Dalton's Path to Redemption

Chapter 10

As Dalton had anticipated, lemons quickly became a hot commodity. The owners of lemon orchards either faced severe losses from heavy rains or had already sold their crops at rock-bottom prices. Now, everyone realized that the most sought-after fruit in the city was in the hands of a few teenagers.

"Dalton! The price of lemons has skyrocketed to three dollars a pound!" David exclaimed as he burst into the warehouse, excitement written all over his face.

"Don't worry, it might go even higher," Dalton replied calmly, perched on a small chair while poring over some problems.

"How high can it go? Ten dollars a pound?" Sophia guessed boldly.

Dalton shook his head. "If it reaches five dollars, that'd be fantastic. After all, it's not an especially rare variety. Plus, fruits have a limited shelf life. They can't be stored forever; otherwise, they spoil."

"We got them for under a dollar a pound. If it hits five dollars, that's several times our investment!" David couldn't help but rush over to grab a lemon and sniff its scent with delight. "A smell of money!"

Everyone burst into laughter at David's over-the-top reaction. The four of them had depended on each other since childhood, and now, being reunited, they cherished their bond, knowing it was precious, genuine, and solid.

'From now on, other than the three of them, I won't expect anything from anyone else. I will depend on myself and guide them toward a brighter future!'

With that determination in mind, Dalton turned his focus back to his studies, his head bent over his exercises.

Lately, Dalton had been taking frequent absences from school, prompting his teacher to call him for a chat. The teacher was worried that he might be facing some serious issues that could affect his studies. Dalton's grades were among the best in his school and ranked within the top hundred in all of Caelum City. A student as talented as Dalton couldn't slack off in his vital senior year.

Dalton reassured his teacher that he was just avoiding trouble.

The teacher recalled how several groups had indeed come to the school recently, asking about Dalton, and it troubled her.

"Should I call the police?" she asked, concerned.

"No need, Ma'am. They won't do anything drastic. After all, I'm just an orphan with nothing they want. But if they come again, I might need your help."

The teacher immediately patted Dalton on the shoulder, reassuring him. "Don't worry; I'll help you!"

The following day, the price of lemons indeed climbed to five dollars a pound. Dalton waved his hand, signaling, "Time to make our move!"

"Awesome! Let's contact the wholesalers and the beverage shop owners right away!"

With Dalton's command, the four of them quickly assigned tasks and got to work.

United in purpose, they operated efficiently. When wholesalers heard that Dalton and his friends had stockpiled tens of thousands of pounds of lemons, they immediately dispatched large trucks to collect the goods.

"Did you stash these lemons a few days ago?" asked a wholesaler.

When he had visited the lemon orchard a few days earlier, the orchard owner regretted selling all his lemons at low prices to a group of teenagers. Back then, he didn't believe it, but now he saw those teenagers in school uniforms.

"That's right. Though we collected them a few days ago, our warehouse is cool and dry, and the lemons are perfectly preserved. We won't sell rotten lemons to you," Dalton assured him with a smile.

The wholesaler, impressed by Dalton's composure, nodded appreciatively. "Good job! You kids are impressive! You guys will become successful!"

Dalton exchanged glances with Ruby, David, and Sophia, each sharing a happy smile.

Thanks to this deal, their group's reputation spread quickly throughout the fruit and vegetable wholesale market. A few high school students under twenty had stepped into the business world with unique insights and swift decisions, netting a profit of over 100,000 dollars in just a few days. Such success couldn't be achieved with youthful ambition alone.

"Where's that brat now?" Jack asked.

"I heard Mr. Dalton Walker is with a few friends near the eastern suburbs' orchard, doing some business," Aiden replied, raising his phone to show them a video of Dalton.

Jack watched the video of Dalton loading baskets of lemons onto a truck and felt his anger stirring again.

"He's a member of the prestigious Walker family, but he's doing manual labor alongside some country bumpkins, earning a pittance! If people find out, how am I supposed to face them in the future?"

Helen looked at Dalton and felt a twinge of pity. "If you don't give him money, he can't even have a decent meal at home. What can he do but find a way to earn money for himself?"

Susan fired back, "What are you talking about? You make it sound like we're abusing him. What is Dalton saying about me out there?"

Noticing the anger on her mother's face, Helen was puzzled. "Mom, what has Dalton done to make you hate him this much? Do you really want to ruin him?"

"That's nonsense! Why would I want to ruin him? He has so many bad habits. Can't I discipline him?" Susan shot back.

Jack turned to Aiden and said, "Get the car ready. I'll go bring that brat back myself!"

Their lemon stock sold out quickly, and the four of them gathered in the empty warehouse, buzzing with excitement as they counted their money again.

"We really made a lot! I've never seen so much money in my life!" David exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"We have to celebrate tonight! Dalton, if it weren't for you, we definitely wouldn't have made this much. You should take more!" Sophia insisted, handing Dalton a portion from her pile.

Ruby and David nodded in agreement, each pulling out some bills to share.

Dalton smiled and shook his head. "It's our joint efforts that make thing a success. We're a team. What's yours is yours, and there will be more chances to make big money in the future!"

The three of them stopped pretending to be modest. After agreeing on a time to celebrate that evening, they headed to the bank to deposit their earnings. After Dalton waited for the warehouse owner to return the keys, he happily walked out of the warehouse, only to bump into Helen and Flavia stepping out of a luxury car, approaching him with anger in their eyes.

"Dalton, why haven't you been to school these past few days?" Helen asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Dalton, did you really make a lot of money selling lemons?" Flavia inquired, eyeing the empty warehouse behind him in surprise. When Dalton lived with the Walker family, she never regarded him as anything special. In her opinion, since he came from a slum, he could hardly be a good person.

But what he had been doing lately piqued her curiosity. He seemed different from how she had imagined him.

"Miss Flavia Walker, you wouldn't care about my little bit of money, would you?" Dalton replied, instinctively clutching his backpack tighter.

Flavia rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by his dismissive tone.

Just then, Jack and Susan arrived.

"Dalton! How dare you talk to your sister like that?" Susan shouted angrily, reaching out to slap him.

"Mom! Don't do that!" Helen protested, trying to intervene, but she paused when she saw Dalton pull a knife from his school uniform pocket, flicking it open as he shouted at Susan, "Don't come any closer! Otherwise, don't blame me for using this knife on you!"