21:03
Chapter 2
use, do you think you’d be a big boss now?”
Once, when my father was drunk, he even told me he wasn’t sure if I was his son. So when he went bankrupt and ran off with his mistress, I didn’t even blame him. My mother wasn’t just a terrible wife; she was a terrible mother. Every time she got drunk, she’d find an excuse to beat me. My body is still a roadmap of scars from her hands.
The only reason I still support her now is to repay the debt of her giving birth to me. As for affection, that died a long time ago.
“Hey, big boy, aren’t you gonna call me Dad?” the bald man cackled. The other two men joined in. They always did this, getting their kicks at my expense. Just like my old friends, they thought that stomping on the fallen prince would elevate their own status.
Usually, I just took it. It wasn’t really tolerance; I just didn’t care.
But today was different. Today, I had seen the girl I cared about most in the world, and all she had for me was hatred and thinly veiled contempt. I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t angry with her. But seeing her had left me raw, flammable, and ready to explode.
I looked at the bald man, my voice cold. “Do you have any idea why I went to prison?”
“For a little
? You think that scares me?” he scoffed. “When I was your age, I was tougher than anyone. You’re still a kid.”
suddenly smiled. I walked toward him, casually picked up
“What are you doing?” he stammered, stunned.
2
fruit knife from the table, and shoved it into his hand.
der to my own shoulder. The tip of the blade tore through flesh, and the searing pain
I grabbed his hand, the one holding the knife, and slammed
it
only made my smile wider. Then, I grabbed his head and smashed it against the poker table.
The others tried to pull me off, but I had already snatched the glass ashtray and brought it down on his face.
“I went to prison for killing someone in self–defense,” I said
with a che
cheerful grin. “You’re about to be my new dad. Didn’t you know?”
The bald man’s curses died in his throat. The other two men scrambled backward in fear.
I leaned in close, my face inches from his. “Your son works as a designer at a construction firm, right? And your grandson goes school on Third Street?”
“You……. please don’t…”
Before he could finish, I shoved a poker chip into his mouth.
“Remember this,” I said, patting his cheek. “Don’t ever fuck with me. Because really will kill you.”
to an elementary
