Tampa, January 11, 2024"Jerome, you idiot, can you stop blocking our way!"The shout came from a burly man wearing a black jacket. He was walking with two of his friends, pushing a thin man with curly hair named Jerome Hashford.Jerome, who had fallen, could only look gloomily at the three popular guys on his campus. He then got up and fixed his glasses that had fallen off."How long are you going to stay silent and let yourself be bullied? I'm tired of seeing you like this," said Hans, one of the other popular guys.Hans stood with his girlfriend Margareth, the woman Jerome adored. They both looked furious seeing the three bullies, who were now further away but still laughing."Thanks for the advice, Hans.""I'm not giving advice, Jerome. This is your third year here, and you still stay silent. I mean, why? What are you afraid of? Fight back! You're a man!"Jerome swallowed his saliva and just nodded, saying, "Yes, next time I will try to fight back. I have to go now; I don't want to
Jerome hid under the blanket. What had happened to the three men earlier terrified him."Am I going to die? They definitely won't stay quiet; they'll come back," Jerome mumbled, clutching tightly to the edge of the blanket that covered his body.The sound of a knock on the door startled him, his heart seeming to leap out of his chest. Sweat, which had been absent, now surged all over his body, but the tension eased slightly when he heard his mother's voice."Jerome, are you home?" Meghan, his mother, called out.Jerome quickly hid the necklace he was wearing under his shirt and hurried to open the door for Meghan. His eyes narrowed as he glanced out the window, seeing a man kissing Meghan's neck affectionately."My son! Where have you been, sleeping?" Meghan asked with a broad smile."Who is this?" Jerome asked, looking at the man with jet-black hair who was now fondling Meghan's backside.Meghan pushed the man's hand away awkwardly and was about to answer her only child's question wh
Andrew put down his work, and hurriedly entered the boss's office. A pen flew toward his head, and Andrew narrowly avoided it."Andrew, your salary is cut off. You won't get any single coin in the next six months."Andrew frozen in the place, "Sir, I didn’t do anything wrong.""Explain these videos!"Andrew's eyes widened when he saw dozens of rated videos plastered on his boss's computer screen."I asked you to send me the document, and you sent me THIS?! I almost sent them to the head of the company. You piece of s1t. No wonder you could only be a porter for the rest of your life!""Sir, this is clearly a mistake. I didn't put those videos in your files at all. I--.""Shut up, Andrew. You should be grateful you still have a job."Andrew could only lower his eyes and leave his boss's room with a feeling of tightness in him. His body felt limp, his heart pounding. He actually got dumped for one reason he never did.He didn't know how to tell his girlfriend this news."Why now?" Andrew
"Ugh!" Andrew jolted, his eyes snapped open. He looked around and the bloodstains on the walls reminded him of the altercation with Orlando. Strangely, Andrew didn't feel any pain in his body. In fact, he felt much fresher now. His hand reached for his head, still leaving traces of blood. But the wound has healed. "Shit. How is this even possible? I thought I was badly hurt." As if disbelieving the situation he found himself in, Andrew rose and approached the mirror in the corner of the room. "I'm okay. But... Where's my necklace?" Andrew felt his neck, and the necklace that had been with him for almost 20 years was gone. He had no idea that the heirloom necklace from his family was what gave him the power to be reborn. "Oh no, I lost the necklace from my great-grandmother. Argh! Everything I had is gone!" However, the bloodstains on the walls and his body that felt so different slowly brought Andrew to memories of decades ago, to be precise just before his grandpa died. “Andr
Andrew walked wearily as the elevator doors opened on the third floor. He let out a long sigh, resigned to the decision given by the director."Attention!"Andrew, who was packing his office desk, turned toward the source of the voice and found Orlando and Nadine standing by the elevator doors."Everyone, just stop your work for a moment. Let's give some time to our friend Andrew who has been fired from this company because of stealing. "Hearing the announcement, all the employees on the third floor buzzed with excitement. Andrew became the center of attention. All the scornful gazes were directed toward him.The anger building up finally propelled Andrew to move closer to Orlando. His steps were quick, and while pointing at Orlando, Andrew shouted, "Shut up, you coward!"Andrew glared at Orlando and Nadine alternately, his face red as he continued, "You're nothing more than the trash, Orlando. Your dirty plays won't intimidate me. I'll return to make you regret.""Hahaha! Aren't you
The chuckles from the employees could still be heard. The silly things that happened to Orlando wasn't merely a coincidence.Behind his folded hands, Andrew had flicked his finger. The power he derived from the necklace made him realize he could quickly silence Orlando's actions."Ugh!"Orlando rose from his position and pointed at all the laughing employees. "Delete all the recordings you made, or you'll end up like Andrew!"All the phones in the hands of the employees suddenly dropped, and their expressions turned panicked due to Orlando's threat."I will sue you!" Orlando pointed at Andrew with a trembling hand, overcome with anger."On what grounds do you want to sue me? Because you fell and kissed my foot?" Andrew said, "Just admit it, Nadine only wants your money; I'm sure she wouldn't even look at you if you were poor like me. "Andrew's words ignited emotions within Nadine. She approached her ex-boyfriend and slapped him across the face."Watch your words, Andrew! I've been un
Andrew only furrowed his brow and gave a cynical look to the man. His right hand continued pressing the old man's jaw, while his other hand now rubbed the chest.The seemingly absurd action then brought about a miracle. The old man's eyes suddenly opened, and he began breathing rapidly."Hey, he did it! He saved the old man!"Applause filled the air, directed at Andrew. Everyone seemed amazed by the miracle that had occurred for the old man. Andrew extended his hand before the old man and said, "Come on, Sir, let me help you stand, and we can find shelter over there."The old man smiled and nodded. His frail hand reached out to grasp Andrew's hand. Andrew supported his body towards the bench where he had previously placed his belongings."Ah, please have a seat. How do you feel now, Sir?"The old man looked at Andrew with teary eyes and said, "Thank you for saving me. I believe that if you weren't here, I might have met my ancestors in heck.""Don't mention it. I just happened to be a
The sunlight streaming through the window in Andrew's room didn't wake him up. It was already eleven in the morning, and Andrew had been sleeping soundly since the previous evening. In fact, this could be considered the first time Andrew had gotten such a long and uninterrupted sleep. However, the ringing of his phone eventually forced Andrew to leave his slumber. His still-red eyes scanned the room for the phone, which was on the bedside table. "Erica?" His younger sister's name appeared on the caller ID, and Andrew quickly answered the call. "Andrew! Hi! Why did it take you so long to answer my call? By the way, I miss you, so I visited your office. I forgot which floor you're on, but I'll wait for you in the cafeteria, okay!" "Erica--" Before Andrew could respond, his sister had already ended the call. Immediately, Andrew got up and hurriedly left the room to meet Erica. Luckily, the clothes he wore yesterday were still decent enough to be worn outside. "This is bad. If she f