Chapter 4

"No, that's impossible!" Mark roared like a beast. Veins bulged on his neck. "Mr. Grant, you must be wrong. Look again.

"I paid good money for this watch. A friend brought it back from Virellia."

Herbert didn't even bother to look at him again. He just pushed the fake watch and the fake certificate to the middle of the desk. His gesture was full of contempt.

"Mr. Evans, right?" Herbert adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. Behind the lenses, his eyes were as sharp as knives.

He went on, "I've been in the watch game for over 40 years. I've examined at least 8,000 luxury watches.

"I know the craftsmanship, the feel, the weight of a real Patek Philippe better than you do.

"This watch, from the movement, to the case, to the engraving, everything about it screams cheap, mass-produced quality.

"To put it nicely, it's a high-end fake. To put it bluntly, it's a cheap electronic watch worth maybe 60 or 70 dollars, knocked together in some no-name little workshop."

"As for this certificate..." Herbert picked up the paper between two fingers, like it was something filthy.

"The paper, the ink, the steel seal, everything about it is completely wrong. You can get a whole stack of these online for 20 dollars," he added.

Every word out of Herbert's mouth landed like a hard slap on Mark's and Linda's faces.

The office was dead quiet. The only sound was Mark's heavy breathing.

The middle-aged officer's face turned thunderous. He stepped forward, his eyes as sharp as daggers, and locked them on Mark.

"Mark, Linda." His voice was as cold as ice, carrying the authority of the law. "The situation is now very clear.

"You two are suspected of using counterfeit goods to try to extort Mr. Littleton.

"On top of that, you did it right here at Brightwood Elementary, a place for teaching children, openly threatening and intimidating people. The social impact is extremely serious.

"Under state law, extortion carries a penalty of five to fifteen days in jail and a fine of up to 500 dollars. For more serious cases, it's ten to 30 days and a fine of up to 1,000 dollars."

He paused, his tone growing even sterner. "That's only the misdemeanor level.

"You demanded 30,000 dollars. That amount meets the threshold for felony extortion under criminal law. Once you're convicted, it won't be just a few days in jail."

Felony. The word hit Mark and Linda like a hammer. It shattered whatever was left of their defenses.

Linda's legs gave out. She dropped to the floor and started wailing, "I didn't know. Officer, I really didn't know the watch was fake.

"It's him. It's all Mark, that jerk. He's the one who told me the watch was worth 30,000 dollars."

She went wild, hitting and scratching Mark, pushing all the blame onto him.

Mark's face was soon covered in blood from her scratches. He didn't even have the strength to dodge.

He slumped in his chair like a lost soul, his eyes empty, muttering to himself. "It's over... all over."

Marvin stood there, stunned. He never imagined that what looked like a dispute between kids would blow up into a criminal extortion case.

He looked at me, his eyes full of shock and a little fear.

He was probably thinking, who was this seemingly quiet single dad? How did he have such sharp eyes and such a tough way of handling things?

I ignored everyone else. I walked over to Sam, crouched down, and gently wiped the tears from his face again. "You see that, Sam? Crying and throwing fits don't solve anything.

"True strength comes from reason and the law. You didn't do anything wrong, so we don't have to be afraid of anyone."

Sam nodded. He didn't fully understand, but his hand on my shirt apparently relaxed a lot.

He looked at Linda and Mark, that pathetic couple. In his little eyes, fear was gone. All that was left was confusion.

I wanted him to learn this early. Being kind didn't mean being weak. If he was in the right, he shouldn't give in. In this world, the loudest voice didn't mean it was the right one.

The middle-aged officer was clearly done with this circus. He waved to the younger officer. "Take them both back to the station.

"Also, this fake watch and this fake certificate, seal them both as evidence."

"Yes, sir." The younger officer stepped up and brought out the handcuffs.

The cold metal clicked around Mark's wrists. Only then did he snap out of it.

He lifted his head suddenly and looked at me with pleading eyes. "Mr... Mr. Littleton! Sir." He had even changed how he addressed me.

He went on, "I was wrong. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize who I was dealing with. I'm a complete idiot. Please, have a heart. Let us off the hook.

"Can't we settle this between us? I'll pay. I'll cover your son's emotional distress. 30,000 dollars! No, 60,000? Whatever you want. Just drop the charges, please."

I looked at him coldly.

Just moments ago, he was throwing his weight around, threatening to get me fired and Sam kicked out of school. Now he was groveling like a stray dog. How ironic.

I didn't say anything. I just turned to the middle-aged officer. "Officer, I trust the law to be fair. Please handle this by the book."

My attitude sealed Linda and Mark's fate.

The officer nodded at me with approval. Then he gave Mark a cold snort. "You should have thought of that before. Settle this privately? Go tell that to the judge."

With that, he didn't wait any longer. He led Mark and the still-wailing Linda out of the principal's office.

The two bodyguards followed behind, looking sheepish, not daring to breathe.

The whole farce was finally over.

Marvin let out a long, deep breath. It felt like the air in the office had finally cleared.

He walked over to me, looking a little awkward and eager to please. "Mr. Littleton, I'm... really sorry for what happened today.

"I didn't handle things well. I put you and your son through this."

I gave him a cool look. "Mr. Brown, I hope what happened today doesn't affect my son's life at this school in any negative way."

"Of course not." Marvin pounded his chest. "Sam is a good kid. This school will take good care of every student."

I nodded and didn't say anything more.

I took Sam's hand. "Sam, let's go home."

"Okay." Sam nodded hard, and a smile finally came to his face.

As we walked out of the principal's office, the sun was shining outside. I looked back at the gate of Brightwood Elementary.

I knew this might not be completely over. People like Mark, when they were desperate, they might do something crazy.

But I wasn't worried because the moment I decided to call the police, I had already thought through everything that could happen next.

If he dared to come after me again, I wouldn't mind making him lose even worse.