Adrian Beckett's Pov
I never could have imagined that Austin would take the initiative to punch me like that. It was a complete surprise to me and I was shocked!
I staggered backward with shock evident on my face and I wiped my mouth only to find out there was blood dripping from the corner of my mouth.
"Austin!" His friend, Kelvin shouted and it was obvious he was just as shocked as everyone else that saw us.
Austin was always the calm type and he would never fight me head-on in school because everyone knew and respected him unlike me who was known as the vagabond by everyone.
I rushed toward him and grabbed his collar "Are you nut?! How dare you punch me like that?!" I questioned with anger-filled eyes and I was ready to start a big fight right there but he looked to be ready too and I was very sure he wasn't going to hold back like he used to.
Why? This was the question I wished to ask him but I knew asking such a question would only make me look like a fool because Austin would never answer me!
"Yes, I've lost it! I'm crazy right now and I think it'd be better to avenge my father today! It'd be better to kill the murderer who murdered my father today!' He screamed to my face and I was taken aback!
Was he thinking about his father again?
I knew he always lost his mind whenever he was thinking about his father but he never lost it this much before. I tightened my grip on his collar and formed a fist, ready to retaliate. "Good! Let's take it all out then! It will be better if we end it all here today!" I yelled back and threw my fist toward his face but unfortunately, he dodged it and batted my hand away from him.
I took a few steps away from him and wiped the remaining blood from my mouth. I did my shirt well and readied myself for a fight "You guys, I will like to take him alone but you guys can deal with that one~ " I said pointing at Kelvin, who was standing with confusion written all over his face.
"If he decides to interfere," I added, ordering my two friends and they immediately agreed.
Well... They were always bloodthirsty anyway and this was the best opportunity to break hell and lose!
Austin Brad also readied himself and his face was void of any emotion as he stared at me like a lion ready to devour his prey. He looked completely fearless and ready for a great battle.
His domineering aura made me take a step back and I had to shake my head twice before I could get my composure again.
I've always enjoyed riding on Austin's weak point because I knew he would never fight me back but the fact that he wanted to fight me back today worried me a lot and I wished I could know the reason.
But... "There is no pride in asking anyway because he will surely respond with a punch to my mouth again," I told myself as I moved closer to him.
"You're ready?" His chilly voice entered into my ears and my eyes twitched.
We were about to clash into each other when I felt a hand grab my hair from the back and I was yanked away!
My head buzzed and I gritted my teeth! "How dare you..." I wasn't able to complete my words and it was left hanging in my throat when I saw the person who threw me away... "Mr. Ton..." I called with a low voice as I lowered my head.
I was troubled... Heck! I knew I was in trouble!
Mr. Ton was one of the higher-level lecturers in my department and he had a lot of ways of dealing with stupid students which made many students fear and respect him. He glared at me with gritted teeth before sneering "You! You are always full of trouble! When will you stop troubling Austin Brad?! When will you?!" He hollered angrily as he grabbed my ear and squeezed hard till I had to squeal in pain.
He released my ear and glared at Austin for a while before walking into his class like he had done nothing to me.
It had always been like that with all the staff in the school. They always favored Austin Brad over me and I was already used to it but it still hurt.
When anything happen between Austin and me, I would always be the one to be blamed for it. No one would listen to our explanation because automatically, I was the one at fault for fighting the brilliant, gentle, and kind Austin Brad!
Oh! It was a very big embarrassment on my part but I wasn't going to take it out on Mr. Ton when a better scapegoat was around me. I turned to face Austin and I smirked: "I will see you in Mark's club tonight." I muttered and walked into the class without waiting for his reply.
Mark's club was a place we visit most of the time and I knew Austin would surely come there especially when it was I that invited him.
We both had that side to us...
I listened to Mr. Ton's lecture with a troubled mind as I couldn't wait to meet Austin tonight and beat the life out of his handsome face. Ah! Yes! One of the things that made me hate him so much was his innocent handsome... very handsome look while I had the bad boy handsome look which always made most people believe me to be the bad sheep every time we both engaged in a fight... heck! It annoys me!
"Adrian! What are we doing before tonight? I'm sure it's going to be a big day for us and we might finally be able to get him off our back today or what do you think?" Kun, who was my best friend asked with excitement in his deep voice and I laughed devilishly.
"Sure! Let's get him off us today. It will be nice if we eliminate him tonight and everything will be over for good. " I replied with a big smile on my face as I reminisced how his father died in front of me. A killing intent flashed through my eyes right then and my friends noticed it too which really excited them and made them look up to what was going to happen tonight.
My friends and I all hated Austin a lot. They hate him so much they wouldn't think twice before pushing a knife through his abdomen if they had to and seeing an opportunity like that was their lifelong dream.
"Yes! How about we go to the gym to do some warm-up before then? That will increase our winning point too or what do you guys say?" Knight, my second friend suggested and we all turned to face him.
"Gym? Won't that tire us? We need strength to fight tonight but if we go to the gym now and our body hurts at night. What do we do then?" Kun replied and rolled his eyes at Knight's silly suggestion but I said nothing as I had a lot to think about.
Thinking of ways to kill Austin gave me a lot of headaches and I was looking for the best plan that wouldn't give me much problem. The problem was that Austin was so smart that he amazed me the most time and had ruined my perfect plans countless times because he was just too smart and he could most times predict my move but tonight... I was going to end it all.
I had planned many times for the past few years on how to kill him but he had always escaped one way or the other that I had to question myself if I was the fool or if he was just lucky but I ended up accepting the fact that he was just too smart.
Austin was brilliant, handsome, and Smart!
"These were the reasons I hate him so much! He even... Sh*t!" I mumbled inwardly.
I pressed a hand on my chest and calmed myself before turning to my friends. "Let's go enjoy ourselves till then. It's going to be a long night!" I told my friends and they both cheered as they followed behind me while we left the school premises to enjoy the rest of our day.
Hours later...
On a day like this, hours flew like birds and in a blink of an eye, we were already in Mark's bar, waiting for Austin and his two friends.
"We've been waiting for 30 minutes already. Is he planning to keep us waiting without showing up?" Kun was the first to lament in despair after we'd waited for more than thirty minutes and yet, Austin was yet to show up. We did not even see any sign of him.
"Don't tell me... did he find out we are planning to get rid of him tonight and decided to run away?!" Knight covered his mouth and looked at me helplessly.
I sneered and shook my head. Out of the three of us, I was the one who knew Austin the best and one thing I was very sure about was that Austin would never run away or try to escape even after finding out about our plan because he was never scared of me and he would only see that as an opportunity to kill me! As I said earlier, He was the smarter one...
"I don't think so. Maybe he is carrying out his own plan too. You know we are not the only one who wants to kill. He wants to kill us as much as we want to kill him, even more. He won't run away until he drives his knife through my stomach to take revenge for his father and you know that." I explained to my friends and raised my hand to check my time. "What's taking him so long though?" I mumbled and let out a deep breath.
I was just lost in my thought when two figures entered the bar and my eyes lit up ~ Yes! It was Austin's two best friends!
I immediately stood up from my seat and walked toward them while my two friends followed behind with evil smiles on their faces.
"Look who's here! Where is your boss? Where is Austin?" I asked the two boys whose attention wasn't on me at all but they immediately turned to me the moment they heard my voice.
They both looked relieved and excited at the same time as they checked me from my head to my long legs... "Adrian! Huh! Yes! Austin is waiting for you at the school junction. He said you should meet him there alone if you are bold enough. Do you think you can do that?" Kelvin explained with a provocative smile on his face which truly irked me but I managed to force out a smile as I pocketed my hands.
"If I'm bold enough? Is he trying to test my confidence? Does he think he can defeat me even if my friends ain't there? He must have dreamt a lot." I replied and cocked my head to the side. "Okay. I will go and meet him alone and take him out!" I declared confidently but maybe I shouldn't have said that.
Maybe it was a rash decision as I could see Kelvin's eyes twitch immediately after I said the word, His expression changed, and ... his hands were trembling too!
Something must have happened! Oh No! I had a bad feeling about it but I already said those words and I had no choice but to go or else... my friends would tease me for the rest of their lives!
WRITER Adrian walked out of the bar with a divided spirit. He wanted to tell his friends what he felt but he knew that would only make him look like a coward to them as they would take his sincere word as an excuse and use that to taunt him. He looked around him and let out a deep breath "I have no choice but to leave then. " He said to himself and walked toward their school junction. The walk there was fast and silent but the fear in Adrian's heart immediately increased with every passing second and the moment he got to the junction, his heart tightened and he couldn't help but look around him with caution ~ Back at the bar ~ "We have to leave too," Kelvin said after he had waited for some minutes and was sure Adrian would be at the junction by then. He held the hand of Tine who was beside him and signaled for him to follow him. "Where do you think you are going? You already sent Adrian to that Austin and you want to leave too? Don't you think it will only be right if y
AUSTIN BRAD's I knew Adrian hated me so much but never in my wildest dream would I have expected him to agree to such an absurd request from our enemies. It was unbelievable... I couldn't believe my ears for a few seconds as I stared at Adrian's determined face as he requested for his hands to be freed. The talk about him and I being close friends from childhood was a blunt truth... A truth I've always wished was never right and that was the reason I've kept Adrian alive to date even though I've had many opportunities to get rid of him and avenge my father. It was because one part of me kept telling me he might not be my father's killer although I saw him with my own eyes and even got shreds of evidence against him. With my own hands, I kept the pieces of evidence that could have put Adrian in prison, all because of what? Till today, I was still just as oblivious but right now, I felt like I knew the reason. It was to kill him with my bare hands because he was the wildest e
ADRIAN I watched patiently as Austin faced the two huge men like a ferocious boar that was ready to kill and destroy everything. With the way he was hitting them, I felt my body rise as I imagined him beating my friends and me that way. Well... That was the main reason we never faced them squarely because we knew we were no match for him and his friends. "So, you freed him to beat us? Do you think two of you are enough to fight us?" One of the middle-aged men asked and I frowned. "Two of us? Who told you it's the two of us? Austin alone is enough to teach you guys a big lesson." I boasted with an evil smile on my face as I watched the men glance at each other. I thought I had won when they were unable to talk for some seconds but I realized I was wrong the moment they nodded their heads and laughed. "I will go and call them in." One of them said and turned his back to leave.Call them? Call who? "You think I would give you the chance to call anyone?" I asked as I readied myself t
AUSTIN'S POVI was able to get myself and Adrian out of the bush, and we ran to the bar where we knew our friends would be. Throughout the run, we said no word to each other as we both had a lot running through our minds. We just went through a near-death experience, and we barely escaped.Thinking back to those men, I wished I could report them to the police, but I knew that wouldn't help at all because it would only drag my late father's name in the mud. With the look on their faces, they seemed to be my father's business partners when he was still alive, but they weren't good people, and it made me wonder if my father was ever a good man too, or if all he showed me was nothing but pretense... a facade.We continued running, and before we knew it, we were in front of the bar, and as we expected, all our friends were there, waiting for us. "Austin!" Kelvin shouted the moment he saw me and ran toward me. He hugged me tightly. "I knew you would be fine. I trusted your luck and decided
ADRIAN I wanted to go back home to gather my thoughts after what happened earlier. I wanted to clear my mind and see to what I was supposed to do next because each time I stare at Austin, my heart wouldn't stop beating and I was confused. Was it fear? Was it excitement? I had no idea what it was. Because of this strange feeling, the only thing I wanted was to escape from the bar and return home for the day. I thought I was finally going to be alright when I saw Austin leaving with his friends but my eyes widened when I heard Kun trying to cause problems for him. For some reason, each hurtful words Kun said to Austin were like daggers to my body and it was cutting me deep. I was annoyed, I wanted to stop him which was why I told him to stop but he was too stubborn and still went on to fight him. I intended to just grab him and drag him away from Austin but I lost it on the way to him and before I knew it, I had thrown a punch to his face ~ I was shocked too. I looked at my hand and
AUSTIN'S POV I had watched Adrian walk away after punching his friend and I still couldn't get over the shock even after minutes that he left us. I watched him disappear from our sight and I looked at Knight, Kun, Tine, and Kelvin but everyone was just as shocked as me. "Why did he punch me for this one?" Kun asked as he glared at me with questions in his eyes. "I guess..." Knight mumbled and looked at me but he immediately turned to look at Kun. "I think I know the reason. "Was it you who rescued him from those bad men? You helped him there, right?" He asked me but I just stared at him without giving any reply. Though I was curious to know why Adrian did that, I had no reason to reply Knight who I hated as much as I hated Kun. They were all Adrian's friends which made me hate them too but not as much as I hated Adrian. He realized I wouldn't be replying to him and he clapped his hands~ Did my silence give him the reply he wanted?"Yes! I knew it. That was Adrian being grateful. He
ADRIAN'S POVIt took me all my willpower to ask him such a question and the first thing I expected from him was a slap but he only stared at me as if I had said something strange. "Can I sit here?" I asked again but he only continued staring at me without saying a word. "Can everybody settle down, please?" The professor shouted and I sighed. I didn't know he would be in class so soon. Without asking further, I threw my bag on the seat and climbed the desk to sit beside him. He turned his head to look at me and his eyes widened. "Have you lost your mind? Do you know who you are sitting with?" He asked and I smiled. "Of course. I know it's the most handsome guy in my department, Austin." I replied to him and I saw him frown. He looked at Kelvin and Tine who were staring back at him and his frown deepened "Can you explain to me why you are doing this? This is unlike you or have you truly lost your mind after what happened yesterday?" He asked me but I could feel the irritation in his vo
ADRIAN'S POV I had no idea why he drank so much and it bothered me because the Austin I knew would never be so reckless. I looked around for his friends but I couldn't find any of them and I frowned. "Where could they be?" I asked out loud as I moved closer to him and stood in front of him. "Austin," I called and he raised his head to look at me. His cheeks were red and it was obvious he was very drunk. He frowned "Who are you?" He squinted his eyes as if he couldn't see well and I chuckled. For some reason, he looked so cute when he was like this and I felt the urge to touch his cheeks but I stopped myself and looked at him "What are you doing here alone?" I asked him and he smiled. "I'm here to have a drink. My friends' lines weren't going through and I'm so sad. Can you have a drink with me?" He asked and I felt like laughing. I was sure he did not know it was me he was speaking to because if he did, he wouldn't be here speaking to me like this. He would have stood up, pushed me
KELVIN'S POV "What do you plan to do for the new year festive? Will you finally propose to Linda?" I asked Tine, who had been on his phone for the past few hours even though we were at a party. "I'm editing the pictures I took of Austin earlier. I need to post them later at night," He replied, still not raising his head. I frowned slightly, "I'm not asking about Austin's picture. Austin has enough workers who help with this. You are not needed. I'm asking about your plan for the new year festive. Will you finally ask Linda out?" I asked again, feeling a little annoyed. Tine finally raised his head and turned off his phone. His eyes wandered around the party, searching for someone - Searching for Austin..."Who is Linda?" He asked coldly. There was not a hint of interest in his tone. My frown deepened. "We both know that girl likes you. Why are you doing this? It's time you give love a chance," I advised, looking at his face. Tine finally turned to look at me, but his eyes weren'
ADRIAN'S POV Austin was pleasantly surprised when he saw me, and he took my hand in his. He led me out of the encirclement of his fans and led me to a quiet area. "You came," He whispered, kissing the corner of my lips. I replied with a nod, staring at his face with a frown. "You really have the guts to act like nothing is wrong?" Austin made a confused face and held my hand, "What's it, baby? Have I done something wrong? Tell me, I will make it up to you," He mumbled, pressing in for a kiss that was swiftly avoided. "You shouldn't waste your time with me here. Those babes are waiting for you right there," I pointed to the ladies who were staring at us and crossed my legs, not wanting to pay attention to him. Austin kissed my forehead and gently cupped my face, "You are the only one who deserves my attention, and you know this," He assured me, his voice calm and hypnotizing. I gave him a side glance and pursed my lips, "Really?" "Hey, what are you guys doing here? Everyone is
ADRIAN'S POV Within a few hours, I was able to edit the project draft and submit it to my stepfather, who looked at the screen with delight on his face. "This is wonderful. How did you suddenly get the inspiration to finish?" He asked, his face showing his delight. I blushed secretly, unable to tell him how it came to be. "I just suddenly found it easy and did it," I lied through my teeth, smiling sweetly. My stepfather spent a few more minutes on it, nodding his head every second. "You've done well. We can make do with it and submit it. I hope you won't turn down my offer anymore," He said, looking at my face. I let out a deep breath and nodded in response, "If we can get this contract with my proposal, I will surely accept your proposal," I assured him. I wouldn't compromise. If we were to lose the contract, I would work harder to win another one, and until I win one, I would never accept the position he offered me. Not because of anything but because I knew I wouldn't be capa
AUSTIN'S POVA year had passed since the incident and I had become a graduate. The ceremony for making me the chairman of my conglomerate had been scheduled for a week from now..."What about Cynthia? She's still stuck on you for more than a year now. What do you plan to do with her?" Tine asked, crossing his legs as he looked at me. I shrugged, sipped my wine, and gently rubbed the ring on my finger. "I don't care about her. She can continue doing whatever she wants. I told her a year ago that I didn't have any feelings towards her. I don't know what she's up to, trying to act like there's something between us," I replied. There was an ounce of disgust showing in my tone. If not for the guilt I still felt toward her kidnapping back then, I would have dealt with her in a way she would regret. I never expected her to be this kind of woman but she had used the past few months showing me how lowly she could be..."I heard she posted a picture about you and her entering a hotel togeth
ADRIAN'S POV I helped Austin up the seat, and we both left the room. My heart ached terribly, and I felt miserable. I knew Austin was in deep pain; my heart ached badly, too, and I wished I could share his pain, but there was nothing I could do..."Adrian Smith!" A deep and scary voice suddenly sounded behind us, and my heart skipped a beat. Turning around, I saw a man pointing a gun at us with a smirk on his face. "This fool came to us to save you, and we had planned to only kill you after he's been killed. Who would have imagined that you would come here to die even before he died?" The man asked, laughing. "After so many years. You bastards can finally pay for your fathers' sins and go to hell!" He yelled. I clenched my fist as I looked at the man with deep hatred in my eyes. "Die for our fathers' sins. What did our fathers do?" I asked angrily. He laughed again, "You don't know. Not only did they exterminate our people back but also in the name of righteousness. They also ar
ADRIAN'S POV "Let's go. I know where Austin is! I know where he's been taken to!" I shouted and without waiting for them to say anything, I rushed out of the house. They all followed after and we soon packed ourselves into the car again. "Go to this place!" I handed my phone to John, who immediately checked the location. "Austin left a code on his laptop, which only the two of us understand. This place is somewhere his dad used to take us back then when he was still alive. It was a training ground for us back then and because he was better than I am, he was number 1, while I took number 5. Austin left 1- 5 on his laptop's screen. The only thing it could mean is that place. That means he knows where he is and he's been expecting me to save him for the past few days. I can't believe I had no idea what was going on! I can't believe this is happening!"Why? Why was I so dumb? Why didn't I think about him getting kidnapped when I didn't see him for days? Why did I continue with the stupi
ADRIAN'S POV I held my chest as I spurted out a mouthful of blood and weakness washed over my body. "Adrian!" My mother's panicked voice rang in my ears, but it sounded so distant. "Adrian, are you okay?""Adrian, Adrian!"The voices of the people in the room kept ringing in my ears, but they were too far away. I could feel my consciousness dwindling, and before I knew it, everything turned dark...Opening my eyes, I felt weak and exhausted. "Where am I?" I asked, staring around, but there was nothing in sight. A smile played on my lips, "It seems I'm dead. I can finally go find Austin," I mumbled. "Silly boy. What did you just say? Will you leave your mother behind and die just to see Austin?!" A loud and scary voice sounded beside me, making me turn my head with dissatisfaction on my face. Seeing the figure, I immediately realized it was my mother, and the first thing that hit me was immense sadness that caused blood to rush to my throat. I spat out a mouthful of blood and col
KELVIN'S POV I turned around to look at Knight, whose gaze was on me and my lips gently parted, only to swallow back the next moment. I subconsciously moved closer to Knight, and our eyes only had each other. I could see the desire in his eyes, which didn't lose to mine. I gently sucked in a deep breath, closed my eyes gently, and forced my eyes back to the drama. Knight and I weren't even dating. The first time was a mistake, so something like that shouldn't happen again!I firmly said to myself and fixed my eyes on the drama, but not even a second had passed when the drama leads turned to Knight and I... Knight was furiously rendering me helpless under him while I moaned hard, without any restraint. My body suddenly jerked mercilessly, and my face turned all red. I tried not to, but my head slowly turned to face Knight, and just like earlier, he was staring at me too. He moved closer to me, and without saying a word, he took my lip with his, kissing me gently. He sucked on my l
KELVIN'S POVI stared at the movie ticket in my hand, my heart racing and my feelings heavy. It was already more than a week since Knight had apologized, and we had gotten close, but this was the first time we'd been meeting since then. He had called earlier today, inviting me to watch a movie with him, and even though I wanted to turn him down, I had found myself agreeing without thinking much, which was extremely weird. I sucked in a deep breath, deciding to keep away the thoughts for a moment and look for an excuse to leave when Knight returned from where he went to buy popcorn. "Kelvin!" Knight's voice sounded behind me, and turning around, my eyes met his. Taking in his whole physique, I felt my cheeks burning for a moment before I forcefully calmed down and closed my eyes gently. "I must have kept you waiting for long. I'm sorry," He said softly, his voice as warm as summer. My eyes shone brightly, and I revealed a smile. "It's okay. I didn't wait for long," I calmly repl