Chapter 8

  "I see you are new here, call me if you ever feel stuck. I will be at your service even if it is in the middle of the night," the cab man said.

  Ryan looked from the cab man to the card. He wanted to ask the man why he thought he would need his service again but he collected it. Inside the car, the cab man had made him two different men, maybe there would be another rumour that would make him a man with three contrasting identities if he spent more time with the cab man.

  Outside the Villa, Ryan stared at the building for a long time. He's spent six years in this place. He let out a deep breath and went inside, deliberately using the steps instead of the elevator to go inside the room he used to share with Stephanie. He had only taken two steps when he saw a man climbing down the staircase. The man Stephanie had moaned his name.

  Ryan felt a bile rising in his throat as his eyes met with Anderson's eyes. 

  Anderson grinned at him. 

Deciding to ignore Anderson, Ryan continued climbing the steps. He was two steps away from Anderson when Anderson spoke.

  

  "You have finally come to your senses that this place isn't meant for people like you after being such a cuckold?" Anderson sneered.

  Ryan stopped climbing the step and looked at Anderson. The grin was still on Anderson's face.

"And you? You've finally come back for Stephanie's money?" Ryan asked.

Anderson descended one step so that he was on the same height with Ryan, the grin still on his face.

"Do I look like someone who is after other people's money?" He tilted his head sideways, his eyes still on Ryan. "I really didn't expect to hear that from someone who stayed married because he can't provide for himself."

"If I'd been in this house because of money, I would have left a long time ago."

"Save me the breath, Ryan." Anderson glanced at his wrist watch. "I give you three minutes to pack your stuff and evaporate from this house."

Ryan started to climb again, but he stopped, he and Anderson were on the same step now. 

"Um, I almost forgot. Hope you thought about an authentic way to steal Stephanie's money before flying in?" 

In a moment, the grin disappeared from Anderson's face. His stare at Ryan became cold and hard.

"What?"

Ryan's lips curved in a smile. "Dude, do you think I'm not aware that you're back in Atlanta because you need Stephanie's money to pay your gambling debts?" 

"You… are you crazy?" Anderson asked, almost in a shout.

"Did I hit a nerve?" 

Ryan saw Anderson stretch his hand to push him off the staircase, but Ryan dodged in time. Anderson lost his balance and rolled down the stairs.

At the end of the stair, Anderson groaned and tried to get on his feet. His nose was bleeding.

"What the hell is happening?" Ryan heard Stephanie say. He glanced at her. She casted a bewildered look between him and Anderson.

Quickly, she rushed down the staircase to meet Anderson. 

"Anderson, you're okay?" She bent beside him, examining his nose. 

Anderson looked up at Ryan, he couldn't read the expression on Ryan's face.

"Babe, I didn't know your husband was this wicked," Anderson said, still looking at Ryan.

"He's no longer my husband," Stephanie said sharply.

"I was just saying hello and asking him what went wrong between the two of you that made him ask for a divorce when he pushed me down the stairs," Anderson said.

  

  Stephanie stood up and dashed up the staircase to Ryan. First Ryan disrespected her mother and now he's taking out his anger on Anderson.

"You mad man!" She hit his chest. "Is it Anderson's fault that you're poor?"

Ryan took his eyes off Stephanie. He shook his head for her for some moments before walking toward the room to get his things.

"How dare you walk out on me? Do you think you'll get away with this?" Stephanie said after him. "I'm calling the cops."

At the mention of the cops, Ryan stopped walking. He turned around and went back to her.

 

He took some folded papers from his pocket and stretched it to her.

 "Take this. It's a gift for your post-divorce," he said.

She looked at him like he'd gone crazy.

With Ryan's eyes fixed on Anderson, Ryan asked, “Don’t you want to know who drugged you last night?”