THE UPSTANDING DAVID MALCOLM

Chapter 3

Elizabeth’s smile stretched wide, almost triumphant. She tucked the signed document neatly back into her bag, her voice smooth and dismissive.

“You can cash out the check on your way out,” she said, her tone dripping with finality.

But David’s voice broke through the air, calm and cutting. “There’s no need for the money.”

Elizabeth’s brow lifted, but before she could respond, David went on. “I wish you luck with your grand push in the social rankings. But let me warn you in advance once I step out of this building, this company will go bankrupt immediately.”

The words fell heavy, but Elizabeth couldn’t contain herself. She burst into laughter, sharp and loud, her shoulders shaking. “Oh, David,” she said mockingly, “you’ve always been intelligent, but this? This lie is beneath you.”

Her eyes gleamed with scorn as she leaned forward, her voice cutting like glass. “You seem to have forgotten what I’ve built. The company is worth a hundred million dollars now. Five of the city’s elites are fully banking with us. There is no way Hills National Bank can go bankrupt not now, not ever. Even the new branch companies we’re building under it are already worth thirty million dollars. And once I secure the 333 special number, their value will soar to a hundred million before the year ends.”

She straightened, her expression proud, her words sharp enough to stab. “You are useless now. Whatever intelligence you claim to have means nothing if you’re just a nobody.”

Elizabeth flicked her hand, flinging the one-million-dollar check toward him. It fluttered through the air and landed on the polished floor at his feet. “This is your last chance,” she spat. “Take it.”

However David didn’t move. His gaze stayed fixed on her, calm and steady. He let the check rest where it fell, untouched, ignored. When he spoke, his tone was quiet but laced with iron.

“Hills National Bank is worth a hundred million because of me. Those companies you boast about are worth what they are because of me, built everything, while you and your family did nothing but watch. Once I walk away, everything will fall back into the dust where I picked it from.”

Elizabeth laughed again, even louder this time, almost wild. She shook her head, convinced he had finally lost his grip. “Perhaps you’ve gone mad,” she sneered. “The divorce, the shame it’s scrambled your brain. You’re not making sense anymore.”

Just as her laughter died down and she opened her mouth to add more venom, the door to the boardroom swung open.

A young man stepped in, dressed in a bright yellow blazer suit that clung to him with deliberate boldness. His steps were firm, his presence loud without him needing to raise his voice.

“There is no way false information can bring down Hills National Bank to the dust,” he declared, his voice strong and confident. “For the bank to collapse, all five elite families would have to pull every single resource out of it. And, in addition, over forty percent of the regular customers would need to withdraw their money as well.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping the room.

“Now, while that forty percent of customers may not matter much, the five elite families absolutely do. But let’s be clear they begged to bank with Hills. If they pulled their money out all at once, they would lose far too much themselves. It’s not possible. It’s nothing more than a fantasy. Nobody, nobody can bring down Hills National Bank and the companies tied to it.”

Then the man in the brown blazer stopped beside David like a calm wave. He looked almost gentle. He spoke with a quiet voice that filled the room.

Elizabeth’s face lit up the moment she saw him. Her smile was large and quick. She stood and moved to him without thinking. She took his hands in both of hers. Her fingers pressed like a pet, warm and sure.

“Benjamin, you didn’t tell me you were coming,” she said. Then she leaned in and kissed his cheek. The kiss was soft, quick meant for show.

Immediately David felt something cold move under his skin. His brow pushed down. He did not look away, but his eyes sharpened. He watched them. The kiss landed like a slap in his chest. He had not thought she would change so fast. She had used him and moved on like he was nothing, he couldn't believe this was the lady she knew.

Benjamin smiled at Elizabeth. He reached up and kissed her forehead. The kiss was gentle, like a promise or a claim. Then he turned to David.

“My name is Benjamin Taylor,” he said. His voice was calm and steady. “Our family is part of the top five in Hills Town.”

The name sat in the room heavy and loud. David heard it and felt the plan click into place. He saw the reason for the numbers, the talk, the special 333 title. He could see where Elizabeth had found her bright idea.

But to David the title was small. It was a crown of show. People wore it and bowed to it. They thought it made them bigger. They thought it made them gods. David only saw people learning to crawl in a new suit. They had no real strength. They had only noise and coin.

Benjamin stood straight. His brown blazer fit like it had been cut for kings. He did not shout. He did not need to shout. His calm made the others quiet again.

David’s hands were still. He felt a hot knot in his chest. He counted his breaths slow. He thought of the day they had called him savior. He thought of the nights he had worked while they slept. He thought of the plan and the usurpers. His mind boxed at the thought of them.

One day, he thought, he would break one of their bones. The thought came dark and loud in his head. But in the room now, he would not shout. He would not fight. The anger sat in his jaw like a stone. He would hold it. He would plan.

He looked at Elizabeth one last time. Her smile was bright, but it did not reach her eyes. Her hand still held Benjamin’s. The directors were gone. The check was on the floor. The paper rustled like dry leaves.

David turned around slowly. He set his chair back with a soft scrape. He walked to the door, his steps even, calm. Then he stopped, turned, and said in a cold, clear voice, “I will take my leave”