It seems the cheat in this story is the lecturer. He found a way to extort money from his students. That is terrible. One of course feels sympathy for Ajax. You describe a very complicated scenario without losing the reader as you do. Your arc is good and Ajax is an interesting character. Perhaps the lecturer is more memorable. Quite unlikable.
Thank you for sharing this story with us, @kingsleyy. Thank you for actively engaging with other writers in the community.
Yeah, the lecturer had it planned from the start, just to scare and extort money from the victims. And it worked for him.
Thanks for the feedback