Locked inside the stall, Christopher listened to every single word.Tyler was speaking with a cold, measured precision. He sounded like a man presiding over a board meeting he had entirely rigged."Dominic. You all know why I brought you here, we can not afford to let anyone hear us.Don't let Chris out of your sight. I want to know where he goes, every person he talks to, and exactly where he goes when he leaves the campus. Everything comes to me by the end of the day. " Tyler said.Christopher heard Dominic mutter a short acknowledgement."Seth," Tyler continued. "Take four guys. Tail those five scholarship students. Two per shift. They move together, so you move together. I need three full days of surveillance. By Thursday night, I want to know exactly what they are doing, who they are meeting, and where they are heading after the final school, and when they leave their dorms." There was a chorus of low, submissive responses."Emily." Tyler's voice shifted when he addressed her.

Chris walked into the classroom behind Jordan and stopped.Looking out through the glass, he spotted Seth leaning against a far wall across the courtyard. He was not being obvious, merely occupying a vantage point that offered a clear view of the classroom entrance without appearing out of the ordinary.Chris held the silhouette in his vision for exactly one second.Then he looked ahead.The seating arrangement had changed.Most desks were exactly where they had always been. But his desk at the third window had a new neighbour. An unwanted neighbour. The girl who normally sat there, quiet and small, a second-year student who kept to herself and had never bothered anyone, was now at the far corner of the room, squeezed into a seat that was clearly not hers, her bag on her lap instead of the floor.Her face said everything. Not angry. Too timid for visible anger. Just the resigned, slightly wounded look of someone who had been moved against their will and hadn't had the standing to obj

Chris switched topics without making it feel like a switch."Everyone confirmed for the jobs?" he asked.The table came alive immediately with the specific energy of people moving from tension to something practical and good."All confirmed," Jade said. "Burger spot called me this morning. I start at four tomorrow.""The café confirmed yesterday," Zoe said. "Same time.""The pizza place sent both of us the start details last night," Ryan said, nudging Jordan. "Four to eight. They want us to come thirty minutes early for a quick orientation.""Same," Caleb said. “The grocery mart confirmed this morning. Three-thirty start."Chris looked around the table. All five of them. Every slot filled."Good," he said. "All of you, please show up on time, work properly, and keep your heads down. It is simple work, but do it well. " He paused. "And keep the job separate from everything happening here. Don't discuss school stuff at work; don't bring people from work into what we are doing. Ke

Sandra set the document on the table between them and opened it to the first page."One at a time," she said. "Starting with the trust."Chris straightened in the chair."It is in its final stages," Sandra said. "The legal structure is complete, the account framework is set, and everything has been reviewed and signed off on my end." She looked at him. "Barring anything unexpected, it finalises within twenty-four hours." She addedChris exhaled quietly."When it does," Sandra continued, "You will receive a confirmation email to the address we registered. That email will be followed by a second one containing the contact details for your assigned fund managers, your account advisor, and your accountant." She paused. "Four people total. All vetted. All operating under strict confidentiality agreements that cover your identity, your assets, and the nature of your holdings.""They won't know where the money came from, would they?" Chris asked."They won't ask; they know they are not

Sandra went through the papers steadily, page by page, not rushing.Three minutes in, she stopped.She lifted a single page from the stack and placed it flat on the table in front of Chris. She didn't say anything. She pointed to a paragraph, midway down the page, her finger resting beneath a block of text.Chris leaned forward and read it.The language was formal and dry, the bland administrative language of internal business records. But the content was clear enough.“Contractor: Mr Hades. Engaged as head of contracted plumbing services for the Meridian Building project. Total outstanding payment: Eight hundred thousand dollars. Payment withheld pending internal review. Status: Deceased. File closed.”Chris read it twice.He looked up at Sandra.Something had moved in his chest, not quite recognition, not yet, but the first tremor of it. The profile was right. Plumbing. Private project work. A substantial amount owed and never paid. A man who died leaving the debt unresolved and un