A Bid for Revenge

The man wearing the equipment was Ace. From earlier, he could only watch the news on television, about the death of his girlfriend and her slander. Just like Agnes said, Ace couldn't protect Agnes. 

Then the man beside Ace was Bob, Dallen's bodyguard. He had orders to kill Ace and throw him into the sea, along with Felix. But he didn't carry out the order. 

"Why are you here? Did Dallen tell you to keep an eye on me?" Ace asked in a heavy voice. Ace currently had no idea about why he was brought here. 

Even though Ace was lying weak and receiving treatment, Ace knew that this place was not a hospital, but a bedroom. He had many questions, but Bob would explain everything. 

Bob took a chair to sit next to Ace. He put two hands on his chin. "Alright, I'll explain everything. I'm Bob, you know, I'm Dallen's bodyguard. He told me to kill you, but I didn't want to do it. Then, he also wanted me to throw Felix and you into the sea, so that no one could find you. But don't worry, Felix was buried properly."

"Where is Felix?! Where did you bury him?! Damn, I haven't said a proper goodbye to him," Ace said as he forced himself to get up, even though he had also suffered a severe fracture. It was difficult for Ace to recover anytime soon. He had to get treatment for his broken bones. 

Bob tried to calm Ace down. He knew that Ace was very hurt right now. "No, please, don't move if you don't want your injuries to get worse," he said as he helped Ace lie down again. 

Ace looked frustrated now. As for Bob, he was still gathering the courage to offer something to Ace.

"You have to live, Ace," Bob said with a sad and hopeful expression. 

"What am I living for if Agnes and Felix are gone! The reason I want to live is for them both. You don't understand!"

"I understand!" snapped Bob which surprised Ace. Ace was upset that Bob dared to say that, even though Bob had never experienced it. "I've also been in your shoes. I've also lost people I love. We are the same, we also only have ourselves. So please, stay alive."

Ace widened his eyes. "What do you mean?" His voice wasn't very clear, but Bob could understand what Ace was saying. 

Bob also explained at length, because Ace could understand when Bob told him about himself. Bob was an orphan. After his mother died, Bob lived with his father who was a detective. At that time, Bob's father got evidence that Dallen killed his father-in-law, to seize the company. When Bob's father wanted to solve the case, he and his other colleagues were killed by Dallen and his henchmen. In fact, Bob saw with his own eyes. At that time Bob was still a junior high school student, so he knew nothing but fear. 

Bob began to find out about Dallen's family on the internet. As it turned out, for a long time the reputation of Dallen and the Lay family had great influence. Bob knew that if he reported this case to the police, he would be the one in jail.

From then on, Bob worked hard to support himself and sought many scholarships for his studies. He already had the intention that he would learn martial arts and become a bodyguard or his right-hand man. 

"Yes, you'd be surprised if I lived for revenge. Ace, will you take revenge with me? People who have left will not come back. But, we can do the same to Dallen. I have a good feeling if you want to join me," Bob offered. 

There was an instant silence. Ace immediately shut up as soon as he heard Bob's offer. He was also thinking, whether he should continue living or not. But Bob's offer was really tempting. 

"Give me time to think," Ace said. Bob nodded. He left the room without closing the door. 

Ace looked to the side. Right, this wasn't a hospital, it was a house. Bob went to the kitchen to get a drink. Ace gulped. He was also very thirsty now. Luckily, Ace didn't need to eat and drink through a tube attached to his throat. 

Ace remembered getting kicked by Dallen. He tried to protect the back of his neck, even though Dallen was aiming for it. Ace felt like a fool back then. He didn't fight back because of Agnes. In fact, if he had acted and fought back, he could have saved Agnes with that weak possibility. 

The door closed on its own. Ace was thinking about Bob's offer. Bob looked at the end of the table where there was a family photo. It was Bob and his parents. Ace thought that Bob was just as hurt as he was. 

"I can't die. Justice is hard to come by, so I'll make my own justice for Agnes and Felix," Ace said. He looked at the television that kept showing Dallen's face. Truly, he was very upset and wanted to kill Dallen with his own hands. Ace closed his eyes briefly and then opened them again. "No, I won't. I will make you suffer until you beg for death. Dallen, you have underestimated someone like me," he continued.

Bob came back into Ace's room. He was carrying a tray filled with porridge and warm water. Seeing Bob like that, Ace remembered Felix, his brother. Bob looked the same age as Felix. He thought that if Felix was still alive and well, maybe he would have done this to Ace. Although in truth, Ace was someone who was never straightforward with Felix. Ace didn't want to worry Felix. But if Ace knew that Felix was going to die today, maybe he would try to whine just once like a child. 

Bob took a spoonful of porridge from the bowl. But before he fed Ace, Ace said something. 

"Alright, I'll get my revenge too. I'll work with you, but I'll have a different career," Ace replied. 

Bob smiled. "Aren't you going to be a psychiatric nurse again?" Bob asked. 

"You'd be surprised at what I'll do. You should know, I'm quite ambitious for something," he replied. 

From that moment on, their arrangement began. Bob helped Ace a lot. Then, for seven months, Ace received intense treatment. Ace once gave up hope because he couldn't walk, but Bob was like a big brother to him. He kept motivating him to keep fighting, because Ace still had a long way to go. 

Whenever Ace wanted to give up, he always remembered Agnes and Felix. 

For seven months Ace confined himself to a house far away from other settlements. The house was close to the beautiful sea. He always looked at the sea while imagining that he could bring Agnes here. It was impossible, so Ace tried to be strong several times. 

After Ace had fully recovered, he was escorted by Bob to Felix's grave. Ace told the tombstone everything that had happened so far. Ace managed to whine to his brother, even when Felix was already dust. 

In addition, Bob also took Ace to the grave of his lover. His crying didn't stop then. Ace didn't have much time at Agnes' grave, as he would be suspected. So Ace just prayed and gave flowers that Agnes liked. He gave her pink tulips. Even about flowers, only Ace knew. 

Now, the poor man who only took care of a bunch of lunatics, is trying to recover from his wounds. He is the same man, with high ambitions. The difference is, the current Ace is strong, brave and doesn't care about the feelings of the bad guys. He would have done the same thing, even more sadistically than they did to Agnes and Felix. 

Even though the warm man was gone. Only the man who was cold because of his trauma did not disappear.