A few days before executing the bank run, Adrian knew that it was inevitably going to affect his own bank and the overall trust in the banking system he was trying to create.
So, he gathered the amount of money that had been deposited in his bank and got ready to pay back anyone who demanded their money in full.
He also had some crude goggles made because he knew he wouldn’t be able to meet the victims in the eye after causing this mess.
The day he ordered Evran to start his drama, Adrian left the place and went back to his residence.
He didn’t have the courage to see everything go down.
Adrian deliberately stopped himself from listening to any reports about the matter, trying to prevent his conscience from feeling even more guilty.
The Valewood Bank, on the other hand, was a complete mess.
Aldren was having difficulty understanding what had just happened.
Why was everyone suddenly asking for their money back?
And why were they all asking for it at the same time?
He was by no means short on assets to pay everyone back.
But he was short on cash.
All his rich friends contacted him as well to enquire about the situation, and Aldren assured them that he would return their money.
His friends were not exactly satisfied with just his word.
But they knew that Aldren had built up enough wealth over the years to eventually pay them back.
The problem was the commoners.
They didn’t know Aldren personally.
They didn’t trust him personally.
All they knew was that their money was inside his bank.
And now the bank wasn’t giving it back.
They believed that Aldren was going to run away with their money.
They demanded that he pay them back immediately.
Aldren went to the bank himself to convince everyone that he would return their money.
He only needed some time.
But a crowd had no head or tail.
No one was willing to back down.
The situation was quickly turning into a nightmare.
Aldren left to gather whatever money he could find.
He even went to Adrian’s bank to obtain a loan.
But the employees told him that loans of such a large amount could only be issued with His Highness’s authorization.
So Aldren went directly to Adrian.
Adrian wasn’t very happy about it.
Aldren asked him for a loan.
Adrian looked at him.
“I also know your situation. The people who deposited money in your bank are demanding it back all at once. It will inevitably spread to my Royal Bank as well, and I have only enough money to cover that much. Beyond that, I cannot spare anything for the time being.”
Aldren was disappointed.
He went to his friends instead.
But now, they were the predators…
And Aldren was the prey.
They demanded almost everything Aldren owned just to provide him with enough money to pay back a portion of what he owed.
Aldren had no choice.
He agreed.
He didn’t want to.
But he had to protect the trust that came with his name.
That trust was far more valuable than the wealth he possessed.
Money could be earned again.
But once trust was lost, it could never truly be recreated.
Aldren knew that.
When he tried to borrow money from his friends at interest, they all refused.
They told him that he had no guarantee that he could ever repay them.
Aldren had no choice but to agree.
Adrian knew exactly what would happen.
He knew Aldren would sell his wealth to obtain the money needed to repay his depositors.
For a moment, Adrian considered stealing that money.
If he could take it away, Aldren wouldn’t even be able to repay a portion of what he owed.
But then Adrian saw a carriage carrying Aldren and the money back toward the bank.
He immediately realized that the carriage couldn’t possibly be carrying enough money to repay everyone.
And he was right.
Aldren had nowhere near enough money.
Adrian abandoned the idea of robbing him.
He turned around and went back to his residence.
The Valewood Bank was surrounded by an increasingly agitated crowd.
Everyone wanted their money back.
Aldren finally arrived with a carriage filled with gold, hoping to calm them down.
But then someone from the crowd shouted,
“They’re taking away the remaining money from the bank!”
Everyone rushed toward the carriage.
The crowd surged forward.
People pushed.
People fell.
And within moments…
A stampede began.
Several people were trampled and
Three people died.
Adrian was sitting in his room.
He had no intention of leaving his mother.
Then a guard entered.
“Your Highness, we have an urgent report from the Valewood Bank.”
Adrian immediately became irritated.
“I told you that I don’t need any report from that bank. Go away.”
The guard hesitated.
“Your Highness, this requires your immediate attention.”
Adrian looked at him.
“There has been a stampede near the Valewood Bank.”
The guard swallowed.
“Three people are dead so far.”
Adrian froze.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he got up from his bed.
He made his way toward the Valewood Bank.
When Adrian arrived, the situation was still chaotic.
People were fighting over the gold that had fallen from the carriage.
Aldren had barely managed to save his own life and had fled the scene.
Now the very people who had deposited their money into the bank were fighting over whatever gold they could get their hands on.
Adrian stared at them.
Then he raised his hand.
“Surround them.”
The crowd was surrounded from every direction.
Adrian ordered his guards to strip everyone of whatever possessions they had taken.
The gold was collected.
People began shouting.
Adrian’s expression hardened.
He ordered his guards to place their sword against the neck of everyone in the crowd.
Soon enough the crowd had calmed down and were all on their knees.
Adrian wore the goggles and started speaking “Anyone who dares speak…”
He looked around.
“…will be dealt with.”
The crowd fell silent.
Adrian then spoke.
“I know what you are all going through.”
He paused.
“The Valewood Bank has refused to give you your deposits back.”
His voice became firm.
“But I give you my word…”
“I will return at least fifty percent of whatever you deposited in that bank.”
The crowd remained silent.
Adrian continued.
“Now leave.”
Slowly, the crowd began to disperse.
The chaos finally started to die down.
And only then…
Adrian finally looked at the dead.
His expression froze.
He recognized them.
The father.
The mother.
The little girl.
The same family of three he had seen just yesterday.
They had been laughing.
They had been happy.
They had walked into the bank holding their daughter’s hands.
They had no grand ambitions.
They simply wanted to live.
And now…
They were dead.
Adrian stood there silently.
He had spent the day avoiding the reports.
He had refused to listen.
He had hidden behind his goggles.
He had convinced himself that he didn’t need to see what happened.
But now he couldn’t look away.
He had wanted to destroy Aldren.
He had wanted to prove that he could control the situation.
He had wanted to win.
And instead…
He had snatched away the happiness of ordinary people.
And gave them death.