Chapter 134: Into His Past
"There you go. Now, where was I?" I started breathing heavily as Aziel placed a towel over my mouth. "This will do since I need you to only listen to what I’ll say. Don’t worry, I’ll remove it later, okay?" He said but I don’t believe him or trust him.
’I need to plan how to leave this place.’
"So, the young boy, he was a happy and bright child. Growing up poor, it already makes him happy if he and his mom were able to eat three meals in a day." He said as he touched my arm. "He worked as an errand boy in a bakery shop when he was 6 years old, such a hardworking little boy."
Who is he talking about? I don’t know and I don’t understand why he’s telling me this.
"He was poor, but he was contented with his life because he loves his mother dearly."
"Mmmf!" I can’t speak any words and could only make muffled sounds because of this towel in my mouth.
"Don’t struggle or you’ll get hurt." He patted my head as he smiled at me.
"Everything was doing great, at least that’s what the boy thought. When he became 7 years old, he met the greatest friend he could ever get in his entire life. His name was Night Yamaguchi."
My attention went to Aziel after he mentioned Night’s name. Is he even telling the truth? What if he’s trying to say all of these to manipulate me again and gets me to hate Night?
I felt Aziel’s hand on my arm. "The young boy was on cloud nine because Night at that time was really kind and gentle." He said which made my forehead crease.
"The young boy and Night became best friends and the young boy would always visit Night in his home as he was lonely being in a huge house. While the poor young boy that grew up in poverty was thrilled to see new things in a new environment. He was smart and loves learning, that’s why they shared their knowledge of the world with each other."
"Other people will surely feel envious seeing someone above them, but the young boy was happy. He was satisfied with all the things he was receiving at that time. The young boy started learning how to read and write, and he was good at it. He excels almost at everything and Night was proud of him."
I looked at Aziel’s face but I can’t explain his expression. ’It was weird.’
"Seeing Night and his happy family, the young boy wanted to make his mother that happy too. That’s why he started working more. When he became 9 years old, he started working in a local mart near the bakery where he still works as an errand boy."
I don’t know where this story is going.
"However, as the young boy strives to earn more money, his mother became busier with her work. She can’t even go home and they couldn’t spend time together which made the young boy sad. But he waited. He waited for his mother to come home every single day, even though he would always end up sleeping due to how late it’ll take his mother to come."
Aziel suddenly started tapping on the back of my hand causing me to flinch. "He thought that it’ll pass. That after his mother’s work, they could be together again." I was stunned after I saw the expression on his face.
Fear, longing, and regret. Those were the words that could describe that expression.
"I didn’t know that I wouldn’t be able to see my mother any longer." He said making me blink lots of times. Was the young boy he was referring to... was it him? But he said a boy who grew up in poverty... how could that happen when he can afford a penthouse?
"If I just attended the party where Night invited me, I could have saved my mother. I could have stopped her from doing something so... terrible."
I wanted to ask what he meant by that, but I couldn’t. Even though I feel curious because it involves Night too, I can’t ask any questions right now.
"The young boy waited and waited, till the time he realized that he was abandoned. That’s what he thought, that his loving mother abandoned him due to how hard it was living with a child at that time. But that wasn’t the case, his mother didn’t abandon him, instead, she was killed."
I gulped upon hearing that. I-I don’t like where this is going.
"How did I know that? It’s because the father that abandoned my mother and I suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It wasn’t even him who came to get me, it was his butler. I was dragged out of that ragged and old house and was brought to Italy without my consent."
His story’s inconsistent... one time it was the young boy, then the next it was him. ’I can’t even ask him because I’m still gagged by this towel.’
"You might have already figured it out, that boy was me. I was just a poor boy that lived in the slums then all of a sudden, I became the heir to the Italian mafia group that owns lots of assets in Italy and other places." He laughed, but it sounded weird.
It’s like he’s not laughing at all.
"At that time, I didn’t know the cause of my mother’s death, but I didn’t despise her for leaving me. I despised my father for leaving my mother and me. For not loving my mother who loved him so much that it always hurt her. She always yearned for his touch, but he didn’t come back for us. My mother said that father promised her, that he’ll come back. But he didn’t."
"When I realized that my mother died, I started blaming my father for all of it. And I still do." His grip on my arm tightened causing me to groan in pain. "That’s why I needed the ring. I need to destroy him and the things he treasures. It’s for leaving my mom in pain all along. I’ve never thought that I could break away from him, but that ring. I need it."
Aziel’s grip keeps on tightening and it feels like he’s going to break my bones. "I hate him. I hate him so bad that even when I learned Night had killed my mother, it didn’t matter to me."
W-What?
"That’s right, you heard me right." Aziel suddenly let go of my arm as he leaned his face toward me.
"Your crush— no, your husband. He killed my mother when he was 9 years old. Can you believe it? Instead of being comforted for the trauma, it might cause, his family praised him and called him a prodigy for killing my mother with one shot right in the head." He pointed to his forehead.
"It was such an amazing feat for the Yamaguchi-gumi, but I know it traumatized that sweet and gentle Night. He was my best friend after all."
’H-How could he say that as if it was nothing for him? T-That was his mother he was talking about.’
I don’t know if I could hide my expression of disgust and fear from him. But Aziel laughed after looking at my face.
"I moved on already because I know that my mother is in a better place now." He said. "She was an assassin, and I wanted to know who hired her."
His smile turned sinister. "Then I’ll make them suffer."
I couldn’t even ask why Night killed Aziel’s mother.
"Are you curious as to why Night killed my mother? He didn’t know that assassin was my mother and he might still not know about it either." He said. "If you’re curious you should ask him about it later."
"Oh, right." Aziel removed the towel that was covering my mouth. "I’m sorry for shutting you like that."
"You... you only need the ring right?"
Aziel nodded. "That’s right."
"Then why did you try to kill my parents?"
He sighed as he removed the ropes tying my arms and legs to the bed posts. "Believe it or not, I’m not the one who caused that." He’s scratching the back of his head. "It was Night’s uncle."
My forehead creased. "What do you mean?"
"Don’t you know about his uncle that got kicked out of the Yamaguchi-gumi?"
This is the first time I’m hearing about that...
"Based on your expression, it looks like Night didn’t tell you anything, huh?" Aziel sighed as he went to another room, leaving me all alone. I can feel my arm hurting even while being in place.
’His grip was so strong that it might actually break my bones if that lasted longer.’ I thought while sighing. "Here, I’ll treat those wounds of yours." He said but I moved away from him.
Aziel started chuckling. The same chuckle he would always let me hear before when we used to be friends.
"Are you afraid of me now for deceiving you?"
Who wouldn’t be afraid? If he only wanted the ring, why did he have to traumatize me like that in thinking that he might have died because of me?
"You just have to give me the ring, Noelle. After that, you can go back to your home and you’ll be free. At least, free from me."
"What about Night’s uncle? The one you said who almost killed my parents?" My voice was hoarse.
"Oh, that one was a real pain in the ass." He said as he sighed. "But I’ll help you."
