Revenge of the Unforeseen Mafia Boss

A Friend Leaves, A Debt

That night, Damien lost a friend at work. 

His coworker looked at him at disbelief and pushed the male away from him. 

“You’re not like this before, Damien.” He said out of spite. “Even if you were angry, you’d never grab anyone’s collar like that.”

Damien was silent. He clenched his fists and bit his lip until he could savor the metallic taste of blood. 

“I didn’t do it.”

“Well you fucking say that to the media.” His coworked grumbled. “Now that you’ve shown your terrible side, I have no doubts you actually abused Miss Clarissa.” 

“I fucking didn’t.”

“That’s why she probably left you.” 

“That’s fucking enough!” 

Damien launched himself towards his coworker and lands a punch on his cheek. The coworker drops to the floor, bleeding through his mouth. Damien stood there, stunned at what he had done. His coworker weakly looked at him and shook his head.

He angrily stood up even when his legs were wobbly. He spat the blood to the ground and gave him a rejected look. 

“You fucking changed, man.”

“No, wait—”

“Fuck off.” His coworker shouted, his voice raising til the entire neighborhood could hear it. “Don’t you fucking touch me, Damien.”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to. I was… taken away by my feelings. I didn’t mean to.”

“Is this the same shit you told your girlfriend when you hit her? That you got taken away?” he then scoffed at Damien. “You’re so full of shit, Damien. I can’t believe I even idolized you. I can’t believe everyone at work loves you so much.”

“What are you talking about? This isn’t about—”

“Just shut up, will you? Hearing you speak even more… it makes my blood boil.”

Damien clenched his fists as the pouring rain got harder. The man before him grunted and wiped the blood from his lip before turning away from him. He got left there, not knowing what else to say.

He watched as his friend’s silhouette faded against the dark road, covered in fog. He stood there— all alone. 

From now on, he is alone. 

No girlfriend, and not even a friend.

A friend he held onto. A friend who cared for him a lot. A friend whom he used to take out to have some drinks.

The first man who made friends with his cold, nerdy stature when he first entered work.

And now— he’s even lost him. 

Damien brushed his wet hair with his fingers in distress as his face turned sour. Finally, tears started dropping. 

He was thankful of the rain for covering his tears, however. He stayed in that position until dawn. 

_____

When he arrived at the apartment, he was all wet. He had walked all the way from another city and arrived at noon in his home. When he got there, the landlord was waiting for him at his doorstep. She was holding her fancy— but cheap, counterfeit fan, and lifted her shades as soon as Damien made appearance.

She observed his depressed look. 

Dark circles formed around his usually healthy eyes, and his lips were chapped as if he had just crossed a desert. He was muddied and some of his clothes were torn. There was bloodstains all over his musky, white top. 

Yesterday he had left his apartment like a saint, but now he looked like a disheveled homeless man.

Well, homeless, yes.

That’s what the landlord was about to do.

“You’re a late with your rent.” 

Damien continued walking to his door and rotated the knob. 

“Hey! I said you’re late with your rent!”

“What?” Damien turned his lifeless eyes at her. “Was… I?”

“Yes! Ugh! And you reek! Where were you all night?!”

He didn’t answer. So much had happened that even he— couldn’t catch up with. 

“Surely you must have cash on you, right? Pay up.” The landlord told him. 

“Can it wait..? My wallet… I think I’ve lost it.”

“You lost your wallet?”

“Yes…” Damien said. “…my credit card is in there, too.” 

“What the?!” the landlord then spanked him with her fan. “Are you kidding me?! How am I supposed to feed my family now that you’ve not given me anything?!”

“I…” Damien started. “I will pay you tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow?” she scoffed and shook her head. “You must be dreaming, Damien. Wake up! Give me some damn cash! If you aint gonna give me anything, then I’ll take all your furniture and sell it!” 

“Why..?” Damien argued back. “I am only a month late right?”

“What the hell do you mean you’re a month late? You are six months late with your rent, Damien!”

Damien’s eyes widened. “No… no… I’m sorry that cannot be. I’ve paid the rent already! Clarissa gave you them, right?”

“What?! No I didn’t receive anything from that girl! Are you serious right now?” 

“I…” Damien began, but he already knew what was going on. 

Clarissa had pocketed the rent. For six months, she had pocketed $6000 that they were supposed to pay for the apartment. And who knows how much more she had stolen? 

He took a deep breath. “I’ll get you the money tomorrow, I promise. I will get my advance pay and give you tomorrow.” 

“Damien, don’t act all cute for me. Get your things. I’ll pick which ones I’ll be selling first.”

“No, wait!”

The landlord opened his apartment and barged inside. When they entered in, Damien found that everything was thrashed and almost every furniture was smashed into pieces. His desk were hammered and the bedframe was snapped. The floor was flooding because someone had left the tap open in the bathroom. Everything was in chaos. The closet was open, and only a few clothes were left.

Where were his office outfits? Those were expensive suits!

“What the hell happened in here?! All of these damages! Do you know how much this will cost?! Damien, you are giving me a heart attack.”

Damien was beyond heartbroken. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “How much will be for the damages?”

“Are you kidding me?! You damaged the wall, the ceilings and now the pipes are leaking! This will cost you $7000!” 

“A-Are you sure that it costs that much?” 

“Am I sure?” the landlord sarcastically mimicked. “I am sure! What the hell?! This was one of the best apartments I have! You have not paid six months, and now you broke it before you could even pay it! I will definitely sue you!” 

“No, please. I am sure we can talk this out…” Damien palmed his face. “I will look for a way. Please. Don’t kick me out.”

The landlord hesitated for a while, because she pitied him for a little bit. But all she could was sigh. 

“I know it is heartless for me to refuse and you might think that I am going to give you another chance.” 

She then turned to her broken apartment and sighed. “But this? I am a businesswoman, too, Damien. I have children to send to school and feed. Enough is enough. This… I just can’t give you another chance anymore.”

“I gave the payment every month to Clarissa.”

“And where is she now?” she raised her eyebrows. 

Damien became silent, his head lowering to the ground. The landlord looked at him and sighed when she saw him almost near to breaking again. 

“This is so stupid. You should not have trusted that woman.” 

Damien looked at her, but the landlord only fanned herself. “I cannot believe how blind you are. That girl brings a different man every day when you’re out at work. Did you not notice anything from her behaviour?”

Damien’s heart shattered. “Different man… every night?”

“This wont sound so nice hearing it from me, but I can only tell you the truth. That vixen is troublemaker. Others were also complaining because she was so loud.”

“Loud?”

“Loud. In bed. Everyone in the neighborhood can hear them.”

Damien bit his lip harder and clenched his fists.

“Sometimes, she would come home bringing many guys. The mostI have counted are five—”

“Please stop,” Damien told her. “I… don’t want to hear it.” 

The landlord sighed and shrugged her head. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, if you don’t want to believe me, I have the copies of CCTV footages. If you’d like I can—”

“Please leave me alone.”  Damien said. “I’ll pack my things. I’ll go to the bank tomorrow and give you the money."

“How are you going to rest in this apartment?” the landlord pointed to his broken bedroom.  When Damien didn’t respond, of course, she had no choice but to offer.

“I’m holding on to that payment tomorrow. I will lend you a folding bed. But you cannot stay inside. The cement is crumbling. I don't know who the hell broke this apartment, but all I know is that it is unsteady.”

“You sleep in that mattress of yours, and perhaps tomorrow— I will not be able to collect your payment but your dead body instead after being crushed by cement. So please don’t stay inside.” 

Damien nodded. 

That night, the landlord came back with a folding bed with one pillow and a blanket. Damien stationed the folding bed outside where there were a lot of mosquitoes. 

After which, the landlord left the house, hoping to receive her payment the next day instead. 

Damien cuddled on the small folding bed and covered himself with the blanket to protect him from the cold and bugs. He stared the night sky for moment as the silence of the night prevailed. The sound of crickets and the crowing of the oil, as well as the sound of the bug’s wings rapidly flapping as they swarm across a street lamp— became his melody.

And in the midst of listening all that, Damien couldn’t help but shed a single tear. 

He stared at the faint, blinking star— which became his little consolation at his time of distress. 

____

From the distance, a black SUV passes by Damien’s dilapidated apartment. It stopped a block away from his house, just so that the man wouldn’t be able to see them. 

A girl with silver hair steps down the vehicle and eyes the neighborhood. She wore a white top and a black pencil skirt, topped with a tuxedo— not a woman’s blazer. She then walked to the landlord’s house and knocked on their door.

The landlord opened, with cucumber and a black facemask in her face. “Who is it?”

The silver-haired maiden bowed at her and smiled. “Pardon the intrusion. Do you own the apartment in 36?” 

“Thirty-six… yes.” The landlord was getting nervous. 

“May we ask the CCTV footage for it?” 

The silver-haired girl had a disturbing smile on her face that made the landlord’s heart race in danger. “Sorry, I don’t give out such confidential things—”

All of sudden, the girl drops a huge briefcase containing a lot of cash. The landlord gulped.

“Is this enough?” 

The landlord stared at the briefcase and quickly pulls it in. She cleared her throat and then explained, “It’s a broken apartment. What do you need it for?” 

“I don’t think I need more explanations. We’ll take a copy of it.”