I Built a Pool, a Brat Claimed It

My son, Damian Stone, has mild asthma. The doctor has recommended that he train his lungs through light swimming, and it so happens that Damian loves swimming. I've donated five million dollars to Damian's school for a temperature-controlled swimming arena and full-range purifier system because of this. I've even paid a professional safety officer to disinfect and keep an eye on the arena daily. But one day, when I head to Damian's school earlier than usual to pick him up, I find him locked up in the equipment room. He's soaking wet and has his arms wrapped around his trembling knees while using his inhaler. The doors of the swimming arena I've donated have a notice stuck on them that reads: "For Timothy's private use only. No freeloaders allowed." Chapter 1 I snatched up the fire extinguisher in the corridor and smashed open the locked-up door of the equipment room. The moment the door burst open, I felt my blood run cold. Damian Stone, my son, was curled up in the corner, dripping wet and barefoot. He gripped the inhaler tightly, taking huge, strained gulps. A purplish tinge had already crept into his lips. "Damian!" I threw the fire extinguisher aside and lunged forward, pulling Damian into a tight embrace. "Dad…" Tears spilled from Damian's eyes when he saw me. His shoulders trembled violently. "Dad, the water's so cold… They held my head underwater, and I couldn't breathe…" I stripped off my jacket and wrapped it around Damian, my hands shaking so badly that I nearly couldn't pull up the zipper. "Who locked you up in here?" He cried to the point his breathing grew shallow and rapid, giving me bits and pieces of the truth until I saw the full picture. He'd changed his clothes and was about to get in the water when his classmate, Timothy Olson, barged in with a few other boys. They pushed Damian into the pool and held his head underwater until he choked, thereafter stripping off his jacket and locking him in the equipment room. I gritted my teeth and forced my tears back. Then, taking Damian's hand, I led him to the entrance. Through the glass, I saw the boy named Timothy soaking in the pool. He was holding up a fruit platter and popping imported cherries into his mouth. The swimming trunks he wore were the same tailor-made pair I'd commissioned for Damian from a Forancian designer. A few students surrounded Timothy, looking sycophantic as they handed him towels. I kicked open the doors to the swimming arena, the thunderous sound startling everyone inside. Timothy turned his head and froze upon seeing me. A beat later, he rolled his eyes. "Who are you? Are you blind? Didn't you read the notice on the doors that says this pool is for private use only?" I fixed him with an icy stare. "Take off those trunks and get the hell out of the pool." Timothy sneered at me, the contempt clear on his face. "Who do you think you are? How dare a penniless loser like you barge in here and tell me what to do? "My dad paid five million dollars to have this private swimming pool constructed for me! Can you afford the damages if you mess up the place?" A furious chuckle escaped me. "A private swimming pool? I paid for the construction of this pool. Last I checked, I didn't christen it as Olson family property!" Timothy guffawed. "Are you out of your mind? Go and seek medical help for your delusions! Where's the security guard? I want this lunatic thrown out of my pool!" I ignored his threats and looked around, searching for the safety officer I'd paid good money for. However, the officer was nowhere to be found. I fished out my phone and dialed the safety officer's number, only to realize she'd switched off her phone. Timothy grinned like a wolf when he noticed I hadn't said anything despite holding my phone. "Trying to shake me down but failed, huh? Quit acting like you matter, peasant!" Damian, whom I'd been shielding this entire time, tugged on my sleeve at that moment. Timothy spotted him at once, his eyes like a hawk's. "I see the freeloader's out." With that, Timothy picked up an empty water bottle by the pool and hurled it at Damian. It clattered on the floor beside Damian's foot. "Thick-skinned sicko! You're lucky I didn't drown you after you freeload off my pool every day!" The sycophantic students around Timothy burst into laughter to please the little tyrant. "Yeah, what's a poor loser doing in someone else's private pool anyway?" "That asthma of his is contagious, right? He's so gross!" Frightened, Damian ducked behind me, his eyes turning red with fresh tears. Realization dawned upon me when I registered the fear in Damian's eyes. This wasn't the first time such an incident happened; Timothy and his lackeys had been bullying Damian at school. Damian was shy and easygoing. I'd wanted him to grow up happily without constant fanfare and attention, so I never told his school about my identity. I didn't think that Damian would end up getting picked on because of my choice to stay low-profile. I stroked Damian's hair. "You've nothing to be afraid of. I'm here." Lifting my gaze, I surveyed Timothy and the others. "Get your homeroom teacher here right now. No one is leaving this place until I get to the bottom of this." No sooner had I said this than a staccato of footsteps sounded from outside the pool. The homeroom teacher, Lionel Hall, had heard about the commotion and hurried over. Chapter 2 "What's going on here? Who's been yelling in the swimming arena?" Lionel demanded, scowling as he headed through the doors. I was about to tell Lionel about the cruel torment Damian had endured, but he unexpectedly brushed past us without sparing us a sidelong glance. He made a beeline for Timothy, a sycophantic smile plastered on his face. "Goodness, Timothy, is everything alright? Were you frightened?" Timothy lifted his chin high in the air as he jabbed an accusing finger at Damian and me. "Mr. Hall, you got here just in time! This freeloader didn't know his place and insisted on using my private pool! "I kicked him out, but now, he's come back here with his poor loser of a dad to make his case! The guy even said he paid for the construction of this pool! Can you believe him?" Tears welled up in Damian's eyes again at the word "freeloader". The education he'd had since he was young meant he had no tolerance for such crass insults. With red-rimmed eyes, he argued, "I'm not a freeloader… Dad had this pool constructed to begin with—" "Quiet!" Lionel cut Damian off before he could finish his sentence. Whirling to look at Damian with contempt, he snapped, "Why can't you be a little more mature, Damian? Your health is delicate, to begin with. "What if something bad happened after you got into the water? How would the school make up for it? Timothy was kind enough to let you look at the pool, but that's no excuse for you to push his boundaries. "Leave now before the other children catch whatever disease you have! You're spoiling everyone's fun!" My gaze hardened when I heard Lionel's words. How could a public educator say such horrible things? Lionel spun and looked down his nose at me. "Mr. Stone, I suggest you take Damian and leave the pool right now. We don't want to embarrass ourselves further now, do we? "Do you have any idea who Timothy's mother is? She's the famous CEO of Starsea Group! The construction of this swimming pool was approved and commissioned by them! "A word from her is all it'll take to ruin your life in Kingsdale! If both of you apologize to Timothy now, we can forget that this incident ever happened, or else…" I went still. The CEO of Starsea Group? Wouldn't that be me? "Are you sure Timothy's mother is the CEO of Starsea Group?" I prompted, doubt creeping into my voice. "I happen to know the CEO of Starsea Group. From what I know, the CEO is a man." Timothy's expression contorted into a grimace when he heard my question. "You bumpkin! Who are you trying to bluff? How many Starsea Groups are there in Kingsdale? "My Mom's the boss at the company, and she's worth billions! A peasant like you doesn't even know which way the doors open at the company, let alone the woman who runs it!" Damian had sensed something amiss, too. He might be young, but even he knew what my company's called. Taking a deep breath, he protested loudly, "You're all wrong! Dad's the real—" "That's enough!" Lionel interrupted Damian again, taking long strides toward him and reaching to grab him by the arm. "From what I've seen, you and your dad are nothing more than troublemakers! "You're only throwing a fit here because you can't afford tickets to the local swimming pool. Security security! Where are they? Come drag them out!" Just as Lionel's hand was inches from grazing against Damian's, I raised my hand and grabbed his wrist. "Don't you dare touch him." Stumped by my intimidating tone, Lionel froze, but didn't pull his hand away. Timothy noted my unbudging stance, but it did little to temper his hubris. If anything, it spurred him on. "Fine, then! You won't give up until we back you into the corner!" He wasted no time in dialing a phone number. "Dad! Dad, a crazy man's fighting with me over the pool! Come here, and bring backup!" Chapter 3 The doors to the swimming arena swung open ten minutes later. A man dressed head to toe in designer clothes with a pair of gold-framed glasses atop his nose bridge strolled in. Timothy's dad didn't even ask about the incident before fishing out a wad of 100-dollar bills and tossing it at my feet. He jerked his chin in my direction. "Take the money and buy medicine for your sick kid, but you and your son must get on your knees and apologize to Timothy! If not, it's over for the both of you in Kingsdale!" Lionel piped up at once, "Calm down, Mr. Olson. I've already called school security. It won't be long before we throw these two lunatics out of here!" Sure enough, the security guards showed up after receiving word and stared us down. I shielded Damian and fixed my gaze on Timothy's dad's face. "Your wife is the CEO of Starsea Group? What's her name?" Timothy's dad's eyes flashed, and he demanded in a raised voice, "Who do you think you are to ask about my wife's name? All you need to know is that it won't take much work for us to crush you like pests!" I gave up on probing for more details when I saw how unreasonable Timothy and his dad were. I took out my phone and called my assistant. "Look into the operations of the swimming arena I donated to Damian's school for the last month." Upon hanging up, I shot Lionel an icy look. This couldn't have been the first time Damian was bullied. There was more to this swimming arena fiasco than it seemed. Before long, my assistant sent me an email. The leash on my rage snapped when I clicked on the email and viewed its contents. Lionel had repurposed the five-million-dollar swimming arena I donated into a recreational "Water Club for Elite Kids" and bypassed the school's public system to sell so-called "VIP member cards" to the students' parents. He was also charging a 200-dollar fee for each swimming lesson! I did a rough calculation in my head. The school had made a net profit of over 100 thousand dollars from the location and facilities I'd paid for. And yet, Damian, who was asthmatic, had been locked in the equipment room and called a freeloader! I held my phone up to Lionel's face. "Mr. Hall, could you tell me whose pockets the hundred-something thousand dollars of membership fees disappear into each month?" All the blood drained from Lionel's face when he saw the detailed financial report. However, he seemed to gain some bravado after glancing at Timothy's dad and resumed his arrogant stance. "Come now, Mr. Stone, there's no need for you to make such ugly accusations. "We're simply optimizing school resources, that's all. Given how high-maintenance the temperature-controlled swimming arena is, there's nothing wrong with charging a small fee for its usage. "Besides, Damian's asthma is quite the horror show when it acts up, and other parents have shown their concern for it. We didn't want anything to happen to Damian while he's in the pool that might affect everyone else using it, so we stopped him from swimming altogether. "Everyone's looking out for their children's interests. You ought to be a little more understanding, Mr. Stone!" Timothy's dad sneered from beside Lionel, "That's right. I suppose being poor has limited your understanding of how the world works. Do you even know what elite education is all about? "I was the one who proposed the idea of the water club to Mr. Lionel. My wife, as the CEO of Starsea Group, will be the club's biggest supporter! You causing a scene here is equivalent to picking a fight with Starsea Group!" I watched Lionel and Timothy's dad speak up for each other, and realization finally dawned upon me. I'd wondered where a homeroom teacher like Lionel got his audacity to repurpose and profit from donated facilities; he thought he had the support of the CEO of Starsea Group, whoever she claimed herself to be. I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath on them. Instead, I immediately phoned the school principal, Helena Wilton. She knew my real identity. "Ms. Wilton, I'm at the swimming arena right now. If you don't get here in five minutes, the school will end up headlining articles from every media agency in Kingsdale tomorrow for tolerating bullying behavior." Timothy's dad watched me make the call and believed I was still bluffing. Matching my stance, he whipped out his phone and made a call, too. He immediately whined to the person on the other line, "Honey, come to Timothy's school right now! Some crazy man popped out of nowhere and is threatening to get our son expelled!" Chapter 4 Timothy's dad hung up, then crossed his arms as he eyed me with clear arrogance. "My wife will be here any second now. If you get on your knees, apologize, and beg me for forgiveness now, I can still persuade her to go easy on you. "She's quite hotheaded. It'll be the end of you and your son once she gets here." Meanwhile, Timothy was losing his patience as he soaked in the pool. He emerged from the water, padded over to the edge of the pool, and jabbed a finger in Damian's direction as he snarled, "Pretty thick-skinned of you to show up here every day to use my pool, freeloader! "Don't think I don't know what you're up to! You're trying to show up everywhere I am to get my attention because you know my mom's a CEO. "You're not even worthy of carrying my shoes! The water in this pool is contaminated because of your freeloading, asthma-carrying cooties! I'm breaking out in allergies because of you!" As Timothy continued denigrating Damian, he gave the latter a rough shove. "I felt sorry that you couldn't afford to use public swimming pools, so I let you watch from the side out of the kindness of my heart. "But you just had to push it and have your dad come over to cause a scene!" Damian was already extremely weakened from the asthma attack and exposure to the cold. A rough shove from Timothy was enough to send him staggering back a few steps. Fat teardrops rolled down his cheeks. "I'm not a freeloader…" Damian sobbed. "Dad built this pool for me…" My heart cleaved painfully at the sight of Damian's tears of resentment and pale little face. "Shut up!" I thundered, closing in on Timothy to pull him away from Damian. But my gesture infuriated the boy. "You dare yell at me?" He let out a strange cry, and as if going mad, he grabbed Damian by the collar. Before anyone could react, he twisted his arms and shoved Damian into the deep end of the swimming pool! "Damian!" My eyes widened as I rushed to the edge of the pool like a maniac, wanting to jump in to save him. But at that moment, I felt someone on either side of me, pulling my arms and restraining me—Lionel and Timothy's dad. They worked together to pin me by the pool. "Let me go! Damian doesn't know how to breathe when swimming! He has asthma!" I struggled to break free from their hold, roaring. Damian was splashing around violently in the water, his arms clawing and breaking through the surface at a frantic pace. The splashes got smaller and smaller. His asthma was acting up again. I could see him gaping in agony under the water as air bubbles escaped his mouth, but he couldn't get any oxygen into his lungs. "Oh, calm down." A wicked smile split Timothy's dad's face as he gripped my shoulders and kept me from moving. "Your son has always wanted to swim in the pool, right? I'm feeling generous today, so I'll let him swim in my private pool to his heart's content!" Lionel chimed in apathetically from the other side, "Yeah, what's choking on a few mouthfuls of water going to do to him, anyway? Think of this as a lesson he'll remember!" I was no match for their restraint. Desperation nearly overwhelmed me as I watched Damian's movements grow weaker in the water. Just then, the doors of the entrance swung open, and a woman hurried in. She was none other than the safety officer who hadn't responded when I'd tried to call earlier, and who received a ten-thousand-dollar monthly wage from me. Timothy's dad turned toward the sound at the door, his eyes lighting up when he got a good look at the woman who'd entered. He immediately released his grip on my shoulder and enthusiastically met the safety officer halfway, grabbing her hand. "Honey, you're finally here!"