"You are mine, you belong to me. That's why I bought you," said Kim defiantly, touching Curtis' forehead. "That's why I bought you."
"You didn't buy me. I only took the money because I needed it for my mother's surgery, but that doesn't mean I don't love you," replied Curtis.
"It doesn't matter. I paid for that muscular body, and that's what I want."
"No, Kim. I truly love you," confessed Curtis.
"Love?" she laughed.
Kim grabbed a stack of money and threw it in Curtis' face, making the bills scatter.
"There's your love. You only love my father's money," commented Kim.
"You're completely wrong!"
"Shut up and take off your clothes!"
Curtis felt used by the woman he loved, on top of being humiliated by the Ballmer family for months.
That same night, after dinner, the Ballmer family gathered to indulge in their favorite pastime – humiliating Curtis.
"What should we do with the leftovers?" Charles Ballmer, owner of the country's largest pharmaceutical company, asked.
"To the dogs, I suppose," replied Charles Ballmer Jr.
"To the dogs?" questioned Charles Ballmer's wife. "They have their fine food brought directly from Paris. You can give the leftovers to Curtis; that's what he's there for," she said.
Curtis was deeply offended. His breathing changed rapidly, and his eyes welled up with tears.
Nevertheless, he was willing to endure all of this to stay with Kim.
"For me, it would be an honor, Mrs. Ballmer," replied Curtis, head bowed.
"Excuse me? ... I couldn't hear you," Virginia Ballmer insisted sarcastically.
Curtis sighed deeply. Everyone at the table laughed maliciously at how he was being humiliated.
Summoning his strength, Curtis clenched the tablecloth with his hands and bravely said aloud, "For me, it would be a great honor to eat your leftovers, Mrs. Ballmer."
"I suspected as much."
Mrs. Virginia Ballmer gestured for her husband Charles to bring the leftovers to where Curtis was seated. Charles placed the tray in front of Curtis, who immediately turned to look at Kim's face, perhaps hoping for a bit of support. Instead, he was met with the same smile that adorned the faces of all his relatives.
At that moment, he knew there was no escape. He had to face the storm head-on. He simply lowered his gaze, utterly bewildered, and began to eat the leftovers.
On another occasion, one of the waiters attending tables at a party in the Ballmer mansion couldn't attend due to a traffic accident.
"No way," exclaimed Virginia Ballmer, making a scene.
"It's not a big deal. One less waiter won't make a significant difference," said Charles.
"What are you talking about? There's a missing waiter at the party."
"Damn it," Charles commented angrily, "then Curtis will do it."
"Me, sir?"
"Yes, it's for the good of your girlfriend's family."
Curtis watched as Kim laughed at him, and immediately knew that once again, he wouldn't have another choice.
That's how he ended up going from being the son-in-law of the mansion owner to being a simple waiter humiliated by all the guests who recognized him.
Life in the Ballmer mansion was a living hell for Curtis, but at least he was Kim's official partner. He loved her and held onto the hope that deep down, she might love him too.
High society always praised Charles Ballmer's generosity for allowing a poor soul like Curtis to work in his company, despite lacking a university education—all to assist his only daughter's partner.
What the high society perhaps didn't know was that Charles had turned Curtis into his personal jester. He gave him an assistant position with the sole intention of humiliating him whenever he pleased.
One evening, Curtis decided to return home early from work—an unexpected move, especially for Kim. As he ascended the mansion's stairs, the first thing Curtis saw was an article of clothing belonging to Kim. Quite peculiar, considering everyone was supposed to be on a family outing.
Continuing to their shared room, Curtis found more and more garments, increasingly intimate. Opening the door wasn't even necessary. Kim and her companion hadn't bothered to close it.
Curtis couldn't believe what his eyes were witnessing—the woman of his dreams in the arms of another man.
"How could you?" Curtis shouted, completely shattered.
"Curtis... You came back early," was all Kim said as she stood up.
"Kim... I loved you... I truly loved you," he said with a broken voice.
"Curtis, he's Samuel. Samuel, meet Curtis," she said coldly, putting on a robe. "From now on, both of you are my partners, or whatever you want to call it."
Curtis was shattered. His hands trembled, and his body was an ocean of negative emotions.
He had always been humiliated in that mansion, but this was something he couldn't let slide. He grabbed the door and slammed it with force, shaking the entire Ballmer mansion from top to bottom.
Curtis started to leave that place with the tiny shreds of dignity he had left. Kim ran after him, shouting things that sounded distant to Curtis.
"Curtis, where are you going?" she yelled. "If you leave the mansion, it's over. I warn you. Dad's money for you will be cut off." She threatened, shouting like a madwoman.
Nevertheless, Curtis didn't stop for anything in the world. He was completely determined to leave the Ballmer mansion forever.
Charles Ballmer learned of what happened and immediately used all his influence to ensure no one would give poor Curtis a job again.
Quickly, Curtis found himself in a very difficult situation. Without money and no roof over his head, he often thought about returning to the Ballmer mansion, apologizing, and fixing his precarious situation. However, knowing that family as well as he did, they would likely just mock him.
He had no choice but to embrace homelessness, sleeping in alleys and under bridges where he was often caught by the night.
There were even occasions when members of the Ballmer family spotted him while they cruised by in their elegant, expensive vehicles. Their only response was a hearty laugh, mocking his homeless predicament.
On one occasion, Charles Ballmer sought him out to take a photograph together, making sure to distribute it throughout the mansion so that any member of the Ballmer family could laugh every time they saw it.
Curtis endured as much as he could, but one night, his resilience ran out. That was the night he decided to end his life by leaping from a towering bridge. Everything was decided, and he was ready to jump.
Curtis had never felt so cold in his life. However, there was no turning back. Everything was decided, and his existence in this world would end that very night. He was fully prepared to jump when screams stopped him at the last second. Curtis turned out of simple curiosity. In the months of homelessness, he had witnessed a lot of crime in those dark alleys. It wasn't uncommon for someone to be robbed in that place. But this time was very different. It was a girl being forcefully pushed against her will. There were three guys, but the girl didn't seem scared at all. She even defended herself as best as she could. She kicked one of the guys in the groin, but she was still outnumbered and overpowered. "Hey!" Curtis shouted loudly as he ran towards them, extending and waving his arms. "Leave her alone." The men just laughed as they looked at each other. "Where did this junkie come from?" one of the men asked. "He's probably homeless. There are many of them around here," explained
The Imperial Casino hosted a grand spectacle that night. However, only those deemed important in the city could enter. A poor soul like Curtis could never attend such a lavish party."Were you really Charles Ballmer's son-in-law?" asked, surprised."I thought I was, but I eventually found out it was all a joke to them.""You were the Ballmer family's bitch... That's quite a résumé," she joked."Very amusing," he said angrily, "at least I was connected to an important surname; you're just the worst dealer I've ever known in my life.""And you're the worst Ballmer bitch I've ever met," she said, laughing."You don't even know the people from that family.""Of course, I know those wretched folks very well, but that doesn't matter now.""What are we doing here?" Curtis asked at the entrance of the imperial casino."We're going to get back at those bastards who beat us, I told you.""But how the hell do you plan to do that?" I exclaimed, "those guys nearly killed us.""That's the world of
A limousine stopped at the entrance of the Imperial Casino.A man in all-white attire, including his hat, descended from it."Mr. Tony," said the police chief, bowing respectfully."I want five minutes inside the casino," Tony ordered."But sir...""I said," Tony continued walking into the casino, knowing no one could stop him.All the police officers and detectives collecting evidence at the crime scene immediately left upon seeing Chief Tony's arrival accompanied by his henchmen."Who did it?" Tony asked his henchman."It was the Araña, sir.""Are you sure?" Tony asked calmly."Yes, Chief Tony. It was her, accompanied by an unknown man. Everything was recorded on the security cameras."Tony remained silent, as if deep in thought."What do you want us to do, sir?" the henchman asked."Burn the bodies. Nothing happened here. I won't let the reputation of my casino be tarnished.""And with the Araña, what do we do?""I think it's time to have a talk with her father," Chief Tony said as
The Araña's father was also a mobster, but the difference is that he always maintained a low profile.He was content being a subordinate to Boss Tony, ensuring years in the mafia business without any problems."Done," said the Araña's father once he finished assembling a small ship inside a bottle, his favorite pastime."Now you'll be my best piece."He was an old man, struggling to stand and place the bottle on his shelf.He had done it; it was the fifteenth ship he had assembled inside a bottle since he began to develop an affection for that activity.But his peace and tranquility would be disrupted in a second.His office door swung open abruptly. Burly men threw it down as if it were cardboard.Bottles with the small ships shattered on the floor. Fifty years of work lost in a second."What the hell is happening here?! Who are you?!" the old man demanded.Those men remained silent, standing by the door."Where are my bodyguards?" the Araña's father asked."Dead," Boss Tony replied,
Franchesco rose to greet his daughter, expecting a hug and a kiss."My father," Araña shouted with arms outstretched.Franchesco struggled to take step after step, moving painfully slow.Araña pulled a revolver from her pocket and suddenly fired six shots at her father.Curtis was stunned. It happened so quickly; he barely had time to see the lifeless body of the old man fall to the wooden floor."What the hell are you doing?" Curtis yelled.Araña just laughed, observing her father's corpse."This wasn't part of the plan. You told me you were only coming to ask him for money, and then we'd leave," he protested."Curtis, Curtis, Curtis... If I had told you I planned to murder my father, you would never have come with me. I know you, Curtis; you're crazy but soft."Curtis gestured wildly, but words wouldn't come out. It was clear that this event had a profound impact."Don't worry, Curtis. I know you don't understand now, but I assure you everything is going according to plan.""But wha
However, there were still formidable rivals opposing them, posing significant obstacles to gaining total control of the mafia nationwide.Tony and Charles Ballmer were still powerful mobsters with enough clout to give them competition."I've never seen so much money in my life," Curtis shouted, seated atop a small mountain of cash."Not bad, but we need much more.""What the hell are you talking about? Today alone, we've earned over five million dollars, and that's not even counting that we now own the east side of the city.""Tony, the idiot, is still alive, and as long as that damn guy lives, no one will fully respect us.""I think you need to relax," Curtis said, "shall I call Nicolle and Gladiana to come pamper you?""No, Curtis. No prostitutes. I'm serious... I'm tired of sharing the business with those old decrepit men," she exclaimed. "They've even started selling modern drugs for profit, after wanting to kill me for trying to sell them.""What do you suggest?" Curtis asked."W
The news of Boss Tony's death quickly spread everywhere. No one could believe that two upstarts out of nowhere were the new owners of the entire mafia business in the country.But it was time to take the business into a much more legal realm. Like Charles Ballmer, Araña and Curtis considered the possibility of opening a national company."What do you think?" Araña asked, showing an elegant office to Curtis."Are you sure this is a good idea?""Curtis, do you really plan to spend your whole life killing people and selling drugs on the streets?""It's the only thing we know how to do.""Think about it. We can continue being the biggest and most respected mobsters, and we can also be refined entrepreneurs.""You and I have no idea how the business world works."Araña smiled at him for a moment."You know so little about me, Curtis... you offend me.""Let me guess," Curtis said, "you already have it all figured out?""Exactly."Araña walked to her desk, and pressing a button, she contacte
"I swear, Curtis. I felt thousands of things when I saw her," Araña said, pacing back and forth in the main office of their company."Tingling in your vagina?" Curtis asked without much enthusiasm, trying to solve a Rubik's Cube at the desk."I even like her name a lot... Veronika... I love her!""You don't even know if she likes women too.""Please, Curtis... Everyone loves women, even we love ourselves. It's scientifically proven.""You're sick; you should see a psychologist," Curtis said."Mock if you want, but that little Russian girl will be my wife.""We need to talk about something much more important," Curtis commented, "the dealer on 19th street still hasn't reported his payment.""It's very easy; we just have to kill him, problem solved.""You're a freaking lunatic. We can't kill everyone who doesn't walk to our tune. Maybe he had some issues, and that's why he delayed payment for the merchandise.""Curtis, this isn't a doll's game. Here, you have to be the toughest, or else