Harley chirped as soon as Javier took his seat. Feeling a little puzzled, the latter asked, “Uh, what?”Harley was a little taken aback. “You mean you don’t know? They say you’ve been screwing both Megara and Cher, man! They say the campus’ sexiest women are trying to make you theirs, and really, you can’t blame me for believing it. There’s a lot of meat to it, and people claim they have seen it in action!”Javier finally understood. Chuckling lightly, he shook his head. “You can believe whatever you want, mate.”Harley was quite confused by this answer. Was that denial?Zenya Turing had just made her way through when she overheard their conversation. Her lips pressed into a quiet smile, her mirth secretive. She knew it; that rumor was bunk! Javier was not like that at all. The true object of his crush had to be…her, of course!As the three friends each tended to their own thoughts, someone else entered the room.Tidal Holdsworth, the student-body president, had a pretty strange
How did everyone feel about Tidal Holdsworth’s suffering?Ecstatic.Here came the elephant in the room, though: What was going to happen to Javier, the guy who had fixed up Tidal so well? What Javier had done was nothing short of torment, after all, which meant his comeuppance would likely be just as torturous. At that thought, the crowd turned to him, feeling concerned.“Hate to say this but…Xavier’s dead meat now. Tormenting anyone else would have been fine, but Tidal Holdsworth? That’s the student council president, someone infamous for being hyper-vindictive and sh*t! His vengeance is gonna be painful…”“Not to say Tidal doesn’t deserve what he got, and I’m not gonna pretend that I didn’t get a kick out of seeing Xavier thumping his *ss like a bad*ss, but Xavier did it at a cost, man. Revenge is gonna be really painful…”“I hope he doesn’t suffer too much. Besides, we can help, right? We’ll vouch for him, you know. Put in a good word when Tidal’s revenge comes…?”It was all t
Tidal did not manage to avoid eventually getting his head stuck in the drawer once more, let alone getting tormented by having his pants pulled down by several male students before they screwed him with whatever was on their minds.Javier skipped on this “entertainment” this time. Cher had just summoned him to her office right afterward, and en route, she asked, “Why did you make Zenya Turing the new president? Don’t tell me the two of you…”She trailed off mid-question, but Javier knew what was really on her mind.“Aww, you think I must share some super-intimate relationship with her and you’re feeling a teensy-weensy-bit jealous, right?” he quipped.“As if!” Cher protested hotly. “I don’t even know you personally! Why would I be jealous?”Javier was amused. Even Cher would find an excuse this flimsy! To appease her, of course, Javier followed her to her office and pacified her the old-fashioned way.They had a rather prolonged after-sex teasing session before Javier went back t
Herschel drove Javier to Liamsworth, his car tearing through the freeway at a speed that obviously exceeded the speed limit.What about the punishment for violating the law, one might ask. But the hammer of lawful punishment had always applied only to certain people, as privilege was indeed a thing. If privilege did not exist, then why would the masses sometimes find themselves not allowed to drive through a green light and instead get stopped so a few big cars driving important people could pass before they could resume their lives?Herschel’s car was such an example—on the privilege side of the equation. He crossed several speed limits at different intervals, condensing a two-hour journey into an hour. There were even moments when he was driving at 370% of the speed limit—a sort of crime so brazen that even the authorities would have no idea how to punish him.Not that the cops would ever punish him. Herschel’s skills were just that good, and he had a powerful boss behind him. Whe
Javier had taken off his mask by this point, so most people recognized him as the bona fide Javier Kersey, as evidenced by how many bystanders stopped by to point, look, and gossip in his presence. Everyone started talking about the surprisingly young yet achieved chairman when they laid eyes on him.Lay Alfred’s later upbringing abroad had bereft him of the knowledge of such impeccable luminary, however. At least he had heard of Reivaj cars; he owned one, even. In Lay’s mind, Javier was hopelessly outclassed by his stacked resume. Not many people could claim they had graduated from Karlos Tech Institute with a double-major masters degree at the age of 30, after all. A winning combination of youth, skill, and knowledge was something even top IT companies like Microsoft and Apple recognized, so they had invited him to join their ranks.Who would have known that, despite what should have been an unbearably dazzling resume, he was still one-upped by Javier’s claim to be on Karl-Tech’s b
Quinna and Javier’s dinner after leaving the airport changed from a romantic couple’s meal to accommodate a third wheel. Still, the dinner was nothing short of intriguing, as Lay’s self-driving programming idea was ingenious.Javier was more or less an amateur at these things, but Quinna was an actual expert. After all, automobile engineering was related to what she had majored in at university. Spending a decade in Heisenberg Group had reasonably made her one of the biggest experts there was, and no one would dare doubt her professional judgment. Anything she deemed worthy automatically cleared the bar—be it the hydrogen power system of the Chinean or Lay’s algorithms.It was why she started a bidding war against Javier.“Listen to me, Lay. If you join Heisenberg, this thing between you and me might still have a chance, okay? If you dare join Reivaj, though, darling, we’re gonna be an impossibility real soon!” she announced.Javier almost spat out. “Lady, is this the level you’d s
Javier came to the door and opened the envelope. The first thing that greeted him was a photo that made him frown. He could already guess just by looking at the photo of himself and Quinna what this was about without even having to look at the content of the paper.“You’ve got a cursed mouth, don’t you? Why didn’t I sense it when I kissed you earlier?!”Quinna was a little lost when she heard Javier say that, not understanding what he was getting at. Javier did not explain. He only unfolded the piece of paper. As expected, the note asked for 80,000 dollars in exchange for the photo. There was a bank account number on it too, but Javier did not have to check to know that the account must have been created by someone else’s ID. It would be nonsense to try to track the culprit down through the ID of the bank account.Luckily, Javier was not thinking of checking it either, while Quinna asked from the bed, “What happened?”“Nothing.”Anything that could be solved with money was not a
Eddie was shocked. He had wholeheartedly believed that Javier would be threatened, only for the latter to say that. He did not want to die. He just wanted money.“No, Mr. Kersey, you misunderstood me. I meant to let bygones be bygones, okay?”Let bygones be bygones, huh? That meant he was not going to return Javier the 80,000 dollars, and the latter would not have to worry about his photo being leaked. Whatever there was between them had been settled.Was it possible? Javier did not think so. He lit a cigarette and told Eddie, “I gave you 80,000 dollars before this because I didn’t want to make a fuss over this.“But you sent me another letter now, which means that you’re greedy and you aren’t satisfied.“What’s the matter? You think you have to be scared of me because I’m the chairman of Reivaj Group?“If that’s what you think, I can only tell you that you’re thinking too f*cking much.”Javier snapped his fingers and told Running Man, “Make it look like a gas poisoning. I’ll ar
As Bernadetta launched a barrage of kicks against the restaurant door, Mrs. Greene summoned 120% of her strength, holding the fort. The older woman had made a living terrorizing others with absurd accusations and downright unreasonable demands, but this time, she had met her match. Bernadetta James put the “man” in the word “woman”—in that she resorted to violence as soon as things escalated. In the end, it took both Mrs. Greene’s apology and a deal to provide Javier and Bernadetta with three days’ meals, all free of charge, to make the young woman stop. Then—“because I actually have a weakness against people sincerely appealing to my better angels,” according to Bernadetta—she amended the peace offer, changing the three days’ free meals to…a week’s worth. Back in the inn, Javier expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Bernadetta for rescuing him. “I can’t thank you enough for standing by my side when I needed it the most, Bern. But I can thank you a bit more if you refrain from using t
Mrs. Greene opened her flap and unlocked the floodgate, the spit during her tirade so profusive that she could water an old lady’s lawn. “It’s him, officers! It’s all him! He did this to his own camera just to remove himself as a suspect, but we know better than that! He’s the guy who stole my goddamn lingerie!”She turned and trained her finger on Javier. “You vile, disgusting, degenerate piece of sh*t! Ptooey!”‘Back at you! I'd rather spend the night with my left hand than with you!’ By this point in the morning, Bernadetta had arrived at work. Her heels clicked onto the floor as she sauntered toward the commotion. As soon as she heard what had transpired, she laughed, looking clearly amused. She trained her perfectly manicured finger on Javier and piled on. “Oh, it was him. I can testify to that! He stole Mrs. Greene’s bra because he is…the Lingerie Phantom Thief! By day, he is Javier Kersey. At night, he is Jo Ker, the Bra Stealer!” Javier threw his arms up in exasperation
Javier shook his head. By the time his vision was back to normal, the dog was gone. It had escaped! “What kind of hell spawned this little sh*t?!” Javier wondered to himself aloud. “Was this really an effect of the world changing? Is this an example of mutation because of the Storm? Or is there something else at play?”Baffled and unsure what to think, Javier returned to the dorm and told the residents to open the door. Inside, he found Florence huddling the frightened kids closely. She was white from fear, and yet in the presence of vulnerable kids, she had assumed the role of the protector without a second thought. “Hush, it’s alright! It was fake. Someone pulled a terrible prank and put on this white sheet and…” Javier made up a fib to explain the haunting away exactly because the truth could land him in a mental institution. No one would believe him—and for good reason too!Javier drove Florence back to the Yuzuian restaurant, where the latter’s electric scooter was. While
A resentful wail—interspersed only by sobs that sounded more like someone was being strangled—was echoing in the middle of the night while Javier and Florence could not see even a single soul out there? Animated by the power of “hell, naw!”, Florence dove into Javier’s arms for protection. Her hands were clasped firmly on either side of her head, hoping to block out the ghastly demand in her ears. Her eyes were squeezed so tightly shut that even a crowbar could not pry them open.Javier himself was just as terrified. He would have felt better if he could see the source of the voice rather than just hear a woman sobbing about getting her head back. At least he would know what he was up against! But just hearing it without any visuals at all?! Nooooope!Then, Florence hugged him in a “help-me!” sort of way. She was soft and supple—damn, that sexy figure in combination with her silky-smooth skin sure was welcoming. She was warm, and damn did she smell good! Nothing competed with fea
The dog barked in protest as it pointed its paw at Javier with the intensity of a mob before executing a monarch. The flames in its eyes were so bright that they could incinerate Javier into ashes in milliseconds. In the end, though, all that protest was for naught. Constance tied it up in the parking garage, while Javier watched in glee. Ah, sweet, sweet revenge! The stupid dog had thought it could set him up, had it? That would teach it!The look the Pomeranian shot him almost felt like a threat: ‘Just you f*cking wait, hooman!’‘Wait for what? How much can a stupid b*tch like you do to me?’ Javier scoffed in his mind. Now that the four-legged pest was gone, Javier turned back to Constance and talked about the new orphanage. As it turned out, despite the old woman’s sentiments for the building she had founded, she was a lot less obstinate and unreasonable as she might appear. “I mean, I don’t object to it completely. I know the new place is gonna be better, but…” She faltered a
Florence called half an hour later to tell him where they’d be having dinner. After leaving the inn in Bernadetta’s care, he hurried to the venue. Florence had picked a newly-opened Yuzuian restaurant. Javier had never liked Yuzuian restaurants, but since Florence had invited him, courtesy stopped him from asking the woman to change their meeting venue. He found Florence quickly enough and sat across from her. They placed their orders, and Javier began his performance: He started sighing and doing his best to look forlorn. It intrigued Florence enough to ask what was wrong, and Javier told her about his unfortunate beef with Constance that day.“It’s so unfair, man! Why would I bully a dog for no reason?” he moaned. “I’m sure Aunt Constance misunderstood. You’re a knightly, heroic, kind man! How could someone like you possibly get off on hurting a dog? I’m sure Aunt Constance was just too worried about the dog’s welfare to think things through. She didn’t mean it. I can vouch for
Herschel was dressed quite sharply today. It was the full ensemble—black leather shoes, black slacks, a white collar, and last but not least, the good old oil-slicked hair. The typical look of a high-ranking office worker, just as Javier had requested. Ordering him to get in his car, Javier asked, “You brought all the stuff I told you to?”“Yo, I would never forget the stuff my boss told me to bring. I’ve got all the preparations down pat. You can check ‘em if you don’t trust me,” Herschel replied. He fished an ID and some documents out of his leather bag. “See? All the documentation a journalist in the most important room of a news agency would have.”After a round-check and some instructions, Javier sent Herschel on his way to complete his mission. The man was strangely reluctant, though. “Boss, you told me you decided to work in that inn, right? Does that mean, you know, that you’re gonna call me ‘boss’ while you’re there?”Javier had almost forgotten he had mentioned this. It
Javier’s suspicion turned to Constance Hellman’s white Pomeranian. He turned to the director’s office and met the dog’s eyes. With its paws on the windowsill, it hoisted itself up to look out of the window. Seeing the dog cracking a lopsided grin and baring its fangs—beaming as smugly as a teacher’s pet who had managed to subdue everyone through the power of being the boss’s favorite—made it look both amusing and chilling. It would have been had the dog not caught Javier’s gaze, suddenly dropped the smile, and put on a face that seemed to be saying, ‘I’m just your average dog! Nothing to see here!’And then it feigned—yes, feigned—a yawn as its one last measure to cover up the fact that it had been laughing smugly to itself. ‘What. The. Actual. F*ck?!’ Javier thundered in his mind. ‘B*tch’s a natural actress! What’s it doing here instead of being interviewed on a talk show after becoming viral on TikTok?’In combination with Russell’s report, the incident inside the director’s of
As Javier was befuddled, Constance rushed in from outside and picked up the white Pomeranian gingerly to carefully check its injured leg.“Oh, baby, what’s the matter? Did you hurt your leg?”The white Pomeranian whined in pain and began twitching upon hearing Constance’s concerned question. This upset Constance so much that she admonished him sternly. “Mr. Kersey, I thought that you were a loving person, but I can’t help doubting your motive now.“I’m skeptical about you taking good care of the kids here when you’d even hit a cute dog!”Javier felt extremely offended. When had he hit the dog? He hurriedly explained, “Madam Hellman, I didn’t do anything!”Constance asked angrily, “You didn’t do anything? Why would it suddenly limp now and whine so pathetically? Why did it hurry over to me? Give me a reasonable explanation!”Javier was in distress as well. “How would I know? It was fine when I was carrying it just now, but it wanted to get down on the floor, so I carefully placed