THE UPSTANDING DAVID MALCOLM

Chapter 5

Hearing what the guards just said, The old man tilted his head toward the guard, his voice calm but steady.

“Tell your master I am almost done,” he said, nodding as though his presence here carried its own weight.

Without waiting for permission, he dipped his trembling hand into his pocket and pulled out a handful of shimmering stones. They clattered onto the cashier’s table, the faint glint of their fractured edges catching the light. It became clear to everyone watching he was here to trade precious stones for cash.

Gasps rippled through the hall. All eyes locked on him now. To stand his ground after the order of Alexander’s bodyguards was unthinkable. To defy them meant, in turn, to defy the Money Giant himself. Yet the old man dared.

“How much are all these?” he asked the cashier, his voice carrying a sense of urgency as he emptied the last of his pockets onto the counter.

Immediately the female cashier glanced at the stones briefly, then back at the tall figure of Alexander striding closer. Her lips curled in disdain. In her eyes, the old man wasn’t worth the air he breathed. He was nothing more than an interruption, a shadow in the way of someone far greater.

Silence lingered for a moment before she finally spoke, her tone sharp and dismissive. “Money Giant Alexander is in a hurry,” she said coldly, glaring at him. “You should step out of the line for your own good.”

The words hit the old man like a hammer. His shoulders shook, his breath caught. Panic seized his face, and suddenly he cried out.

“No! No, no!” His voice cracked with desperation. “Please, my daughter she is in the hospital! They will not accept half-broken moonstones, that is why I came here. I must get the money! If I don’t, she will not be treated!” His hands trembled as he pushed the stones forward, pleading. “You must attend to me now!”

But the cashier only folded her arms across her chest, her expression hard and unmoved. She looked down at him like he was less than the stones on the table.

“I am not attending to you, please step back.”

The cashier’s silence dragged for a full minute, her eyes fixed on Alexander as if he were the only one who mattered, because she really wants to be the one that's going to attend to Alexander, it's going to be a dream come true.

Again the old man’s voice broke the stillness, desperate and trembling.

“My daughter is dying! I need the money!” he cried, but the cashier’s lips stayed sealed, her arms still folded in cold defiance.

Realizing she would not help him, the old man turned, his tired eyes finding Alexander. His knees wobbled as he bent low. “Please, Master… let me go first.”

He tried to step closer, but the bodyguard nearest him moved faster. With brutal force, he swung the briefcase in his hands straight into the old man’s stomach. The blow landed hard, knocking the air from his lungs. The old man collapsed to his knees, coughing violently, one hand clutching his side as pain tore through him.

Before he could even catch his breath, two more bodyguards stepped in. Their hands gripped his frail arms, dragging him across the floor like a sack of weight. The old man pleaded, his voice breaking with every word.

“Please… my daughter… she’s in the hospital! Please, don’t do this… she needs me!”

But his cries fell to deaf ears. The guards dragged him with no hesitation, no mercy. His voice was nothing but background noise to them.

They were just about to pull him past Alexander when the Money Giant lifted a hand. A single gesture. The guards froze instantly.

Alexander’s eyes dropped to the man at his feet. His voice was calm, yet sharp enough to slice through the old man’s shaking frame. “Tell me,” he asked, “why did you refuse to move earlier?”

The old man dropped fully now, pressing his forehead against the cold marble floor. His body trembled. He opened his mouth, but before a word escaped, Alexander spoke again.

“I’ll only listen if you kiss my feet.”

Gasps spread across the hall, but the old man didn’t hesitate. With tears brimming in his eyes, he shuffled forward on his knees and pressed his lips against Alexander’s polished shoes. Once. Twice. His dignity shattered with each kiss.

“Speak,” Alexander commanded.

“My daughter,” the man stammered, his forehead still to the floor. “She was in an accident. The doctors said they won’t treat her until I pay the deposit. I have no money. These moonstones are all I have… I’ve been here so long. Please, Master, I cannot waste any more time.” His voice cracked, his body trembling as he bowed low again.

Alexander inhaled slowly, then let the breath out in a controlled sigh. “I’m catching a flight to Hope City,” he said casually.

“A one-billion-dollar deal waits for me there. Tell me, old man… is your daughter worth more than a billion dollars?”

The hall froze.

Alexander didn’t wait for the answer. He stepped forward, his stride elegant and unbroken, heading straight for the cashier’s counter. The old man’s head snapped up, disbelief burning in his eyes.

His vision reddened. He tried to crawl forward, reaching for Alexander’s suit like a drowning man reaching for a rope. But the guards came down on him mercilessly. Their boots pounded against his frail body until he slumped flat, groaning in agony.

Alexander’s voice rang out again, cold and final. “Throw him away.”

Two guards bent down, gripping the old man like discarded trash. They dragged him toward the exit. His pleas had gone silent now, replaced with shallow breaths and broken sobs.

Just as they passed the center of the hall, a voice cut through the chaos. It was Strong. Clear. Commanding.

“That’s enough.”

The words froze the air. Every head turned.

From the crowd, David stepped forward, his figure sharp and calm, his presence heavier than the marble pillars around him. His eyes burned with resolve as he walked toward the scene.