Becoming the Richest Man Alive

“Are you going to mess with him, Casper?” Felix asked.

Looking to Felix, Casper knew that the former and Colton declined to mention this the night before

because they did not want him to step in with the understanding that should they ever become too

dependent on Casper to solve all their problems for them, it might be difficult for them to find their own

way in the world.

“I understand where y’all coming from, Felix, but sometimes, some people need to be taught a lesson!”

Casper pointed eastward to the rising sun. “Look, the day has just broken and y’all were already up. It’s

understandable that a little hardship is to be expected, but getting squeezed and exploited like this?

What’s the point of slogging away twelve hours a day for a handful of chump change?”

Colton propped up his glasses. “Let’s drop this. We’ll take it that we’re paying for some real-life

education, as this sort of rotten company would fold by itself sooner or later. We just need to learn to be

more discerning from here on out.”

That got Casper even more irked. “You can pay anyone for this, but not him! The only way to deal with

this sort of scumbag is to beat him at his own game!”

Elena arrived at the gates, roaring in behind the wheels of a Maserati as they spoke. The other two

apart from Felix who did not know about the Maserati Casper owned simply stared with eyes riveted.

“What did you manage to find out?” Casper asked as he settled himself into the back of the car.

“This manpower company has been registered for less than six months. Owned by a millionaire called

Yugien Leger, it’s a sham of an establishment which specializes in exploiting students and is

completely rotten to the core,” the humorless Elena reported.

Casper took a deep drawl. “Drop us off there first, then head over to a bank in the vicinity and make a

withdrawal of twenty-thousand worth of coins.”

Elena nodded and drove Casper over the job site at Mercer’s, a shopping mall where a celebrity was

slated to put on a joint performance. Part of the preparation work had been subcontracted to Vamanos

Manpower.

“What are the coins for, Casper?” Remy asked.

“For pelting someone with, of course,” an insidious Casper said to his stumped friends.

In Horington, the portly man stopped outside the entrance to Mercer’s and immediately opened up the

van to have the students inside get changed up.

“Move it, move it! If you are late, you won’t get paid!”

The students could only bottle up their anger for the sake of the money as they tumbled out of that tin-

can of a van and pulled on Vamanos Manpower’s uniforms.

“Where the hell are those four broke-*ss morons from BU who dared hail a ride on few dozen bucks

worth of wages?” the man rambled while a Maserati parked itself close behind his van.

“Frig me. So damn rich that you’ve to get yourself such a fancy car?” His eyes ogled at the sleek

machine which he could tell was worth a fortune.

What came next prompted a flummoxed look from him as the supposedly poverty-stricken boys from

Business University he was referring to stepped out from that car and nonchalantly approached to slip

themselves into Vamanos Manpower’s uniforms.

“Whoa, whoa…” The portly man reached out to stop them.

“What’s the matter?” Casper looked to him questioningly. “Have we arrived late? Don’t we still have a

few more minutes to spare? Are you not going to let us work?”

The man did not know how to respond to that. He contemplated asking about the Maserati, but

eventually thought the better of it.

These poor bastards must have lucked out to be able to catch a Maserati over here. Try to fob me,

would you? I’ll have y’all work your fingers to the bone.

After Casper and company got themselves into that heinous looking getup, they lined up to steep

themselves in the portly man’s inane lecturing before they were arranged to take over from the workers

from the mall.

Mercer’s representative was Ced Cowherd, a scrawny fellow with dark complexion, deadened eyes

and a perpetual look of disinterest.

“Are you done yet, Goodyear? Hurry up, the star’s gonna be here at noon!” he spat at the portly man.

“We’re all set, Mr. Cowherd. Here are my guys, so feel free to direct them as you deem fit,” said the

lickspittle Goodyear.

“Just this lot?” Ced appeared displeased. “Oh, never mind. Follow me, y’all, and double quick time!

Keep up, or you can forget about lunch!”

“Hey, you clowns. Go with Mr. Cowherd and do whatever he tells you to.”

Goodyear gestured at Casper and his companions, obviously with no good intent.

Ced’s deadened eyes then swept over Casper’s group. “What are you still standing there for, fools?

Come with me!”

Holding his silence, Casper picked up his pace and went into the mall alongside with Ced.

“Serves y’all right for having to come out to work. Studying at BU despite being as dirt poor as you are?

Looks like y’all are destined to be stuck slaving away like this for life.”

Ced held both hands behind his own back while he led Casper and the others up in the cargo lift.

“Y’all be moving a couple of musical instruments later, so you’d best keep your wits about you. If you

get clumsy and damage them, you’ll never be able to pay for them off your wages.”

They were brought into a music store where the owner was waiting. “Oh, there you are, Mr. Cowherd.

This piano’s all ready for you!”

Moving a piano?

Felix exchange glances with the rest. It took them around two minutes to get here from the cargo lift

and considering the number of stairs they would need to traverse in between, they could end up

bumping the piano if they were not careful with the heftiness that was to be spread between just the

four of them.

“With just these guys?” The store owner giggled as he passed a cigarette along.

Ced propped the fag between his own chicken-feet-like digits. “It’s fine. These university boys are like

pigs, lazing around all day with too much energy to spare. Just let them at it.”

Casper cast his eyes the other three’s way while they gathered around the piano and prepare to move

it.

“Hey, easy there!” the music store owner instructed haughtily, “It’ll cost you a month’s salary if you nick

this.”

That was a shift in Casper’s expression as he did not expect the same snobbery from each and every

one of these men. Did they all not see students as human beings?

“Really? How much does this cost?” Casper reached out and ran a hand over the piano.

“No, don’t touch that! And get cracking already!” Ced’s eyes widened as he jabbed a castigating finger

at him.

Lifting his chin up, Casper shifted his gaze from the piano and unto Ced. “Try pointing that finger at me

one more time.”

The lids over Ced’s deadened eyes grew impossibly wide, and he stormed up to stab the point of his

digit into Casper’s chest.

“I’ll frigging point it at you if it so pleases me… Ah, ah! Oww!”

Ced’s finger had been twisted backward a hundred and eighty degrees and if that was not enough,

Casper pulled the former’s hand onto the keys and slammed the fallboard down on it, hard.

The color fell from the face of the music store owner when he regarded the jubilant trio led by Felix.

“You dare hit someone? This is a law abiding society, and we’ve cameras in here!”

Casper glared coldly at him. “A law abiding society it is, and we shall offer compensation accordingly.

How much does this piano cost?”

“Sixty-eight thousand! You should think very carefully about what you do next, young man. Your

parents sent you here to study, and not to stir up trouble outside!”