The serenity of the night was in stark contrast with my emotions. My blood boiled in my veins, and I couldn't conceal the wrath in my eyes. I must have scared Yan Si because the look on his face was wary.
''Tang jie, what happened? Why do you look like you are planning someone's murder?'' He asked in a shrill voice, throwing me a suspicious look. I narrowed my eyes at him and repeated coldly.
''Come and see what I am talking about.'' Slowly with uncertainty, he closed the door, and soon his body leaned over my shoulder.
'' I don't think it is a good idea to check father's laptop.''
''Read first and comment later.'' I cut him off, and he looked at me with a hurtful expression. I didn't pay attention to him too immersed in my thoughts. What to do with this knowledge?
''What the bloody hell is this?'' His loud exclamation took me out from my reverie, and as a result, I jumped in scared in my chair.
''Are you trying to get me diabetes, stupid? Mind the volume of your voice!'' I slapped his nape angrily, and not a second later, there was the second cry not of indignation but pain.
''Tang jie, why are you so mean? I have every right to be mad. I was left in the dark the whole time while grandfather and dad did all these things. It's unfair. I wanted to participate too.'' I was stupefied. So, he wasn't upset because the weapon's deal was illegal and immoral but because he was left out of the playfield. Was I brought up with the wrong values?
''Don't worry, you have a role too,'' I said through gritted teeth, and his eyes shone like lights on Christmas.
''Really, tang jie? Did dad trust you enough to share with you about me? D*mn it! Do I look so unreliable?'' He was frustrated like a child who was forbidden to eat candy. I wanted to smile for a moment, but I remembered how serious the problem was.
''Tonight during the celebration, I heard Kang Xianliang giving a warning to butler Che. If Yan Corporation didn't return the stolen money, you would have the same fate as Fu Hai. And the deadline is tomorrow.'' After Yan Si heard my words, his face became pale. He blinked a few times in confusion, trying to process the meaning of what was said fully. After that, he rudely pushed me from the chair, waving at his face like an afraid concubine.
''Tang jie, am I really going to die?'' I wanted to deny it, but he continued with a weak voice. ''That can't happen. I am too young full of vigour and vitality. This young stallion can't go to the butchery.'' I stared blankly at him. Was this the normal reaction of a person whose life was in danger? Every sane one would be terrified. But not Yan Si. He was so dramatic and over the top. I didn't how was I supposed to react.
''Did you just compare yourself with a horse?'' He gave me a condescending look.
''Stallion, tang jie, not just any horse. Stallion.'' I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves a bit. It looked like I was more worried about his life than him. That wasn't fair at all.
''Whatever. As long as you like it, you can be a donkey. The important thing here is what to do to save your ass?'' There was some seriousness in Yan Si's face after I asked. Good, there was still hope for him.
''Well, we have to give him his money back.''
''Do you have ten million us dollars in excess?'' This time his face became yellow as corn.
''Tang jie, this stallion is going to die.'' He wailed and wailed, and his eyes became teary. When he started crying like a big baby, I pinched my eyebrows. Was he always like this? Where did my real cousin go? He was a little bit annoying, but it was bearable. This time, it wasn't.
''I can try to track down the person who stole the money. But I need your father's files on the deal.'' Miraculously, his tears stopped, and there was a wide grin on his teary face. He stood up and hugged me, almost crushing me. How did this locust have so much strength?
''Thank you, Xiao Luo. I'm happy to know I occupy such a large part of your heart. If you can forget your principles, that means I should be someone really important to you.'' And then it dawned on me.
''You stupid clown, was it necessary to act like this?'' I asked him indignantly, and he patted my back reassuringly.
''Feel privileged. You are one of the few people who can see my antics.'' Well, that calmed me down a little.
Later that night, Yan Si sent me all of his father's files, and I went through a thorough check-up on the mediator from Yan Corporation. He worked for my uncle for years, and there was nothing suspicious in his biography. Only his brief work in Italy was extraordinary. It was years ago in Venice. On the surface, it looked legal and normal. I checked his employer.
After seeing who it was, I was shattered. I hoped I would not hear this family name again, at least not when I was in China. D'Arcangelo casinos. Bei He worked as a manager at his casino in Venice. What was happening here? If he is the Italian mafia's person, why would they make him stole Kang Xianliang's money when he was more than ready to pay them. Did they want to save their weapons? I could speculate as much as I wanted. However, there was only one fact. Yan Si was in danger. Bei He was now in Venice with 10 million Kang Enterprise, and Kang Xianliang wanted them back. Or Yan Si could die. I sighed deeply. According to the law of misfortune, Leonardo was involved in some way. What sin did I commit in my past life to be entangled with that man again?
The morning air was crisp and fresh. The sun was shining brightly, and its warmth gently caressed my skin. I was lying on the concrete next to the pool in the yard of Leonardo’s two-story house. My eyes were closed, and I was exuding an air of tranquillity. Or at least I hoped my pretense was believable enough for the security guard whose eyes were glaring at me with murderous intent. I wish I could sigh, but that would give me away. Honestly, at this point, the constant threats to my life felt like an annoying chore I had to constantly deal with. A normal person would be scared, constantly on edge, looking behind their back to make sure there isn’t a crazy personal hitman or a mentally unstable woman trying to end them, but maybe because I died once, I became a bit indifferent. Or maybe my indifference was a result of me going cuckoo. Whichever one it was, I was too lazy to give a sh*t.The security guard looked around for the fifth time during the last ten minutes. No, not because h
Trigger warning, panic attack, suicide, ptsd 1 month later, Valetta, Malta I raised my hands wrapped in boxing gloves and tried to relax my shoulders. They shouldn’t be stiff or too high. That would make my belly vulnerable. I put my right leg forward and crouched a little just enough to easy to avoid an attack coming to my face. I looked at the man standing opposite me and once his eyes met mine, I tried to hit him with my right fist. He blocked it as always, but it didn’t’ mean it will stop me from trying to punch him again and again. When I tried to hit him for the fourth time, he raised his fist so quickly I couldn’t even see it before I felt pain on the left side of my head. I staggered backward and shook my head like a wet dog. ‘’ I told you to be careful when you attack because you leave your guard open.’’ Leo’s voice was even and unbothered. On the other hand, I was already breathing with difficulties. ‘’Don’t focus only on attacking. You need to prot
For the first time in a long while, I felt some semblance of satisfaction. Was it because Leonardo, the man I used to love so much without being reciprocated, was standing in front of me? No, definitely, not. It was because of the fear in the eyes of the woman who ordered my death and almost succeeded in taking my life. Her skin was as white as a sheet of paper, and her dark eyes were round with dread. Did I look like that when Xavier took a picture of me and sent it to her? Did she feel the same thing as me now? If the answer was yes, I could truthfully say that I understood her. I sincerely understood why she enjoyed watching the person she hated suffering. My gaze full of malice was promising endless pain if I got the chance to get near her. Noticing the promise in my eyes, she quickly hid behind Xavier. As always. God, I just wanted to see her alone without the protection of her dog. I clenched my jaw, sensing my boiling anger but then forced myself to calm down. I wante
“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.” Never in my life did I believe there would be a day when a quote from a comic would relate so closely to me. But recently, I started feeling that the bad days in my life are far more than the good. I was so tired of fighting to keep my sanity. To fight to stay afloat of the sea of misery that was pulling me to its depths with every passing day. I didn’t think I had more strength to swim. I gave up.I looked at the woman kidnapped and wanted to torture me for some unknown reason. Earlier I tied her wrist and ankles with the same rope she tied me before breaking free. My eyes found hers, and I noticed the slight trembling of her body. Her nostrils flared because of her heavy breathing, probably caused by her fear. Yes. It wasn’t funny to be let at the mercy of other people. But I was curious. Did I also look that pathetic
When I was left alone, I used the time to go to the bathroom and pull the lid of the toilet bowl. There I sat in for a while, not thinking about anything. I watched the white door blinking and not letting any thought or emotion in my head. For the first time in a while, I felt some semblance of peace. Why was my life like that? In the beginning, I blamed Leonardo and Bianca. But now? After this hallucination, I didn’t know what to think. Was what I saw something created by my stressed subconsciousness? It was possible, but it couldn’t explain the familiarity I felt. I had that feeling of being aware of it at some point but forgetting about it.However, I couldn’t accept the other option. I wasn’t strong enough mentally to do it at this point. So, for now, I would just bury my head in the sand and believe it was a bad dream caused by the constant stress I lived in. I went to wash my hands, and while doing so, the door opened, and another woman came in.
The door opened to a spacious hall bearing an ancient ambience. I blinked confusedly, wondering what was happening. Many people were inside wearing traditional Chinese clothes, their gazes pointing expectantly at the place where I was standing. Just a moment ago, the make–up artist was preparing me for the interview, and now suddenly, I was on some set for an ancient drama tv-series together with many other unknown people. I must be dreaming. But, normally, people didn’t realise they were dreaming while I was keenly aware that what I see wasn’t real. Then my body started moving on its own accord, making everything even more surreal. My back was as straight as an arrow, my head held high and my breathing steady. But deep inside, I was feeling anxious. Why was I moving without wanting it? I felt like a marionette. I tried to move my head around and better look at the environment, but it was impossible. The only thing I could see was the red hem of my clothes and t