Aria crossed her arms, her smile cold yet polite. “A severed leg would ruin his life, no question. Teri million dors is a small price to pay castors i mysellTM

A titted her head and added, “Tavion, would you say ten million dors is worth losing your leg

Her words hung heavy in the air. Tavion, standing nearby, felt a chill run down his spine.

Before he could respond, his father, who had been staring at Tavion’s bleg/b, made his decision

In an instant, Tavion’s blood ran cold.

“My son’s leg is broken and needs amputation. You’ll pay ten million dors!” Elric’s voice was fine..

Tavion’s eyes widened

His own father was ready to amputate his leg for ten million dors.

But Tavion realized then that this money wouldn’t be his

His heart pounded in his chest as he shook his head furiously. “I didn’t break my leg No one’s cutting off my leg

He sprinted out of the room, his legs showing no signs of injury.

The door fl

flew open as several people lunged forward to stop him.

There was ba /bbrief struggle, then Tavion bdashed /bboff/b.

Maelis rushed out after himb. /b

The door was left wide open.

The tension in the room was palpable, and no one bseemed /bsure how to proceed.

Ostic, having witnessed the chaos, slid forward and grabbed the door frame, inching it shut again.

Once it was closed, Valerie stood frozen. “What on earth…”

It seemed that, for now, the discussion was over. Aria smiled fatly. “Mr. Vellier, it seems your son’s leg is fine,

Thorne’s face darkened bas /bhe clenched his fists. “Even if his leg is fine, what about the other injuries

Aria’s expression shifted to one of cold calction. “Let’s do the math then.” She looked at Nathan and beckoned him forward. “Come here.”

Nathan hesitated. He wondered, ‘What is she doing now?

He would’ve bargued /bwith her in the past, but given that she was cleaning up his mess, it didn’t feel right to oppose her now.

bThat /bwould be ungrateful.

Aria nodded for him to take a few steps closer. “See his bface/b, his neck?”

Thorne didn’t understand.

bAria’s /bvoice remained calm, detached. “We don’t make bad deals. My family’s always had high end insurance for our health band /bbsafety/b.”

Nathan’s eyebrows bshot /bup in surprise. My parents bought me insurance? When was that?‘

17

Aria continued, “His injuries his forehead, face, nose, mouth, arms, and torso will be covered. The more severe the lefury, the higher the payout Where do you think that moneyes from?”

Shrily rested her elbow on the armrest,

propped in her hand. “Whoever hurt Mathan will be held ountable by the nuranpany.

“Roughly speaking, the payout will be bno /bless than 3 million dors. Of course, the insurancepany will expect your to cover half of that. As for your son’s injury, you can definitely go to the hospital. Use the best medications, and we will cover all the expenses.”

Thome’s expression shifted,

He knew wealthy families often took out hefty insurance policies, but he hadn’t thought of this any

sangle

The realization hit him, and his confidence faltered. But he stubbornly retorted, “Why do you get to call the shot?”

Aria’s voice was ice–cold. “Micah, call the insurancepany. Have thene to the school. And bring thewyers and doctors with them.”

Micah immediately acknowledged and pulled out his phone

Thome stood frozen, realizing he had underestimated this situation. “I’m bunlucky/bb, /bdealing with these heartless rich people…

With that, he hastily exited the office.

The students eavesdropping outside quickly leamed their lesson band /bretreated to the sides of the hallway.

The door closed behind them, and the group gathered together,

“Holy crap! I identally hit Nathan on the head the other day,” bone /bof them said, wide–eyed

“I hit his back. He was in pain for two days. This might cost us hundreds of thousands of dors another said,

“Stop talking!” Osric groaned, “Last byear/bb, /bwe had a worse bfight/b, and Nathan didn’t make me pay a cent! What a good guy!”

Lily stood nearby, hands clenched nervously together.

Her desk mate tried to reassure her, “Don’t worryb. /bbShe’s /bprobably Nathan’s sister, and she’s already handled the worst of it

Another girl nodded, “Exactly. Even without Nathan, someone would’ve helped you. No one lets Taxion off the hook after something like that.”

Inside the office, the negotiations continued.

Aria turned back to Elric, “So, how muchpensation do you want?

?