As Elijah completed his words, I immediately pressed the button, which suddenly drew my blood as I felt a needle pinch my finger. That was painful, and I could not help but scream out in pain. This reminded me of the bank in Nigeria, and I wondered why my father was always adding a DNA test to every little thing. As if Elijah heard my thoughts, he looked at me and said, "Everything of your father's possession that you are going to claim, you have to go through a test. This is not because he did not trust you as his son but because of those who seek you and would war with you." Elijah's words were like daggers cutting through my veins, causing agony as I couldn't help but wonder what he meant by "those who seek you and would war with you." Immediately, I looked at Mr. Harry. I could see the same expression of dilemma written boldly on his face, and thus, he stepped aside as he walked slowly behind Elijah again. Suddenly, we heard a sound, and we needed no one to tell us before we k
Elijah’s words broke some kind of unexplainable confidence in me, like a powerful gust of wind extinguishing a flickering flame, and I felt ready to hear more of them if there were any more remaining. But Elijah only kept mute, and I could sense him watching my expression. Though I was surprised by the revelation about my father revealed by Elijah, Not because I thought it was a lie, but because he had lived a dedicated life, thinking he was a CIA agent, he worked for a deadly assassin organization. It was also at this moment that I remembered what Mr. Harry once told me when he picked me up from the street and I asked him about my father. Hence, I looked at him, and the shock he previously wore on his face was now shrunken into confidence from the knowledge Elijah had just revealed to me. "No child of his father would hear about his father’s unjust death and not avenge him, son. It's the reason Mr. Franks and I are so devoted to your story. Just as we helped you claim your properti
Surprisingly, this place was not the living room we entered from the garage before the secret arena. This was another living room with only one seat in it.The seat was a perfect symbol of wealth, as its buttery soft leather was upholstered in the finest I have ever seen, offering a plush and inviting surface to sink into, with the elegant lines around the leather creating a real aura of refined luxury."Young Master, this is where your late dad sat and meditated whenever he wanted to be alone. Please have a seat, and I can fetch the contract document," Elijah said as he bowed.If Elijah lifted his neck at the moment his words ended, it was a lie. He did not lift his head as he continued to bow while Mr. Harry and the five others gazed upon me. As Mr. Harry said,"Go on, son, you can do it. I am counting on you."I know it's just a luxury chair, and all I was asked to do at this moment was to sit in it until Elijah came back, and I can sign the contract.But I was only a child from th
After Mr. Harry had read the content of the possession contract aloud, which the other five also heard, he placed the contract back where Elijah had placed it before and said,"Son, this looks good. Sign it, and we can begin the next step."At that moment, I nodded at Mr. Harry, and he understood the message behind my nodding as he nodded back at me. Slowly, my eyes fell on the areas I am supposed to sign.But I was just a guy from the street; I have never signed any document before, even though I have heard about it multiple times for a person to sign a document on the street.It makes me remember one of the early clashes between the big gangs and the small gangs on the street. Though the big gangs appeared to have won the war, enough dead bodies from the small gangs littered the streets, and every other kid on the street had to hide, including Sebastian and me.While I peeped, I saw how the big gangs made the small gangs sign a document of a treaty by stamping their blood on the pap
Signing the document turned out to be easier than I had thought. As soon as I signed, Elijah swiftly packed up the contract before me and bowed once again."Young master, you are now officially the owner of the mansion and everything your late father owned, including me. Therefore, I will no longer address you as young master. From now on, I shall only refer to you as master."Elijah’s words triggered a cascade of thoughts, surprising me with their implications. I immediately recalled how age had not mattered on the streets, where anyone capable could be regarded as a gang leader.This situation resembled what had just transpired. I was only 22 years old, yet a man in his fifties was pledging to call me 'master.As if Mr. Harry and the other five had heard my thoughts, they also bowed to me and addressed me as master, even though it was clear they were just teasing.At that moment, my gaze returned to Samantha. She seemed to have been looking at me for the longest time. However, I was
As soon as the rest of the five saw the car driving itself towards us, they said, "Alright, Harry, we will see you at the training ground," and they turned towards the eerie gate of my eerie mansion and headed towards their different bikes like a flock of birds flying in different directions.Nevertheless, at this moment they all walked downward to their different bikes, their feet stepping on dry leaves that had clearly fallen from the surrounding trees, producing loud cracking sounds. Samantha turned back and ran towards me like a fleeting shadow chasing the fading light.Initially, my heart suddenly jumped as if something terrible was about to happen, but then I became relaxed by the fact that Samantha was only approaching me for a hug, bringing her mouth close to my ear."Be good, Marcus. I will be back soon, and you can fulfill your desire," she whispered. Then she removed her mouth from my ear and slowly released me from the hug.Ensuring our eyes maintained contact, she winked
But how did Mr. Harry expect that I would be able to start the car when all I have done all my life is be on the street and beg for alms to feed me for the day?Did he also not recall that he was the one who, in fact, taught me how to open a car door?"But Mr. Harry, I do not know how I am going to start this vehicle," I said, immediately after I had stared at the steering wheels for a while and could not figure out how to start the car at all.Hence, Mr. Harry said, "Hey darling,"And immediately, the voice from the car answered, "Hey Harry, what can I do for you?""Our friend here, Mr. Marcus, does not know how he is going to start this vehicle. Could you help him figure it out?" Mr. Harry asked at once."Of course, Harry, I can certainly do that," the voice answered, and she immediately continued talking."Hi, Mr. Marcus. If you want to start this vehicle, it is very easy because it is fully automated. So, don't worry about a thing. I will surely be of help until we arrive at our d
Driving a car for the first time was a mix of immense fun and an undeniable risk to life.Every time I turned the wheel, either I had turned it too much, nearly colliding with a car beside me on the road, or I had turned it too little, causing the car to deviate from my intended direction.Throughout this, Mr. Harry continued to chuckle, playfully teasing me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. In that moment, I couldn't help but wonder how he remained so relaxed, akin to a king on his throne, despite being aware of the potential danger. So I inquired,"Mr. Harry, how can you sit so comfortably while you know I'm driving poorly?""You're not driving poorly, son. In fact, for a first-timer, you've done quite well to avoid colliding with other cars or walls. You've performed better than I did during my first drive," Mr. Harry responded, leaving me perplexed as to why he had laughed earlier if he thought I was doing a good job."So why did you laugh, Mr. Harry?"Once more, upon posing t
Suddenly, out of my blank state, my eyelids fluttered slowly. Awareness crept back into my senses. A deep breath escaped my lips, and with each inhale, life returned like the first rays of dawn breaking through the darkness. Finally, my eyes opened, and I blinked at the world's brightness.The weather seemed cold and unforgiving, with a biting wind that cut through layers of clothing like a sharp blade.As soon as I groaned in agony, attempting to sit upright, the first person my eyes peered at was Samantha."We thought you were dead!" she said."Welcome to a new day. Now, get ready for training," she said again."But training? I was barely getting better," I thought. As if the others heard my thoughts, my eyes peered at them, who were right in the right corner adjacent to Samantha in the left corner in the same tent with me. I saw them shrug their shoulders and raise their hands like they were unconcerned about my health."Get up now, Mr. Marcus. Get to training. Your father's enemie
I did not flinch, nor did my feet tremble with fear. Just like before, I knew the gun was empty because I was the one who assembled it, and I did not see where I had inserted the bullets. "Why are you not flinching?” Samantha asked, and with that, I replied, "Because there is no bullet in the weapon in your hand.” I answered, showing perfect confidence on my face. "Oh! Really?" Samantha asked. "How about now?” She said this as she now, indeed, right in front of my eyes, inserted some bullets into the gun and pulled the safety off. "I ask, how about now?" My heart was racing right at this moment; however, I did not show it. For some reason, I knew very well that Samantha was never going to shoot me. I did not respond but continued to breathe heavily, with my face swollen like a frowning child. Either way, it did not mean Samantha was not going to ask another question. "Are you the son of your father?” She asked. However, if I said anything, it would be a lie. A perfect silence ami
How Samantha said, "If I were indeed the son of my father, I would assemble the gun back," made me furrow my brows in deep seriousness as I immediately began to disassemble the gun, noticing each piece I had disassembled and capturing it in my mind as if a camera had snapped it and stored it in a hidden place to be used later.I said nothing at this moment, and certainly, Samantha said nothing to me either. Even so, she stood closer to me and picked up one of the pistols from the sandy patches, then proceeded to load it with bullets.With both hands, she held the pistols in her grip, closed one eye, and aimed at a distant target."Pa! Pa! Pa!"She fired three times, and the sound of the pistol was deafening. However, when I looked to see what Samantha had shot, I realized it was all a ruse.Nevertheless, I said nothing and continued with what I was disassembling and assembling as instructed by Samantha. At this moment, Mr. Harry's voice called my attention."That's some excellent targ
"Is she insane? How could she tell me to pull the trigger on her? Does she want me to kill her all in the name of training?" I thought, and hence, I refused, saying, "I can't."Hearing what I said, Samantha's face grew colder as she said, "In the act of war, it is a game of being the first. When your enemy refuses to shoot, you hit him in the head with a bullet."Now Samantha came closer to me and pointed the gun at her head. She looked at me and said once more, "Now f**king pull the trigger!"At this moment, my legs trembled in great fear, and I could not even fathom what Samantha was thinking."Does she really mean I should kill her?"My hands began to shake simultaneously like leaves in the wind, trembling under the action Samantha had portrayed.Slowly, while I expected Mr. Harry and the others from a distance to see the insanity Samantha had asked me to do, I looked at Mr. Harry and the others, and what they did and said at this moment surprised me."Such a feeble-minded street b
Coming out of the tent, I wore a breathable, lightweight shirt, as it was the only shirt provided in the tent. Then I put on athletic shoes with good support and cushioning. I also wore a light jacket and a head cap that lowered to my forehead.Seeing this, Samantha walked towards me immediately. I could see how she smiled at me and led me towards the sandy patches.As I walked with Samantha, the way she approached me and smiled at me made it clear that my claim of not being nervous was a lie. I turned my head around in search of Ethan, who might emerge from the tent he had entered at any moment.Meanwhile, the others were with Mr. Harry by the crates. They opened each crate, selecting weapons and loading them with bullets.I quickly wondered why they were doing this, considering that Mr. Harry had asked Samantha to train me specifically. Suppressing my question wasn't an option at this point, so I directed it to Samantha."Why are they loading bullets into each gun and strapping them
Before I knew it, we had already arrived at a location different from the bushes Mr. Harry had driven through. This area had tall rocks surrounding it and a small pond of water that seemed to lead nowhere, visible from the car we had yet to step out of.As I gazed around, I noticed in the distance to the right a formation that provided both a sense of containment and a touch of rugged beauty.In this way, the tall rocks acted as protective barriers, enclosing the training area in a secure embrace.Additionally, I observed that the landscape within was a combination of sandy patches and compacted earth, with clear demarcations indicating designated firing zones and pathways.At the center of the training ground, a wide and well-maintained firing range was set up. The range featured a row of target boards at varying distances, allowing participants to practice their marksmanship skills effectively.Upon exiting the car, Mr. Harry and I walked towards the sandy patches. I saw a sturdy wo
In this way, I heard the car tires screech so hard, like a whistle that signaled the end of the world. With this, the fear gripping me was tighter than when any gang leader had grabbed any kid by the neck on the street.Immediately, I heard Mr. Harry's voice again. "Hit the brake, son, and turn the wheel left so the car doesn't flip completely like a tossed coin."As if I understood what Mr. Harry had said at this moment, I did what I thought he said, hitting the pedal beside the accelerator and turning the steering wheel to the left.Suddenly, I saw that the car halted and smoke began to spread from inside the car and, hence, out of the car window."You are such a terrible driver, Mr. Marcus, but thank you for not killing us," Darling said.I began to sweat profusely suddenly, like a racer who did all he could yet came last on the track, as the whole scenario felt as if I had seen death face-to-face, and my heartbeat was heavy like a mythical hammer pounding so greatly inside the mor
Driving a car for the first time was a mix of immense fun and an undeniable risk to life.Every time I turned the wheel, either I had turned it too much, nearly colliding with a car beside me on the road, or I had turned it too little, causing the car to deviate from my intended direction.Throughout this, Mr. Harry continued to chuckle, playfully teasing me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. In that moment, I couldn't help but wonder how he remained so relaxed, akin to a king on his throne, despite being aware of the potential danger. So I inquired,"Mr. Harry, how can you sit so comfortably while you know I'm driving poorly?""You're not driving poorly, son. In fact, for a first-timer, you've done quite well to avoid colliding with other cars or walls. You've performed better than I did during my first drive," Mr. Harry responded, leaving me perplexed as to why he had laughed earlier if he thought I was doing a good job."So why did you laugh, Mr. Harry?"Once more, upon posing t
But how did Mr. Harry expect that I would be able to start the car when all I have done all my life is be on the street and beg for alms to feed me for the day?Did he also not recall that he was the one who, in fact, taught me how to open a car door?"But Mr. Harry, I do not know how I am going to start this vehicle," I said, immediately after I had stared at the steering wheels for a while and could not figure out how to start the car at all.Hence, Mr. Harry said, "Hey darling,"And immediately, the voice from the car answered, "Hey Harry, what can I do for you?""Our friend here, Mr. Marcus, does not know how he is going to start this vehicle. Could you help him figure it out?" Mr. Harry asked at once."Of course, Harry, I can certainly do that," the voice answered, and she immediately continued talking."Hi, Mr. Marcus. If you want to start this vehicle, it is very easy because it is fully automated. So, don't worry about a thing. I will surely be of help until we arrive at our d