Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Repaying Teacher Grant
Philip Hale was manufacturing fake raw stones? It was unthinkable. He was taken away, the Hale Family’s shop was shut down, and just like that, the wealthiest man in Tollan Town was behind bars. Nobody saw it coming. Upon learning that Philip Hale had been profiting outrageously from fake raw stones, all the merchants who had ever purchased from the Hale’s shop gathered at their family home, demanding compensation!
Merchants with outstanding orders from the Hale Family rushed to cancel them. Even those who had already completed their transactions were demanding police inspections of their goods and requesting compensation.
Blinded by greed, Philip Hale would personally inspect every new batch of excavated raw stones. He would cut open any that caught his eye. If they revealed jade, he pocketed the profit. If they were worthless, he would simply glue them back together and sell them as is. He had been doing this for five or six years, and nearly every shipment contained a portion of these fraudulent stones.
Nearly every merchant who filed a report with the police turned out to be a victim, and the Hale Family was forced to pay out enormous sums in compensation. No matter how deep their pockets had been, the Hale Family’s fortune was quickly drained dry!
"Seraphina, I truly can’t thank you enough," Felix Gallagher said, still reeling from the close call. "Without you, I would have fallen right into that trap! Jade Pavilion is in desperate need of high-quality jade, and I’d put up all the company’s liquid capital. If I had really bought that useless material, Jade Pavilion would have been destroyed under my watch!"
"Mr. Gallagher, there’s no need to be so formal. As I said earlier, I have a score to settle with Mr. Hale, so I wasn’t doing it just to help you. Just be more careful with stone gambling in the future!" Seraphina Sterling didn’t linger, heading straight for the hospital.
"Teacher Grant, Seraphina’s grades are excellent now. Thank you so much for your guidance! Without you, our Seraphina might not have even passed her entrance exams!" Kimberly Jennings was in high spirits and full of gratitude for Terrence Grant.
"Seraphina Sterling’s academic foundation wasn’t just bad, it was abysmal. Teaching her took a tremendous amount of my energy," Terrence Grant said. His attitude wasn’t as brazen as it was with others, but the narcissism and arrogance in his tone were impossible to hide. "Fortunately, my extensive experience as a teacher allowed me to mold her into a proper student!"
"You’ve truly gone above and beyond, Teacher Grant! I don’t know how I can possibly thank you," Kimberly Jennings said, not paying any mind to his attitude.
"That is indeed something you should think very carefully about!" Terrence Grant had never known the meaning of the word ’humility’.
This was the scene that greeted Seraphina Sterling when she arrived.
’Why is Terrence Grant at the hospital?’ Seraphina Sterling’s brows knitted for a moment before she smoothed her expression. "Mom, I’ve already figured out how to thank Teacher Grant. You don’t need to worry about it."
"How will you thank me?" Kimberly Jennings and Terrence Grant asked in unison. Kimberly’s tone was curious, while Terrence’s was full of arrogance. They were the same words, but the difference in tone created two completely different feelings! And Terrence’s was, without a doubt, the kind that made you want to punch him.
"Mom, I’ve lined up a business deal for Teacher Grant. The profit from this deal alone will be more than enough for even the illustrious Mr. Grant of Aethelgard to squander!" Seraphina Sterling smiled slightly, revealing two faint dimples. Her cheeks flushed, making her look so adorable one might want to take a bite.
"And you think I’d be interested in just any business deal?" Terrence Grant’s lips curled into a smirk. His arrogance was infuriating, yet he possessed a roguish charm that made it impossible to look away.
However, Seraphina Sterling was not just anyone. She completely ignored his posturing, simply meeting his gaze and saying coolly, "The Stone Vending Convention!"
Terrence Grant froze. That really was a massive deal. And what’s more, it was a massive deal that had nothing to do with the Grant Family!
