“There are all kinds of people in this world. And not everybody is functional!” Teresa was talking with her son-in-law. “They won’t get it no matter how many times they try to reform them. Your son, Russell, also falls into that category.”“But… mother-in-law, we can’t just let him live like a beggar,” Arnold said. “I think he’s received enough punishment. If he receives some guidance and help, I think he’ll grab onto that opportunity and make something out of it. We don’t have to help him directly. We can do it with someone else.”“I totally get what you’re saying,” Teresa casually said while reading the newspaper. “He’s your blood. He’s your first son, and you want to help him even if he’s a useless scum who preys on juvenile girls.”“T-That’s not what I meant,” Arnold frowned.“But that’s what it means,” Teresa said. “There are many jobs for trash like him. Blowing leaves off the streets will get him paid a few dollars, or mowing someone’s lawn, or cleaning drainages, you name it.
Regan walked out of Teresa’s estate and entered his old Porsche car.“Where do you want to go now, Boss?” Gage asked. He didn’t like that Regan came here to meet Teresa because it was a risky thing to do. “Who do you want to meet this time?”“Let’s just go to a restaurant,” Regan said. “A humble one.”“Alright.” Gage drove for more than twenty minutes and stopped at Drake’s restaurant. It was neither small nor big, but it was quite busy. “Damn, there are a lot of people here. So, do you want me to choose another restaurant?”“No, this is fine. You stay here,” Regan said. “I want to eat alone.”“Okay, Boss. Put the goggles on so that no one recognizes you.”Regan, however, didn’t wear the goggles as he wasn’t in the mood.Regan entered the restaurant, walking slowly with the help of his stick. He looked around. There were no empty tables, so he waited for almost eight minutes before a table was freed. He quickly went there and sat at that empty table.A tall handsome youth, with the na
Russell and his mother coincidentally sat at the same table where Regan had previously sat.As Regan checked the menu and spoke out the names of the items, Elora picked two items. One was cheesecake, and the other was dry nut ice cream. Because they were only sweet items, Russell took the responsibility to order the spicy items.After they made the order, the tall guy Jim told them in a low voice that someone else had already paid for everyone.Elora and Russell were pleasantly surprised to hear that. Russell wasn’t sure if he should eat this way as it was his mother’s birthday, but Elora said, “Some rich person wants to celebrate for something, so why not accept his/her goodwill?”Russell ended up agreeing.“I’ll bring the orders within five minutes,” Jim told them and quickly left. Judging by his speed, he was very busy.Elora put her hand across the table and touched Russell’s hand and said in a low voice, “Don’t forget to give him a nice tip.”Russell nodded. “Of course. I’ll give
Skarlett leaned into her sister and hissed at her in a low voice, “Stop with your nonsense. Are you jealous that he’s handsome and he didn’t appreciate your beauty?”Natasha, however, did not even lend an ear to what her sister was saying. The moment she saw Russell and his mom happily eating what looked like ice cream, it stirred her gut. She didn’t like what she was seeing. How could they be so happy right now? How could they come into a restaurant like this and enjoy a meal together? Were they perhaps using the last bits of money they had to buy a nice meal for one last time? If not, did they steal from someone else and then came here to eat? As these kind of thoughts flooded her mind, she suddenly heard Jim’s voice.“We are providing meals for free until two o’clock thanks to one of our customers’ kindness,” Jim told Diana. “But I assure you that the quality will be just as high as you’d expect it.”“I don’t doubt you, Jim,” Diana smiled softly at him. “I’ve never once been disapp
“I don't want to hurt you as my son once loved you. So, please don’t bring out the beast in me. Be real, and live your life with transparency, make-up girl,” Elora further added these words into Natasha’s ears. “Don't play with people's life for your own amusement. Life isn’t about impressing others and being impressed by them. It isn’t about getting revenge for every little hiccup you get, either. Life is too short to do all that worthless shit. If you only hold poison on your face and in your heart, it is going to really hurt you the most one day. I’m not saying this for my son’s sake but purely for your sake.” Only after saying these words, Elora let go of Natasha’s shoulders and said aloud, “Anyway, it’s nice to finally meet and talk to you like this. You really look pretty now that I can see you in the flesh. I can see why my son—”Natasha completely ignored her and went back to her table. Instead of sitting down, she grabbed her purse and left the restaurant, despite her mother
Regan returned to the hotel where Russell and Elora were staying at, but once again, he did not get out of the car.Gage was trying to be patient, but he was a young man. His blood was boiling from frustration, and there was only so much he could bear.After sitting and doing nothing for more than half-an-hour, he shouted, “Why don’t you just fucking go and greet them, Boss? Just do it and take the load off your chest, for fuck sake. Or do you want me to do it for you?”Regan didn’t get angry at Gage’s insolence. “It’s my little daughter’s birthday today, Gage. She’s already been upset her whole life because of me. Do you want me to get upset even on her 51st birthday?” A second passed. “Or is it the 52nd? Wait, is it 53rd? Or is it still only the 50th?”Gage shook his head. “You’re getting so stressed and old that you don’t even remember the year. This is great, Boss. This is so freaking great. I feel so privileged to be driving your old ass around all day.”Regan coughed a couple of
Regan and Russell’s eyes met. Russell had bigger eyes compared to his grandfather.Russell obviously remembered who he was. Did the bouquet belong to him? He wondered. He then put the bouquet on a table and quickly rushed up the stairs. “Let me help you, sir.”If someone offered help, Regan would have yelled at them saying he’s not that old yet, but because it was Russell, he did not say anything.Russell held Regan’s left arm with both of his hands and helped him climb down the stairs slowly.After coming down, Regan decided to sit at the table Russell had kept the bouquet at. He put the walking stick on the same table and exhaled audibly. “Only ten years ago, I could run up and down the stairs like a king, but now… my knees feel stiff. And my back feels like it might give up any second. Using the stairs becomes not just tiring but also a scary thing to pull off. The only good thing about it is that I’m sure I won’t live another five years, so I don’t have to suffer this old life for
“I was born into a rich family,” Regan said, “but of course, we weren’t rich enough to not be able to keep track of everything we own. I used to spend money on buying everything I wanted when I was young. On my thirteenth birthday, however, my dad gave me a gift with nothing in the gift box. I told him that there was no gift inside. You know what he said?” Russell slowly shook his head. “He told me to figure that out myself,” Regan added. “Since that year, he hasn't given me a dollar, not to the day he died. But he did let me work in his company. However, I didn’t take any salary for my work, either.” “Mm? Then how did you eat?” Russell couldn’t help but ask. “I was still staying at my dad’s house, so I ate whatever the maids cooked,” Regan said. “It was on my thirtieth birthday, I was able to get an investment from a friend and professor, and I used that to build a tech company called ‘Gift.’ I built a game, which somehow worked out, and I bought my first credit card that year. On