Billy made sure he tracked Alex down and said with mock sincerity, "Mr. Ambrose, what happened to the parents of Class 6? Why didn't everyone come?" He continued, "Are you still hoping that they might come this afternoon instead?"
The parents' meetings were usually held in the mornings, so the news had spread throughout the whole school that none of the parents had bothered to turn up to the Class 6 meeting.
"What's it got to do with you?" Alex snapped as he turned and walked away.
Billy looked at Alex's back and roared, "Mr. Ambrose! Don't forget the promise that you made to the principal that you would get all the parents to attend the meeting. If you fail to keep your promise, I imagine that you'll be sacked on the spot."
Billy felt satisfied that he got in the last word.
Then his phone rang. It was Leonard who told him angrily, "Billy, something's going on. Come to the school gate and see for yourself."
**
At that moment, outside the school gate, Leonard was watching several luxury cars, all with personalized number plates, driving one after the other into the school grounds.
Every single car was extremely valuable, and they were all driven by chauffeurs.
One particular car pulled over and Ronald Cartwright climbed out. He didn't seem very happy. He had just returned from a business meeting when he received an invitation to come to a meeting at the school. He was reluctant to go because he had also been there the previous day.
After climbing out of the car, Ronald was relieved to see some other cars that he recognized as belonging to some of the most important families in Baltimore.
He felt that the meeting must be important for such powerful families to attend.
An impressive looking man approached him and said, "Council member, are you here for the meeting? Is your son also studying in Class 6?"
"Hello Mr. Chapman. You're such a busy man, I didn't expect you to be here. It's wonderful that you could make it. There is something I would like to talk to you about," Ronald replied.
Ronald had heard a lot about Antonio Chapman and had wanted to meet him for a long time. Apparently, the man had made an extraordinary contribution to a certain field of science and technology. The Central district council were eager to introduce that particular type of technology to their district and they were hoping that Mr Chapman might agree to be a sponsor. He had not expected to meet him at the parents' meeting, and he felt that it could be a wonderful opportunity to get him onside.
Most of the parents of Class 6 students were high up in one field or another within Baltimore, and they were pleased with the opportunity to meet with other important people.
Mr Chapman was one of the richest men in the Central district, and everyone was pleased to see him there. He was quite a young man who took care of himself and took pride in the way he looked. When he saw Ronald Cartwright, he greeted him politely but then stood back with his arms crossed, clearly waiting for someone more important to talk to.
One by one, the rich and powerful people of Baltimore arrived.
When Billy arrived at the school gate, he was dumbfounded by what he saw. He couldn't believe so many people of high status had gathered together for a parents' meeting.
Billy didn't dare to approach them, but he watched from afar with envy.
A rich man, known in the Central district as the "King of Shares," was telling anyone who would listen, "Well, I'm about to invest another billion in the stock market. I was about to look into the recently listed stocks when I received an invitation to this meeting. Mr. Alex told me that he would be honored to have me attend, but of course that goes without saying."
Everyone nodded and said, "We were told the same thing." They were all there because they believed that they had been invited by the famous martial arts champion. None of them dared to refuse.
They were all very powerful people who were used to getting their way, but not one of them dared to turn down an invitation from Alex.
They all stayed well-informed and knew how revered Alex was in the martial arts circles of America. Although none of them had any business interests connected with him, his reputation transcended the business world, and no one dared to refuse him.
Every single parent of the Class 6 students was here.
About forty parents turned up at Oak Ridge high school for the meeting and the principal stood at the door to greet each one in person. However, not one of them even took the time to acknowledge him. They simply walked straight past him.
For them, a high school principal was of no importance.
As for Billy, the director of education, he was even less important. He stood and watched the parents arriving from afar, his face almost green with envy.
Why did you all come? he asked himself. What is it about Alex that can make these powerful men do what he wants?
Anger and jealousy had turned Billy's brain into a muddle, and he was unable to think clearly. Back in the day, Alex had been a pitiful loser. What had happened?
In truth, if he had asked his uncle, he could have found out who Alex was, which would have answered his questions. But Billy wasn't logical enough to think of that.
All he could do was stand and watch from afar, shivering in the cold air.
Lynne walked by and happened to glance over to see Billy and Leonard watching the parents with expressions of pure envy. She told them, "So it looks like Alex has kept his promise to the principal after all. By the way, you two really are pitiful. Alex is a better man and a better teacher than either of you."
Billy was shocked that Lynne had turned on him with such venom. She was usually so patient and polite. "Lynne—" he started to say.
But she interrupted him. "Shut up, Billy. I don't want to hear another word. I really despise the pair of you. You're both complete disgraces to the school and to teaching." She turned and walked away.
**
In the conference room, the Class 6 parents' meeting was just starting. It had the most impressive lineup of parents in the history of Oak Ridge high school.
"Mr. Ambrose, are you holding the meeting to discuss how to rectify the disruptive atmosphere in Class 6 and to give the parents more information about how well the children are learning?" one parent asked enthusiastically.
"No," Alex replied, "the purpose of this class meeting is to collect donations from you all."
The students, who had been looking nervous, started to look a little more relaxed. If that was all the meeting was about, they had no reason to be concerned.
All of the teachers and students from the whole school were watching to see which parents would come to the meeting, and they were universally impressed that Alex was able to get every single Class 6 parent to attend. It had never been achieved before.
One teacher, who had been working hard for many years, sighed, "I was convinced that no teacher would be able do it."
The principal was also very moved. The success of the parents' meeting would surely raise the reputation of Oak Ridge High School, which would be good for the school and every teacher and student there.
Alex addressed the parents. "Thank you all for coming, I know that you're all very busy people. I've called this meeting to discuss your parental responsibilities. The parents of the Class 6 students are amongst the most successful and wealthiest of all the parents. Unfortunately, the students of Class 6, your children, are also the most disruptive of the school. For these reasons, I wanted to give you all the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the school. Donations are extremely welcome. This will allow you to relax in the knowledge that you are fulfilling your parental responsibilities."
The parents were all completely silent. They were like children accepting criticism from their parents.
"If you fail to fulfill your parental responsibilities, then I will be forced to take the matter into my own hands. I believe that you can all predict what that might entail."
Alex didn't hold back. He made it very clear what he thought of the parents and was not afraid to threaten them into making donations to the school to make up for the damage their children had caused. That had been his plan for the parents' meeting all along.