"Ren Carter, you fool! How can you forget that today is your girlfriend's birthday?" A man could be heard muttering to himself as he rushed away.
"Hey, Ren! What are you doing?"
"Slow down!"
Ren's colleagues shouted in shock as he passed by them.
"Sorry!" a calm, soothing male voice replied, but the girls merely raised an eyebrow before returning to work. Everyone knew the kind of boss they had, and besides, Ren was the most hardworking employee in the company. He probably had a break from the manager, so who were they to complain?
Ren jumped from one flight of stairs to the next, breathing heavily. By the time he reached the ground floor, his suit was drenched in sweat.
"Damn... working out was really a great idea," Ren thought, opening the door. His suit clung to his body, his hair tousled, sweat dripping from his head to the ground.
Behind him, a twenty-story building with intricate glass designs loomed, and at the front was the name of the prestigious company:
"Lukforu."
"Ha, the boss was really considerate today... Babe, I'm on my way. Today, April 23rd, is your birthday, and I'll make it special," Ren thought as he rushed to the road, waving as a taxi stopped.
The window rolled down, and a slightly older man with a cigarette in his mouth spoke up.
"Where to, young man?"
Ren smiled.
"Some places, let me personally book you," he grinned.
"Young man, you must be joking. I still have—" The man didn't finish his sentence as Ren entered the taxi.
A $200 bill was placed near the driver, who looked at the money in front of him. The driver instantly laughed and rolled down the window.
"Where to, my good sir?" he asked politely, as Ren chuckled. The change in behavior was obvious, but Ren didn't care. From the corner of his eye, he saw the driver grab the two hundred dollar bills hastily.
"First to that little garden," Ren said, thinking of the flowers to get his girl.
"Okay, then. Off to Porta Ginks," the driver replied, and the vehicle moved.
The journey took a few minutes. Upon arriving, Ren rushed out.
"Young man, slow down!" the driver called, puffing out smoke from his cigarette.
"Time is not on my side," Ren replied hurriedly as he entered the flower shop.
"Ha, time truly is not on your side," the driver muttered with a cold glint in his eyes before smiling.
Inside the shop, Ren spoke to the attendant as he picked out a beautiful combination of exotic flowers.
"That will be $15, sir," the attendant said with a smile, as Ren dropped the money with a smile of his own.
Ren rushed out without collecting the change from the hundred he had given and jumped back into the taxi.
"Where to next?" the driver asked as soon as Ren boarded, clutching the beautiful, fragrant flowers.
"The closest bakery," Ren said, as the driver grinned.
"Oh, I know just the place," the driver smiled, and the journey began. It took a while, but Ren wasn't upset. He could still catch up and meet his girlfriend on time—after all, she was home today with nothing to do.
Ren got the perfect cake for his girlfriend, writing her name on it and all.
"Jane will love this," Ren thought as he entered the taxi again.
"Let's go to ****** Street," Ren said, and the driver nodded, starting the vehicle.
In less than thirty minutes, they arrived. Ren got out.
"Thank you for the ride," Ren said, as the driver smiled.
"I should be thanking you, and yeah, good luck on your date," the driver said, as Ren smiled. It wasn't really a date, but it didn't matter.
Ren walked up to the front of his house, greeting the security guards protecting the estate.
"The sweat's dried. I smell awful, but this flower scent is amazing... and the cake," Ren muttered as he opened the door.
"Jane... Daddy's home!" Ren chuckled as he licked his lips.
Ren carefully placed everything on the dining table, waiting for his girlfriend to show up—but she didn't come out.
"Is she mad?" Ren thought, walking up to her room, but she wasn't there.
He didn't give up, searching the entire house. He called her phone, but it was switched off. He asked the neighbors, but no one had seen her.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Ren was confused as he called his girlfriend's friends, but their phones were switched off, just like her parents'.
Ren was really worried now. He even thought about going to the police to file a missing person's report, but it hadn't been 24 hours yet.
Ren sat down on his couch, facing the door and waiting for Jane, hoping the door would open and he'd see her. But it didn't. Tomorrow, he was definitely going to the station to file a report.
Time passed. Ren was feeling sleepy—yesterday had been stressful, and his sleep had been incomplete—but he told himself Jane would come home any minute.
Finally, by 10:00 PM, Ren fell asleep.
A few moments later, Ren heard the sound of a car. He opened his eyes grumpily.
"Give me a few minutes, Jane," Ren muttered, trying to go back to sleep. But then he remembered Jane wasn't home, and his eyes snapped open. He stood up hastily.
"Car sound... Jane... where is she?" Ren rushed to the window and saw a luxurious car parked near their house.
He looked on, his mouth dropping open in shock.
A tall, muscular man stepped out, walked to the other side, and opened the door for a girl to step out.
Looking at her, Ren felt a sense of recognition.
"Jane?" Ren called out in shock, watching as the man held her waist, drew her close, and kissed her.
"Fuck you!!" Ren shouted, furious as he quickly unlocked the door and ran toward them.
The two broke the kiss, puzzled, as they heard the shout. The next thing they saw was a man rushing toward them, his face twisted in anger as he threw a punch at the muscular man.
"Fuck!"
A gasp escaped the muscular man as he moved back, stumbling and falling onto his car while clutching his cheek. One of his teeth was missing, blood filling his mouth.
Ren was about to continue when he felt a soft palm on his arm.
"Stop, Ren..." Jane said. Ren looked at her. She was beautiful, hot, sexy, with a sweet voice. She was perfect—but the more Ren looked at her, the angrier he became.
"You bitch!" Ren shouted, raising his hand. A slap was coming down when he clenched his fist, stopping just a few inches from her face.
"Slapping you would be like dirtying my hands," Ren said, his voice cold.
Jane's mind was blown. Was this really the same gullible fool who kept showing her love?
"You bastard!" a male voice yelled, and Ren turned around. The muscular man was bleeding, having spat out his tooth, and he charged at Ren.
The distance was too close, and he tackled Ren to the ground.
They started fighting, but the muscular man was much stronger. He punched Ren in the face, swelling it up until it was unrecognizable.
Jane stood there, frozen, remembering how Ren had almost slapped her. Her mind replayed the moment again and again.
"Ha... Is this the bitch I wanted to marry? The one who was supposed to be the mother of my children?" Ren thought, as the punches continued. Finally, his body twitched, and he lost consciousness.
"Honey... leave him!" Jane snapped back to reality when she saw Ren was almost beaten to death.
The muscular man spat on Ren, looking at him with disgust.
"Is this the weakling who was disturbing you?" the man asked, as Jane stared at Ren.
She was silent for a while, remembering all the things she and Ren had done together.
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"Blame yourself for being poor," Jane thought, looking at the bloody scene, her gaze falling on Ren's unrecognizable face. Fear and disgust mixed in her chest, and she felt like she might vomit. The blood was too much.
"Yes, dear, let's leave. I'll pack my things now," Jane said, and tiptoed to give the man a peck on the cheek.
"Good," the man replied, watching her walk away.
He took out a handkerchief, wiped his hands, and checked his teeth.
"This fucker... I should have killed you," the man muttered angrily, before entering his car, waiting for Jane to finish.
A few minutes later, Jane emerged with her bags and walked away from Ren without a second glance. They both ignored him.
"Babe," Jane called out, pecking the man on the cheek.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?" Jane asked, as the man shook his head.
"No, baby," he replied with a laugh as he opened the car door.
"Now my mouth hurts because of that fool," the man thought as he drove away.
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