Chapter 005

“My heavens! Grandmaster… forgive me, Grandmaster!” A husky sobbing voice yelled out.

That was Benjamin, the man’s butler. He was about fifty years old and he appeared quite professional. 

Benjamin rushed to the scene, panting and looking very scared. He wasted no time in gliding to the floor not minding the very expensive gray suit he had on. His masculine scent was flavourful and immediately filled the air.

“Oh! Do you know him?” Seb asked with furrowed brows, just to be sure and security conscious.

“Of course!” Benjamin replied in a cold tone.

He quickly grabbed the elderly man from Sabestian’s grip without sparing Sebastian a single glance or even uttering a word of appreciation to him, I guess he was too overwhelmed and shocked. 

“Grandmaster, I just left your sight for a moment…. This is the reason I humbly objected to you visiting Oakland, it doesn’t ever go well.” Benjamin stated, his eyes laced with fear even though he was glad he met the Grandmaster still alive.

Despite indulging the Grandmaster who was still trying to balance his breath, Benjamin noticed the Grandmaster's gaze was stagnant and focused in a different direction. With squinted eyes, he slowly traced the gaze and it landed on Sabestian’s face. 

The moment his eyes caught Sabestian, he jerked momentarily, letting out an involuntary gasp.

He looked lost and dumbfounded with his eyes wide open and brimming with shock. Sebastian had sensed their strange countenance and he stared back at the duo with furrowed brows, wondering if he was a ghost like the elderly man stated initially.

He wore a fake smile, trying hard to remain calm and distract himself from the unknown drama that was happening lowkey.

“I have to go now, please put an eye on him.” He stated respectfully, getting up and dusting his pants. But their gaze still trailed alongside his movements, Sebastian had never been in such an awkward situation before and it made him a bit uncomfortable.

“Crazy health care system, huh? I called for the ambulance a while ago and they haven’t arrived.” He scoffed, trying hard to get words from the men, but it was rather abortive as they continued staring in awe. 

“Take care, old man…” 

As he turned to leave, the old man’s hands trembled as he pointed to Sebastian’s arm, a little above his elbow. 

“The… the bulls mark.” He whispered to Benjamin.

Benjamin’s lips quivered tremendously as his voice rang off. “Master Alex?…”

Sebastian halted and turned, shifting his gaze to Benjamin.

“No please, I’m Sebastian… but I get mistaken a lot,” Sebastian replied, still wearing an awkward smile.

Benjamin was trying to get the older man on his feet, but the way he breathed, It was as if he was struggling with the world as his legs wiggled at intervals.

Sebastian felt compassion, there was no way he could leave after seeing Benjamin struggle to support the elderly man. The man weighed a ton, his height and muscles were rather too much for his age, and he looked like those retired wrestling Champions on TV.

“Let me help you,” He stated kindly, gently taking the second hand of the elder over his shoulders as they walked slowly towards the gate of the cathedral.

“Y…Young boy, I would love to host you for the weekend, just to say thank you.” The elderly man managed to say with a shaky voice, still lost in his gaze that was solely fixed on Sebastian.

“Oh! How thoughtful. I’m a student, sir. I can’t wander off campus like that, but thanks for the offer.” He stated respectfully, bowing his head slightly as he humbly declined the offer.

“I insist. You can just call your parents to notify them or maybe your friends in school.” He insisted.

“That won’t be necessary, sir. I grew up in the orphanage and I don’t stay there anymore.” Sebastian replied cheerfully. 

The elderly man and Benjamin turned to share suspicious glances after hearing Sebastian was raised in an orphanage. But the tension was cut through by the growling sound of a helicopter’s fan. 

Sebastian looked up and saw a black mattified helicopter hovering, and after some time, it landed gently in the open field opposite the entrance, making Sabestian wonder what was going on.

The helicopter’s door opened and two tough-looking men ran out of the chopper in haste, Sabestian instincts told him to run at that point, but for some weird reason, he remained adamant even though he was sound and alert.

As the muscular men drew closer, Sabestian’s heart was caught in his throat. They looked like military personnel but they weren't, they were smartly dressed in black combat and blank tank tops, their muscles very big and veiny, and their heads all bald. 

“Grandmaster!” They both fell on one knee and bowed their head slightly to the elderly man.

The elderly man nodded in response to their salutation and they stood up afterward, their hands finely placed behind their back. One could mistake them for some military personnel.

The moment they caught a quick glimpse of Sebastian, they jolted abruptly, fear and anxiety in their eyes. Before Sebastian would even raise a brow, they had both fallen to one knee, refusing to look him in the eyes. Their demeanor was more intense than when they greeted the grandmaster.

“Master Alex! We hail thee.” They chanted, their voices, shaking with fear.

Sebastian was perplexed, he wondered why they all called him Alex and accorded him so much respect. Realization kicked in and he now sensed it was no longer a hallucination as his curiosity spiked.

“I’m sure you must be confused, follow me and be my guest, I have answers to all your questions.” The grandmaster said nicely, the twinkle in his eyes and the hope in his gaze made Seb rethink. 

Sebastian swallowed loudly, he knew the man was a big shot and he would love to know why he was being referred to as ‘Alex’ He was caught in the spot and he didn’t even know when he nodded yes.

“Is that a yes?” The old man asked.

Sebastian looked at the man again and uttered loudly, “Yes, sir.”

Sebastian and the elderly man were ushered into the mattified chopper like royalties with a salute. He was awestruck even though he was scared to his bones, but he exhaled deeply and maintained maximum composure regardless. 

He sat down quietly in the chopper and watched the city from above even though he had no idea where he was being taken to. He had never dreamt of entering a plane in his entire life and finding himself with strangers in a chopper, was a huge risk he was glad he took.

Thirty-five minutes after they took off, they arrived in a grand villa, Sabestian peeped through the window and beheld the most sophisticated, lush, and grand view he had ever seen his entire life. It was magnificent and magical.

Sebastian was perplexed, he wondered what fate was trying to play with him, he sighed In amazement, shaking his head slightly, and also prayed he didn’t get killed or used as a lab rat.

Sebastian found himself ogling at the highly sophisticated marble street, the street light poles were bronze and the bulb radiated gold, making the whole view surreal. Who uses a marble on the street in their villa? How luxurious!

After they alighted out of the chopper, a mini open-roof van was already parked waiting for them and they were also ushered in immediately, the workers paid keen attention to the elderly man since he wasn’t feeling good. Every staff on sight was properly dressed in a white suit and bowed as if their life depended on it.

As they drove further, they came to a stop when they met a gigantic golden gate, with a robotic security system that scanned through their car. Sabestian’s mouth dropped when the gate spoke ‘access granted’ and opened by itself. He had never seen something of that nature in real life, only in the movies.

After some minutes of driving, they were welcomed by a grand mansion, it looked ancient and the same time urban. The bricks looked like they were carved out from the moon, and the numerous fountains had a hint of sophistication with their very rare designs.

The architect was not a member of Earth because what? Sebastian immediately felt a cold breeze hit his skin and when he scanned through, he realized it was a beach house. No! It was an island, hence the chopper. The elderly man owned the island.

As the van stopped at the entrance of the home, Sebastian was startled when the elderly man held his hands, it felt very warm and welcoming sending shivers down his spine.

The driver alighted and opened the door swiftly with a slight bow, Sebastian couldn’t help but notice the two sophisticated choppers parked at a distance, there wasn’t any car in sight since it was an island. Except for mini luxurious vans like the one that had just dropped them off. 

Sebastian was awestruck as he walked through the hallway, right behind the grandmaster who was supported by some staff and Benjamin leading the way. He gawked at the sophisticated interior, all glistening with gold and diamond themes. The hallway was made of glass and one could see their reflection as they walked by.

However, Sebastian halted when his eyes caught two golden frames on the wall, both, the size of a luxurious door. One was the Grandmaster and the other was…..

“What is happening? Is that me on the wall, beside the old man?” His eyes narrowed, confusion brimming in his gaze as he shifted his gaze to the old man.

“Welcome home, son.” The man stated as tears escaped from his lids.