The check was clearly Caesar's money, even Prune knew that. However, once his boss declared that the checks were his, then the checks were his. Caesar would just have to accept the fact that his money was now in the bank's hands.
"No, this is my money," Caesar said confidently.
Of course, this left Prune scrambling on what to say. On the one hand, he was kind of glad that this kid would definitely be humiliated by the owner. In this case, nobody would believe Caesar's words, not since everyone who witnessed this was under his employment. On the other hand, Sammon's wrath would definitely also be transferred to him no matter what.
"Ha! This kid is someone who lies. Everybody knows that this is mine right," Sammon said as he looked at P600,000 worth of checks in Caesar's hands.
In truth, Sammon had all the money he could have because this bank is one of the most successful banks in the town. He had millions in his bank account and even millions more in cash. However, his greed and selfishness couldn't accept the fact that this kid, who had grease all over his shirt, had hundreds of thousands of money.
"Everybody here saw that I dropped this check, right?" Sammon asked the room. And of course, he was met with reluctant nods and guilty affirmations. They were his employees and if they said the truth, then they would get fired.
Sammon had a haughty smile in his mouth that was confident in his victory. Nobody would defy him, not in his house. He then bent down to pick up the checks from the desk with a sly smile—he didn't notice that the entrance door was opened and someone walked in.
"Oh, hey Erica." Caesar greeted the person who had just walked in. She looked around the room until she saw Caesar sitting with a calm and collected face.
"I came to help you with your paperwork. Is everything okay?" Erica asked.
"Yeah, it's fine. It's just some dude trying to steal my money."
As soon as he said that, Sammon quickly turned around to refute him. "Ha! Can you believe this kid? Nobody is on your side, kiddo," he said confidently. There was no way that anyone would believe Caesar with every employee agreeing with him. Even if this new person believed Caesar, they would definitely be insignificant.
Then he turned around and saw her face. His heart almost stopped because he immediately recognized her. She was one of the big customers of this bank. He called these types of customers 'Whales' because of the amount of money they bring in, which was almost 10% of their monthly income.
"Miss Erica… What brings you in here?" Sammon said politely while rubbing his hands together like a butler.
"Those checks are from me and my associates, which we gave to this young man right here," Erica said, proudly introducing that she was acquainted with this poor kid.
Sammon's back shuddered as he thought of a possibility. "By associates, do you mean the League of Real Estate Agents?"
The League of Real Estate Agents was a tight and prestigious group that solely controlled the land in this town. They own more than half of this town, which they buy and sell at a high price. They were known for two things: their ruthless business model, and their wealth.
Who were they? They were none other than the five people that Caesar had met and sold Joy to. They didn't introduce themselves because they all felt embarrassed by this name. They originally founded the group just because they were friends, but rumors distorted their reputation.
"So you know about us? Then that makes it easier. We, the League of Real Estate Agents personally gave this money to Caesar as a sign of thanks. But I heard that someone was trying to steal this money…my goodness! If this is the kind of atrocity that happens in this bank, then it would be better if all of us withdrew our money and transferred it to another bank."
Sammon's knees went weak as he heard Erica's words. If Erica and her friends all withdrew their money, then the total money left in the bank would be less than 50%. His bank would be in ruins! And the worst part would be his competitor benefitting from his misfortune.
"Hahaha…I was just kidding, Miss Erica, sir Caesar, was it? I was only planning on keeping this joke for a few minutes. Then, I would deposit it in his bank account hahaha…" Sammon forced a laugh, with sweat pouring down his back.
"That would be good. And there would be no fee, correct?" Erica asked.
The fee that she was talking about was the fee deducted from the bank account for storing their money in the bank. In more advanced countries, this would be the opposite. There, the bank would give you money, an interest, for storing your money in their bank. But this was a poor town in a backwater country, where Sammon could do as he wanted.
"Yes, yes. There would be no fee. This is a premium offer like the ones I have offered you, Miss Erica," Sammon stated.
Erica nodded her head in satisfaction. She was able to save Caesar from being harassed by these bankers, and even gave him a premium membership. This was a good deal, at least in her eyes. Caesar, however, thought differently.
Sammon was drawing up the contract and the paperwork when Caesar stood up and stopped him. "Wait. That's not enough. I need an interest."
As a banker, Sammon knew what Caesar was talking about. This interest meant that the bank would be paying Caesar money every year just for storing his money in the bank. Of course, Sammon did not implement this in this bank because he would lose a lot of money.
"Ha? You must be insane. I was willing to let you go with no fee, but an interest is completely out of hand. You are testing my patience!" Sammon raged. His fists curled up, wanting to bash in Caesar's head, but the witnesses around made him realize this mistake.
"Caesar, what are you doing? This is already a good deal," Erica said, trying to persuade Caesar from not making a big mistake. She didn't want Sammon to rescind his offer.
Caesar just whispered in her ears. "Trust me, this is also good for you."
Erica didn't know where Caesar was going with this, but she knew enough about Caesar to trust him. He always seemed to make his way to the top no matter how impossible it seemed. He already proved that by convincing her that Joy was a safe substance.
"I was almost robbed of my money. One report to the police, and you will end up in jail," Caesar stated.
Sammon frowned, then he started to laugh. He was worried about what Caesar was going to say at first, but it seemed that he didn't need to worry. Caesar was only a naïve boy.
"With what witnesses?" Sammon said as he spread his hands and looked at his employees. They all turned away from his eyes with fear and submission. At this point, it seemed as if they would not be saying anything to the police.
"You do know that you will be charged with a much heavier sentence if you lied to the police, right?" Caesar said.
"What lies? Everyone here will know that I've never tried to steal anything," Sammon said confidently.
"I wasn't talking about you. I'm talking to your employees. Once all of you are proven to be lying, do you think this man will save you? Do you think he will spare you a thought after you all risked your lives for him? No. This man will throw you under." Caesar's words resonated through the luxurious bank, echoing down from the chandeliers.
"It only takes one person to tell the truth, then everything will be revealed. And if you are still afraid of this man finding out, they can do it anonymously," Caesar addressed the employees, and one by one, they all looked at him with reason. They were only one step away from being convinced by him.
"He has scammed all of you, all of us. Instead of giving you interest in your bank accounts, he instead is demanding a fee. All that money is filling his pockets despite not paying his workers well. Stand with me and riot out of this bank, only then will he relent to the interest!" Caesar stopped his speech and gave Erica a look.
Erica saw this and immediately knew what he was trying to say. She raised her hand and shouted, "We, the League of Real Estate Agents, will withdraw from this bank. Follow us, and we will make sure you are paid while unemployed!"
Once Erica said that, the fire on the employee's hearts burst into an explosion. They all raised their hands and shouted in unison. "We demand an interest! We demand an interest!"
Sammon heard their booming shouts and cowered like a little girl. He hid behind a desk and peeked out, only to see Caesar with a smile on his face. Caesar had a look of complete victory, while Sammon knew he had lost.
"Okay, Okay. I'll give you an interest!"