The Rise of John Raymond

Framed and Fallen: The Rise of the Young Master

The classroom door flung open with a loud creak that silenced the entire room. Rose stormed in, her face boiling with self-righteous fury. Behind her were two stern-faced school security officers. Every eye turned to her, then to John. She didn’t waste time.

“Take him to the HOD’s office,” she barked.

The officers marched toward John like soldiers on a mission. Collins stood up in shock, but before he could speak, one of them pointed a warning finger at him. John, confused and calm despite the tension, stood without resistance.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Rose said coldly as she turned and led the way.

Inside the Head of Department’s office, John stood face to face with Mr. Harrison—the HOD—Rose’s father. A man known for his disdain toward students from lower social ranks. The room reeked of arrogance and corruption. Rose stood smugly at her father’s side like a soldier who’d just dragged in a war criminal.

Mr. Harrison didn’t even wait for John to take a seat. With one swift movement, he slapped him across the face.

“You stole $5,000 from the lounge after cleaning!” he shouted.

John was stunned. “Sir… I didn’t steal anything.”

Rose grabbed the remote and turned on the TV mounted on the wall. A blurry footage played—a grainy clip of a figure stuffing a bundle into his bag. The angle was poor, the face unclear, but the body resembled John’s.

“That’s not me,” John said softly. “It could be anyone.”

“Enough!” the HOD roared. “If you don’t return the money, you’ll be expelled immediately.”

“I have nothing with me. I swear. Just give me time, I’ll try to gather the money, but please believe me… I didn’t steal it.”

Rose sneered. “No need to waste time, daddy. Call the police.”

The HOD grinned. “Gladly.” He picked up the phone and dialled.

Within minutes, the police van pulled up in front of the department building. Two uniformed officers stormed into the office. Without asking questions, they grabbed John and snapped handcuffs onto his wrists.

As they began to escort him out, the door opened.

In walked Mr. David.

He held a file in one hand, his dark sunglasses reflecting the fluorescent lights, and the quiet authority of a man who needed no introduction. The air shifted.

“What’s happening here?” Mr. David asked, eyeing the cuffs on John.

Rose stepped forward like a lawyer mid-trial. “We caught this boy stealing. We even have the footage. My father has already called the police.”

Mr. David looked amused. “Is that so?” He turned to the officers. “Uncuff him.”

“But sir—”

“I said uncuff him.”

The officers hesitated for a second but obeyed. Rose clenched her jaw in frustration.

“You want to defend a thief now?” she challenged.

Mr. David’s smile grew wider. “Let’s see something.”

He pulled out his phone and dialled a number. After a few seconds, he handed the phone to John. “Here. Speak. And speak the truth.”

John hesitated, then held the phone to his ear. A calm yet commanding voice spoke on the other end. John’s eyes widened. “Yes, sir,” he said quickly. “No, sir, I didn’t steal anything. Yes, I understand.”

He returned the phone to Mr. David.

Mr. David looked at the officers and nodded. “You can proceed.”

Rose burst into laughter. “Finally! Now take him away!”

Mr. David nodded slowly again. “Yes… take him.”

The officers grabbed John again, and Rose jumped up, hugging her father. “We finally got rid of this rat.”

John didn’t resist as the officers led him out. The HOD, proud of himself, turned to Mr. David. “Thank you for doing the right thing. Can I offer you a drink?”

Mr. David nodded casually. “Sure. But first, I came to collect some signed documents.”

The HOD handed them over with a satisfied smile. They shook hands, and Mr. David walked out.

Back in the office, Rose was already pouring drinks. “This calls for a celebration!” she said, twirling with joy. “Finally, no more seeing that beggar’s face!”

But just then, Mr. Harrison’s phone rang.

He picked up the call with a smug grin.

It dropped.

His hand began to shake.

“What’s wrong?” Rose asked.

“They said…” he paused. “They said my restaurant has been shut down. My hotel too. And every investment I’ve made has been… frozen.”

Rose’s smile vanished. “That’s not funny, dad.”

“It’s not a joke,” he snapped.

He began calling all his business lines. Each number—switched off. He called his manager. Switched off. All of them. He tried his bankers. Switched off.

Without saying a word, he bolted out of the office with Rose running after him.

“Where are we going?” she asked, breathless.

“I need to see this for myself,” he shouted.

As they arrived at the hotel, they found staff carrying boxes. The place was closing down. The logo was already being taken down.

He stopped a staff member. “What is going on here?”

“We’ve been instructed to leave, sir. The business has been seized,” she said, walking away.

He stumbled back, barely holding himself together.

And then, his phone buzzed again.

This time, it was from the estate security.

“Sir, your estate has been claimed. You need to vacate immediately.”

“What?!”

He clutched his chest as though the air had left his lungs.

Rose turned to him. “Dad… what’s happening?”

Before he could speak, police vans arrived.

Armed men jumped out.

“Mr. Harrison,” one of them said. “You are under arrest.”

“For what?!” he cried.

“You’re being investigated for corruption, illegal business operations, and more.”

As they handcuffed him, Rose screamed, running to the car. She picked up her phone and dialled her mum’s number.

A man answered.

“Come to the estate if you want answers,” he said and hung up.

Shaking, she pulled out her debit card to withdraw cash.

“Insufficient funds,” the ATM screen read.

She tried another card. “Account frozen.”

Suddenly, she too was surrounded by police.

“You’re under arrest for attempted murder,” the officer said as he showed her a clip of her shooting the Raymond family manager in a parking lot.

“No, no… this can’t be happening!” she cried.

They dragged her to the van and drove off.

Back at John’s lounge, the same officers who had arrested him earlier dropped him off with honour. One of them opened the door for him and saluted.

“We’re sorry for the misunderstanding, Young Master,” the officer said.

John stepped out, calm and composed.

They saluted once more and drove away.

Minutes later, his phone buzzed. It was Mr. David.

“My apologies,” he said. “I had to keep up appearances.”

John smiled. “I understand.”

He ended the call without another word.

And this time, he didn’t smile for appearances. It was real.

Because finally… justice had begun.