“I miss Cassius…”
Elaine heard it loud and clear. The words coming out of Haze’s mouth, no mistaking it for a mere dream or hallucination. She knew it was real, because not even Haze could hide it nor make it up when he was deep in his subconsciousness.It was the truth.Even as Haze sobbed through it, she was far too shocked to notice.How?How could someone so unrelated and unknown before any of this knew Cassius – and even missed him, in the first place?What did she miss?She might appear indifferent against a man who was sobbing, crying without awareness, but she couldn’t waste this chance for that. So, like a loyal and calculating assistant that she was, a question followed, “Did you know Cassius before the night of his death?”Somehow, the sobs dispersed and Haze was clear in his reply, “Yes.”“How?”“…what a strange question.”“Why did you say that?”InsteaHaze took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Impossible. How could he calm his mind when he just found out someone who he put his trust in betrayed him like this? Hypnotherapy? He said yes, but only for one time. Only one time. And yet, they had done it three times without his consent – without him knowing. How could he trust her again after this? Sending a glance at the sharp-eyed teen, Haze contemplated her offer. The first time they met, she could beat him to a pulp if she wanted to. Besides, betting over a sparring match with Elaine was what got him in this mess in the first place. He wouldn’t trust Elaine nor Maxine with anything involving a sparring match ever again. “What, are you afraid of me?” Maxine’s smirk infuriated him. No. Haze wouldn’t take the bait. Snickering, Maxine finally offered, “What if I teach you how to fight?” Bitterly, he said, “Yeah, like I’d believe th
“S-s-so what do you want to know, Mr. Blackwood?”Haze suspected there must be a dark history involving the three of them before this. “Your enemies.”Muller paled hearing his answer, “I-I’m so-sorry?”“I need to know who your enemy is. People who have a grudge against you, or anyone who has a slight dislike towards you. Write me their names.”Muller gulped, writing off the names Haze didn’t recognize. With his trembling hands, the writing was sure to be shaky, but thankfully still readable. He glanced at Haze, hesitating a bit before his panic took over and he slid the paper forward. “Did you want to write my name on it?”Muller squeaked, shaking his head vehemently. “N-no, sir.”Sighing, Haze leaned forward with a serious face. “You look quite familiar,” he lied, “Tell me, what did I do wrong to warrant such treatment from you, hmm?”The red-haired Muller looked back and forth at Haze and Maxine, trying to se
Maxine drew her arm, then quickly shot her fist, catching the man unguarded. He had to dodge to the side, almost colliding with the one still in Haze’s grip. However, the sharp-eyed teen followed with a high kick to his chest. Bhug! The kick landed right on the priced suitcase, much to the tattooed man’s chagrin. “You little shit! Do you know how important this suitcase is?!” “Are you hiding a dildo in there or something?” Maxine snickered at her own lewd joke. Haze would have reprimanded her if he had the time, but seeing as a fight broke in front of them, the man in his grip struggled and shoved him to the wall. Pinned, he almost got his face smacked right into the sturdy brick. Thankfully, he saw it coming and dodged away. At least, his training with the back-stabbing assistant was useful. They fought each tattooed man in the apartment hallway. Well, he was more into evading getting hit while Maxine tried to deal damage to her opp
“You and your petty mood, when is this going to end?” “It’s not petty,” Haze snarled, feeling highly offended by her careless remark. “You don’t know how awful it feels to have the person you trusted the most in this strange event of my life to betray me.” “Yeah, yeah, how would I know? The worst thing that happened to me was missing my breakfast this morning and always being reminded that my brother is dead while someone who looks exactly like him gets everything he has.” That quickly shut Haze up. An apologetic look crossed his face, followed by a silent sorry that came out of his mouth. Fixing her seating position on the couch, the teenage girl motioned to the suit case currently closed on the coffee table between them. “What are you going to do with it then?” Haze’s shoulders slumped as he leaned back against his couch. He closed his eyes, feeling a massive headache starting in no time. “I don’t know.” “And that’s why y
“Good job everyone,” Haze high fived his team in his Nameless costume, “I’ll treat you all to something special this Friday.” “But, boss!” Alfie whined to him, “Why can’t we do that now?” “I have some business, unlike a lazy bum like you.” Haze told them, “Besides, you have to work on your stealth first before the official Player League’s invitation comes to us.” “You think they’d let us in? It’s pretty big, you know?” “After our stellar performance? Oh, they couldn’t place us like a typical new team and ignore us for long.” Then, Haze looked at Melody, the daughter of the Head of the Immigration Service they made a deal with, “Did your father give you a hard time lately?” Melody frowned, but shook his head, “Strangely no, sir. You must have said very good words for me to my father? I hope the deal is worth it.” “Oh, you wouldn’t know.” After that, Haze and Maxine left the headquarters. Only then that they realize
‘Ring!’ Haze looked at his phone, seeing the reminder that he had set for today. He had to get ready for a very important first meeting today. Soon, a grin bloomed on his face, replacing the frown and scowl from earlier. After all, today was the day he faced his past mistakes again. Located in a quite fancy restaurant in the middle of the city, Haze hoped that he wouldn’t meet anyone who knew Cassius before. It’d be troublesome if he did, considering he was on his own now. As much as he hated to admit, having an assistant was useful in a time like this. But, he wasn’t exactly in full authority to get one himself from the many employees Leonard had. Besides, if it were up to him, they would meet in a place less dense. Alas, even after a month of living in this city, he still wasn’t that familiar with the public places. About two o’clock, he arrived at the mentioned restaurant. It had outdoor space, and it turned out, Kain Randall had
Unfortunately, there was one thing she ever regretted in her life. She couldn’t do anything to prevent Cassius’s death. If only she knew that he was poisoned, she might have done everything she could to get the antidote. Though, she knew the antidote didn’t exist. Still, the least she could do was stay by his side. But no. No, Elaine just has to be mad at Cassius for some menial things – she couldn’t even remember now. She was away, being angry at him that she even took some days off and refused his attempt to contact her. Tears welled up in her eyes at the memory. If there was a time machine, Elaine would do anything as long as she stayed by Cassius’s side. Even if it was in his last breath. The opposite happened. There was no denying that as Cassius’s assistant – and more, hopefully – Eliane was doing such a poor job. She didn’t even know he was poisoned, let alone staying by his side as he was dying.
It was almost nine when Jonathan finally emerged back into the dining slash meeting room. There was a renewed strength in the way he walked and held himself, as if the bald assistant gave him a shot of adrenaline that made him forget the illness and fatigue.Although, Haze knew it wasn’t the case.“Now, let’s talk about what you all want.” Jonathan smiled as he sat at the head of the table, resuming his almighty authority in this magnificent house.Several ears perked up hearing about the honest statement. Shamelessly, some of them even smiled with a smug face, already imagining the trillion inheritance that would fall on their open arms. Modestly, a few of them managed to hide the obliviousness of their greed.Like always, Leonard didn’t let that remark bother his impassive expression. He made sure to stay calm, composed at the face of his earthly desire slowly heading his way. He had faith that Cassius wouldn’t disapp