001 - Caspian

“There,” the head cook said while pointing to a tray of food on the countertop.

“Take that, and go serve the customers at table sixteen. I am not sure why you can not keep time. Do not make me lose customers; otherwise, you know what will happen.” She insulted him with a berating and threatening expression.

Caspian could only nod and bow, humiliated. His life had been difficult since he dropped out of college a year ago. He was unable to secure a suitable, well-paying job. He worked multiple jobs throughout the day to support himself and his girlfriend.

Caspian said nothing, knowing what could happen if he argued with the head chef.

He took the tray from the counter and strode over to table number sixteen, which happened to be the same table where the wealthy young men were gathered.

*

Time passed, the wealthy young men paid for their meals, and they were ready to leave.

“Hey, Caspian. Go get the other trash bag and take it to the garbage truck down the street,” The head chef called out to him.

Almost everyone turned around to stare. Caspian was no stranger to this, but he could not help but grit his teeth. He could only swallow the lump of embarrassment that he felt.

‘You can do this, Caspian. Endure the humiliation, after all; you are doing this for Sarah,’ he reasoned, reminding himself to tolerate the head chef's words.

The thought of his girlfriend, Sarah Davidson, a beautiful lady with an attractive physique and alluring hazelnut brown eyes, brought a dazzling smile to his face.

He pulled out the trash bags as directed by the head chef. Caspian had no idea why the head chef was so mean to him; after all, he had just gone out to throw dirt in the trash can.

Just then, he noticed the same group of guys gathered around a young man their age. The guy was squatting on the floor, his shirt torn.

“Little Jason, don't you hear what Clayton said? He said to act like a chicken and eat the burger from his foot.” A guy among them said it, and the other boys laughed, looking excited for what was going to happen next.

Another guy then took out his phone and turned on the video recording to capture the scene.

This backdrop made Caspian squint his brows with disappointment. He felt an overwhelming sense of empathy. He knew what it was like to be ridiculed because he had been there.

Caspian gulped nervously and took slow steps toward them. When he arrived, he reached out to tap one of their shoulders and said, “You should not be acting like this. He is a human; how can you expect him to act like a chicken?”

“Oh shut up, man; how dare you touch me?”

His hands were flung away, and the guy pushed him hard on the chest, knocking him several steps back. Caspian was caught off guard by this action.

“And who are you to intrude? This is my business, and street rats should not interfere.” Clayton, the bully, spoke, and he, unfortunately, turned out to be the same person he had tapped.

“I am not a street rat, and you cannot act as you please; he is human.”

Caspian said as he tried to defend himself at the same time, he didn't want to get caught between these wealthy-looking second-generation heirs.

“Oh, you are not any street rat, and I can't just act as I please.” Clayton, the son of the richest politician in the city, said as he mocked Caspian's way of speaking.

The other guys around him began laughing as they stared at him with disdain and contempt.

“Oops! I can do as I please; watch me do this.”

As Clayton spoke, he moved forward to Caspian's position. He snatched the trash bag from him and poured out the entire contents all over Caspian from head to toe.

They all burst into another pearl of laughter as they pointed at him like some joker or clown. Rage instantly filled Caspian, and his eyes blazed with uncontrolled fury.

He grabbed onto Clayton's collar and tried lifting him, but then his strength couldn't. He wasn't strong enough to raise Clayton, who was almost 1.9 meters tall with broad shoulders and powerful muscles.

Caspian felt intimidated, but he refused to show it and continued grabbing tightly at his collar.

As he stared at his $1,000 shirt being held on by some worthless trashy boy, Clayton, on impulse, shoved him away and he went gliding to the ground.

“I said not to touch me, fool. How dare you grab my shirt? Do you know this shirt is worth buying your entire generation?” Clayton arrogantly spoke as he stirred towards Caspian, who was now lying on the bare ground.

“Let this be, Clayton; let us deal with this big dupe. We don't want you getting bacteria from this shit.” A guy from the circle of friends, Henry, spoke.

“Yes, Clayton, let's deal with this obtuse craven,” Caddel agreed.

“You… you, I'm not an obtuse craven. Do not call me that.” Caspian snapped as he reached out to get up, but before he could, Caddel had taken a large walk ahead and launched a harsh kick at him.

“Pft!”

He spat out saliva and held his chest with red eyes. Henry grinned evilly and caught up with them.

He held up Caspian from the ground while grabbing his shirt and punched his face, breaking his nose and busting his lips in the process. He then let him fall back to the ground, his head hitting the cement floor.

An agonizing, miserable groan escapes Caspian' lips, and pain shoots through his entire body. Henry snarled, punching him in the abdomen. Kicking his knees, this earned a grunt from Caspian.

“Ooh, what a weakling you are. You can't even fight back, and you have the guts to hold my shirt.” Clayton taunted.

He was ecstatic at Caspian's misery. He felt giddy to see him in this pathetic state, especially when he was responsible for putting him in that condition.

“Let me do the finishing hit,” Caddel suggested. Henry moved away, and Caddel took over. Two slaps were sent to both of Caspian's cheeks.

Caddel laughed and went forward. With his thick and heavy boot, he stepped on his bony legs, earning a loud, shrill cry from Caspian.

As if that wasn't enough, Clayton went ahead to fetch a handful of his hair. He made Caspian face him, and he smirked.

“Never dare challenge me ever again. Remember this handsome face of mine, loser.”.He said that and sent a slap across his face.

He then spat on him and sauntered away with Henry and Caddel. While Lewiston, the last guy in the group, dragged the young guy, Jason, whom they had previously bullied, as they left.

Caspian pathetically rolled on the floor in pain with broken bones. How awful, he has to be weak and ignorant to not let this matter escalate. The thought of how negatively he'd be affected if caught between these second-generation heirs made him feel a shiver down his spine despite the pain.

Tsk! His name is Caspian, and he's 21 years old, with a lean and athletic build, standing at around 6 feet tall. His hair is dark and messy, always perfectly imperfect, and his eyes are a deep, piercing brown that seems to see right through anything. His features are chiseled, with high cheekbones and a strong jawline, giving him a resolutely masculine appearance.

His skin is smooth and unblemished, with a warm, golden glow that hints at his love of the outdoors. His lips are full and inviting, curled into a perpetual smirk that suggests he's always up to something mischievous.

Despite his striking good looks, Caspian's style is effortlessly casual, reflecting his laid-back personality. He favors worn jeans, faded band t-shirts, and scuffed-up sneakers, giving off a charmingly rumpled vibe that only adds to his allure. Perhaps he was jinxed by one of his unknown aunts right from birth; Caspian, despite his stunning and attractive physique, was never favored.

“You're useless, Caspian!”