Kayle. Kayle Jarmerson, with all his almost 6.5’ height, muscled arms, dirty blond hair and malicious icy blue eyes, was there, inside the room, holding a camera and his friends were just behind him. 

Brandon could only think about Erika, but all his worries vanished in the next moment, because she left the bathroom and was held by Kayle, who kissed her. 

“Did you really think she would want you? She is my girlfriend, you idiot!” Kayle asked, full of venom in his words. “Let’s show the world what Mr. Brandon Ashford’s incredible body!” Everybody, except Brandon, started to laugh. He cast a glance at Erika and she was not the same person from minutes before!

Brandon was not too skinny, but he was not too muscled, either. His body was full of bruises, given by none other than Kayle and his friends. 

“What are you doing here? Why are you here?” Brandon ended up asking. He thought his life was going to change, once he was far from those bullies who made his life a living hell since he was very young. 

Kayle was with his camera open, but not on live anymore. He walked slowly at Brandon, with a menacing look. 

“You’ll never get rid of us, piece of shit!” 

When the other guys were about to attack Brandon, the door of the suite opened again, but this time, an old man was standing right there. 

“The party is over!” 

The first one to laugh was Kayle, of course, and the others followed his example. 

“Tell me, Brandon, is this your bodyguard? Was this all you could afford?” 

Brandon didn’t look down this time, but the sound of the girl he once thought liked him, hurt his feelings more than anything. But also, made his heart harder. 

While Kayle and the other’s were shooting videos and pics of him, he got his phone and called for help. If he ever wanted to be someone respected by others and have a new life, he would have to make it happen. 

“Come on, old man. Need a ride to the Asylum? I can do that, to show how nice I am to my elders.” Kayle said, out of mockery. 

“I think he may be deaf, due to old age!” One of the bullies, Diego, said. 

“Totally, man! look at that clown!” Collin pointed at the old man’s outfit, that consisted in a clearly butler suit.  

The older man had no expression on his face, but he gave a slight nod and ten men in black suits entered the room. At that moment, Kayle and company started to laugh and straightened their bodies, looking at one another, confused. 

“Know what? I don’t like you, grandpa! Get the fuck out of here! My father is the richest man in this city, so if I were you,” he pointed to the old man and to the others accompanying him, “I’d get the hell out of my face!”

The old man held out his hand without taking his eyes off Brandon, one of the men in black put a bag in his hand, and then the old man walked over to the young guy who was naked, ignoring Kayle and everyone else who was with him. 

"Here are your clothes, sir. Sorry for the delay." He bowed as he offered the bag to Brandon.

All of a sudden, Kayle started to laugh hysterically and the others did the same. .

“Holy shit, Brandon, where did you find those guys?” He asked, holding his girlfriend with one arm by the waist and his own belly with the other. “Did you get a loan just to hire those actors? Because you’re as poor as a beggar!” 

“I think he, too, is deaf. Maybe from all the beating he received?” Gregory said between laughs, pointing at his own ears. He was referring not only to the last beating Brandon received, two days before, but the ones he had to endure most of his life. 

Nor Brandon, nor the old man, let alone the ones in black suits, gave any attention to Kayle and his gang. Just as expected from bullies, when they don't get the attention they believe they deserve, they get mad. 

“Are you still ignoring me, old man?” He asked, now serious and with a menacing look flashing in his eyes. “I have endured until now because you’re old, but not anymore. You have no respect for me!” 

Kayle had always got what he wanted, the way he wanted, whenever he wanted. No one dared to ignore him. No one! So, having those men he still believed were actors to pretend he was not there and, worse, leadered by Brandon, was unacceptable. 

With a nod from Kayle, the other four guys attacked Brandon and the elder. What they didn’t predict was that those men in black would react, all together. 

It didn’t take long for the bullies to be on the ground, crying out in pain. Kayle tried to take Brandon down, but he, too, got knocked out. As he was strong, he quickly recovered enough to be on his feet, drying the blood from his busted lip with the back of his hand and looking at Brandon with hate. 

“What the fuck, huh?” He asked, challenging. “You think you can just do whatever you please? Dream on, shity boy! I’ll ask my father to make you pay for that!” He pointed at himself and at his friends on the floor. 

The girl was with her back glued to the wall, not daring to move, scared. She thought Kayle was invencible, not only because he was strong, but because of his family’s prestige. What was that now? Brandon, the poor guy, was having the upper hand?

The old man didn’t even blink to the sound of the threats Kayle was making. Instead, he looked at Brandon. After taking a deep breath, the old man finally spoke. 

“Sir, how would you like to deal with that?” His voice was very calm, and he didn't even look like he had just been attacked by four strong men. 

Brandon, who had always endured everything believing he had to deal with his problems on his own, not relying on his family, was now beyond furious. He looked at each one of those bullies, who had harassed him for the last ten years, no breaks. they would follow Brandon everywhere, hit and humiliate him no matter where. 

Kayle had always supported himself on his family’s name, while Brandon tried to blend with the ‘normal’ people and, if that was the price, suffer with them, trusting and hoping things would get better as soon as he left Helena for good. 

Now, he heard what Kayle said: his father was the richest man in all Bloomington, which meant that either Brandon accepted who he really was, or he would suffer for the rest of his life, achieving nothing. 

“It is quite simple, Harold.” he said in a tone that neither Kayle nor any of the guys in that room had ever heard coming out of Brandon’s lips. “I want them to lose everything!” 

The sinister smile that curved on Brandon’s mouth was one capable of giving shivers in any man, no matter the size or the family. 

“As you wish, Sir!” The man whose name was Harold finally said, bowing again and taking his phone from his trouser’s pocket. 

Instantly, the old man started to make one call after the other.