Beatrix
As I watched him fight, I couldn't help but be fascinated by him. He moved gracefully as he fought with Shadow, who was flapping around like a fish out of water.There was something about him that called to me, I couldn't quite explain the feeling. He had this aura that commanded respect from the people around him.So after the fight, he was all I could think of as I followed Sensei Tanaka, my mentor, back to his office to help him with some documents he was taking care of.As we got into his office, Sensei turned to face me with an amused expression on his face as he stared at me."What?" I asked"I know that look, leave the poor boy alone, you have no business with a man who is here to learn," Sensei Tanaka said as he took his seat behind his desk."He must have a reason?" I asked"He said he was being chased by some dangerous people, I didn't want to pry," Sensei Tanaka explained"Wait! So why did you allow him to train here? What if the people after him come looking for him here?" I asked"We both know that won't happen, that is why I allowed him in the first place. He proved himself, so he gets a slot to train with me," Sensei Tanaka said."Hmm, you confuse me sometimes," I said as I took a seat in front of him, taking out the documents he wanted me to help him withAn hour later…..I had just finished the document I was working on and was ready to begin my daily training session. Sensei Tanaka was deep in meditation, so I quietly exited the room and headed to my usual training area. To my surprise, I found Ricardo using my training dummy."Hey!" I called out, but he ignored me, and that irritated me. So, to get his attention, I decided to throw one of the boxing gloves at his head, and it hit him perfectly.He turned towards me, clearly annoyed, and asked, "Did you just throw this at me?""Yes," I replied firmly."May I ask why?" he inquired, turning his full attention to me, a raised brow on his face."Because you're on my spot," I retorted."I don't see a name written on any equipment here," he countered, a small grin forming on his face."My name doesn't have to be there. It should have been obvious that this place was taken since you didn't see anyone training here, " I explained, trying to assert my point. He simply shrugged in response.Frustrated by his nonchalant attitude, I folded my arms and stood my ground. "Look, it's just common courtesy. You can't just barge in and take someone's spot without asking."He seemed unfazed by my words and replied,"Well, I didn't know it was your spot. No one told me."I sighed, trying to maintain my composure because I was minutes away from blowing a fuse. "That's not an excuse. Sensei Tanaka assigns spots to each of us, and this has been mine for months because, as you noticed, I'm the only woman training here, and I need my privacy.""Alright, my bad. I didn't realize. I'll find another spot." He said as he dropped the gloves he was using before going to pick up his bag to walk away, surprising me, I thought he was going to put up a fight or something."Are you just going to leave like that?" I inquired.He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, "Yes! Is there an issue?""No, it's just that I didn't anticipate you giving up the space so easily," I admitted."Well, since you claimed it as yours, why would I need to contest it?" he replied.With a nod of understanding, I appreciated his considerate response. "Fair enough," I replied,"Okay then, if we are done here, I'm going off to find where to train," he said, and as he was about to walk away, I called him back."Mister, you can use the other side, I don't mind. The others might not let you use their stuff because you're new and all," I said, wondering why I called him back."You sure?" He asked"Yes It's okay, we can both use this part and maybe even help each other out," I said, and a frown formed on his face, "did I say something wrong?""No, I appreciate the offer, but I can't have any form of relationship with anyone. I don't keep friends," he stated as he moved to the opposite side of the room, casually dropping his bag in the corner."Isn't that lonely?" I inquired."No, I actually enjoy my company," he replied."Why?" I probed further."Have you ever been told that you talk too much?" he retorted."I've heard that once or twice. Some people even find me quite annoying," I confessed.He raised an eyebrow, thinking about my response for a few seconds. Then, with a hint of amusement in his eyes, he said, "Well, I suppose we're quite the opposite, then, because I don't talk at all and I'm not as nosy as you""Hey, I'm not nosy," I yelled, drawing the attention of everyone in the room"Why are you shouting over there, shank?" One of the guys said and I flipped him off then said, "Mind your fucking business asshole""Fuck you bitch" the guy yelled and the Ricardo turned to face the guy that had insulted me."Do we have a problem?" He asked in a menacing tone that even scared the hell out of me."N...no," the guy said, and I saw the fear in his eyes."Good, now go back to what you were doing before you interrupted our conversation.""Yes, I apologize," the guy immediately did as he was told. The masked guy now turned to me, his expression immediately changing to an amused one."You're scary," I blurted out."So I've been told, but you don't need to fear me," he said, as he started punching the dummy in front of him."If that's true, why are you here, then?" I asked and an uncomfortable silence enveloped usBeatrixHe went silent as he stared at me. After a few seconds passed, he said, "Curiosity killed the cat, love. You should stop poking into people's lives." "Don't blame me, any other person would ask," I added"Well, you're not going to get an answer, so it's best you just stay quiet and mind your business like you told the fellow over there," he said as he moved his gaze to the dummy."You're being kind of rude," I said as I glared at him, I wasn't being nosy, or was I? Nah, I wasn't. Being curious isn't a bad thing."If being rude is the only way to get you to stop bothering me, then you haven't seen anything yet," he said as he continued hitting the dummy."You're not all that, you know that right," I said, but he went back to ignoring me like before, I guess the conversation was over then. So I went back to my own training, but my thoughts still consumed him. Why was I so obsessed with knowing why he was here at Sensei Tanaka's place, considering what the latter had said?Anyw
BeatrixAs I stood there, my anger boiled over as I stared at the man I had just punched, who was staring at me with a mixture of shock and anger. The sting of my fist against his cheek still vibrated hand. This was little compared to what I wanted to do to him in the first place."You bitch, apologize right now!" he yelled, his voice trembling with anger as he glared at me."Apologize? You must be joking. You had that coming, and you know it!" I yelled as I pulled my hand away from his grip, I could already see the bruises forming on my wrist. "It's like you don't have any manners because you're behaving like an uncivilized swine," their leader said as he took a menacing step toward me. Was he trying to intimidate me? Because it was definitely not going to work, I have faced worse people compared to this nuisance "Uncivilized Swine? Do you think you have the right to call someone an uncivilized swine? When you're one yourself. And we both know the reason why I punched you is beca
Ricardo's expression shifted to one of shock as his eyes locked onto Beatrice. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through his mind. What on earth was she doing here? Ricardo thought as he realized he wasn't wearing his silicon mask when his gaze went to the mirror in front of him, which meant she was now staring at his real face."You... What's going on, Ricardo? Why do you look like that?" Beatrice's voice quivered as she stepped further into the room, her gaze focused solely on Ricardo's face. Shock didn't quite cover what Beatrix was feeling right now."Shouldn't I be the one asking the questions in this situation? Because you're the one trespassing, " Ricardo said, his irritation evident in his tone and eyes."I... Why do you have two faces? Sorry, forgot I asked that because you can't possibly have two faces. What the hell is going on?" Beatrix said to Ricardo as she continued to stare at his face, her confusion. Ricardo, still miffed by her intrusion, couldn't predict her next move.
They killed my sister… the only family member I had" he said with a sardonic smile."What!" Beatrix exclaimed as she stared at Ricardo and her eyes welled up with tears, "I'm sorry, it must have been so hard.." "I need a drink for this," Ricardo said as he got on his feet and went to the mini fridge located at the corner of the room.He took out a bottle of whiskey and handed one to me, "I don't have anything else, so I hope you drink whiskey" Ricardo said as he took his seat again beside Beatrix.After a deep sigh left his lips, he turned to Beatrix, who was sitting next to him. She had a worried look on her face"Are you okay?" Beatrix asked as she took his hands in his, rubbing circles on his palm in a comforting manner"Nah, not really. Even if it happened months ago, I couldn't stop thinking about the way I found her. Her dead body is still etched in my mind." Ricardo explained "I'm so sorry to hear that. Can I ask how she died?" Beatrix asked, and Ricardo's eyes hardened as he
I'm confused Beatrice, what do you mean by one man's greed causing the death of your father?" Ricardo asked as his worried gaze focused on Beatrice. She looked like she was about to have a panic attack."I-" Beatrix tried to say something but her voice failed her as tears filled her eyes, she thought it wouldn't hurt as much since it happened a long ago, but now she knew that reopening old wounds wasn't as easy as it seemed on her head "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to," Ricardo said as he took her hands in his"I have to. It's just that I've never shared this story with anyone other than Sensei Tanaka. It's not a pleasant story," Beatrix said as her hold on Ricardo's hands tightened "Take deep breaths, in and out, in and out" Ricardo instructed and Beatrix did as he told her, "Yes just like that, breathe" As Beatrix listened to Ricardo's calming voice she began to calm down."Thank you, I think I'm calm now," Beatrix said as she gave him a small smile, "I'm rea
Beatrice's eyes widened in disbelief. "Did you just say the Ironclad Mafia?" She said as she stared at Ricardo, her shock evident on her face, which caused Ricardo to nod at her question"Yes, Beatrix. The Ironclad Mafia is responsible for my sister's death. Her boyfriend was in the wrong place at the wrong time and saw something he shouldn't have, so they had to get rid of them.""Please tell me you're joking," Beatrix asked as a fear laced her voice.Ricardo's face contorted with pain as he replied, "I wish I was, but I'm not. They're the reason my sister and her boyfriend are dead. Those guys didn't even lose any sleep after killing two kids. " "Ricardo," Beatrix began, her voice gentle but firm, "you have to understand how dangerous it is to go up against the Ironclad Mafia. They've controlled this city for decades, and they won't hesitate to eliminate threats, which you are.""I know the risks, Bea, but I can't let them get away with it. They've destroyed my life, and I can't ju
A small frown crept onto Ricardo's face as he gazed at Beatrix, whom he had just permitted to stay the night. She brimmed with excitement, exploring everything within her reach."Didn't we agree that you would do everything I tell you?" Ricardo questioned, his gaze intense as it focused on Beatrix "I'm sorry," Beatrix apologized, but moments later, she would disobey his orders once again, which pissed him off every time.Ricardo's frustration deepened as Beatrix's actions contradicted herself every time she apologized. She was acting like a little child touching anything that fascinated her."We had an agreement, Beatrix," Ricardo sighed, a mix of frustration and annoyance in his voice. "I need you to respect it."Beatrix nodded, her enthusiasm momentarily dimming. "I'll try my best, Ricardo. I'm sorry"Ricardo, visibly frustrated, said, "That wasn't what we agreed on when I said you could stay here, but you know what, never mind," before he left Beatrix in the sitting room and heade
The first thing Beatrix did when she opened her eyes was look around her somewhat confused as she was not usually in her bed and her tiny room but rather on the floor beside a hard and warm body making her gasp out slowly so as not to wake the person beside her as her memory is still groggy with the amount of alcohol she consumed last night.Wait! Last night! What happened last night? She closed her eyes again to collect the memories from last night and one by one like a reel playing in a theater everything came crashing down, instead of surprise a happy smile adorned her lips as it was her first ever sleepover even if she was not the same little girl who died to have a sleepover at her friend's place but last night her wish came true because of Ricardo and she is too giddy to think about anything else.Bea turned her body slightly towards the still sleeping Ricardo who seemed so at peace without his sister's death looming over him.She knows now what intrigued her in him, the same p