Luca excitedly exchange glances at the bouquet and black box of diamond necklaces he's been saving up for a couple of months placed on the corner next to his working table. He can't cease the smile escaping his lips before landing back on his monitor as he eagerly finishes the pile of paper works for tonight. Five minutes before his work ends, he heard a familiar footstep nearing him and he doesn't have a good feeling about this yet he continued working and set aside the gut he had.
"Carlo went home early today; his father is sick. Do the rest of his work." As he watches the man wearing a black suit put another pile of papers on his table, and turned around, his forehead slowly creased.
"I won't do an overtime tonight, Mr. Williams. It's our anniversary." He shot back calmly, trying to let the man remembers that he had told him yesterday that he'll go home on time today.
"What do you want me to do then, Luca? Finish the work?" Mr. Williams asked fully of sarcasm.
"Instead of complaining, just do your job." He added sounding irritated this time.
"If you love your job, just do it. Unless you wanted to be kicked out of this building and ended up jobless, walking across the streets, begging other companies to hire you." It wasn't a whisper, but rather loud enough for him to hear. It was an insult that he got used to every day. He didn't bother to reply anymore, instead, he took his phone and texted his wife Amanda that he'll be a bit late tonight. He knew he'll disappoint her but he got no choice rather than make his wife wait for him to go home on time tonight.
Despite the bad aura slowly eating him, he only reminisces and thinks of his wife's angelic and beautiful face smiling at him. His mood quickly shifted, he fixes the eyeglasses slowly falling on his nose bridge and got the energy to finish the pile of paper works next to him. He could only think of her reaction once he gave her the gift she's been eyeing for a few months ago when they last went to a mall for a simple date. He could still remember how clear it is in her eyes how she wanted it, and he felt bad for not being able to buy it like other men could because its price is his salary for a month already. However, no one can stop him to make his wife happy, he doubled his effort and do overtime, even working on holidays just to get double pay, so that he could buy it.
He shot a glance once more at the black box and keep on working.
It was past ten when he finished, after putting the pile of finalized papers on Mr. Williams' desk, he didn't say a word and left.
As the cold wind touched his skin after stepping out of the tall building, it was a satisfying warmth of finally leaving such a suffocating workplace. He's been dying to look for another company that could value his work but he couldn't find one with a better compensation than his company does. So, he'd rather endure Mr. Williams' insult, than end up jobless. His salary was worth more than everyone thinks of it is the money that pays his mom's hospital bill, and his sister's tuition fee in a private school. He also wanted to meet his wife's expectations after marrying him, he wanted to sustain her way of living since she came from a rich family, and wanted to at least build some pride for himself as his mother-in-law keep on looking down on him. However, he knew that even though his wife is not complaining, she was not satisfied with what they are right now.
It's fifteen minutes walk to their small apartment, but he saunters like he didn't work for fourteen hours today, thinking his wife is waiting for him in the lobby area along with a small table with two lit candles and two plates of meal that he's surely tasted so good because it was his wife's special.
"H….Help!" His imagination suddenly gets interrupted when he heard a sound of a man crying for help. He quickly roam his eyes trying to scan the area as fast as he could and there he saw an old man with his clothes all ripped covered with his own blood. His eyes widened and didn't think twice to run to them. The old man was surrounded by big guys holding guns, but it didn't terrify him.
"What do you think you are doing?" He asked trying to sound brave while his eyes focused on the poor old man, his face cannot be recognized due to the bruises and fresh wounds all over it.
As they turned their head on him, he felt shivers down to his spine. Their silver guns were reflecting from the street lights putting more weight on the tension building up between them.
"Do you have any problem, little boy?" A baritone voice of a man asked seems to be an insult to him, as the other four men laugh like they just heard the best joke of the day.
"G-Get off him!" Luca exclaimed but failed to hide his now shivering voice of him. He knew just one bullet from those guns that they are holding could end his life. He must be careful of his words and actions.
Another set of laughter fills the open air.
"Who are you ordering little boy? Me?" The bulky man asked again, he seems to be the acting leader of their group.
"I-I'll give you money. J-Just let him go!" He tried to persuade him but the man just threw him an interesting look. Luca steps back as the man walks toward him.
"How brave could you be if I point this gun at your head?" His eyes slowly widened when the metallic weapon slowly touch his forehead.
"You shouldn't have butt in a little boy."
"You should have pretended that you hear nothing and kept on walking."
"I-I'm sorry, I-I can't tolerate violence. Please let go of this old man. Just hit me instead!" Luca bravely instated making the men a bit more shocked and surprised. They thought that this man will run away in fear after seeing their guns but he was wrong.
"So feisty. I like that." The man coldly said and pushed the gun more toward Luca's head. Luca tried his best to remain strong even though his knees were slowly trembling in fear.
"You have no idea who this old man is, do you?" The man asked and Luca has been silenced because he doesn't know how he would answer him without getting him offended. He can't die in this way, he still has a lot of plans for his family and his wife.
"I-I don't know him but please let him go." Suddenly, the man was shocked that the fear in Luca's eyes slowly vanished and was replaced by a slight grin on his lips. The man was unaware that a strong punch was about to hit his face, and it was too late for him to dodge it. The impact of the punch made him a little bit dizzy and fell onto the floor, which alerts the other men and simultaneously attacks Luca.
The old man was even more surprised that Luca expertly dodge the attacks, and the enemies completely vanished as he kept on striking punches and kicks, leaving Luca and the old man alone in the silence of the night.
Luca approached the old man, and help him get up. Even his white mustache was tainted by blood.
"A-are you alright Sir?" Luca asked worriedly.
"Y-yeah don't worry about me, I-I'm fine. I wasn't just expecting that you have all those skills, I saw earlier. I thought you'll end like me too."
"That won't happen, Sir."
Because he have that skills since he was born, Luca wasn't sure where he got those. Or probably it's just part of some defensive skills that he must learn in order for him to survive in this cruel world. However, he didn't train for any taekwondo class, or the like, because ever since he got malice in this world, he started grinding for himself and his family. That's why he is wondering where his body gets such knowledge to throw some stunts.
"Come on I'll bring you home," Luca added but then the old man speaks.
"Don't worry about me son, you should get home now. It's getting too late too, you seemed exhausted from work."
And that hits Luca, and remembered his wife. He look at the gifts he was carrying earlier and thank God it wasn't touched or hit by the trouble that happened.
"A-Are you sure sir?"
"I-It's our anniversary today, and I only have a few minutes left to get home and bring all those stuff to my wife as I greet her." Luca tried to explain as fast as he could because he feel bad for not being able to bring the old man safely to his home.
"Don't worry about that son, you've already helped me enough."
The old man didn't insist anymore, and it ends their conversation. Luca started running back to their small home, as he tries to fix his wrinkled clothes and gather himself like nothing happened tonight. The thought of his wife greeting him with a smile on his face excites him even more and removes all this tiredness from the long day he had.
He only has fifteen minutes and smiled as he reached their front door.
"A beef steak is probably waiting for me," Luca whispered to himself before opening the door slowly.
But as soon as he opened the door.
Silenced.
Luca's smile slowly faded as he was greeted by darkness. Only the dim light coming from the kitchen could give him a gleam.
No table with set up romantic candles and a beef steak to dine with.
No Amanda.
It was purely silenced.
Luca's head suddenly was filled with questions.
"W-Where's she?"He asked himself. Until he heard small giggles coming from their room.
"Oh, she's upstairs." He sighed in relief.
"She probably set it up there, to make a difference, because she surprised me in the lobby last year." He added and slowly took the stairs up to surprise her, he glanced once again at the bouquet he was holding and the black box when he reached the front door of their room and smiled, it has to be another best anniversary night for them, he cannot ruin it.
"Ahhh, take it slow."
The door wasn't closed yet slightly parted, making Luca hear those noises clearly. His feet suddenly get stuck to where he was standing and his eyes are fixated on the clothes scattered on the floor. He froze and started to process what was going on.
Luca wasn't born yesterday to not be aware of what's happening.
As another moan left Amanda's lips, a tear fell from Luca's eyes. The door slowly opened slightly enough for him to see his wife naked and a familiar man lying on their bed, having sex.
"N-No," Luca whispered to himself as he has a perfect view of his wife's face having all those pleasures plastered on her face, that he never see whenever they were making love, and it hurts him even more.
Luca's bleeding in pain, he cannot take it anymore and turn around.
'My Amanda is cheating.' Luca thought to himself, and was about to walk away when…
"Luca?" Amanda's sweet and gentle voice suddenly erupted.
Luca didn't move as he heard his wife's voice, this is the first time that her voice doesn't sound enchanting to him. He doesn't know what he was about to do.
'Should I get mad?'
'Should I pretend that nothing happened?'
Luca knew that Amanda loves him, however, he was lacking to provide for his wife's needs. But he was doing his best and was working harder to give it to her. But was it right for her to cheat? They'd been married for five years, and he sure was happy with her. But with what he has witnessed, he started to think if she was really happy with him in all those years they spent together or if was it all …fake.
"I-I'm sorry if I've disturbed you two," Luca replied in a low voice, trying to calm himself even more. He knew that if he put himself in trouble, everything will get worst. He's not a scandalous man, and he's trying to be more polite despite having all the right to do so.
"Luca face me," Amanda demanded, and it was the sign Luca was waiting to see his wife again. When he turned around, his wife was wearing a rob already but his eyes landed on her neck.
She's wearing the necklace, that he was supposed to give her. He tightly held onto the bouquet of roses and the gift he save up for months in order for him to afford it.
"H-Happy Anniversary, Amanda." Luca managed to greet her, but completely with sad eyes.
"Oh, it was your anniversary?" A familiar voice suddenly speaks, and Luca was surprised even more to see who it was.
"Y-You?"
"Sorry, I forgot that you've requested our manager for an early out tonight because it's your anniversary. I wasn't on the right timing was I?" The man was mocking Luca with a fake sad face flashed on his face.
"How could you do this to me, Amanda?"
The man his wife was cheating on was his boss' son.
Steven Carter.