Rise Of The Legendary Tycoon

“Get out of my way!” – Andrew was pushed by a homeless in that Sterlin Square full of people.

The talking noises were the most diverse. There were high school students, people in a hurry to get to their appointments, pickpockets that grabbed the most distracted, and people trying to attract your attention to sell you something.

People's steps were not timed, but it was as if everyone followed a unique rhythm in the middle of that square. They were following an eternal wave movement that would become smaller at dusk.

(And in the middle of it all, I was aimless, wandering through the crowd trying not to be stepped on because I had already been pushed too much. I just wanted to get out of that sea of people and realized that if I approached the walls of shops and cafes, I would free myself from that suffocation. I was tired, I couldn't find my stepfather's friend's pizzeria. The location sent to me on the phone said I was in the right place, but I can't see a pizzeria even if I rotated 360º.)

He leaned against a red brick wall, which looked like the outside of a fancy restaurant and after lighting his cigarette he tried to think of a solution to find that pizzeria.

Out of the corner of his eye, Andrew could see something fast approaching.

“F*ckin homeless. This is a smoke-free zone.” A man dressed in a white apron as if he were a chef slapped Andrew's hand so that the cigarette fell and began to shoo it away with his hand so that it disappeared. He had a very stern expression on his face, and he didn't look ready to talk. But even so, Andrew saw the opportunity to get rid of his problem.

“Excuse me, sir, can you tell where Fallow Free Pizzeria is?” After asking, Andrew raised his arms to protect his face and the chef looked at him in silence making an expression of doubt.

"What are you doing?!"

“The way you're looking at me I'm afraid you'll finally decide to punch me.”

After a long sigh, the Chef approached Andrew. He took him by the shoulder as if he wanted to take him somewhere, talking to him while directing him somewhere.

“See here on the side of my restaurant?! There's an alley here, and inside the alley, as you can see, there's an illuminated neon sign. Read what is written on it.”

Andrew looked at that dark, dirty alley, with a few rats passing by, completely empty, with improvised plumbing that spread across all the walls of the two buildings that formed that dark and smelly place in the middle of that beautiful city.

“F-Fallow F-Free Pizzeria?! Pizzeria?! What the hell?!”

“Yes, that's what you're looking for. Break a leg boy.”

After taking some strong slaps on the back, the chef pushed Andrew towards the alley, making him reach the beginning of that place. A few rats scurried past him and the floor was damp with what looked like piss. On the walls, some black garbage bags accumulated and exhaust pipes blew hot air to his face, softening the odour of the place. The alley was empty and Andrew walked through the open door of the only establishment that appeared to be open there.

“Hello, someone here?”

His footsteps echoed inside that establishment with an empty counter. The light in the room was dim, and you could only see two tables and wooden stairs leading to the top floor. As much as he spoke loudly, no one came. Andrew again checked his location by looking at the phone. And he felt stupid because it was so obvious that this was the place.

“What do you want here kid?! What did you come to do?!”

A husky voice coming from the ceiling spoke to Andrew.

“I'm Andrew, I came to work. It was Finral who sent me.” Andrew was shaking with fear because he still couldn't understand where the voice was coming from. But when he noticed that the ceiling had cracks opened by wooden planks, he looked between them and noticed the almost greyish blue eyes that watched him. Andrew got scared and those eyes blinked several times as if they were going to cross those spaces in the ceiling and see him up close.

“Hmmm...You're Finral's kid. Well, a few days ago I received a message from him. But I don't remember answering, ' You can send your son here'. Well, what can you do?!”

The upstairs floor began to creak, and the man's steps were too noisy for that place. They made the structure of the establishment tremble. And as soon as that big figure came down the stairs that gave access to the floor where Andrew was, he could see that the person who was talking to him was an old man, potbellied and corpulent. He must have been almost six feet tall and didn't smile at all.

After approaching what was now a small Andrew, he pushed him away and went behind the counter to pretend to clean glasses with a small old rag.

"What did you come here to do anyway?"

"I came for the job. Finral got me this one because my mother wants to get me out of the house and I need to get a livelihood before that happens."

The man behind the counter looked seriously at Andrew and after laughing he slammed his fist on the table making Andrew startle.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, Sir."

"What is your name?"

"Andrew, Sir."

"And you want to work here?"

"I don't know, Sir."

"RAAAAATCHUPPP"

Andrew felt the man's phlegm touch his face.

"HEY, WHAT THE FUCK?" Andrew was terrified of it.

After feeling his collar being grabbed he felt hot breath on his face.

"Don't get that shitty attitude back here. Either learn to work or get out of here. Immediately!"