CHAPTER 43: TASTE OF POWER

"Do you know that small community school in **** City? I want you to buy it—right now—at double the original price." Alpheus said calmly into his phone.

"W-What?.. W-Wait, Sir Alpheus, where are you right now?" his secretary stammered from the other end of the line.

"Don’t ask questions," Alpheus replied flatly. "Just do exactly what I said. I want that school bought today. And while you’re at it, make sure the current principal is removed from his position. I’m buying that too. Understood?"

Without waiting for a response, Alpheus ended the call and casually slipped his phone back into his pocket, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. Then he turned to face the principal—who stood frozen, mouth slightly open in disbelief.

"Now that I’m buying this school. I’m still generous enough to give you a bit of time to pack up your things. Because as of today—you are no longer the principal of this institution."

Gasps rippled through the small crowd. Teacher Amie, the twins, and several curious students and parents stood motionless, still processing what they had just heard.

"H-Ha! You must be joking, young man..." the principal laughed nervously, trying to brush it off.

"Arrogance like that won’t get you anywhere. There’s no way someone like you could actually pull that off. Let me give you some advice—it’s better if you apologize now. Who knows? I might still be generous enough to forgive you."

Alfonso gave a low chuckle beside Alpheus and shook his head slowly.

"Come on, Mr. Principal. I think it’s you who should be apologizing—right now," he said with a smirk. "You really don’t know who you’re talking to. Alpheus... he’s not someone you mess with. If he wanted to, he could buy you and your entire family. But today? He’s being merciful. He’s only buying your position—and this humble little school."

The principal’s face twisted in irritation. "Tch. Are you seriously not done with this nonsense—?"

Riiing.... Riiing....

A sudden loud ring from his phone cut him off. Annoyed, he pulled it from his pocket and answered without even checking the caller ID.

"Hello! Can’t you just call me later? I’m busy at the moment—what?!"

Mr. Thomas’s voice, initially impatient, trailed off into disbelief. Slowly, he lifted his gaze toward Alpheus and Alfonso, who were now standing with wide, knowing grins on their faces.

"T-That’s impossible... I’ve had enough of these stupid jokes for one day. Don’t tell me you’re trying to mess with me too!" he snapped.

"But it’s true!" the voice on the other end insisted. "Someone just called and informed me that you’re no longer the principal—or even one of the owners of the school! Someone just bought the entire ownership a moment ago!"

"I said it’s impossible!" Mr. Thomas barked. "I still have important matters to settle here, so stop calling me with this nonsense!" he added angrily, then hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket.

But before he could fully put it away, the phone rang again.

"What now!? I already said—"

"Check your phone, Mr. Thomas!" came a panicked voice from the other end.

"I’ve been trying to reach you! How could the school be sold just like that?! What did you do?! Explain this to me—how could you let this happen? The Monteverde Group bought the entire school! There’s nothing we can do anymore!"

Mr. Thomas fell completely silent. Slowly, he glanced at the caller ID—and froze when he saw the name. It was one of the co-owners of the school.

At that exact moment, a new message notification popped up on his screen. His hands trembled as he tapped it open.

It was an official notice from the school board.

NOTICE: As of today, Mr. Thomas is no longer the acting principal nor an owner of the institution. All privileges and responsibilities have been reassigned under new management effective immediately.

The color drained from his face. In a daze, he turned off his phone without another word, letting it ring again in his hand as yet another call came through.

Silently, he looked up—this time with no more arrogance, only disbelief and fear.

Alpheus and Alfonso were now watching him with much colder expressions.

"J-Just who are you? Are you a M-monteverde?"

His hands trembled, and a nervous sweat broke out across his forehead.

Amie and a few others nearby gasped at the name, their eyes widening in recognition. Alpheus, however, only smirked.

"Who I am doesn’t matter to you. What matters is that I already told you—I can buy this school, and I did. So from now on, you, your son, and even your little lackey’s kid are no longer allowed to step foot on this campus."

As he said this, his eyes flicked coldly toward Ben, who instinctively took a step back, fear flashing in his eyes.

Egypt, who had been quietly taking in everything, finally snapped out of her daze. Her face slowly lit up with awe and surprise.

She stepped forward excitedly toward Alpheus and Alfonso.

"Whoa! Mr. Alpheus and Mr. Alfonso—are you really the new owners of our school now?"

The two men’s serious expressions melted instantly as they smiled warmly down at her.

"Yes," Alpheus replied. "And starting today, no one will be allowed to bully you again. If anyone tries, I’ll make sure they’re removed from this school immediately."

He cast a brief, warning glance at the other students who had been teasing the twins. A chill ran down their spines, and without a word, they hurriedly filed back into the classroom.

"Really!?" Egypt’s eyes sparkled with joy. "That means no one can insult our mom anymore... or say we don’t have a dad?"

Alpheus’s smile softened. He crouched slightly so he could meet her eyes at her level, then gently patted her head.

"That’s right," he said firmly. "No one will ever insult you or your mom again. We’ll make sure of that."

"Hehe! Uncles! You’re the best!" Egypt beamed.

Alpheus and Alfonso exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but smile. What they had done to help truly felt worth it.

-----

Meanwhile, at Alpheus’s office...

Dave and Calyx immediately looked up when the door to Alpheus’s office suddenly swung open. They were both a little surprised to see Rome stride in, his expression serious, before throwing himself down on the couch beside them without a word.

"Oh wow, a miracle—Rome’s actually here!" Calyx teased with a smirk.

Rome didn’t respond. Instead, he glanced around the office with a deep frown, his eyes landing on Alpheus’s secretary—who was already used to their frequent visits and the group treating the office like their personal lounge.

"Let me guess... Alpheus isn’t here again?" Rome asked gruffly.

The secretary didn’t even look up. "If you can’t see him, it means he’s not here." she replied flatly before returning to her work.

"Pfftt—"

Dave and Calyx tried to hold in their laughter, but Rome shot them both a deadly glare.

"Don’t laugh. Just tell me—where is Alpheus?" he demanded.

The two exchanged quick glances and shrugged in unison. Of course, they knew where Alpheus and Alfonso had gone—most likely to the twins’ school—but there was no way they were going to tell Rome that.

"He probably just went to visit his cute little nieces." Calyx said casually.

Rome’s frown deepened. "Nieces? But doesn’t he only have one niece?"

Dave gave Calyx a subtle nudge to keep him in check, but Calyx just grinned.

"Technically, yes. But his sister’s friend has a daughter, and she also happens to be friends with his niece. So now, he treats both of them like his own nieces."

Rome’s eyebrows furrowed even more, which only made Calyx laugh harder.

"Since when did Alpheus get so affectionate toward his niece?" Rome muttered, clearly baffled. "Wasn’t he always saying she’s a brat—just like her mom?"

"Well, maybe he’s had a change of heart," Dave said with a shrug. "Is that such a bad thing?"

Riiing... Riiing...

The loud ringing of the office phone made all three men pause. Their heads turned in unison toward Alpheus’s secretary, who calmly picked up the receiver.

"Yes, what is it, sir?" she asked politely.

As she listened, her expression shifted—surprise flickering across her face.

"W-What? Wait—Sir Alpheus, where are you right now?"

Dave, Calyx, and Rome exchanged intrigued glances. The sudden change in her tone could only mean one thing—whatever Alpheus had said was definitely important.