Chapter 5. Pick Up

Carlos used the remaining time he had to go out with Ashley and have a little fun, to see what being rich actually felt like.

It was the first time they went out to eat in a fancy restaurant. After that, they went to see a movie. It was one of the best days of his life.

The night before he was to leave, he and Ashley went to the mall. They shopped for a lot of clothes—mostly Ashley, though—while Carlos picked out more snacks and junk food.

“Wow,” Ashley exclaimed as she twirled and jumped about, “is this how rich people live? This is incredible!”

Carlos gave a faint smile. To him, it felt like he was using someone else’s money. Maybe he wasn’t used to such a huge change. The money was his; it was given to him, yet he had to keep telling himself that.

The money is mine…the money is mine…the money is mine…is it?

Ashley was the one who kept the atmosphere lively. She jumped around, tossing things into the cart as they went. Carlos was grateful to have a godmother like her. She knew exactly how to make his worries go away.

They talked about all the things they could explore with such money in his hands, like buying a car or a house for Ashley.

It was such a peaceful sight, just the two of them walking around the mall and talking about their next steps, but their peace didn’t last long.

As they were about to turn another corner, they bumped into two unexpected but familiar faces.

Frank and Zama stared blankly at them, while Ashley and Carlos immediately tried to move away, but Frank blocked their path.

Zama’s eyes were on Carlos, but when she noticed he wouldn’t meet her gaze, she choked back a sob and her eyes fell on the cart in front of them. Her eyes widened with surprise.

The items in their cart were extremely expensive—things she couldn’t afford. How on earth had someone as poor as Carlos been able to afford them?

She looked over at Ashley, whose attitude toward her was even more brutal. Zama decided to turn away.

“I see you won’t stop following us everywhere,” Frank said.

Carlos scoffed, arms folded. “Tell me, who is following whom, actually? If I remember correctly, you came to where I worked to be served. Now you’ve come to harass me in the mall too?”

Frank laughed coldly. “Look at you, you’ve got the nerve to insult me now, right? Just because I didn’t come here with my bodyguards, I would have made them give you a purple eye again.”

Carlos sighed. He knew Frank had always been a spoiled daddy’s boy, a big bully, and a womanizer, but he couldn’t understand why Frank hated him so much.

For a womanizer like Frank, he had been with Zama for four months now. Wasn’t that kind of strange?

“We have something to do, big baby, so move out of the way, or I will make you pay,” Ashley snapped, losing her patience with the young man in front of them.

“How dare you!” Frank barked.

Zama immediately moved to hold Frank’s arm. “Let’s leave them.”

As she said this, Frank relaxed and gave a little smirk. He didn’t know who Ashley was, so he thought she was Carlos’ new girlfriend.

“True, how could you even afford to take care of her?” he sneered, pointing at Ashley. “I bet she’ll cheat on you like Zama here.”

At his words, a loud silence fell. Zama looked away from Carlos and stared at the cart of expensive items. It was evident that somehow Carlos had gotten rich, and she began to regret leaving him. She also didn’t like how Frank had delivered that line.

Ashley scoffed. “I am his godmother, you spoiled brat. Even if I were to date him, I wouldn’t leave such a good man for selfish reasons like the spoiled bitch in front of me.”

Zama shivered at her words. She raised her head to meet Ashley’s gaze but instantly regretted it; Ashley’s look was piercing and soul-searching.

“Stop calling me that,” she said in a small voice.

Ashley laughed coldly. “Why? Carlos gave you everything he had, and in return, you gave him nothing but sleepless nights. He bought everything you wanted, depriving himself of his own meals, rent, and even clothes. So don’t even speak to me after doing such a dirty deed and trying to justify yourself by shaming my godson. How disgraceful. Out of my way, you ungrateful bitch. I hope you meet your karma.”

Before Frank or Zama could react to such cold words, Ashley took Carlos’ hand, and they left the two standing there—one in shambles and the other indifferent.

After they were gone, Zama swallowed hard. She turned to Frank, who stood there, arms folded, uninterested in what had just happened.

“Why didn’t you say something to defend me?” she asked.

Frank laughed. “It’s not like you’re my girlfriend, so why should I? And wasn’t she right? Hahaha.”

He aggressively grabbed Zama, and they walked out of the mall, with Frank saying there was no need to buy anything anymore since his mood was spoiled.

Back at their apartment, Ashley continued to rant about how much she loved seeing Zama in shame.

Carlos smiled at that; it was the first time he did. It was the first time he felt satisfied in his whole life.

Maybe being rich wasn’t such a bad idea. Maybe this was truly his luck playing out.

It felt better than suffocating; maybe this was good indeed for him. A new start.

***

The next morning, just as the man they met three days ago had said, there was a black Honda jeep waiting for Carlos outside the apartment.

Carlos didn’t see this at first because he was a deep sleeper and a late riser. It was Ashley who ran to wake him up.

So the jeep had to wait another hour for Carlos to shower, dress up, and pack his important belongings.

After a brief farewell to Ashley, he finally left with the jeep.

Two men sat in the front, while Carlos sat in the back, looking timid and not daring to utter a single word.

“I am Alfred, by the way,” the man who came to his apartment the other day said. He wasn’t the one driving, so he could turn to get a glimpse of Carlos acknowledging him.

“Nice to meet you, Alfred,” Carlos replied, but his voice was somewhat low.

The other man behind the wheel chuckled. “He looks like someone who needs to be toughened up.”

Hearing this, Carlos panicked. What exactly did they mean by toughening him up? Did that mean beating him? Making him run errands? Doing dirty work?

Although all these thoughts raced continuously in his mind, he remembered Alfred saying that he would be dead meat if he tried to harm the Man in Black’s gem.

This gem was Carlos. Carlos understood that there was something more to the relationship between this mysterious Man in Black and his late mother—maybe a distant relative or a foster one like he and Ashley.

Seeing Carlos lost in thought, Alfred laughed and gave the man behind the wheel a little hit on the shoulder.

“Sorry, Mr. Calligan, Clark loves to scare people. He means nothing by that.”

“Who are you both?” Carlos asked.

“Well, we were assigned specifically to see to your safety,” Clark answered, his eyes never leaving the road in front of him.

“Like bodyguards?” Carlos asked.

Alfred frowned slightly. “Not really, but something like that.”

Clark looked at his colleague and roared with laughter, almost taking his hands off the wheel. “A bodyguard is a bodyguard, Alfred. We are just special ones—three ranks above the ordinary title,” he replied.

Hearing this, Carlos nodded. He relaxed a little and looked out the window. He had never been to the city they drove through, so he couldn’t help but admire its beauty.

The beauty outside was the same new world that awaited him.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“The Bill mansion, just like I said that day. But today, the Man in Black is there waiting for your arrival. So it’s best we go there quickly before he gets called away for another meeting.”

As he said this, Carlos instantly knew that this man was a very busy person. He nodded his head and looked back outside the window.

He was finally going to see who this Man in Black was.