One False Charge, One Full Rampage

I help my students gain admission to top state art academies, yet my boss, Sebastian Emerson, withholds every cent of the pay I earned from 24 consecutive days of overtime.

When I confront him in anger, he accuses me of stealing 120 thousand dollars in training fees from the students.

"Honestly, being poor is no excuse for being shady. And having disabled parents doesn't give you the right to steal.

"You've got two days to pay it back! Otherwise, I'll make sure you spend a few nights in jail, and I'll even inform your parents!"

When a student calls, he snatches the phone and starts screaming, "There's no money! All your tuition went into buying your art supplies! If you've got a problem, go ahead and sue me, brat!"

Meanwhile, Jayla Buckley, who is curled up in his arms, keeps placing order after order of Chaennal haute couture without the slightest hesitation.

Watching the two of them colluding so shamelessly, I grip my attorney license in my pocket until my knuckles ache.

Take it to court? Litigation? That's my arena.

And I'll make sure both of them end up exactly where they belong—behind bars.

"If it weren't for the fact that your street-corner sketches were halfway decent, you think I'd ever hire you?" Sebastian exhaled a harsh cloud of smoke right into my face after speaking.

"Without me, you think you'd be a teacher? You'd still be dodging code enforcement officers while drawing portraits on the sidewalk. You should be grateful!"

I looked at the overweight fool in front of me and gave him a faint, mocking smile. I asked, "So how exactly do you want me to show my gratitude?"

He had clearly been waiting for that question. The cold, nasty expression on his face flipped instantly into a greasy grin.

"I didn't even ask for your teaching license or your diploma, and I still gave you a job. Isn't that good enough? You deny taking the 120 thousand dollars, but that money went missing because of you. Who else am I supposed to hold responsible?

"Either you work for me for ten years, bring in five thousand art-exam students, and pay off the debt…"

He continued, his yellowed, murky eyes lighting up with triumph, "Or I call the cops, and you go to jail!"

Because this year's exam results were outstanding, he immediately raised the training fee to 70 thousand per student, the highest in the city.

"Five thousand students… That's 350 million dollars," I thought.

The number was so ridiculous that I almost laughed out loud.

The office fell silent for a long while.

Sebastian didn't rush me. That smug confidence of his made him lean back even further, propping both filthy feet on the desk. The smell made my stomach turn.

Jayla had already run out of patience. She straightened up from his arms and tapped her long, sharp, blood-red nails on the table.

"Why are you wasting time on her? The reporters are coming tomorrow, and I still don't have the right outfit. Hurry up and take me shopping."

I actually laughed out of pure disbelief.

I had gone on the training trip with Jayla and the students.

Every morning, I was the one getting up early to wake the students and correct their work line by line. My hands were cracked and swollen from the cold. Those good grades they earned came from working hard day after day.

Meanwhile, Jayla did nothing except pout and take selfies.

I never imagined that Sebastian and Jayla could be this shameless by hooking up right out in the open and stealing my credit without a hint of embarrassment.

Moreover, Sebastian had two children at home.

Outside the office, people whispered to one another. Their looks of pity and disdain all landed squarely on me.

For the first time, I felt like this place was rotten to its core. But what about the students?

"You have no degree and no fundamental skills. Without me, where would you even go? Do you think you could survive on thin air?

"It's settled. I'll give you 600 dollars a month to live on. The remainder of your salary will be applied toward what you owe the company.

"Move. Why are you still standing here? This month's target is 150 thousand dollars. I expect every single cent. Anything missing will get added to your debt."