Part of your World

Undecided

The next day, after the unexpected trip to the police station, Fiero called in a lawyer to discuss what Gobert could do against his bullies. So, during the weekend, Fiero called Gobert to his apartment.

“Why did you call me here?” Gobert asked as soon as he stepped inside Fiero’s apartment when Fiero opened the door.

Fiero did not answer his question right away as he went to the kitchen and grabbed some cold soda from his fridge. When he went to the living room, he gave the soda to Gobert.

“The lawyer I know is coming today. I want you to talk to him,” Fiero told him as he took a seat on the armchair.

Gobert paused halfway into opening the soda can and just stared at Fiero.

“The what?”

“The lawyer. You should sue them,” Fiero answered and then Gobert shook his head.

“Wait, wait. I haven’t decided yet. Why are you getting ahead of this when you just told me to think of it,” Gobert stressed.

Fiero leaned back and crossed his legs.

“I am impatient, besides, those three really hit my nerve. I hate them so, let us sue them,” he replied to Gobert with a smile.

Gobert looked at Fiero as if he had grown another head.

“You are persistent and you are being annoying,” Gobert said and instead of frowning, Fiero just smiled at Gobert.

“I know, that’s why just go with the flow. Sue them before they do something with you,” Fiero said.

“Exactly that. I know they will do something to me if I sue them. They are not someone to be messed with,” Gobert stressed.

‘He is scared like a mouse. I will call him mousy from now on,’

Fiero heard Cassius tell him.

“Gobert, this isn’t the community where you and they came from. He has no power over here. You can fight him now, I will help you,” he told him.

“What can you do? Sean’s father –“

“Who cares about his father? He is a bully and he needs to be taken care of. If you worry about your family back in the US, or their families coming at you, I can have someone in the US make sure that won’t happen,” Fiero said and Gobert frown.

“H-How? Are you some kind of government spy? Are you CIA?”

Gobert asked and now it’s Fiero’s turn to frown.

“Seriously? That’s what you can think of? The answer’s no. I have family in the US,” Fiero replied.

“But you are from Russia,”

“Yes, but both my parents are Americans. They just moved to Russia but are still Americans. So, don’t worry about anything. Just speak to the lawyer, agree and we’ll do the rest and make sure that the bullies will get what they deserve,” Fiero said.

Before Gobert could speak, there was a knock on the door. Fiero grinned and got up from the armchair. He walked up to the door and opened it, and then there was a man standing outside his apartment, dressed in gray pants and a white button-up shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His Italian leather shoes tapped impatiently against the floor tiles while his hold around his leather bag’s handle tightened.

The man with dark brown hair and hazel green eyes looked at Fiero.

“I’m here,” the man said, giving Fiero a curt bow.

“Come in, Aleo,” Fiero spoke and let the visitor in.

Aleo bowed his head and stepped inside Fiero’s apartment. Then Fiero closed the door behind him and went to the kitchen to grab a can of soda from the fridge. When he followed into the living room, he motioned for Aleo to take a seat next to Gobert and handed him the soda can.

“Aleo, this is the potential client, Gobert. And Gobert, this is Atty. Aleo Abramov. Let’s just say he works for my father in Russia and he is very good at his job,” Fiero said, introducing them.

“Nice to meet you,” Aleo started, holding out his hand for Gobert.

“Likewise,” Gobert replied as he shook the lawyer’s hand.

Then they all sat down.

“I reviewed what happened according to what Fiero said, and I say you have a case. And if you want, I can file it as soon as possible,” Aleo started, glancing at Gobert.

“B-But I haven’t d-decided if I want to press charges to what they did,” Gobert said.

Aleo then turned to Fiero.

“If the victim isn’t suing, they won’t get sued,” he said.

“I know that. That’s why I have been trying to convince him, but no, he is more stubborn than the ladies in my family,” Fiero stressed, throwing his hands in the air.

Aleo then turned to Gobert.

“It’s better that they got sued so, they know that you are not an easy target. They cannot just accuse you of things you did not do,” he told them.

“B-But I am scared of their retaliation. Sean’s father was a big-shot businessman from the founding family of our community. He can do big damage,” Gobert said.

“Gobert, let me remind you. You are no longer living in their little old community. He cannot do anything to you or your family,” Fiero reasoned and Aleo nodded.

“If you are worried about his family influence, you should be relieved that you have him as your friend. I bet you my whole month's salary, his family can trample your bullies’ families to the ground,” Aleo said.

Gobert looked at him with furrowed eyebrows before looking at Fiero.

“His family owns the largest conglomerate with a lot of subsidiaries that are equivalent to huge and successful companies. In short, you have a bigger person backing you up,” Aleo explained and Gobert’s eyes widened while Fiero rolled his eyes.

“You are exaggerating things, Aleo. It was my grandparent’s company. My parents just owned some of the subsidiaries,” Fiero spoke.

“And those subsidiaries you are talking about are the highest-earning ones,” Aleo said and then he looked at Gobert.

“If you are familiar with Stanford Security, Stanford Motors, and Stanford Air, you’ll understand,”

Gobert was surprised by what he found out.

“This isn’t about me, Aleo,” Fiero spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Then he looked at Gobert.

“They will be discharged soon, don’t wait for them to turn on you again,” he told his friend.

Gobert looked down at his hands.

“I am really scared of what could happen. I cannot afford to lose this chance to study in a prestigious university, but I am also tempted to get even with them,” he said.

Aleo and Fiero looked at each other before Aleo looked at Gobert and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Listen, if you are really worried and having second thoughts, think about this for at least two days. If you decide to sue, I will make sure they will get the punishment they deserve and I will also make sure to get them kicked out of the school,” Aleo started and Gobert looked at him.

“And if you decide to retreat, be the cowering little mouse in front of those bastards, be my guest. We’ll just help you with your hospital bills, or worse, your funeral,”

Aleo continued, making Gobert gawk at him.

“Hospital? Funeral? Really?” Fiero asked and then Aleo gave him a bored look as he stood up.

“That’s the only outcome just based on what you said about those men,”

Aleo told Fiero and then he looked at Gobert, handing his business card to him.

“Three days, think it through. But if you need help and he isn’t anywhere near you, call me,” he said and then he gave Fiero a curt bow before walking out of the apartment.

After Atty. Aleo left, Fiero sighed and looked at Gobert.

“Did he scare you? I’m sorry. Atty. Aleo was used to a bloody fight. He is one of the best in his field and he never failed. All the cases he handled, whether it corporate or criminal case, he wins it,” Fiero said.

Then Gobert looked at him with disbelief.

“You are a Stanford, you are a freaking billionaire, no, a trillionaire,” Gobert blurted and Fiero let out an exasperated sigh.

“Not my money, Gobert,”

**************************************.

Just as what Atty. Aleo said they let Gobert think about suing for a few days. But then, when Monday came and Gobert was on his way to his class, Sean, Leonard, and Ethan blocked him.

Seeing them standing in front of them with gauze on their foreheads to hide the wound made Gobert cower in fear. He tried to walk around them and just avoid them, but Ethan and Leonard grabbed his arms and made him face Sean.

“You, you did this to us,” Sean snarled making Gobert flinch.

“I-I didn’t do anything,” Gobert replied and Sean let out a humorless laugh.

Then Sean grabbed him by his collar.

“It was you who did this to us. I don’t know what you did that the authorities let you go, but I won’t just stand still and let you off. I will make sure to make you suffer,” Sean hissed and then he let go of his collar and stepped back.

Then he motioned his friends to drag Gobert towards a secluded part of the campus. Once they are at the back of an old building that was rarely visited by any students.

There they slammed Gobert against the brick wall and started throwing punches at him. Gobert took all their beating and only cried a bit when they kicked him in the sides, breaking his ribs.

Fiero on the other hand was looking for Gobert as he was going to ask him if he made a decision. He stood in front of their building waiting for Gobert. Fiero looked at his watch as the time for their next class drew near.

‘Maybe pipsqueak is absent,’

Cassius said.

‘No need for the name-calling, Cassius,’

Fiero reprimanded his Lycan.

“He came to school, I can smell his scent in the air,” Fiero replied, and then the wind blew towards them and then he caught a whiff of three familiar scents.

Fiero’s nose flared and his eyes turned icy blue as he caught the scents of Sean, Leonard, and Ethan with Gobert’s scent. When he got a faint scent of blood, he immediately took off and started looking for his friend.

‘I know the way,’ Cassius told him and then Fiero let his Lycan lead him towards the old building.

When Fiero finally found his friend, he froze in his tracks when he saw him lying on the ground with Sean’s foot on his head. Gobert’s face was bloodied from the busted lip and eyebrow and broken nose.

‘Don’t be reckless. This will be the nail in their coffins if you move correctly,’

Cassius told him and Fiero gritted his teeth before he agreed with his Lycan. Then he thought of something that could incriminate them.

“YOU!” Fiero yelled which caught the attention of the bullies.

“And who’s that?”

They asked among themselves.

“Remove your foot from his head,” Fiero said, balling his fist.

Sean smirked and pressed his foot harder against Gobert’s head.

“And if I don’t, what will you do?” Sean replied, mocking Fiero.

“I will report you,” Fiero said and the three bullies laughed as they started kicking Gobert.

Fiero winced as he could hear every bone break. When he had enough, he swiftly grabbed three rocks on the ground and threw them at the bullies. The rocks aimed at the three bullies hit them square in the face. Sean was hit on the nose, causing it to bleed.

As the three of them cried and cradled their faces, Fiero rushed towards Gobert and grabbed his body. Before Sean and his friends could stop Fiero, he had already flung Gobert on his back and carried him away.

Fiero’s quick response left the bullies behind.