Chapter 4

More than a dozen men in electrician uniforms surged forward and pulled Harper away to safety.

Ace Wilkerson was at the front. He snatched Harper away from Robert and immediately spun around and punched him in the face.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You're going after a child now?"

Kaleb Marin, Aaron Chase, and Damon Harmon followed close behind. They were all men I'd once considered brothers, and every one of them was drenched in sweat.

Holding Harper in his arms, Ace rushed toward me, cursing furiously, "Samuel! We saw the video online! These assholes are bullying you again!

"All of you, back the hell off! Anyone who lays another finger on Samuel, just try me!"

I took my trembling daughter into my arms and wiped the tears from her face.

Standing opposite us, Robert slowly looked from Ace to the others.

Their electrician uniforms.

Their tool bags.

Every one of them was big and solidly built.

"Good! Good, very good!" He suddenly began clapping, pointing at Ace and the others as he shouted, "You're all electricians, right?"

He bent down, picked up a handful of the money that had fallen to the floor during the confrontation, and weighed it in his hand. Then he pointed toward the electrical room.

"Whoever can fix the electrical system in there gets this million dollars! I'll throw in another $200,000 as a bonus! Cash, paid on the spot!"

I instinctively looked up at the men standing in front of me.

Ace. Kaleb. Aaron. Damon.

Over the years, I'd personally taught them how to read wiring diagrams, trace circuits, and troubleshoot electrical faults.

Whenever someone in their families fell ill, I was the first to offer money.

Whenever we went out drinking, I always insisted on paying the bill.

Surely, they'd stand by me.

But Ace glanced back at me, then turned to look at the pile of money on the floor. He swallowed hard and shifted half a step backward.

Aaron nudged Damon with his elbow. The two exchanged a look but said nothing.

"Samuel, I'm sorry..." Ace's voice was barely louder than a whisper. "$1.2 million would take us five or six years to earn. My mom's still in the hospital, waiting for money for surgery..."

But the year Ace's mother had been hospitalized, I'd transferred $20,000 to him without a second thought. I hadn't even asked him to sign an IOU.

Kaleb avoided my eyes, staring only at the cash on the floor. "Samuel, my daughter's school fees are due in September. I really..."

When Kaleb's daughter had nearly been forced to drop out of school, I'd scrambled to put together $8,000 overnight and brought it straight to him.

Now, one by one, the men who had just stood in front of me walked past me. Not a single one looked back.

I'd treated them as brothers. What had I been to them?

The merchants around us burst into mocking laughter.

"See that? If you won't fix it, plenty of other people will!"

"Still trying to act high and mighty? Even your own pals won't stand with you!"

"Money makes the world go round! How much is that precious pride of yours worth?"

They headed toward the scattered cash and the entrance to the electrical room.

Ace bent down, picked up a stack of bills, and grabbed a tool bag from the ground.

The men hurried into the electrical room with their tools.

Holding Harper, I sat on the floor and watched them walk away. Suddenly, it felt as though someone had reached into my chest and ripped something out.

Just then, Robert darted over from the side and stomped on the hand I was using to support myself.

A sharp crack rang out. My entire arm jerked as if I'd been electrocuted.

Agonizing pain shot from my knuckles all the way to my shoulder. I nearly dropped Harper.

Kendra shrieked, her face twisted beyond recognition, "He knows how to fix electrical systems because of those hands, doesn't he? Smash them! Let's see if he can still act so damn superior!"

Robert picked up an iron rod and glared down at me, his eyes filled with vicious fury. "Samuel, do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused today?

"Don't you make your living with those hands? Since you refuse to fix it, I'll make sure you never use that hand again!"

He raised the iron rod high above his head. It came whistling down through the air.

At that very moment, panicked shouts erupted from inside the electrical room.

Several men came scrambling out, nearly tripping over one another. Their faces were deathly pale.

"We can't do it! There's no way!"

"Only Samuel can handle this job!"