Chapter 18: A Ray Of Hope
The next morning dragged on with the usual routine: yard time followed by breakfast.
Moe didn’t show up today, which Theo said happened regularly. Nathan wondered what the man did in his free time.
He also saw the inmates who had fought him yesterday. He recalled the frowns on their faces but they didn’t approach.
Breakfast arrived an hour later and the block settled back in its usual mood.
Nathan willed the system to appear.
[System Balance : $25,008,000]
"Almost thirty million," he muttered. Yesterday he had spent a total of Thirteen million on Catherine and other streamers on the platform.
He opened his phone and went to TiikTuk. And sure enough, a barrage of notifications were waiting for him.
The account had exploded to around three hundred thousand followers overnight. He hadn’t expected things to turn out like this.
The inbox wasn’t spared either. Message requests piled up from all kinds of accounts.
Only Catherine’s DM was in his inbox, the rest were in message requests.
He still hadn’t posted or uploaded a profile picture. And he intended to keep it that way for now.
The gates to the block opened, but Nathan kept looking at the screen. The footsteps stopped at his cell
"You there..." The guard called."...You have a visitor."
Nathan smiled. It was most likely Catherine. He wondered how she must be feeling now.
---
The visitation room was as cold as ever. And the lonely moth was still circling the light.
Catherine stood on the other side of the glass. She wore a red shirt with baggy pants and held a bag.
The dark circles were still there but she had a cheerful look about her.
She was already holding the phone and before Nathan could fully place it to his ear, she was speaking.
"Morning bro," she beamed a smile.
Nathan chuckled. "You seem to be in a good mood. Don’t you have classes?"
"I do but what I want to say can’t wait."
"Okay?"
"So... first things first. I won the PK battle."
Nathan did his best surprised impression. "Against Tabi? How?"
Catherine grinned. "You’re never going to believe this... " she narrated the events of last night during the stream. How Sir Platinum joined the stream and singlehandedly tipped the battle in her favour.
Nathan maintained his expression as he watched her narrate the whole thing. The spark in her eyes warmed his heart.
When she was done, he made a frown on his face. "That’s crazy. But why you in particular?"
"That’s the exact thing I thought. But..." She pulled her phone, scrolling through various images of posts and showing them to him one at a time.
"I’m not the only person he helped last night. He’s some new internet sensation."
Nathan looked at the various headlines of his internet persona. He almost smiled at how he was trending.
"Okay that’s impressive." he nodded. "How much did he gift you?"
Catherine exhaled. "A lot, Nate. I did a rough calculation and it’s around a million worth of donations."
Nathan eyes widened and he opened his mouth for effect. "A million? Woah that’s a lot."
"I know right?" Catherine leaned forward with a smile. "Sadly the platform will take a part but still. Half a million is still a lot money. Way more than I’ve ever seen in my life."
Nathan shook his head. "Still, that’s daylight robbery."
Catherine nodded. "But Nate. It’s enough that we don’t have to worry about bills for a while. Enough to hire a lawyer to reopen your case."
Nathan rested a hand on his chin. "Do you think this person’s... this Sir Platinum’s intentions are genuine?"
Catherine’s expression became slightly guarded. "I don’t know.... I did ask for their ID to prove they aren’t a child at least but they haven’t replied."
Nathan frowned. Moe hadn’t gotten back to him yet with his request.
"That’s good. We have to be cautious. Have you told dad?"
"Not yet. You know how he is about new age stuff," Catherine shook her head.
Nathan chuckled. "Let’s wait for Sir Platinum’s reply and wait a few days before anything."
"Alright then."
Nathan tilted his head. "Have you gotten the money? Yet?"
Catherine looked at her hands. "No. Not yet. TK is running a verification process. Something about large transactions from new accounts triggering review." She looked up. "But if it clears—"
"When it clears," Nathan said.
She gave a small smile. "When it clears. We’ll be okay."
Nathan smiled. Feigning ignorance was a temporary measure. He could always explain the source of his wealth or at the very least tell a believable story.
Catherine’s eyes widened. "Oh yeah. I spoke to a cop."
Nathan kept his face still. "What did he want?"
"She..." Catherine corrected. "She came to the apartment looking for dad but saw me and we talked."
"What did she say?"
"She was asking about you and the whole incident." Catherine’s eyes moved across his face carefully. "She had a detective’s badge and I looked her up afterwards. She’s real."
Nathan leaned forward. "What did you tell her?"
"The truth. I know you didn’t do this." She paused. "She really listened. Not the way the other officers did."
"Catie–"
"I know you have doubts but between her and the money. We have a shot at proving your innocence." Catherine replied. Her eyes glimmered with hope.
"I hear you," he said. "And I’m glad but let’s take things one step at a time."
She studied his face. "It’s just you don’t seem excited."
"I am, but I’m also being cautious. I don’t want this turning into an even bigger mess."
Catherine gave a resigned nod. "That’s true."
She leaned in her seat and exhaled. And without warning her expression changed. "I almost forgot. Leon texted me."
Nathan’s jaw tightened before he could stop it. "What did he say?" his tone was grave.
"He just sent ’hello’... and a selfie. I blocked him."
Nathan relaxed. "If he bothers you..."
"I know. I can call the cops." She smiled. "You worry too much."
"I can’t help it. You and dad are the only family I have left."
Catherine pressed her lips together.
The guard behind Nathan shifted. Nathan stood up, the phone still in his hand.
"Time to go," Nathan said. "You have school to attend right?"
"Yeah but..."
"No buts. Also you should take care of yourself first when the money comes." Nathan’s voice was solemn. "Good bye Catie."
Nathan dropped the phone and turned but Catherine stood reluctantly. She pressed her hand flat against the glass.
Nathan stopped then did the same for a brief moment. Then he let his hand fall, turned, and followed the guard out without looking back.