Chapter 3 Drop the Act
1645 Words
"Paul, are you okay? Paul!"
The rim of Heidi's eyes was red. She ran toward her groaning boyfriend and helped him up. "Simon Floyd! You have gone too far!"
"Me? Gone too far?"
Simon turned around and sneered at her. "Funny you didn't say that when Foster ordered Bruce to beat me up. Screw off!"
To be honest, he was pretty surprised that a gold-digger like Heidi would still help Paul at this time.
Was she in love with him?
"Do you regret it now?" he asked, after a long silence.
The rest were staring at the two of them, entertaining wild thoughts about them. It was clear as day that Heidi was a short-sighted gold-digger who had ditched her boyfriend for Paul, only to have her boyfriend turn out to be so rich and powerful. She must be drowning in regret.
Quite a few of the women in the class were beginning to wish that Simon was their boyfriend.
In all honesty, he was pretty cute—especially when he waved his hand to command that group of muscular men in black suits.
Heidi scoffed in disdain. "Regret? Simon, are you crazy? Just because you emptied your savings to hire a few goonies for your little show doesn't make you really rich. Stop dreaming!"
"What? I hired them for a show?"
Simon glanced at his bodyguards with a strange expression, and then looked back at Heidi.
Why hadn't he noticed how imaginative she was in the past?
She must be a drama queen on the inside.
He found her accusation laughable.
"I have been dating you since we were in high school! I know what your family is like! Don't joke with me!"
The more Heidi thought about it, the more probable her speculation became. She became even more convinced when she saw the "guilt" in Simon's expression.
Commotion ensued.
"Ah, so you emptied your savings to hire some actors. Hahaha! F*ck, you really scared me back there!"
"Tsk! I wasn't expecting this sort of comeback! The secondhand embarrassment I'm getting from you is unreal."
"What a poser. Hey, Floyd! Don't you feel embarrassed at all?"
"Jeez... Even I'm embarrassed for you."
"Nah, man. Disgust is what you should be feeling. I really didn't expect Floyd to be like this."
The mocking voices and looks of disgust coming from those around him made Simon feel both speechless and tired.
Paul had been terrified out of his wits, believing that he had accidentally offended someone from a richer, more powerful family. If this ended up giving his father trouble, his father might just break his legs for it.
Heidi's remarks surprised him but he soon flew into a rage. Simon Floyd had some nerve trying to trick him!
He did not doubt Heidi at all. Heidi had been dating Simon since they were in high school; it made sense that she would have an understanding of his family situation.
"Floyd, a piece of advice: lick my shoe clean or suffer."
His voice was loud and harsh. Then he turned to the suited men at the door. "How much did he pay you? I will double, no, triple it. Break his legs for me!"
The suited men were taken aback and gave him an odd smile.
Their master had been taken for a poor kid who had hired them to put on a show, and now this guy wanted to buy them off.
What a riot.
"Whoa, you want to buy them off? Go ahead, but I paid them $2,000. You said triple right? That would be $6,000. Maybe rethink it a little?"
Simon had a look of jest as he chattered on a deadpan voice.
The head of the bodyguards looked like he wanted to say something but stopped after receiving a look from Simon. "Relax. I'm helping you get a side income here."
Paul and the others in the class were dumbfounded. What the hell was going on? How could Simon persuade Paul to buy off his own men?
"Jeez, that must be the limit of his IQ." Paul grinned and ordered the men in suits. "Hey! $6,000, deal?"
Taking the hint from the look in Simon's eyes, the head of the bodyguards snorted and said, "We don't accept credit. Transfer the money now."
This buoyed Paul's feelings. It felt good to be rich. He could not wait to return all the beatings he had suffered on sh*thead Simon in a while!
He transferred $6,000 to the head of the bodyguards through Venmo.
Seeing how cheerful Paul looked making the payment, Simon could no longer contain himself and laughed out loud.
"What are you laughing at? You're about to die!"
Simon's laughter upset Paul so much that he yelled, "You took my money, so get to work! Beat him up! I want him dead!"
But the bodyguards did not move, with odd expressions still on their faces.
"Hahahaha! Oh God, what a riot! Hey, Foster, how are you so old yet so dumb?"
Simon covered his abdomen as he laughed. "Who would turn down $6,000? Remember. You insisted on giving it to them. They didn't promise to help you."
"You f*cking tricked me!"
Paul was beside himself with anger. He pointed a finger at Simon, his finger trembling from fury. "Laugh all you want now, but what about tomorrow? Or the day after, when you don't have the money to hire them anymore? You better not show up in class anymore."
Paul had no idea why these men did not betray Simon for better pay but he was still certain that Simon would not have enough to hire them in the long run.
All he had to do was wait a few days. Maybe, he would be able to recover his reputation as soon as tomorrow.
The thought of getting cheated out of $6,000 made him feel pained all over and his voice became even thicker with resentment.
Suddenly, a mocking voice came from behind Simon, saying, "Oh jeez, who's making such a harsh threat in our place?"
"Mr. Floyd, the manager here said he will deal with this. It's his apology for having people mistreat you here."
Katya stepped out of Simon's shadow and walked forward, appearing inside the private lounge with the big-bellied, grim-faced manager of Rock Box.
The tall, beautiful, sharp-faced woman from Osharin drew everyone's attention in an instant.
"Man, did you lose your mind? There's no way such a babe would entertain the likes of you."
"Wait, you're focusing on the wrong thing here. Listen to what she's calling Floyd."
"Maybe he hired her too."
The classmates watched the show with relish. They were captivated by Katya's beauty.
On the contrary, Paul was focused on the middle-aged man beside her. He recognized him.
Bob Pearson!
The manager of Rock Box, Bob was also the representative of its owner. He was an influential figure in the underworld of Wimbourne. Most rich people would have to show him some form of respect. Even Paul's father had to step forward and light his cigarette for him when they met.
But thanks to his father, Paul had met Bob a few times and even talked to him briefly at parties. They were, more or less, acquainted.
It went without saying that he became the happiest person in the private lounge to see Bob show up.
With Bob taking his side, Simon was dead meat!
Those bodyguards hired with the pitiful sum of $2,000 were nothing in front of Bob!
"Bob, you have to save me!"
Paul ran up to Bob in tears, looking as though as he had found his savior.
His abrupt appearance, coupled with his bruised face, gave Bob a fright. "F*ck. Who the hell are you?"
"Bob, remember me? I'm Paul Foster. My dad's Howard Foster."
Paul came close with a fawning look but the many bruises on his face made his expression looked almost comical.
"Paul Foster? Howard Foster? Yeah, I think I remember."
It took Bob a second but he managed to remember them.
However, he immediately blacklisted them in his mind. Both father and son were troublemakers. If Paul had not offended Simon, he would not have to come here with them, feeling anxious and afraid!
Just the thought of it was enough to leave him fuming.
He looked at the bruised and battered young man in front of him and then gave him a hard kick with a disdainful expression.
Paul, with his heart full of hope of turning the table on Simon, never expected this to happen.
He was caught off guard and crashed on the floor. He found himself in a bed of spilled beer and trash.
"What the hell do you mean, Bob Pearson?" he asked, annoyed.
"What? Not even your father calls me by my full name. You're a brave little prick, aren't you?"
Bob's face turned dark. He went over and kicked him again.
The security guards at Rock Box were desperate to prove their worth. They made a lot of noise trying to show their power but the private lounge was so packed that they could not force their way in anymore.
Bob's anger made Paul panic and reminded him of his father's warning to never offend Bob. He apologized at once.
"Don't apologize to me. The only way you can leave this place safely is by getting Mr. Floyd's forgiveness."
Bob maintained a grim face and did not mince his words.
"Mr... Mr. Floyd?"
Paul was tongue-tied and stern-faced. He followed Bob's line of sight to look at Simon, who was enjoying the spectacle with his arms crossed.
He could not believe it. He, from the great Foster family, had to plead forgiveness from the prick that he had just cuckolded?
The change was so drastic and sudden that he looked like his mouth had been stuffed with feces.
- Writer
