Chapter 243: Sheldon's Change of Mind
Although Ron and Arthur were spotted by patrol officers during their retreat, they managed to escape before law enforcement could establish a proper perimeter.
Ron made a copy of the envelope and handed it to Arthur, who was to negotiate with Mr. Cass, the bank's actual owner.
As expected, Mr. Cass went pale at the sight of the envelope. When Arthur showed him his IRS credentials, he collapsed onto his leather sofa, his face ashen. If he hadn't been breathing, Arthur would have thought the old man had suffered a heart attack.
"I know you! You're one of that bloodsucker's men!" the old man bellowed, followed by a string of profanities. But after he finished his tirade and caught his breath, he finally composed himself.
"Alright, what does that shark want?"
"Mr. Ron just wants you to pay the taxes you owe from previous years. Here's the itemized statement he prepared for you." Arthur handed the old man the detailed breakdown Ron had given him.
The old man immediately grabbed his reading glasses and began scanning the document. The more he read, the more labored his breathing became. Finally, he exploded in a rage: "This is outrageous! This isn't back taxes—this is highway robbery! No matter how thorough an IRS audit is, my books will pass inspection!"
"I earned all this money through perfectly legal tax optimization strategies—why should I pay it back?" The old man raged, tearing the copy into pieces and hurling them into the air, scattering paper fragments across the room.
"Your choice," Arthur said, not wanting to waste any more time with the old man. He'd rather be home with his girlfriend. "Ron's position is crystal clear: pay what you owe or we make that document public. The ball's in your court.
Tearing up that copy won't accomplish anything. We have plenty more at the office. Mr. Ron mentioned he could distribute it nationwide if needed, and even fax a copy to Mossad for their review."
"No! You absolutely cannot do that!" The old man's face turned crimson.
Nobody understood better than him the consequences of that evidence falling into Mossad's hands. His former business partner from the old regime had been tracked down by Mossad, and just as he was driving to their weekly golf game, both his house and car had been reduced to flaming wreckage.
That memory was permanently seared into his mind.
Arthur said nothing, only staring coldly at the old man. The old man held his gaze, but soon wilted under the pressure.
"Fine, fine, I understand. I'll pay what's owed, but I don't have that much liquid capital right now. Could we arrange..."
"Mr. Ron indicated he's willing to accept your Facebook holdings as payment toward the debt, though obviously not at current market valuation," Arthur's lip curled slightly: "His exact words were: 'With that much stock, I'm doing him a favor by taking it off his hands all at once—he should at least give me a bulk discount. I'm thinking twenty percent off sounds fair.'"
"Parasites! You're nothing but bloodsucking parasites!" The old man felt his blood pressure spike, but Arthur showed no shame, responding proudly: "Takes one to know one, but the difference is you drain working-class Americans dry, while we at the IRS exclusively target the wealthy..."
Everything that happened afterward was beyond Ron's concern. Arthur handled the negotiations expertly, so the next morning when Ron woke up, he received a text from his accountant Andy confirming the payment had been processed.
Twenty million dollars in cash and fifty million dollars worth of Facebook stock. Ron smiled with satisfaction. With Facebook's current trajectory, those shares would nearly double in value by next year!
Ron stretched contentedly, threw on his robe, and headed to the apartment next door for breakfast. Ever since Penny and Leonard had gotten together, she'd completely abandoned any pretense of cooking. Ron always ate whatever Sheldon prepared.
When Sheldon inevitably asked for grocery money, Ron would casually write him a worthless check to cover expenses.
Sheldon rarely bothered cashing his own paychecks from the university, let alone the meal reimbursements Ron gave him. With Sheldon's academic salary, he was actually quite comfortable financially.
Besides, as he often said, the things he truly wanted couldn't be purchased anyway, so Sheldon maintained a healthy bank balance. This arrangement meant Ron was essentially getting free meals from Sheldon every day.
But this morning was different. When Ron opened the door, he saw Sheldon, who typically subsisted on nothing but milk and cereal for breakfast, surprisingly holding an elaborate breakfast tray and wearing an apron, apparently preparing for something special.
The tray contained orange juice, coffee, and several pancakes topped with crispy bacon. While it looked rather modest to Ron, who was accustomed to hearty Southern breakfasts, for most Americans, this represented a substantial morning meal.
"Holy cow, what's the occasion? You actually prepared such an elaborate breakfast for me. I distinctly remember my birthday isn't for several months." Ron smoothly took the tray. "But thanks anyway, Sheldon. I'll add a bonus to this month's grocery allowance for the excellent service."
After all, it was a bogus check, so Ron didn't mind being generous.
"No! That's not for you. There's cereal and milk in the kitchen if you want breakfast. This is for my dear friend Leonard." Sheldon huffed and reached out to reclaim the tray, but quickly pulled his hand back.
Because Ron had already grabbed a piece of pancake wrapped with bacon and started eating without hesitation. When he saw Sheldon reaching out, he immediately used his food-holding hand to block him.
"Alright, alright, this food is mine now. I'll go prepare another portion for Leonard." Sheldon stomped his feet in frustration, but there was nothing he could do. He knew he'd never been able to overpower Ron, not since childhood.
Ron looked up in surprise: "For Leonard? When did you two become so close? So tight that you're preparing gourmet breakfasts for him first thing in the morning? Tell me, has your sexual orientation changed?"
"Did Penny agree to break up with Leonard? Or is she willing to play along with your romance? But you'd better not tell your mother yet. I don't think she could handle it right away, although I imagine she's already resigned herself to you being a lifelong bachelor.
But homosexuality—good Lord—that would still be too much of a shock for a devout Baptist."
Sheldon's eyes widened: "What are you talking about? I'm simply trying to be more considerate toward my roommate."
"More considerate?" Ron asked skeptically, glancing out the window: "So, did aliens abduct you yesterday and leave a pod person standing in front of me? What happened to my brother? I want the real Sheldon back."
(End of this chapter)
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