Chapter 135 Repaying Kindness and Seeking Revenge

Mateo's face went from smug to shocked in a heartbeat. He was used to being the top dog, so he couldn't keep his cool.

"Gary, smack him. I got your back!" Eric told Gary.

"Eric, I've been waiting for this moment!" Gary grinned like a kid on Christmas.

Back in the day, Gary wouldn't have dared, but with Eric backing him up now, he had zero fear.

Gary charged at Mateo without hesitation. Two loud slaps echoed as Gary's hand met Mateo's face.

Getting slapped in front of all their old classmates, Mateo felt like crawling into a hole. He turned beet red but kept his mouth shut, knowing Eric's status was no joke. Cody was even more freaked out.

"Awesome!" Gary laughed, finally letting go of years of pent-up anger.

"Cody, you know why I showed up to this reunion?" Eric asked with a sly smile.

"Why?" Cody looked like a deer in headlights.

Eric narrowed his eyes. "To settle the score with you all!"

Cody, Mateo, and Lincoln all went pale as ghosts.

Right then, Cody's phone rang. It was someone from his company.

As soon as he picked up, a frantic voice shouted, "Cody, we're screwed! The cops shut down the company! They're coming to arrest you!"

Cody's phone slipped from his hand, hitting the floor with a thud. "Eric, was this your doing?" he stammered, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Yup, all me. You've been riding high for years; now it's time to pay the piper. You're looking at a long stretch in prison," Eric said, cool as a cucumber.

Cody's business had always been shady, skating on thin ice. On the way to the karaoke bar, Eric had already made the call to bring Cody down. If Eric wanted to bury him, he had a mountain of evidence ready.

"Eric, please! Don't let them take me! I can't go to jail!" Cody dropped to his knees, clutching Eric's leg, begging like his life depended on it.

He knew that with Eric's connections, his only shot was to beg for mercy.

Everyone watched Cody grovel, shaking their heads. Once the big shot everyone sucked up to, Cody was now a pitiful mess.

"Spare you? Did you ever think of sparing us back in middle school? When we begged you to stop bullying us, what did you do? Remember?" Eric's voice was ice-cold.

With that, he kicked Cody away. For scum like Cody, Eric had zero forgiveness.

Just then, the door to the private room burst open, and a bunch of cops stormed in, hauling Cody, Mateo, and Lincoln away. Watching them get dragged out, Eric felt a wave of satisfaction. The humiliation from middle school was finally avenged, and the past disgrace wiped clean.

Eric wasn't a bad guy, but he sure as hell wasn't a pushover. He'd never forget those who were kind to him, but he'd also never let go of those who wronged him.

"Awesome!" Gary cheered as Cody and the others were taken away. Nothing felt better than seeing his worst enemy get what they deserved.

"Awesome!" echoed through the room as other classmates joined in. Some were just going with the flow, but others were genuinely happy.

A lot of them had been bullied by Cody back in the day. They'd sucked up to him for their own gain, but deep down, they wanted to see him fall. So their cheers were real.

Eric glanced around at his classmates and couldn't help but shake his head. They'd flattered Cody when he was on top, even if they'd been bullied by him. Now that he was down, they cheered. Classic flip-floppers.

Eric turned to Gary and said, "Hey man, if you're up for it, you can come work at Power Group. I'll hook you up with a sweet gig. We're talking at least four hundred grand a year."

Eric was all about helping out Gary, his old middle school buddy and desk mate.

"Four hundred grand a year!" The classmates around them were practically drooling with envy.

Landing a job at a big shot company like Power Group was a dream for most of them, and that kind of salary? Unreal.

Gary scratched his head and grinned. "Thanks, Eric, but I'm good running the food stall with my dad. It's tough, but I can still save a few grand a year, and that's enough for me."

Eric's offer was super generous, but Gary was the kind of guy who liked to stand on his own two feet. It made him feel more at ease.

"You're still the same old Gary. Alright, I won't push you." Eric gave Gary a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"How about this, if you ever hit a rough patch, just come to me. I'll have your back, no questions asked," Eric said seriously.

"Deal," Gary replied with a smile.

Everyone else was green with envy. With the chairman of Power Group in his corner, Gary wouldn't have to sweat any future problems!

"Alright, folks, let's have some fun. Don't just stand around. Gary, throw on some tunes," Eric said.

"On it!" Gary nodded.

As the music kicked in, everyone started singing and drinking. Eric made his way over to Stella. The girl sitting next to Stella quickly scooted over to make room for Eric.

"Stella, mind if I join you?" Eric asked with a smile.

"Of course not," Stella replied quickly.

Eric took a seat next to her. Stella looked tense, clearly nervous.

"Stella, why so uptight? Chill out," Eric said with a grin.

"Well, you're the chairman of Power Group and Sean's grandson. Even the big shots respect you. It's a bit intimidating," Stella said with a stiff smile.

"Relax. Besides, you're not the type to care about status, so why worry about mine?" Eric said, still smiling.

Stella nodded and took a deep breath, finally starting to relax a bit.

"Eric, I'm really sorry for misunderstanding you before. I thought you were just bragging and that your sports car was rented. I even thought you'd changed. Please don't be mad at me," she apologized.

"It's all good. It's normal not to believe something like that. You didn't mock me, so why would I be mad?" Eric said with a smile.

After a pause, he continued, "Stella, you helped me a lot in middle school. Remember when I couldn't afford the tutoring fee? You secretly paid it for me. I've never forgotten that."

"Tutoring fee? You must be mistaken. I didn't pay any tutoring fee for you," Stella quickly shook her head.

"Stella, don't play coy. I asked the teacher back then, and he said you paid it for me," Eric said with a smile.

Stella was stunned. "The teacher told you? I asked him to keep it a secret!"

Eric smiled slightly. He knew Stella didn't want him to know because she didn't want to hurt his pride. She not only helped him but also cared about his feelings. This was something Eric remembered deeply.

"Stella, no matter what, I have to thank you. The money you paid for me back then, I should return it to you," he said with a smile.

Then, Eric pulled out a check he had prepared in advance. He would never forget those who had wronged him and those who had been kind to him!