The next day, Brandon and Jaison walked to school again.

“I don’t suppose you’re going to give me your watch.” Brandon glanced at the watch on his brother’s arm.

“Nope.”

“Fine. You can keep it.” Brandon didn't feel like he was in the position to demand his brother to give up the watch. After all, he himself kept the watch. Hiding the watch or leaving it behind was like knowing you’re going to fail a test and refusing to study for it. It’s the actions of a fool. Jaison should have the watch if anything goes wrong. “But don’t use it unless it’s absolutely necessary. Don’t even open it.”

“Yeah yeah. I heard you.” Jaison sighed.

The two parted ways inside the school. Brandon went to his classroom, ready for another day of learning. Selena sat down beside him. She looked tired.

“I went to sleep at 12.” She exclaimed proudly as if sleep deprivation was a badge of honor.

Brandon didn't even look at her.

A shade of anger crossed Selena’s eyes as she turned to speak to her friends.

Meanwhile, Jaison was having it much worse.

His first period of class was PE. Unfortunately, he was in the same class as Mark and Dickon. More unfortunately, as Jaison stood in front of his locker and changed, his two enemies walked up to him.

“Where’s big brother now? Sue me? Huh?” Mark provoked. He was obviously trying to start a fight. “Get back to your pathetic family and get out of my country you Asian scum!”

“Wow wow.” Jaison tried his best to stay calm and do what Brandon told him to do. ”Look...back off now or I’ll file a complaint to the school…”

“File this you fucker!” Mark suddenly stepped forward and punched Jaison in the face, knocking the man over. The students around them were shocked, but they didn't do anything. Dickon looked concerned at the sudden aggression, but he didn't try to top Mark either.

There wasn’t any PE teacher in the locker room.

Mark punched Jaison in the stomach again. His eyes were red. It was obvious he didn't really hate Jaison but was rather using him as a punching bag to let out his own anger. Jaison tried to put some distance between him and the enraged bully, but he failed.

Another punch almost broke his glasses. As Jaison felt his glasses sliding back and hitting his eyelids, he realized he has had enough. He could’ve been blinded for life!

Jaison turned around and returned a punch. He was smaller and shorter than Mark, but just before his punch landed, a white layer of armor appeared around his fist. His fist landed on Mark’s arm.

Jaison was still aware of the situation enough to remove the armor as soon as he made contact to keep it a secret.

Mark didn't see the white armor in the middle of the chaos. When the punch landed, it wasn’t the soft counterattack that he expected from someone as small as Jaison. It felt like a piece of rock was smashed into his arm. A loud cracking sound was followed by his pained scream.

Finally, a PE teacher was notified and found his way into the locker room.

“Brandon! I need to see you for a second.”

Inside Brandon’s classroom, a teacher knocked on the door and demanded to see Brandon. The older brother frowned. His teacher was reaching a critical point in his lecture. He really didn't want to leave. Still, in a wave of “he’s in trouble” jokes from his peers, Brandon quickly stood up and joined the teacher.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t worry. You’re not in trouble.” The teacher replied quietly. “It’s your brother. He got into a fight and injured a fellow student.”

This made Brandon frown even more. On one hand, he wondered what this have to do with him. His job, his duty, here is to study. It is the role of the principal, the dean, and the counselors to deal with what happened in school. He was Jaison’s brother, but so what? It shouldn’t be his problem.

He only continued going after he realized Jaison might have exposed the armor in the fight. If that was the case, he wanted to be the first to know.

They walked into the dean’s office, which was already getting crowded. Dean Jones and School Resource Officer Carls were present. Jaison was sitting in the room with his head lowered. He smiled slightly when he saw Brandon walking in.

“Mr. Bai.” Dean Jones spoke up. “I have called you over because your brother was involved in a fight an hour ago. A student was injured. We are trying to find out what happened.”

“What can I do?”

“Helps us convince him to tell the truth.” Officer Carls stated rudely. “I have already called your parents. They’re on the way here. We would like to know what happened before that, and he’s obviously not telling what really happened.”

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“I was telling the truth!” Jaison exclaimed. “He attacked me first!”

“Why?”

“How should I know?”

“I don’t know who attacked first, but I know you broke that kid Mark’s arm. Now, I suggest you come clean now. If you do that, I won’t arrest you.”

“Wait wait wait. Hold up.” Brandon suddenly frowned. “Officer Carls. Were you present?”

“No.”

“So you don’t know what happened.” Brandon glanced at the Dean and the other teacher. “What right do you have to say my brother’s lying?”

“You are brought in to help, not cause more trouble.” Carls was obviously pissed off by Brandon’s words. “Either start helping or get out.”

That was when Brandon realized Officer Carls was obviously biased. It was as if he was trying to put the blames on Jaison. He didn't know why, but it was certainly a problem. He glanced at Dean Jones. If he could see the bias, then so could the dean. Why he didn't do something was a good question.

He turned to Jaison. “Tell us what happened again. Don’t be biased.”

“Ok. I was in my locker, changing, and Mark and Dickon walked up to me. Mark attacked me...”

“Bullshit!” Officer Carls cut him off. “Why?”

“It’s not the victim’s responsibility to figure out why he was attacked, officer. It’s the responsibility of the authority. In other words, it’s your job. Since you’re obviously not doing it, please be quiet.”

Carls stared at Brandon threateningly. Brandon didn't back down. Carls might be a police officer with jurisdiction in the school, but this is a world with laws. As long as he does things by the book, he was safe.

Jaison continued on. As he finished, Carls glanced at Jones. The dean sighed. He had to admit bringing Brandon in here was a terrible choice.

When he first heard Mark was wounded in a fight, his immediate thought was punishing the other party. His reasoning was clear. Mark’s father was a multimillionaire. Why he decided to send his only child to a public school was anyone’s guess. Still, he has been generous enough to give both him and the resource officer some donation. It doesn’t pay well to be a dean. In return, Jones made sure Mark could do whatever he wanted without repercussion.

Now Mark has been beaten up. If Jones and Carls still wanted their yearly cash, they needed to make sure his attacker was properly punished.

But they needed to do it quickly and quietly. If this went public, it would take a lot more than a dean and a resource officer to put this down. The best way to do that was to scare a confession out of Jaison before his parents arrive. When Jaison refused to give in, Jones came up with the brilliant idea of using his brother to convince him. Let’s just say it didn't go according to the plan.

“I am sure interviewing a few other students can verify the story. That boy, Dickon, sounds like the perfect choice. It’s an easy case.” Brandon tilted his head as he pressed forward, forcing a response from the dean and the officer. “It seems like what happened here is pretty clear.”

“Hold on a second.” Suddenly, the door to the room was opened, and a man in suit and tie walked in.

“Mr. Dirvin.” Dean Jones frowned inside.

“You must be Jaison.” The man didn't even turn to the dean. Instead, he stared straight at Jaison. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Henry Dirvin. I am the head of Dirvin Pharma. In case you were living under a rock for the past fourteen years, it’s a multibillion dollar company. Mark is my son, and thanks to you, he’s lying on a hospital bed right now.”

“Mark attacked my brother.” Brandon stood up fearlessly. “That is a fact. If someone is indeed responsible for what happened, it’s you.”

“Excuse me?” Henry couldn’t believe his ears. Did this kid just accuse him? Doesn’t he know who he is?

“Your failure in educating your son caused him to be a reckless bully who takes pleasure in hurting people. Also thanks to your influence, he was allowed to keep doing it without being punished. You’re responsible for what happened.”

“If you’re one of my employees, I would make sure you go to prison.” The threat was obvious. Firing wasn’t even good enough for him.

“I don’t have anything to be afraid of. I have only spoken the truth.”

Henry suddenly burst out laughing. “Truth. Truth! Congrats! You have more spine than half of my employees.” He reached inside his pocket and took out a checkbook. “Tell me, how much is your truth worth? Ten K? Twenty?”

Brandon’s expression didn't change.

“Stop disgracing yourself, Mr. Dirvin.”

The man’s face turned red as the weight of the rejection sank in. How dare he? How dare a mere teenager talk to him like this? He’s Henry Dirvin! He has enough money to buy down the school!

“This isn’t over.” Henry declared as he turned and walked out of the room. He has had enough. Brandon frowned at the threat. He knew how wealthy Henry Dirvin is. If he says he would exact vengeance, then he would.

The room was silent for a few minutes. Jones and Carls knew there was no way they could extract a confession out. The awkward silence ended when Mr. and Mrs. Bai walked in.

In the end, both Brandon and Jaison went back to class. Officer Carls let both he and Mark off with a simple warning. Wise of him. If he did anything more, Mr. Bai would have a field day in taking him to court.

----------------------------------------

Mr. Dirvin returned to his sportscar in fury. He slammed the door shut.

“Where to, boss?”

“Get me back to my house.” The man could barely keep himself from screaming at the innocent driver.

The car drove for twenty minutes before coming to a stop at a luxurious mansion. Dirvin got off the car and walked through the door. There were multiple men in suit and armor across the mansion.

“Get me Frank.”

“Yes sir.”

Frank was Dirvin’s right hand man. Known for his brutal and reckless methods, he was really efficient in using whatever means necessary to get the job done. Once, he dealt with a medical lawsuit by kidnapping the opposer’s daughter and forcing him to give up.

Frank arrived at the mansion quickly. He knew who he was: a loyal dog to Dirvin. Without Dirvin, he was nobody. That was why he made sure to do whatever Dirvin ordered as quickly as possible.

“My son’s beaten up at school.” Dirvin declared openly.

Frank didn't answer. He didn't know what his boss wanted. Mark was beaten up at school? It’s not like Dirvin cared about his son. Hell, he beats his son on a weekly basis.

“I don’t care about that boy, but I really don’t like being disrespected, much less by a high school student. If my competitors hear about it, they might think I’m getting weak.” Dirvin smashed his fist on the table. “What happened requires retribution. There is a student at Killian High School. Asian. Name’s Jaison. Find out everything about his family and do what you can to destroy it.”

“Yes sir.” Frank nodded and left without a single extra word. This wouldn’t be the first time he commits a crime for his boss. Plus, he wouldn’t necessarily be committing a crime. In a lot of cases, the power of money and influence could legally ruin someone’s life.