIt had stone steps, double doors and a lobby with wooden panelling that smelt of old documents and floor polish.Jessica moved through check-in quickly. Chris followed his lead quietly. They were directed to Courtroom 4, second floor.This was Chris’ first time in a court.He saw the elevated bench at the front, the judge's chair empty, the gallery benches behind the bar, and the witness stand to the right. The prosecution and defence tables are facing forward, perpendicular to the bench.A man was already seated at the opposite table.Mid-forties, well-dressed, clearly a l