The Alchemists

The next day, after he finished teaching at the university, Nicolae went to the twins' school. They attended George Washington High School, a private school near the university.

He had to meet Miss Haney, Altair's homeroom teacher, who had called him yesterday and asked him to come to school to discuss the fight between Altair and a senior in his school.

Charles Gilbert was waiting with his father in the principal's office. The middle-aged man looked intimidating with a curt face, wearing expensive suits and a designer watch.

He looked in contrast to Nicolae, who only wore a simple short-sleeved shirt with his long hair tied carelessly with a red ribbon as usual. This time he was not wearing his ripped jeans, but his casual pants and leather boots made him look very relaxed, unlike Charles's father.

When he knocked on the door, Ron Gilbert thought the young man was one of the students who needed to see the principal.

"Who are you looking for?" asked the middle-aged man, frowning.

"Miss Haney told me to come. I will just sit here," Nicolae said, plopping himself in one of the available chairs in the room. He had been here several times so that he was quite familiar with the situation.

Usually, Miss Haney would ask for information from both parties and give a warning to the respective parents to have a sit down with their children and educate them better.

Nicolae usually only nodded, but he refused to punish Altair if the boy fought to defend himself. Often, arguments between teenagers ended on its own, especially if the trigger was girl problems.

What often happened was that a senior had a crush on a girl, and when he confessed to her, the girl would turn him down because she said that she liked Altair. The rejected student would then get angry and take it out on Altair after school or at recess by trying to beat him up.

Altair was usually able to defend himself well because he was taught self-defense by his father and some of his family's personal bodyguards. He had never lost any fights.

His defeated opponents would return home with swollen faces and bruises and raised questions from their parents who thought their son was bullied in school.

When all parties were confronted at the principal's office, usually the parents whose child started the fight would return home embarrassed once they knew that their son was at fault. The issue would usually end there. Altair also normally would openly reject the love confession from the girl who became the source of the problem.

Nicolae was ready for a similar scenario today, so he wasn't too worried. He glanced at Charles, whose face seemed bruised, and the corners of his lips were still bleeding, sitting in his chair with a wry expression.

Ron Gilbert watched him with probing eyes, wondering why this young man sat casually in the principal's office. He was just about to ask who Nicolae was and why he was there when Miss Haney arrived. The woman in her 40s with gold-rimmed spectacle sighed as she closed the door behind her.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Sorry for taking up your valuable time." She sat in a chair opposite the three people. Before she continued speaking, there was a knock at the door. "Please, come in."

"Good afternoon, Miss Haney," Altair, who opened the door, greeted his homeroom teacher, and closed the door behind him. "Sorry, I'm late. I was helping Miss Collins bring books from the class to the teacher's room. Hi, Dad..."

Ron Gilbert and his son looked surprised at Altair's words. They all glanced at Nicolae, who was sitting next to Miss Haney.

Was that man Altair's father? they thought in surprise. Not only did Nicolae look so young, but he was also very handsome. But when the two looked at Altair and Nicolae alternately, they realized that the two looked very similar.

Ah, yes ... surely they really were father and son. Their faces were very similar, even their hair was equally long, and both have similar deep blue eyes.

"Sit down, Altair. Mr. Gilbert came here with Charles because of yesterday's fight," Miss Haney explained. She invited Altair to sit beside her.

The teenager seemed laidback when he heard his homeroom teacher's words. He knew he was innocent and didn't feel the need to worry about anything. He knew Nicolae would defend him if he was innocent.

"Are you the father of this brat???" asked Ron Gilbert angrily. His face immediately flushed with anger. "He beat up my son and injured him. I will make sure your son is expelled from school and sent to jail for assault!!"

"Eh .. are you nuts?" Nicolae asked angrily. "It was one on one, and it was your son who started the fight."

"Charles is the victim here. He was beaten up, and your son was the culprit. I only came here to tell you that I will report your son to the police. This brat has gotten into a lot of fights, but the school brushed it off to protect its reputation..." Ron Gilbert gritted his teeth. "Do you know who I am ???"

"Wow, Mr. Gilbert ... please don't be emotional. This is just a fight between boys. We can solve this problem between us, no need to involve the police here," said Miss Haney hastily. "I borrowed the principal's office so we can discuss this matter privately. I beg of you to be cool-headed. There seems to be a misunderstanding here."

"What misunderstanding? Don't you see my son's eyes bruised like this?" Ron Gilbert was getting emotional. He turned to his son. "Charles, you want that bastard to go to jail, right?"

Charles was filled with grudges, and he nodded. "He beat me up, even though I only talked to him nicely. That boy is dangerous. He has beaten up many other boys before. Dad, you can find other witnesses, I'm sure many will be willing to testify."

Altair chuckled impatiently. He was upset because he was accused of being the scoundrel, even though he wasn't the one who started the fight.

"You liar! You didn't even talk to me. I also did nothing wrong to you! You stop me on the schoolyard and wanted to beat me ... but I was too strong for you. Don't be a coward, please!" he said impatiently and tried to stand up to hit Charles, who deliberately puffed out his c.h.e.s.t to challenge him.

Fortunately, Nicolae hurriedly grabbed Altair's hand and calmed him down.

"Sssh ... if you lost your temper, then he could really involve the police. If that happened, your father would hear all this," Nicolae whispered immediately into Altair's ear.

He was also upset, but he could still hold himself well. He was the same as Altair, he did not want this problem to reach his brother's ears. He could not imagine what Alaric would do if he knew his son was threatened to be sent to jail by a lowly lawyer.

Nicolae was more worried that Altair and Vega's identity in this school would be exposed and they would not be able to live like regular teenagers, like what they both wanted. That's why he kept his cool and not get provoked by the Gilberts.

"Hmm ... how about we just consider this a misunderstanding? Altair can apologize, and we will consider this problem over? Please, Sir ... this is between two teenage boys. There is no need to involve the police. We, the parents, would be deemed unfit to educate our sons if this thing escalates, "persuaded Nicolae. He then turned to Altair, "Altair, just apologize to Charles. Let's settle this now."

Altair was clearly at war with himself. He actually didn't want to apologize, but he also understood what Nicolae was thinking. He took a deep breath and finally grunted softly. "I am sorry."

"See ... my son has apologized. Hopefully, Charles and you can accept his apology, and we can all make peace. I'm sure your time is precious and not worth spending on a boys' fight." Nicolae looked at the father and son pair in front of him.

"My son has suffered injuries. This must be resolved before the law ..." said Ron Gilbert stubbornly. He was about to take out his cellphone and call the police station when suddenly Charles touched his hand.

"Dad... I can forgive this brat... on one condition," Charles said suddenly.

"What did you say?" asked Ron Gilbert with a glare.

Nicolae and Altair exchanged glances. What did Charles want to stop this unnecessary argument?