A splash of water made Nathan open his eyes, and he gasped for air as he tried to breath fervently. His hands subconsciously moved toward the back of his head, where a lump had formed because of the blow he had received. He looked around to ascertain his position.
He found himself on the ground, leaning against a wall. He was in alley and it was dark in here, with only a dim light coming from the direction of the road. In the faint glow, he made out the dark silhouettes of three people looming over him.
No doubt, these were the same people he had encountered earlier- Jacob and his underlings.
"Jacob, what are you doing? You and I have no enmity," Nathan said, trying to engage Jacob in conversation. His thoughts ran wild as he tried to distract Jacob while he devised an escape plan.
"We do have an enmity, Nathan," growled Jacob, his voice barely a whisper.
"Gloria," he added through gritted teeth, "she is mine."
At that moment, things struck Nathan. He had noticed Jacob following Gloria before, but he had never thought much of it. He would have never imagined that Gloria's actions would bring him such trouble.
Nathan tried to explain, "I did nothing. I have not even accepted her proposal. I was going to reject her anyway."
Jacob chuckled, his anger rising, "So what? Your mere presence pushes her away from me."
"I have been confused for so long," he snarled. "Why would not she accept me? I am rich… powerful… I am everything a girl would want."
"Now I know," he added with a growl, "you are the reason."
Jacob clenched his fist, veins bulging. "To think that she would fall for someone like you… you are not even fit enough to carry her or mine shoes."
Nathan managed a self-deprecating smile. This was not the first time he had heard such words.
Jacob's expression turned cold, "She won't say yes to me till you mark a presence near her."
Nathan's heart tightened. He searched for a gap between the three men to run away, but the other two underlings were watching him like predators. They were clearly no ordinary men and it seemed that they were quite experienced in such a business.
"Listen, Nathan," Jacob said with a smile that seemed almost magnanimous. "I am willing to give you a chance."
"If you agree to leave this city permanently… I will spare your life."
Nathan thought he could escape safely, at least for the moment. He could worry about all other things later. For an instant, he felt relieved. Even if it was momentary, it seemed he had escaped the worse. But how wrong he was.
"But for your audacity," laughed Jacob manically, "you do deserve a small punishment."
With a nod from him, the other two men, before Nathan could even react, raised their legs and struck him on the face and head.
Incessant blows rained down on him. His jaw and nose were dislocated, and his entire face turned bloody. Nathan felt most of his teeth falling out.
In his last vision, darkness took over as he lost consciousness. Again.
.
.
.
After an unknown amount of time, Nathan woke from his unconsciousness. A chilly wind struck his face, making his entire body shiver. Before he could concentrate, his phone started to ring.
With great difficulty, Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out.
It was his aunt.
He picked it up and an anxious voice came from the other side, "Nathan... where are you? I have been calling you for so long."
Nathan was barely able to speak because of his broken jaw. He stammered, "Aunt... I am fine. I just got busy with some college work."
His voice sounded crooked.
"Nathan... is everything okay? You sound... not well," said Elia, her anxiety soaring.
"I'm fine, aunty. Just a bit tired," he replied.
"I won't be able to come today," he added further.
Though not entirely reassured, Elia calmed down a bit, "Okay, come tomorrow."
Nathan hummed in response and disconnected the phone.
Nathan tried to shift his body back to gain more support from the wall. His entire body ached, and he barely had any energy to move his body.
Every part of him was bruised and swollen from the injuries. He let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the wall.
This was not the first time Nathan had been beaten, bruised, and bullied.
As Jacob had said, he was not even fit enough to carry the shoes of a few people. What was different this time was that someone had given him a serious death threat for the first time.
He knew Jacob was not bluffing- he saw in Jacob's eyes that the maniac would have no qualms about killing him. And Jacob probably had power and influence to do so and escape any consequences. Apart from his aunt, hardly anyone would be interested in getting justice for a dead man.
For his entire life, Nathan had been constantly belittled and bullied because of his lower status. He had no money, power, influence, or prestige, and that had been his fate.
At first, he had tried to stand up to his bullies, but that only made them come at him harder. So, he maintained his smile and let them do as they pleased. He let them become 'tired' or 'bored' of bullying him. And cowardly it sounded; it had worked well for Nathan.
For a person like him, education was the only viable option to break free from the restraints of poverty.
While Nathan acted humble on the outside, he was immensely ambitious on the inside. His goal was to reach the pinnacle of the world.
He wanted to establish himself as someone with power, to rise to a height that no one dared oppose.
Even though Elia rarely spoke of it, Nathan could feel the belittlement and bullying she endured in her life. Saving herself from hungry predators and jealous co-workers was something Elia dealt with on a regular basis.
Ethan had wanted to end all of that. But fate would always deliver a blow and pin him further to the ground.
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