Amused but curious, Elias nodded. Nolan approached the safe and worked with the precision of someone who had solved countless complex problems without guidance. His fingers flew across the keypad, inputting sequences and adjusting cycles. The tension in the room built with every passing second.
Finally, a soft click resounded, and the safe door swung open. Elias’s jaw dropped. “You… you did it,” he breathed.
Nolan stepped back, brushing his hands on his coat. “The logic was all there. You just needed someone to see it differently.”
Elias handed him an envelope with stacks of bills, his voice trembling. “Ten million dollars. You’ve earned it, Nolan. You’ve proven intelligence isn’t always where people expect it.”
Instead of taking the money immediately, Nolan shook his head. “I don’t need it yet. But with it, I can help kids like me. Kids who have nothing but potential.”
