“What a coincidence that we were both in the same mall,” Renee chimed as she walked through the mall with Jason. Jason smiled at her, but it wasn’t a genuine one. "Yeah, it was,” he said, his mind heavy, thinking of how he would break the news to her. “If I’m being honest, the reason I came all this way is for this." Renee handed the shopping bag in her hand to Jason. Jason reached into the bag and pulled out the contents. It was an Edox Delfín watch, one of the most expensive types. Her eyes glistened with love and admiration as she spoke about it. “It’s an anniversary gift for Bruno and my wedding anniversary. It's coming up soon, and I wanted to do something special for him. All the malls in the city didn’t have this model. He loves the brand; he lost his a few months ago, so I got an even better one for him. Even though he said he couldn’t buy me any gifts because he was saving, I still want to do this for him. We’ve been having a lot of issues lately, and -” "Renee": Jason cu
On Jason’s way back, he called Reuben to see if he could help him find Christopher. As Jason returned home, he felt a sense of relief and satisfaction now that Renee knew the truth about Bruno. He expected that the next time he saw Bruno, Bruno would find a way to blame Renee for finding out about him instead of taking accountability for his own actions. But he hoped that now that Renee was getting a divorce, he wouldn’t see Bruno again at all. As he arranged his groceries in their place, he thought of his conversation with Timothy; he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something and didn’t tell him the whole truth about the Greys. He heaved a sigh as he stared at the box of his mother’s things that he had placed on the table. His eyes darted to the groceries in his hands, which made him realise that he was subconsciously putting off opening the box. Jason shook his head. He made the decision then and there that he had to let go of the fear of what he would discover in h
“Is he dead?” Jason asked. It was the first possibility that came to mind ever since Diana told him that she wasn't able to reach him, "No, he's not dead. Please just come here." Reuben pleaded “Text me the address,” Jason said before hanging up. Before leaving the apartment, he made sure to pick up the small key and place it back in the box, along with the rest of the items. Jason’s phone buzzed with an incoming message. He checked, and he saw that Reuben had sent him the address. The area was in the slums of the city, so Jason decided against taking his car as it may do more harm than good and took a taxi instead. Throughout the drive, he caught himself looking over his shoulder and being extra cautious. “Maybe I should get a bodyguard,” he said to himself, genuinely considering Reuben's idea. He arrived safely at the place. It was a tall building that looked like it was owned by a company, but there was no name or logo on the building. But that wasn't what caught Jason’s atte
The crowd settled down slowly as they heard the men’s words. Jason looked on in suspicion as they spoke.“We are law officials, and we want to take your case with this company to court,” one of the men said. He was tall and lanky.Some of the people, including Jason, were sceptical, while others were already cheering for the men.“What’s in it for you?” one of the members of the crowd said, echoing Jason’s concerns. The man who spoke up was elderly, like most of the people who were scammed.“We just want to see justice served,” the other law official said with a firm voice. He was shorter than the other man but had a commanding stance."Finally, people with a good conscience,” Christopher said, elated.The crowd erupted into a mix of cheers and murmurs about what they would do once their money was retrieved, while Jason continued to observe in silence.The lanky man took a few steps forward; he was now only a few centimeters away from the gate that separated the crowd from them. “But
The two men's eyes darted between themselves and Jason before they burst into laughter, along with the crowd.“Listen, I think it's time you hang up your cape and go home. How do you expect to speak to the person who organised this?” The short man said it in between laughs.“The building is right there, isn't it?” Jason pointed at the building in front of him and said, “Let me in so I can speak to him.”“Do you even know who he is? He will crush you before you even get a word out,” the lanky man said to Jason. Immediately after the words left his mouth, his eyes flashed with regret, knowing he had said too much. Jason noticed the change in his expression and smiled slightly. “What's your name, sir?" Jason asked the man. “Yours too,” he said to the short man.They exchanged curious looks at each other at Jason’s question but answered.“Steven,” the tall, lanky man said.“Mark,” the short man said.“Steven, Mark. You’ve failed to explain to these people how you’re going to get their mo
Jasón blinked to make sure that what he had just witnessed wasn’t a figment of his imagination. When he opened his eyes, Christopher was still there in front of him. It was real.“You can hurt me instead; just pardon him; he’s not from here, so he doesn’t know about you, Maxwell." Christopher’s voice faltered, and his body trembled as he pleaded on Jason’s behalf.Maxwell stopped in his tracks, and his lips curled into a sinister smile as he took in the sight before him.“You should take a cue from your friend over here and beg,” Maxwell said to Jason.Jason snapped out of the shock that Christopher’s gesture caused and moved Christopher to the side. “What are you doing?” he said to Christopher in a hushed tone.“I’m making sure you don’t get killed, Jas. I know you want us to get our money back, but it’s not worth what Maxwell will do to you,” Christopher replied, his tone genuine.Jason opened his mouth to respond to Christopher, but for the first time, he couldn’t find the words to
“Lick my shoes clean like a dog would,” Maxwell commanded.His words hung in the air as Jason’s mind raced, thinking of what to do. Jason looked over at Christopher, who was trembling with fear, still in the clutches of one of Maxwell’s men.Maxwell clapped his hands twice to get Jason’s attention. “Chop chop. Get to it, dog. If not, I’ll have my men smash you and your saviour’s heads in the wall fifty times.”"No, please, I beg you.” Christopher shrieked “Shut up, imbecile. Don’t beg me. Beg your friend to do as he’s told, or else I’ll make sure you’re both unrecognisable after I’m done.” Maxwell sneered.Christopher bit his tongue. He peered at Jason, who was also looking at him. Christopher was conflicted; he didn’t want to tell Jason to do it because he knew how humiliating it was, but at the same time, he didn’t want them to be hurt.As he looked at Jason with terrified eyes, all he could think of was to mouth a ‘sorry'Jason nodded. He was conflicted as well, and it was evident
Maxwell’s face twisted into a mix of confusion and anger. “My boss? What the hell are you talking about?”“You heard me. Your boss, do you think he’d like what you’re doing?” Jason repeated."Oh, Jason, what are you doing?” Christopher whispered, bowing his head low.“I realise that you’re not familiar with this area, so I’ll give you grace and clarify something for you,” Maxwell said. He walked closer to the gate that separated him from the crowd and addressed them, “Does Maxwell have a boss?”The people seemed too scared to even respond to him, unsure if his question was rhetorical or not.“Are you people deaf? I asked you a damn question.” He glared at them. “Am I or am I, not the boss around here?”“You are the boss." The crowd chimed in unison, their tones laced with fear.A dark smirk coloured Maxwell’s features as he heard their voices. He walked back to Jason and folded his arms. “So you see, I'm the boss around here. No more questions; do what I say or your heads will be smas