Chapter 2

MARK

"This isn't all." For the second time, I grabbed the bundle of cash on the table, threw it up, and promptly caught it midair. "You're lying. This isn't all."

The idiot, who stood by the fireplace with his palms clasped before him, laughed nervously.

"Boss, that's all."

I sighed and leaned better into the chair, so my head could rest on the pillowy boobs of the lady I was to spend the night with. She promptly weaved her fingers into my hair and began to massage my scalp.

The room was dark—I had ordered all the lights to be turned off—because it was better to think in the dark, and I didn't want to miss the natural glow from the sky.

The embers in the fireplace combined beautifully with the glow from the moon to give the sitting room just the amount of light sufficient for me.

"Kenzo," I called out softly. A figure materialized from the dark and stood before me. The room became pin-drop silent.

"Yes, boss. You called me." A dark handsome man with a few scars on his face — his pride— bowed to me the moment he stepped out from the shadows.

"Make him speak."

"No boss!" the idiot looked to the side and stepped forward to escape Kenzo who had reached out for him. He dropped to his knees, tears immediately streaming down his cheeks. "Please, I will talk. Please..."

With a flick of my finger, I signalled Kenzo to stop.

"I can hear you."

The lady behind me struck a match. I heard the familiar sound and saw the momentary orange that temporarily lit up the room before the relaxing smell hit me.

One hand caressed my chest as she fed me a stick of cigarette with the other. After two puffs, I could feel my nerves slowly relaxing.

"I said I can hear you," I reminded.

I could see his face. He had a mixture of fear, shame, regret, excuses, and more fear. It was a look I had seen so many times, a look that often accompanied them to the afterlife, and... I was interested in this one.

Because I was bored.

Exactly.

I had nothing to do. Aside from drawing plans and organizing my empire, which was frankly intoxicating, I lived a very boring life.

"My wife," the idiot started (pardon me, I don't know his name). "She is in the hospital... Colon cancer." He stopped to hiccup. His hands trembled. "I only took out a couple hundred."

"Only?" I scoffed, wisps of smoke crowding around my face. It was getting warm now.

"No, no! I didn't mean it that way." On his knees, he straightened. "I swear, I was going to return it on the next statement."

"What do I always tell you guys?" I asked in a bland tone.

His breath hitched for a moment. Then in a whisper, he said, "To always run through the amounts before coming to make a statement before you."

"Not only did you steal from me, you didn't say anything when you brought this." I tossed the bundle again. "You should have made this pathetic explanation the moment you walked in, maybe I might have been pacified a little."

"This will never happen again," he promised amidst the tears streaming down his cheeks. "This will be the first and the last time. I promise, boss."

"Of course, this will never happen again." I sat up, picked up the gun on the centre table where I had been resting my leg, cocked it, and pointed it at the kneeling man. "Extend my regards to the people of the other side."

"No!" He tightly shut his eyes and stumbled back. I pressed the trigger. The sweet girl behind me gasped. The usual vibration in my palm did not happen, and the weight felt very light (I was just taking note of this now).

"You are one lucky fucker, aren't you?" I smirked at him and got to my feet, then grabbed the incomplete bundle and tossed it to him. "Report back for your statement by 6 tomorrow. You won't be lucky then."

"Oh my God!" He bowed with his face touching the floor and grabbed my leg, almost kissing my feet. "I swear, boss, I won't take this for granted!"

"I hope you don't." I shrugged off his hold on my leg and started for the stairs. "Kenzo?"

"Yes, boss."

I don't know why people always choose to be stupid. I loathe it when someone tries to play me, and they know that.

And times without number, I always warned them not to steal from me, because I'd know, but most of them took my words as mere threat. And they paid for it with their life. That idiot would have joined the list if the gun wasn't empty.

Crazy motherfuckers thought they could steal from me.

Every weekend, I get a personal statement from each of my boys, both old and young (some don't even stay around me), to ascertain how productive their sales were, and to know who didn't meet the target.

It was already clear the products they transport and sell.

"I'm going for a walk," I said to Kenzo while throwing on a coat. "I need to clear my head." From the full mirror in front of me, his eyes lost their shine.

"Boss, are you okay?" he asked in concern.

What a loyal guy. He was the only one I can boast of.

"I'm fine. I'll be back shortly. Look after the boys."

*~*~*~*~*~*

My feet led me to the store, straight for a shelf I hadn't been to for a long time... The chocolate section.

June used to love it whenever I got her small gifts like—

"Fuck," I murmured to myself and turned into the aisle. I saw a figure yelp and tried clinging to the top before my brain processed what was happening.

I rushed forward, catching her before she painfully collided with the floor.

She felt so petite in my arms. I could see her eyes widen in shock as she tried to decipher why she hadn't hit the floor yet.

Then our eyes met for a brief moment. She had the most beautiful red hair I'd ever seen, instantly reminding me of June's uncle—sorry, husband.

And her brown eyes were just like June's—

Fuck!

“Pervert!”

Huh?

I let her go immediately. She bounced back and rattled out some nonsense about grabbing her arse because she needed help.

Good lord, she was causing a scene!

"What the fuck are you saying? I was just trying to help—” I tried defending myself, but she cut in again. For a feisty lady, she was beautiful, maybe too beautiful to cause such fuss over nothing.

She screamed into my face, still calling me a pervert and saying I had better keep my hands to myself.

Maybe I should have done just that.

Just when I thought it wasn't going to end, she grabbed some items and stormed off to the counter.

What the fuck??