A place to rest his head was all he wanted but he might have gotten much more than he bargained for. The room given to him by Tom was a small studio apartment. It was old and there was old furniture and fittings, unlike the other homes in the apartment. It was clear that Tom had given him the worst space even when he'd end up paying the most. But because Leon didn't have all the money at once, he had no choice but to take what was handed to him. Rats, raccoons, and other rodents ran across the room freely, nibbling on his toes and running through the hole in the window once he turned on his flashlight to look for it. The room where he slept had a few flickering bulbs, a small armchair, and a mat on the floor which he was grateful for. He couldn't afford a mattress and anything would be better than sleeping all cramped up in the backseat of the car - again. At first light the next day, Leon was the first person to get outside. He didn't have any reason to stay inside anymore - no
Leon was beginning to come to terms with rewards from people. First was the Mitsubishi that was still parked across the street right in front of his trash apartment and now, the family was offering to reward him too. "Please, I've been ill for a very long time and I've tried to hide it from my wife, but after healing me, I know I'm fine, I can't feel the aches anymore," he said and then demonstrated by bending down to touch his knee and then stretching out, "The least I can do is tell you to thank you with a gift," "Please don't refuse it, great one," the wife added and Leon saw that the crowd was staring at him expectantly, he nodded and the man quickly went in to pull out a cheque. "I don't want your money, at least not in cash," Leon said and the man nodded, asking him to make a demand. "I have some unfinished business with the landlord, I need a place to stay for a month," he said. The old man nodded and replied with a smile, "I'll cover your rent for the whole year, thank yo
Leon had a bad feeling about the man coming at him - and there were no mistakes about that. Their fluid and powerful steps kept marching directly toward him. But with the power of the ring, he wasn't afraid, he felt energized from within and as his adrenaline spiked, he quickly got a display for him to activate the armor suit and receive the protection of a warrior. He activated it and could feel the power surge through him. The men came closer and Leon widened his stance. They looked shocked to see him ready to fight. "Who are you?" It was Leon who threw the dirt questions and the men looked between themselves before one of them replied, "Come with us and find out," and then tried to grab Leon. Moving away stealthily, he tried to stand where he could see all of them at once but clearly, they were both behind and before him. "We've been ordered by the young mistress to bring you and we must," the bald man said and quickly threw a black bag over his head before he could fathom w
Tracy kept stealing glances at him during the entire ride home. She didn't want to sound desperate so she refrained from asking the burning question on her mind. But a little way to the Caden mansion and she finally caved in and asked him, "Are you married?" Leon turned to her, wondering how she knew that. But then he recalled the call that he'd made in the presence of her uncle, Smith. He'd been very upset and no doubt told her about it. "I was married, divorced now," he replied and waved his empty ring finger at her, it had a tan line. "Oh, I'm so sorry, what happened?" She asked and Leon shook his head, "I don't think I want to talk about it," he replied politely. Tracy winced and apologized for even asking, "You must still miss her, I guess," she muttered, goading him. Her face was a little red with embarrassment and no matter how much she tried to hide it, he could see that she was not very pleased with his reaction to her question. "No, I don't miss her, Bella isn't
Tracy winced as she saw Leon's expression. He was pissed off but he held it in and didn't say anything. "Listen, I'm so sorry, that's my cousin, Lucy, she didn't know who you were," she tried to explain and Leon simply nodded. "Are you mad at her? I'm sorry, she doesn't act that way all the time, I guess she is just in a bad mood," she tried to defend. "And if I was a servant, she would have hit me for letting her bag fall?" He asked fans Tracy shrugged, truly, she didn't know. Lucy was quite temperamental and while she did not mean half the things she did, she was pretty impulsive too. "Come on, let's go have something to eat," she said and led him to the big table. Leon was already looking at his wristwatch. He'd lost his appetite and he was sure no brazen pork ribs or turkey could water his mouth. Leon was settled right beside Tracy as the rest of the family slowly arrived at the dinner. Everyone came with a significant other, some of them arrived alone however and they
The entire table went silent as Sylvester spoke. Tracy wanted to interfere but he held up his hand, "Sit down and eat, honey, let the boy speak for himself, he's not a mute, right?" He asked rudely. "Sir...Tracy and___" Lucy was the first to cut in as Leon began to speak, "Or haven't you spoken about the future yet? Is this a fling?" She asked. Sylvester was a very old-school and traditional man. He didn't believe in the new generation's idea of having multiple relationships, especially when it wasn't for power or fame. He wanted Tracy to marry into an influential family, he'd always stopped her from seeing anyone he didn't approve of and she knew it. "Are you having a fling with my daughter?" He asked, his voice was leveled but the anger could be heard in its iciness. "No, Dad!" Tracy replied hurriedly, stricken at such a statement. She was increasingly thinking that bringing Leon to the dinner was one of the worst decisions of her life. Sylvester wasn't only scolding her
After Leon left the Caden mansion. He realized that it hadn't been a very smart decision. It was almost midnight and again, for yet another day, he had no plans of where to spend the night. Finally, he arrived at a small park and sat on the bench. He could feel the chill seep into his light shirt, he was equipped to be in the cold, he'd left his suit at the dinner hall and there was no way he was going back for it. There was nothing in sight but a pair of ducks that flapped about in the small puddle. He looked at the street and it was growing empty too. Leon realized that every day with the deity power left him feeling more alone than he'd ever felt in his life. He was becoming a loner, he was being seen and respected once he demonstrated his power but no one wanted to be close to him unless he wanted to heal them. It was the dad's reality and he wondered how long he'd have to live like that for. A neon light shone a good distance from the park, he decided he needed to ha
Leon heard the scream again just as he turned the corner. The scream was a little far off, on the other side of the street and he moved there. Right on the floor was a middle-aged woman who was clutching her bag tightly and crying. "Ma'am, are you okay?" He asked and she shook her head, "No, they took all my money, all took everything!" She cried out. "Who?" He asked and with shaky hands, she pointed at the water tank by the alley. Leon walked out but she yelled after him, "Don't go in there! They will hurt you," she begged but he wasn't afraid of them. Close to the water tank, he could hear muffled voices. He turned to the east of the tank and sure enough, four men were gathered around a small heap. They were too busy rummaging through the stack to notice him. "You shouldn't steal from old ladies," he said softly and the first thief turned to him. He dragged down his mask quickly over his face but Leon was able to see a pair of dark eyes and black hair before the mask went over