Chapter 3

She lunged for the big iron gate as if she really meant to slam her head into it, and Rupert made a show of holding her back, gripping her tight.

Laurence stayed on his knees, quickly shoving the extortion contract with its tripled prices under my nose, even forcing the pen into my hand.

"Silas, listen to your mother. Just sign it."

I looked at my mother, completely taken in by them, then at Laurence, pressing in on me.

I gripped the pen hard and didn't bring it down.

Right in the middle of that standoff, a court enforcement vehicle plastered with seals pulled up at the factory gate, its warning lights flashing.

Several uniformed officials climbed out and pushed through the crowd.

They hadn't come to deal with Laurence and the scene he was making.

Laurence scrambled up off the ground, slapped the dust off his knees, and smugly pulled a slip of paper from inside his coat.

"Officers, you're finally here. This kid owes me two million in high-interest loans and won't pay it back."

"I've already applied for pre-litigation asset seizure. His factory gets sealed today, on the spot!"

He handed the paper over.

One glance at it and my hands wouldn't stop shaking.

There on the paper was my dead father's fingerprint, pressed in bright red.

That was from back when my father wasn't in his right mind.

Laurence had come around all fake concern, saying he'd help our family sign up for low-income assistance, and tricked my father into pressing his print onto a blank receipt.

Now that same paper was covered in loan amounts and sky-high interest.

"Laurence, you animal! Forging an IOU off my father's blank receipt. Aren't you afraid the sky will strike you dead!"

I rushed forward to grab the paper and two officials held me back.

"Mr. Rivera, please calm down. We're carrying out a pre-litigation seizure in accordance with the law."

I argued my case, explaining over and over that it was forged.

That was when Egbert stepped forward, raising his right hand and swearing to the officials.

"Officers, I'll testify. I was there when the loan was made."

"I saw the old boss press his print with my own eyes. Silas just wants to skip out on the debt."

Black and white on paper, plus Egbert's false testimony on the spot, and the officials threw the main power switch in the workshop.

A seal went up on the switch box door with a slap.

The roar of the machines cut off all at once, and the whole factory fell dead silent.

The factory was completely shut down.

That afternoon, overseas clients blew up my phone chasing their orders.

Penalties in the tens of millions hung over my head like a death warrant.

Egbert saw his opening and climbed onto a raised platform, working the crowd at the top of his voice.

"Brothers, this dump is finished! Boss Lambert's hiring at good pay. Anyone willing to come with me, go sign your contract now!"

Kicking a man when he was down, he took more than half the factory's skilled workers, packed up overnight, and jumped ship to Laurence's factory.