Chapter 1: 'I Am Your Father'

It was the precious weekend when Suzie suddenly learned that she had a father.

She was just having the best day of her week- her day off- when her door was knocked.

Not expecting any delivery or guest, Suzie cautiously peeked into the peephole. As someone who lived alone for a decade, and a single woman at that, she needs precautions.

Suzie saw a middle-aged man with two men in black behind him. They were all wearing suits. Just by the look of them, Suzie was immediately suspicious.

"Ms. Suzie Bei?" One of the young men behind the middle-aged man came forward and knocked on the door again.

Suzie stepped back and stared wide-eyed at the door. 

What were these men wanted from her?

Her initial thought was that the creditors found her. But she was paying monthly diligently that she could not even afford to spend her day off on a trip.

The debts that her grandma left behind made her broke to the point that even though she was working for twelve hours a day since her graduation from high school, she could not even rent a good apartment.

That's right, she had been living in this rundown apartment for three years straight. There's not even a heater in this apartment much more a security guard. So it's no wonder these loan sharks could come in because there was no security around.

This was the best apartment she could come up with after working for many years.

Suzie took out her phone and dialed the police number. If these men forced their way in, she would call the police immediately.

"Ms. Suzie Bei, I know you are inside. We would like to talk to you about your family."

Suzie: "..."

Family...

Her only family was her dead grandma. So she was right. these people were indeed creditors!

Loan sharks upgraded too, they were now wearing suits.

Suzie remained quiet. While she inwardly cursed her grandma inside.

'Grandma, you are already dead why did you not bring your debts with you?'

Grandma Bei was Suzie's only family but it doesn't mean she was raised by her grandma with love and care. Her grandma was a gambler. Don't look at her grandma's grey hair and aged small body, her grandma's greed to turn over their lives through one win and countless losses was quite terrifying.

Suzie's grandma even make her work at the young age of six so she could give her grandma a penny for gambling. Her grandma said it was her obligation to give money as she had taken care of Suzie for five years when Suzie could not even talk or walk.

Suzie was a young, naive child and believed her grandma. So despite being forced into child labor, she thought of it as repaying her grandma for bringing her up. After all, she doesn't have a mother or a father, she only had her grandma.

But her grandma's appetite increased as she got older. Until she made a huge mistake and took a huge debt from illegal moneylenders without Suzie knowing. She was in middle school at that time. When Suzie came to learn of it, it was after Grandma Bei had used all the borrowed money. No penny remained.

Suzie was so angry that she almost disowned her grandma right then and there. But her grandma cried and said that she would change. Her grandma even promised to their old battered house that she would never gamble again.

Grandma Bei was Suzie's only family and blood kin. Despite her grandma being addicted to gambling, Suzie still loved her. So she put up with it.

But her love almost waver again when their old and broken house was taken away from them. Her grandma actually used it as collateral!

Suzie tried to fight them off but the creditors came with gangsters. In the end, the beaten Suzie and her  crying grandmother were left with nothing but their worn out clothes in the streets.

That traumatic memory edged to Suzie, so seeing these men in black made her scared. She had beaten up badly at that time so she knew that fighting with these people were futile.

She doesn't have an old battered house to lose. Would she lose a kidney this time?

"Ms. Suzie?"

The voice came again.

Suzie knew she could not run away. So she called the police first and informed them of her address. Betting on the hope that the Police would arrive before she was kidnapped, Suzie took the cheap long knife that she was scammed to buy.

"Who is it?" She answered finally.

"We are from the Thomson family. We would like to speak with you regarding your birth."

Suzie was stunned. "...Birth?" Were they...going to sell her name, identity and all now?

"Yes. It's about your father."

Suzie was flabbergasted. 

Father?

So these people weren't creditors? She was still suspicious but she opened the door this time.

Now looking at them closely, Suzie could tell these people weren't from loan shark but rich men. Especially the middle-aged men at the center who was donned with custom-made suits and a limited edition watch that Suzie only saw in a magazine.

She read in that magazine that only three of that watch was available in the country.

There's no way a minion of a loan shark's group could own that.

"May we come in?" The middle-aged man smiled gently at her.

Suzie observe them cautiously and finally nodded. "But only one person among you."

"Alright." The middle-aged man responded.

"Sir, we can't leave you alone. At least let me accompany you-" One of the men stepped forward. But the rich middle-aged man stopped him. 

"It's okay. After all, it is my daughter whom I am meeting. What's there to be scared about?"

The man in suit glanced at Suzie then at the long sword she was holding.

The middle-aged man also saw the cheap long sword: "..."

"It is good to be cautious, haha." He awkwardly laugh as Suzie opened the door wider to let him in. 

The middle-aged man entered with a briefcase that one of the men behind him handed.

Suzie stared at this middle-aged man. Did he just say 'daughter?'.

While her mind was spouting ridiculous ideas, the middle-aged man had already sat on the only chair on her small table. Suzie took out her attache case and sat there- face to face with the middle-aged man.

"So what is it you want to talk about regarding my birth? To tell you in advance, I have been living alone for a decade. The only family member that I know is my grandma. But my grandma died a long time ago and no one cared to show up. So if you said I still have remaining relatives left, I won't buy your lies." As Suzie said that, her eyes glanced at the watch.

Was that watch the real deal or just a counterfeit? 

The middle-aged man smiled. "It's good to be cautious. It must have been hard for you living alone." The middle-aged man's eyes turned red, "If we have found you sooner...you won't have to suffer alone like this."

Suzie: "..."

The man in front of him was getting into his drama without even properly introducing himself.

"Ahm...excuse me sir...but who are you? I can't cry with you even if you sympathize with me since I don't know you."

The middle-aged man wiped his unshed tears. "It might be late...but Suzie...I am your father."

Suzie: "..."