Chapter 654: Back In The Day
So that just happened.
Seriously, talking to Irene is like experiencing emotional whiplash in the first degree.
First she’s got you squaring up against the blistering blizzard stone-cold ice queen, two seconds later, you find yourself buckling to the meekness of her voice, then before you know it, suddenly she’s leaving you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside with a sultry giggle and whisper here and there.
And she does it so easily, so naturally, it’s almost scary. With her, there ain’t no such thing as reading the atmosphere because she is the atmosphere.
Literally.
At any rate, I meant every word of what I said to her, every syllable she uttered was now my word of the gospel. If she says not to worry about anything, then I won’t. For the time being, I’ll put any and all thoughts about impending apocalypses far deep in the backburner, where I cross my fingers it’ll remain there for the rest of my entire lifetime.
That being said, it’s not as if Irene was the be-all and end-all of quelling every single worry in existence.
.....
Exhibit A: Amanda. Because everyone knows meeting the parents is like the best part when it comes to forging a relationship. No way in hell could this possibly go wrong.
I’m supposed to give a good impression, but just what the hell is even a good impression anyway, huh? Like any parent is gonna accept anything less than the smartest, wittiest, humblest billionaire tycoon who’s also a drop-dead hunk of a man. And for someone like Amanda, especially; so loveable, so talented, a girl of her caliber, hell even I won’t accept me for me if I didn’t know myself, and even as I am now, I still have my gripes if I’m even deserving of her in the first place.
Luckily, I picked the perfect spot to ponder on this dilemma. Nothing beats public park benches when you just wanna think away the day, looking all broody and deep and shit, while everyone else goes about their life around you absolutely worry-free.
And that was exactly what I was in the middle of doing, until somebody out of a blue came to interrupt my flow-somebody familiar, somebody that I heard first before I even saw-clicking and clacking, breaking apart from the hectic commotion of Christmas preparations, and taking a seat in the empty space just right beside me... stroking a bad leg with a sleek, gloved hand and propping a glossy wooden cane against the edge of the bench.
Took about a second for his presence to sink in, and when it did, he essentially just forced out any other thought in my head, essentially hogging the spotlight of my attention all to himself... much to my infinite dismay.
I sighed. “Don’t you have some naive young adult to extort money out of or something?”
“I would most probably do, maybe,” He calmly, cooly replied, glancing at me with an infuriating half-smirk on his well-worn and austere expression. “Perhaps if they are all as blind and foolish as you.”
I sighed even deeper. “Okay, that’s all on me there. Set myself up for that one.”
Completely forgot that this man is the sole reason why this place was rowdy and lively in the first place. It seems organized crime and the spirit of Christmas goes hand in hand, apparently. I suppose it fits... I mean in a twisted sort of way, it was him that gets to decide on who’s been naughty and who’s been nice... only except the people on his naughty list will have a lot more than a sock full of coal to worry about.
“Leon tells me you and him are filming a movie together,” The crooked man suddenly said. “That’s nice.”
“Lots of fun, yeah,” I said halfheartedly.
“Not more than a passing acquaintance, though?” He frowned. “He mentions that you like to keep your distance, always keeping to yourself.”
“I’m not fond of talking much.”
“So I see...”He tilted his head, changing the subject. “And how is your father doing? Well, I hope? Your mother, still the frail yet strong woman I know of her last?”
Now that one bothered me quite a bit. How did someone like him ever got to crossing paths with my parents? It was the one thing that slipped my mind when I returned back to home, never popped into my head to mention it. But yeah, between abandoning their realm, and maintaining a farm in this world... there’s no denying there’s a long gap of missing history between the two.
Perhaps this was my chance to fill in the blanks.
“About that...” I began, giving him my full undivided attention now. “You mention my dad and you go way back, didn’t you? He what-? He worked for you or something?”
“He worked with me,” He corrected. “Before this, before I became who I am, and before he became who he is today. Once upon a time, I was just your typical con man looking for his next easy victim...”
“And my Dad was your partner in crime?”
Once again, wrong again.
“Your father was the man I was trying to swindle,” a smile was on his face while he was recalling, as if it was the fondest memory of his entire trove of life experiences. “But something went awry, one of my victims had recognized me, a hectic fight broke out and I soon discovered your father possessed quite the unique skillset highly sought after in my line business... and I knew that. We forged a partnership, the fruitful beginnings of a long, eventful relationship.”
“And then?”
“Alas,” He gave my shoulder a firm pat, and I had to stop myself from recoiling back. “Not my story to tell. If you have not heard it from him, I see no reason why I should dig up the past myself. Especially when it’s already been long forgotten.”
The expression on his face reflected this firm resolve, and I knew it was only waking the bear to try and poke and prod.
“Fine,” I relented. “But just answer this. Why did choose to go and leave that life behind him?
“Well, he never did give a formal reason as to why, but if you want my conjecture,” He paused, his stern gaze delving back into distant memories. “I believe he did it because your mother was having you.”
I blinked.
“Naturally, I deeply regret his abrupt departure,” He went on. “As did many of the higher-ups above. But I respected his wishes. I had him all set up, helped purchased him a property and some acres. All untraceable, all legit. Decades passed, and then here you are.”
Here I was, indeed. Bewildered, baffled, bemused, and as well every other ‘B’ word under the winter sun. And here I thought my Dad being a fantasy hero of revered legend was hard to my head around, then he here was with a full 180 twist and becoming the equivalent of a bandit that ambushes you along the road.
Just what the hell else is there that I don’t know about him?
“Your father has quite like the legacy behind him, indeed,” the man said as if reading my precise thoughts. “But as I said, I refuse to say any more about it. You wish to know more...” He chuckled. “I advise you to speak to the man himself.”
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