Chapter 2

Chaya had paid for their new apartment with her father's money and Johnny stood outside the bathroom, hearing her cry inside.

Chaya’s lamentations reminded Johnny of how his mother cried after losing her husband. He tried to block his mother's tears from his mind, but it was impossible and this sadness made him angrier.

Johnny walked out of the house into the darkness, and lit his cigarette, but instead of smoking the cigarette, he dropped it and marched on it. He then spun his cheap small phone in his hand before calling Kai.

“My Johnny, how are you?” Kai asked as he answered the call on the first ring.

“Tell my mom am alive,” Johnny said.

“Oho! Are you serious?”

“Tell her I will visit, but I won’t introduce myself because I don’t want her to recognize me yet till I send our enemies to hell.”

“How do you want her to believe me if she can’t see you? She might even think I want to play with her feelings.”

Johnny sighed. “Don’t worry if she can’t believe you. She would believe after I start with our enemies.”

“It will be better if you call her yourself. I don’t want her-“

“Just do as I say.” Johnny hung up the call as he heard Chaya calling his name from the house.

Chaya opened the door and walked out. “Johnny, what are you doing there?”

Johnny turned to her and smile. He smiled because there were no tears on her face. If not that he caught her sobbing earlier, he won’t have believed she cry because her face glows. The face she rarely shows the others except him.

“Are you hungry? Come in, I will cook.” Johnny held her hand.

“You just ignore my question.”

“Just come in, I will cook.” Johnny entered the house first, for he didn’t want to tell her the truth, and he didn’t want to lie either.

After some minutes of cooking, while Chaya was watching the news in the sitting room, Johnny rushed out of the kitchen as Chaya screamed. Getting to the sitting room, Johnny realized Chaya screamed because of the news she was watching.

Chaya waved to him to come. “Johnny, you can’t believe what’s happening right now. The reporter just says Esposito’s son is alive. Goodness!! I’m so excited.”

“Can I ask why are you so excited because of him?” Johnny sat beside her.

“I’ve had a huge crush on him since we met many years ago.”

Johnny raised his eyebrows. He can’t remember the day he met someone like Chaya before. His thoughts were interrupted by the video of a woman entering a police station.

“Oh! That’s his mom,” Chaya said. “She’s so beautiful, like her son.”

Johnny furrows his brow. “Are you trying to make me jealous because I was poor?”

“I’m sorry I can’t resist the charm of...” Chaya stopped suddenly and stared at Johnny’s face as if she detected something.

Johnny waved his hands before her unblinking eyes. “What? Blink.”

“You cannot be him. What a coincidence! Esposito’s son is also bearing Johnny.”

Johnny winked. “I’m him.”

Chaya slapped his shoulder. “Stop dreaming.”

“Look at my face well. I’m Esposito’s son. I ran away from home to live my life.”

Chaya laughed hysterically. “Are you scared? Just because I crushed on him in the past doesn’t mean I’m still crushing on him. You are still my hubby and don’t worry that I would follow a rich man. I understood that it’s not your fault for being poor.

“Jeez. You’re distracting me. Stop being jealous.”

Chaya pouted her lips to Johnny and concentrate on the news. Johnny smiled, imagining how beautiful it would be if Chaya could just believe him.

Johnny also feels good because Chaya couldn’t believe him. If Chaya couldn’t believe him, then who else would believe that Esposito’s son would have an unshaved beard, rough hair, and poor clothes?

A burning smell swirled from the kitchen to the sitting room, making Chaya turn her head to Johnny with raised eyebrows because she perceive it first.

“Johnny! The kitchen is burning!!!”

“Ohhhh!!”

They both dashed to the kitchen.

***

Lucas spilled his coffee as he heard the reporters reporting the news. His eye almost popped out. The news became too much for him to believe. He took his phone on a glasses stool and dialed Kai’s phone number.

“Boss, how are you?” Kai asked.

“You ruined my day just now. You told me you killed that little boy. Why is he still alive?”

“I’m happy I ruined your day. I would be happier anytime the little boy ruins your night.”

“You!” Lucas roared. “I will come after you.”

“I’m at home, expecting you, boss.”

Lucas threw the phone at the wall and hurried into his room. A few minutes later, he came out with two pistols and hurried out to meet his bodyguards, waiting for him.

Entering a black bus, Lucas called Omar, his hacker.

“Boss, Kai is still at home,” Omar said.

“What is he doing now?” Lucas asked.

“Give me ten seconds, boss.”

Lucas waited in silence, listening to the rapid sounds of the keyboard from the other end.

“Boss, he is staring out the window with a coffee and a phone in his hands. And he is dialing a private number.”

“Who’s with him?”

“No one, boss.”

Lucas hung up the call and told the driver to speed more.

***

Kai had been redialing Johnny’s number since the moment Lucas hung up the call. He was sure Lucas would come after him but was not scared. Kai saw this as the opportunity for Johnny to take Lucas down, but Johnny wasn’t picking up the call.

And so Kai threw the phone on the bed, sipped the coffee, and was ready to fight the battle alone. Little did he know Johnny had put his phone in silent mode and was in the kitchen with Chaya.