THE UPSTANDING DAVID MALCOLM

Chapter 7

Immediately Alexander’s face twisted. His brows pushed down hard, his fury boiling to the surface. His pride roared inside him, wounded beyond repair. “No one has ever disrespected me before,” he growled, his voice low and dark. “For this, you must pay with your life.”

He snapped his fingers, the signal was clear.

At once, the rest of his men moved. All ten bodyguards surged forward, encircling David in a tight ring. It was ten against one.

The ten men tightened their circle around David, their heavy boots stomping against the marble floor. The workers and customers pressed closer together, excitement flashing in their eyes. Phones were raised high, recording every second. To them, this was justice in the making. David, the fool, was about to be beaten into dust for daring to step out of his class and challenge the Almighty Alexander George.

Whispers filled the air.

“He deserves it.”

“Finally, he’ll learn where he belongs.”

“What a fool, thinking he could stand against Alexander.”

Alexander’s lips curled upward, his cheeks rising with confidence. His eyes narrowed as he addressed David. “I gave you time to come back to your senses,” he said, his voice ringing loud across the hall. “But you threw it out of the window. Now you’ll face the consequences of being dumb. I’ve never given anyone a second chance before. Never. And yet I gave you two. Twice you had the chance to kneel, and twice you chose to behave senselessly. For that, my men will beat some sense back into you.”

He paused, expecting David to finally fold under the pressure. But David stood there, calm as a mountain, unmoving, unflinching, his silence louder than any words.

Again Alexander’s face darkened, anger surging at David’s composure. With a sharp gesture, he barked the order. “Beat him until he begs for his life!”

The ten men grinned, their teeth flashing as they cracked their knuckles. “We’ll make sure of it!” one of them shouted.

Like wild lions pouncing on prey, they charged all at once, the floor shaking beneath their weight. The crowd cheered, phones flashing like stars, eager to capture David’s downfall.

But what happened next made the air itself tremble.

As the first man reached for David, his hand barely inches away, David’s leg shot out in a single, swift kick. The man was lifted clean off the floor, his body crashing across the hall like a rag doll. Another lunged, only to meet David’s fist square in the chest. The blow sent him flying back as though struck by a truck.

Each one came with fury, but none made it close enough to touch David’s breath, let alone land a hit. Every strike from David was precise, clean, devastating. A single blow, a single kick and another body flew.

The battle lasted less than one minutes. By the end, the once-confident bodyguards lay sprawled across the floor, clutching their ribs, their faces twisted in agony. Their groans and cries filled the hall, a chorus of pain that silenced the onlookers.

The bank, once buzzing with cheers and whispers, now felt like a graveyard. The air was heavy, no one daring to speak. Even the sound of breathing seemed too loud. Fear wrapped around them all, not of Alexander anymore, but of David. They were terrified that the same wrath might fall on them if they so much as moved wrong.

Alexander stood frozen, his eyes wide, his body stiff. He had never been this shocked in his life. His men ten strong, trained, loyal were nothing before David. And David had made it look effortless, like a walk in the park.

Then, breaking the suffocating silence, David turned his eyes back on Alexander. His voice came calm, deep, and sharp.

“Your five minutes is up.”

Immediately Alexander’s face went pale. His hands shook. He tried to pull himself up, but his voice came out small and thin.

“Do you even know who I am?” he said, his words breaking. He was alone now. No one moved to help him.

David walked toward him. His steps were slow and sure. “I don’t care who you are,” he said. “You will do exactly what I told you today.”

David moved faster. Alexander’s legs felt weak. For a beat, he wanted to run. His feet would not move. He fell back and hit the floor. He started to shout and beg. “Somebody, help me! He’s a madman!” he cried.

He called out for a fighter. “I will give one hundred thousand dollars to fight him!” he shouted, but no one came. He raised the offer to a million. Still no one came. A few people tried to move forward, but David’s cold glare pushed them back like wind. They stepped back without thinking.

Alexander called them cowards. “You are all cowards!” he barked. He looked around, desperate. Then he tried a new plan. He pushed himself up and smiled in a weak way. “Work for me,” he said quickly. “Be my bodyguard. I will pay you a million dollars. My men are useless. I need a man like you.”

He reached out his hand. He stood up and stretched his arm toward David. He hoped for a deal.

But David did not take his hand. In one fast move, David slapped him hard across the face. The sound cracked in the room. Alexander staggered back, his cheek burning. Pain hit him like fire.

He shook. His face turned red with anger and shame. “How dare you!” he roared. “no one will help you, you and your family will be killed if my father hear of this”. He tried to scare him.

Alexander forced words out. “Kneel! Worship me! Or you will die before the sun sets!” he cried. He reached up and grabbed David’s shirt. He squeezed his face and looked into his eyes.

“You will be killed if you dare lay a finger on me again…” he warned.

David stayed calm. He put a hand on Alexander’s shoulder. His voice was soft but hard. “Do I look like somebody that is afraid of dying?” he asked.

Before Alexander could think, his ears rang like bells.

“SLAP!”