THE UPSTANDING DAVID MALCOLM

Chapter 8

David’s hand cracked across Alexander’s face once more, sharper and harder than before. The sound tore through the dead-silent bank like a whip. Alexander’s body jerked and he collapsed to the ground.

His ears rang as though a thousand bells clanged inside his skull. His vision blurred, stars dancing across his eyes. His head throbbed like it was about to split in two, yet it didn’t. Instead, heat rushed through his body, hot and unbearable, like boiling water flooding his veins. His chest heaved, his heart hammering like a car engine revved past its limit.

What is this?! The thought screamed in his head. Never in his life had Alexander felt pain like this. Pain that stripped him of his pride and dragged him down to the level of every man he had mocked. His breath came shallow, his confidence shattered.

David crouched before him, calm and collected, one hand raised as if ready to strike again. His expression didn’t change. His eyes were steady, his presence terrifying in its stillness.

Alexander panicked. His forehead hit the floor with a thud as he bowed low. “Please....please forgive me!” His voice shook. “Two million dollars! I will give you two million dollars, just forgive me, and stop this!”

David said nothing.

Alexander’s desperation grew. “Three million! Name your price, I’ll pay it!” His voice cracked, shame and fear tangled in his words. The great Money Giant reduced to begging on the cold floor.

David’s tone was calm, each word cutting through the tension like a blade. “I gave you a chance. Twice. You spat on it. Now you will pay for it.”

Alexander’s body trembled. Tears pressed at the corners of his eyes as he sobbed. “I’ll do anything! Anything you say!”

David’s gaze didn’t waver. He finally spoke, his voice even but carrying the weight of final judgment. “Then get lost from this bank. Immediately.”

Hearing David’s command, Alexander didn’t waste a second. He scrambled to his feet, legs shaking, and bolted toward the exit. His bodyguards, bruised and limping, hurried after him like frightened dogs. They were almost at the door when David’s voice rang out again, sharp and unyielding.

“Stop.”

The single word froze them all. Their bodies locked as though chained by his voice. None dared move an inch. Sweat trickled down their brows as fear wrapped tight around their throats.

David straightened fully, his calm presence heavier than any roar of anger. His eyes shifted from Alexander to the frail old man, who was just managing to rise to his feet with shaky hands. David’s tone was measured, but his words carried across the entire hall.

“Alexander wasted everyone’s time today,” David said. “But most importantly, he wasted this old man’s time. Don’t you think you should do something about that?”

Immediately Alexander turned, nodding so fast it almost looked desperate. “Yes, yes… I ought to,” he stammered, his pride long gone, his voice soaked in fear.

Some of the crowd buzzed with excitement. Murmurs spread quickly Alexander, the almighty, being forced to bend to David’s words. Yet before the whispers could swell louder, David lifted his hand. His voice cut the room still again.

“He will not be paying everyone here,” David said firmly. “Only the old man. For his time.”

The old man’s eyes widened, wet with gratitude. He bowed his head deeply. “Thank you,” he whispered, his voice trembling with relief.

Alexander, forcing himself to look composed, approached again with slow steps. He turned toward the old man and spoke quickly, eager to please. “You came here to sell moonstones. Then I will buy them all. One moonstone costs twenty dollars, yes? You have five hundred. I will buy everything.”

He straightened his coat, ready to turn this into a grand gesture, when David’s voice sliced through his words like a blade.

“Too small,” David interrupted, his tone flat and final. “You’ll increase the price. Two thousand dollars per moonstone.”

Immediately Alexander’s face sank into shadow. His jaw tightened, his lips pressed into a hard line. He wanted to protest, to push back, but the weight of David’s presence chained his tongue. He dared not risk another slap, not after the humiliation already carved into his skin.

He swallowed his pride and did the math in his head. Two thousand dollars for each of the old man’s five hundred moonstones… that totaled a million dollars on the spot. His stomach twisted at the thought, but what choice did he have? He reached for his phone, ready to make a transfer.

But David’s calm voice stopped him. “On second thought…”

The words froze Alexander mid-motion. David turned his gaze toward one of the bodyguards, the man still clutching a sleek black briefcase. Without hesitation, David stepped over, plucked the case from his hand, and walked back to the old man.

He placed it firmly in the old man’s trembling grip. The weight nearly pulled the man down, but the strength of relief steadied him. His wrinkled eyes brimmed with tears as he clutched the handle.

David’s voice carried across the hall, even and sharp. “Alexander, you not only wasted this man’s time,” he said. “You assaulted him. One million dollars is far too small. He deserves two million.”

The entire bank gasped. Whispers surged like a wave crashing into stone.

Alexander’s eyes bulged, his chest heaving as shock locked him in place. ‘Two million… for a commoner?’ His mind screamed at the absurdity. How could he, the Money Giant, hand over such a fortune to a man he wouldn’t even spare a glance at before today?

But he could see no escape for now. David’s stare pressed down on him like the weight of a mountain, leaving him dumbstruck and powerless.