Hearing what they just said.
The manager didn't frown. He didn't flinch. He simply smiled with a kind of calm that said he'd heard this line of thought before, and it never changed his mind.
He turned to Jude with that same gentle expression and said, "Sir, let me ask you—do you believe a million dollars is worth more than a man's life? A man who has put his life on the line for people he didn't even know?"
The words dropped into the center of the table like a stone in water. No one said a word.
Emma stared at the manager, her lips slightly parted. Olivia looked down at her lap, avoiding eye contact. The teacher nodded slowly in approval, and even Elias, who had been brimming with pride earlier, kept his head down now.
Jude's throat tightened. He opened his mouth to speak but found no words that wouldn't make him look worse. He slowly leaned back in his seat, eyes darting around, trying not to meet Zane's.
It was clear he had lost.
