The Rise of the Heir

Chapter 2

The savory aroma of pasta sauce now mixed with the alcoholic stench of red wine pooling on the restaurant's marble floor. Theo froze, staring at the tips of the suited man's leather shoes, now turning a reddish hue. The silence in this luxurious restaurant felt far more suffocating than the debt collectors' bluster yesterday afternoon.

"You… DO YOU HAVE NO EYES?!" The man's voice boomed, shattering the silence. He stood up with a sharp jerk, wiping the stain on his pants with a tissue, which only made the dirt spread further. "Look what you've done to my shoes and clothes, you piece of trash!"

Theo bowed as deeply as he could, clutching the pizza box tightly in his hands to prevent damage. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. Someone pushed me from behind. I really didn't mean to," Theo said in the lowest possible tone, trying to defuse the situation.

"Not on purpose?! Do you know how much these shoes cost? More than your dignity and your meager salary!" The man continued cursing, his face flushed with anger. "This is what happens when a low-class person is allowed into a place like this. They'll only cause damage!"

Theo's face heated up. The insult immediately stabbed his pride. However, he glanced at his watch. The delivery time was up in seven minutes. If he was late, he would be penalized by the app, and he couldn't afford to lose a penny today.

"Sir, I'm terribly sorry. Let me compensate you for the food," Theo tried to interrupt the man's insults.

"Compensate? Do you think the change in your pocket can buy the food on this table?" The man laughed sarcastically, looking down at Theo's tattered courier jacket.

Theo took a deep breath, swallowing the bitter taste in his throat. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a one-hundred-thousand-rupiah bill—the only remaining bill from yesterday's cleaning wages. He placed the money on the still-clean table.

"This is all I have right now for laundry, sir. I really have to go because of work," Theo said firmly. Before the man could throw the money back, Theo turned and strode out of the restaurant.

"Hey! Come back! You're so rude!" The man's shout echoed behind him, but Theo kept walking straight ahead.

He mounted his Vespa, started the engine, which roared loudly, and immediately sped off through the streets. Along the way, his chest felt tight. That one hundred thousand rupiah was his food money for the next three days, and now it was gone just like that because of someone else's mistake.

•••

Theo arrived at a minimalist, upscale house in a relatively quiet residential area. He knocked on the sturdy teakwood door and dialed the customer service number on his cell phone.

"Hello, the pizza order under the name of Mr. Yanuar has arrived," Theo said when the call connected.

Click.

The door opened. A middle-aged man in a dark blue polo shirt appeared. Round glasses perched on his nose, giving him a calm, intellectual impression. However, when the man looked at Theo's face, his movements immediately froze. His hand, which was about to reach for his wallet, suddenly trembled.

He eyed Theo from head to toe, then fixed his gaze on Theo's. There was a flash of surprise and fear mixed across the middle-aged man's face.

"Sir? Here's your order," Theo frowned, confused by the scrutiny. "Sir, are you okay?"

The man gasped, as if he had just woken up from a long daydream. He didn't say a word. With a clumsy, hurried movement, he picked up the pizza box, then reached for his wallet and handed Theo a roll of bills.

"Sir, this isn't worth—"

BLAM!

The door slammed shut before Theo could finish his sentence. Theo stood frozen on the deserted porch. He unrolled the bills in his hand with a frown.

One... two... five... ten. Ten hundred-thousand-dollar bills!

"One million?" Theo hissed in disbelief. He sensed something was wrong. Was the man drunk, or had he grabbed the wrong bill in his haste?

Theo knocked again, a little loudly. "Sir! Excuse me, you have too much money! Sir!"

However, the house suddenly fell silent. There was no answer from inside. After waiting for ten minutes without success, Theo finally left, feeling incredibly confused. He stuffed the money into his pocket. He could use this one million rupiah to pay off his mother's debt to the debt collector who kept harassing her.

•••

Unfortunately, Theo's good fortune didn't last long. As he passed a quiet shortcut about 500 meters from the housing complex, an automatic motorcycle suddenly cut in front of him, forcing Theo to brake abruptly, nearly overturning his Vespa.

"Oh my God... My motorcycle!" Theo blurted out, trying to keep his balance.

Two men, their faces covered by masks, got off the automatic motorcycle that had cut Theo off. One was stocky, holding a wooden block, and the other was thin and wild-eyed. They were wearing black T-shirts with cheap tattoos on their arms.

"Get off, courier! Hand over your bag and wallet now!" the stocky man snarled, brandishing the wooden block.

Theo slowly got off the motorcycle. His eyes scanned the area, searching for an opening. The street was completely deserted, with no one to ask for help. He couldn't afford to lose the one million he had just won.

"Don't do this. I don't have much money," Theo said, trying to lie to buy time.

"Too much talk!" The stocky thug immediately advanced and swung the wooden block at Theo's head.

Theo couldn't run because his motorcycle was blocking the road. He was forced to move forward, using his left arm to block with a minimalist karate parry, then using his left elbow to strike the thug's jaw in a deadly Muay Thai move.

Crack

The stocky man staggered backward, clutching his dislocated jaw. However, Theo miscalculated. His malnourished body and exhaustion from a long day's work slowed his movements. Before he could turn around, another skinny thug lunged forward from a blind spot.

The skinny man's hand quickly reached into Theo's jacket pocket, roughly snatching the rolled up one million rupiah note.

"Got it! Get it, Jin!" shouted the skinny man as he jumped back onto his motorcycle.

Theo gasped. Losing the money was tantamount to risking his life at the hands of debt collectors tomorrow. Ignoring the pain in his arm, Theo sprinted and jumped, kicking the rear tire of the motorcycle as it was just about to start moving. The motorcycle swerved and crashed to the asphalt.

Before the skinny man could get up, Theo grabbed his wrist tightly, twisting it until the man screamed in pain.

"Give me back my money," Theo said in a low voice, his breathing ragged.

With a rough tug, Theo snatched back his wad of cash. However, the stocky man who had been elbowed had already risen to his feet. He swung his wooden block again from behind, hitting Theo squarely in the back.

BUGH!

"This is payback for hitting me in the jaw! I'll definitely get back at you if I see you again!" he shouted.

Theo groaned loudly, pain shooting through his back until he fell to his knees on the asphalt. His vision blurred. His fighting spirit was knocked back by the realization of his current frail physique.

Seeing Theo off guard, the two thugs quickly got up, and the skinny man managed to retrieve his money. The stocky man immediately pulled his limp friend back onto his motorcycle. "Let's go! This damn kid is pretty crazy!" He cursed as he accelerated his motorcycle, disappearing behind a dusty bend in the road.

Theo remained kneeling on the asphalt for several minutes, holding his stiff, burning back. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His breath was still ragged, his chest heavy.

The brief fight had been a stark reminder for Theo. The martial arts techniques his father had taught him were still in his head, but his thin, tired body couldn't support him as it once was. He wasn't as strong as he thought.

The million rupiah he had thought was a miracle was gone. Theo wanted to cry, but quickly restrained himself, realizing he wasn't a child anymore. He slowly got up and limped to his motorcycle.