"If you kneel down and prostrate yourself before me, I might consider returning you the money," said the man seated on the couch in the pub as he put an arm around Sasha Sadler, my ex-girlfriend.Hearing these words made me so furious that my entire body started trembling from the sheer humiliation. Kneeling before such a hateful man hurt my pride, but I needed the money to treat my mother's illness.I came from a single-parent household, with my mother being the one to raise me entirely on her own. She had worked so hard to put me through school, and I had just graduated from university this year. But before I could earn money to repay her, she fell ill.She was suffering from kidney failure and needed a transplant. The hospital had found a suitable donor, but it was estimated to cost us more than 60 thousand dollars. I did not have that kind of money.I went around trying to borrow money from anybody I could find, but once those so-called relatives of mine heard I had come to borrow

Smack! The crisp sound of my palm landing on Tyler's cheek resounded throughout the front yard.Tyler now had a bright red handprint on his cheek, with some blood dribbling out of his mouth."You actually dared to hit me!" Tyler stared at me in shock.He had always been the one to bully me. This was the first time I had ever hit him."You little bastard! How dare you hit my son! I'm going to kill you!" Jessie flew into a rage and came pouncing toward me.I turned to the side to dodge her attack. Jessie missed and lost her balance, so she ended up falling flat on her face."Thrash him! Make sure he dies!" Tyler yelled hysterically at the hooligans he had brought along.The hooligans immediately started charging toward me.I was afraid that my mother would get hurt in this conflict, so I quickly ran toward the hooligans in order to move the fight further away from her.To my horror, while I was fighting the hooligans, Tyler raised his wooden bat and swung it at my mother.It was too lat

"Ma'am!"The four burly men rushed to the woman's side. They greeted her and glared at me with well-trained coordination, their eyes burning with cruelty."What are you doing?" My mother stepped in front of me and intervened."Out of my way, bitch! Or I'll take you out with the trash, too!" The woman pointed her fingers at my mother's face."How dare you say such a thing!" my mother retorted, perfectly giving off the energy of a hen protecting her chick."I do dare, and I'll do more than that too!"The woman harrumphed. "Get them! Whatever happens, is my responsibility.""Yes, ma'am," the four men affirmed in unison.They rolled up their sleeves and began to advance on us.I balled up my own fists in response, readying myself for a fight that could break out any moment now."What are you boys doing? This is the eldest daughter of the Gleesons. Do you really intend to lay your hands on her?"Mr. Faulkner tried to defuse the situation, but he was immediately interrupted by a raucous voi

My grandfather was taken to the hospital for a more thorough examination, while the others followed after him.In no time at all, I was the only one left in the bedroom.Casting Sacred Halo had cost a lot of my golden mist. I was completely exhausted at this point.I found a chair and plopped myself down. Eventually, fatigue and weariness washed over me. I began to doze off.Ding ding ding ding, dong ding.A familiar ringtone interrupted my peaceful slumber. My phone was ringing—a call from my mom."Will, it's a miracle! Your grandfather is cured!" My mother's excitement and joy were palpable through the phone speaker."I… glad he could make it…" I mumbled. "He's… truly… blessed. Must be a good man.""Your grandfather has called for a family meeting. He said that you should be present.""Ah… oh… okay."Although I did not share my mom's enthusiasm in this regard, I did not want to disappoint her or spurn her goodwill.Given our relatives' attitudes toward us, what was the point of this

"Long time no see." I grinned playfully. "What important business do you want to talk about?""It's about our engagement."The words Eirwen had uttered were so punchy that I needed to check again if I had heard her right."Our… engagement?" I repeated, dazed by the suggestion.Before he died, my father really did arrange a marriage for me. In reality, he had essentially paid for it with his life.One day, on his way back from work, my dad had pushed an old man out of the way of a speeding car. His self-sacrifice had saved the old man's life at the cost of his own.The grave injury he sustained from the ensuing accident proved ultimately fatal, with him passing away three days later in a hospital bed.The old man was none other than Eirwen's grandfather. To repay my dad for saving his life, he had promised… the hand of his granddaughter in marriage to me.Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds old-fashioned, but it is absolutely true.