Jeremy Waltz: A Billionaire Incognito

Chapter 5

At dusk Jeremy strolled into the city, walking down the streets of a suburban neighborhood.

Every shop he passed has his name of the tv, same as every bar, every restaurant.

Jeremy's feets hasted with a combustion of fear and tension lingering on his phiz.

He stopped in front of a bungalow and knocked on the door with gentle thuds.

No answer came for a whole minute. He knocked again.

"Who's it?" The voice of an old lady echoed from the other side of the door with footsteps growing louder.

In the following seconds she opened the door and a smile immediately broke loose on her face, with her eyes immediately spurting out tears.

She opened her arms wide and ushered him into her warm embrace.

"Jeremy boy," she squeezed his head unto her shoulders before she finally let go.

"Come," she welcomed her boy into the house and shut the door behind him. Then led him straight to the dining table. "You're just in time for dinner."

He sat down nervously and looked around, "Where's dad?"

"Speak of the devil..." an aged man with a face covered in grey hairs walked towards them with a physiognomy of arrogance and took a seat at the head of the table.

"How long as it been? 2 years? 3 years? And the prodigal son returns."

By now the momentary smile Jeremy had for his mother has settled into a frown now that his dad was here.

"How's your wife?"

"She's fine," Jeremy answered with a rough tone.

"I miss her frown. Just because she abandoned her family she doesn't want you to be around yours too, huh?"

Just then his mom came with a pot and filled both their plates with food.

Jeremy's dad slowly leaned forward and threw his son's plate upsidedown, spewing it on his trousers.

"Aiish," Jeremy pulled back his chair and immediately jumped out of his seat. Then stares daggers at his dad.

"Oh my god, Willie," his mom showed disapproval towards her husband and swiftly came with a towel to help wipe his jeans.

"She cheated on you didn't she?"

Jeremy's face couldn't deny the truth as it struck him. He's eyes froze on one direction merely staring into the abyss, the big frown he wore turning into a pitiful contortion of pain.

"You no longer have that spark in your eyes," his dad bent his head slightly observing him like a snake.

"I bet she did it with someone more richer than you," he chuckled. "Marrying a woman high above your pay grade. I bet you couldn't even get mad at her. She got away with it like a... smooth criminal."

Seeing the change in her son's mien, sympathy clouded Willie's wife. "That's enough Willie," she tried to shut him up.

"I raised you from a baby and spent half my income sending you through private school. And what do I get, some chicken change from you every month. All because you chose to run away with a girl who you got pregnant. Her dad didn't want you. He offered you money to leave his daughter alone and what did you do?"

"You played a fool and abandoned it. You were a bad investment, I should have spent my money rearing pigs instead."

"Willie that's enough!" His wife raised her voice on him.

"Don't yell at me woman. Yell at that full grown sack of meat you call a son. What has love given you now, huh? Go back to your house!" He spat on the ground near Jeremy.

In the same second Jeremy pulled himself out of his mom's grip and walked out the door in rage, slamming it behind him.

As soon as he was outside all the anger and shame he was holding in melted down on his face as tears.

In the same moment the clouds melted and it started raining.

At the pace of 5 steps, all of Jeremy's thoughts led to one decision. He has to escape this life as there was nothing left for him. He's been played like a football.

He made his way to a small bridge in the city and climbed on top of it, placing his butt comfortably on the smooth top and gazing at the sky with the rain falling on his face mixing up with his tears.

"Life 1, me 0"

He whispered and leaned forward, taking of his fingers one by one and stretching towards the sea underneath the bridge.

Suddenly a Black Mercedes-Benz G class screeched through the streets and summersaulted right behind Jeremy.

Sighting an old man in it, Jeremy quickly crossed his legs to the road, jumped down and ran to pull the man out of the tumbled vehicle.

While he took him to a corner the car exploded with a loud ferocious bang.

The old man, dressed in a long black coat and a hat, sat at the corner with heavy breaths and eyes flickering as a sign of fatigue in his old bones.

"Thank you... Thank you young man."

"Where are you headed to? I can help you get a cab down the street," Jeremy suggested.

"There'd be no need for that, son," the man pulled out a phone from his pocket with his debit card accidentally slipping out unknown to him.

He typed a message on it and relaxed his back on the wall that marks the corner of the bridge.

Seeing atoms of sorrow on another person's visage pierced through the feeling of loneliness in Jeremy. He figured he wasn't the only one struggling with some parts of life and sat next to the man; both of them observing a silent moment.

In a few minutes a convoy of fine black Fords halted near them with men in well tailored suits immediately pouring out of the vehicles. Two of them ran towards the old man, putting his arms across their shoulders and taking him to the car in the middle.

Jeremy's brain began to add things up. He wasn't talking to a nobody. And somehow, this wealthy man has forgotten his debit card beside him.

"Wait!" Jeremy picked it up and ran towards the vehicles that has just started moving.

Seeing him run towards them, they instantly stopped with a bodyguard dropping down to open the old man's side of the door, waiting for Jeremy to come and enter.

Jeremy's running slowed down with the memories of his past experience immediately ambushing his mind; he has just been accused of murder for barely stepping into a rich man's car before.

He froze at the door, staring into the abyss.

"Come in, son," the old man compelled him.

Jeremy woke up from his imagination and got inside the car, with the guard immediately shutting the door and joining the front seat.

The cars moved.

"You're the man on the news ain't you? The man who killed Mr. Havemeyer? He was a good man."

"I-I-I..." Jeremy stuttered with sweat already dripping down his face.

"Relax, son. You killed one billionaire and saved another on the same day."

It was then Jeremy recognized the man he was talking to. Mr Guerrero of the Guerrero family, who built their wealth since the 16th century; they're old money.

"Mr. Guerrero," a tone of respect escorted the sound of his name. "I didn't kill Mr. Havemeyer. It was a setup."

"Blah blah blah... What would you do with ten billion dollars?" Guerrero stared into Jeremy's soul.

"Sir?" Jeremy couldn't believe his ears.

The old man chuckled, "I'm not giving you ten billion dollars. This aways gets them," he continued laughing. "Broke people. Why'd you think someone can just give you a billion for no reason."

While speaking to Jeremy his eyes drifted to his shoulder which has been rendered transparent by the wet cloth.

"What's that on your shoulders?" He grabbed his arm and lifted his sleeve. That instant he was wide-eyed, "Where'd you get this tattoo?"

"What the crest tattoo," Jeremy answered casually. "It's always been on my hand since I was born. My parents said it's a birth mark," he scoffed. "I doubt birthmarks are this artistic."

Mr Guerrero turned to the driver, "Turn the car around. We're heading for the hospital."