Chapter 3

Howard reached his den with his gang after they got their share from the Bet Master. When they meant to share, Howard got the major share! About eighty percent of the whole sum. 

As the gang could earn a whole lot of money just from a fight, Howard often took challenges. And also people from the underworld liked to strike at Howard so that they could prove themselves better than him. 

It was the underworld. A world within a normal world. Far different from the place where normal people lived. People like Howard never had a life like usual guys who had families to live with, jobs to do, responsibilities to fulfil and promises to be kept. But for persons like Howard, none of them mattered since he didn't have any of them. No family, no job, no responsibility and neither did he make any promises. And even if he made one by mistake, there was no such rule that it should have been kept!

He was a carefree guy who had to maintain his position as a don to survive. And his juniors held onto him strongly so that they could also survive in that savage world! A world which had a pavement of blood and there lived people with no dreams as their eyes were darkened with crimes! 

Howard wasn’t better either! For achieving the place as a don who held the highest authority in that world, he had to indulge himself in crimes like murder, gambling and drug dealings. He had only one motto in life, "Snatch it but don't beg!" This motto helped him to make it that far. And then? The underworld dogs wagged their tails for him.

Howard was only a twenty-five years old young man who had seen the world much more than any adult! He had to go through a lot since his childhood. As an infant, he was left in front of an orphanage. From there, he got kicked out when he was just eight! After that streets were his home. But no matter how hard his life was, he never begged. 

Howard used to think that begging was something that a dead man would do. A man who died from the inside but begged just to live in flesh. So he never begged! Rather he worked hard taking different jobs. That's when he met Raho! The previous underworld don who used to be a terror of Roveign city!

It was the first time when Howard looked up to someone. Raho was a person with arrogance and pride. Yet people obeyed him. It was Raho's position as a don of the underworld that made others bow before him. 

At such a young age, Howard got greedy for that position. He decided to snatch that position by any means. So he chose the underworld life. As every day passed, Howard grew stronger gradually! And eventually, a time came when he killed Raho and took over his gang!

Howard could feel the power of being a don from the day he sat on that seat! But the guilt also devoured him from the inside as he had to go against his rules many times for the sake of holding onto that power. It was then that he realised that Raho was just wearing a mask of arrogance and pride. But he had a hollow soul within.

Regretful as it was, Howard couldn't rewind what he did! He could only live with guilt for killing such a worthy person who could lead the gang better than him. So the only way to make up for his mistake was to ensure a better life for the people in his gang. To be precise, Raho's gang. 

"Big brother! Come, sit here!" Neo tidied the sofa and showed Howard to sit there. Howard affectionately rubbed Neo's head.

"Ahh! Bro! Don't destroy my hair.."

"Boss, Neo loves his hair after you, you know? He beats us if we touch it?!" Quell, Howard's right-hand man mockingly looked at Neo who was busy remaking his messed-up hair.

"Is that right, boy?"

"Br..brother? It's not true at all! They are trying to mess with me!"

"Then let us touch your hair also!!" Quell almost got up to touch Neo's made-up hair. But Neo shouted like a girl, "NO!! I WILL KILL YA!!"

"Whoa...whoa! Easy there, boy!" Quell backed up politely. 

"Haha...that was funny." Howard softly laughed at his men's childishness before he buckled up and intensely looked at the file kept on the glass table, beside the wine glass. "Now then! Let's talk about business," he said.

Neo poured wine for him a while ago, ice cubes were floating in it. 

"This boy!" Howard felt pleased with Neo's performance as was expected! 

"Everyone paid, except one!" Tany came forward with a glass in his hand. He cheered with others and then Howard, " That so-called rich guy! We gotta do something about that oldie, boss."

"Just take him in a corner and kick his balls!!" Leo stepped into the conversation. He was holding a huge package. " Boss!!" He threw the package to Howard that he beautifully caught.

"His balls won't pay us back." Quell protested the suggestion. 

"How much is left to clear?" Howard finished his glass and gave that to Neo.

"About thirty million!" Tany said as he was standing near the door. He was swallowing the talk. "That guy gambles a lot!"

"Doesn't matter!! Money is all that matters! I want him here within twenty minutes... Get going boys!!!" Howard clapped his hands and signed the gang to move for the job. 

As soon as everyone left, Neo sat beside Howard. He started massaging Howard's shoulder, " Bro….is it really necessary to beat a guy of that age?"

"So you want me to kill him?"

"NO!! I didn't mean that!!"

Howard sat straight and looked into Neo's deep blue eyes. "Look, boy! Weak people don't have a place here. If you wanna live, then you gotta snatch it! Got that?!"

" Yeah, yeah! 'Snatch it but don't beg!' I got it!"

While tapping Neo's shoulder, Howard said, "I know you aren't strong enough to support me. But I don't need a weak person beside me either!! If you don't set your mind, then get out!"

"Bro!!", Neo turned to Howard with a shocked face.

"See! If ya aren't strong enough, people may throw ya. Bury it in the mind." Howard got up from his seat and went in front of a picture where a man had a prideful look on his face, staring right toward Howard! 

"You still regret it, bro?"

"Kinda, man!"

"............."

" Neo!" Howard walked towards Neo and held him by his shoulders, " You need to get stronger!! More than me! You need to live, k? 

Neo nodded his head obediently before looking at the picture. "Bro, don't feel sad! You are a better don than Raho!"

Howard laughed out loudly hearing Neo's childishness. "I already know that!"

"Heh!!...Oh!! Give me ya'r glass. It's already empty.

Howard handed the glass to Neo as he also looked back at the picture hanging before him. He knew that Neo needed to grow stronger for Raho's sake. Or maybe... to reduce Howard's guilt!! But anyhow, he had to grow stronger than Howard…..