Chapter 14 Getting Into Trouble

• I ended up being reduced to a zero after trying to save Maddy in an act of heroism. At the critical moment, a bearded thirty-year-old man stepped in to rescue me by kicking Caleb away, sending his burly figure flying off into the distance. The crash-landing that followed subsequently sent him into a coma.
• I was startled by the turn of events before quickly realizing I had met a master in martial arts, just like in the novels. Martial arts, despite its sublimity, was only ever depicted in works of fiction, and people rarely got a chance to witness it in the real world. I got back on my feet after a few moments, wanting to thank the bearded man. However, he turned to leave after glancing at me.
• “Hey, please hold on, Master!” Being the geek I was, I blurted out without thinking. Perhaps I was experiencing a case of idealization. I had always been a humble and slightly dim introvert, which would translate to being a cowardly person. That was perhaps why I idealized martial arts as a magical ability that I could one day attain to contend against the strong, just so that I could be as powerful as the heroes I read about in novels. Unfortunately, the man didn’t even look back before disappearing into the crowd.
• I heaved a long sigh. In fact, I was hoping to get to know him. Even if we couldn’t be friends, we could at least be acquaintances. Since I worked in a clubhouse, I could use the help of someone like him if I ever got into trouble, but he didn’t even allow me to thank him.
• “Hudson, are you alright?” Maddy walked up to me, her face drained of color.
• “I’m fine. It’s just a scratch,” I replied while wiping the blood off my mouth.
• “Thank you for your help.”
• “You don’t have to. All I did was humiliate myself. You should thank the man who came to the rescue in the end,” I said humbly.
• “He had been watching from the sidelines all along, only stepping in at the end due to unknown reasons. Anyway, I owe you one, so allow me to buy you a meal,” Maddy offered.
• Since I had nothing better to do, I nodded in agreement. “I should be the one to buy you a meal though.”
• “Nope, I will!”
• Both of us went into a restaurant for a chat over a meal. As a prostitute who worked in a clubhouse, Maddy was adept in reading other people and conversing with them. She was also good at setting the mood, so our meal wasn’t awkward at all despite the fact that it was our first outing together.
• “Hudson, you might be in a bit of trouble after this,” Maddy told me abruptly.
• “What’s wrong?” Startled by her sudden revelation, I tried to get more answers from her.
• “That man’s name is Caleb Johnson. He used to be my classmate while we were in high school, and had joined a gang during his second year. Two years ago, ever since he knew I moved to Jacinth City, he followed suit while bringing a few thugs along with him. From what I gathered, he’s now operating under Louis Schmidt,” Maddy elaborated more about Caleb’s background.
• While I might know nothing of Louis Schmidt before working at Dreamscape Clubhouse, I had gotten a grasp of Jacinth City’s power distribution after I did. The city was divided between four major factions led by four leaders, namely Fatty Watson, Louis Schmidt, Pockie, and Draco.
• Brandon Watson, otherwise known as Fatty, was none other than the owner of Dreamscape Clubhouse who purportedly had a major influence over both civil society and the underworld. Louis Schmidt was the ringleader to several hundreds or so underlings. Owning his own fleet, Alex ‘Pockie’ Stuart had monopolized the transportation system and harbor in Jacinth City. Jaden ‘Draco’ Maxwell was the most mysterious of them all, as nobody knew who he was. He was the sole drug dealer in Jacinth City, running a business that could potentially put him on death row. While I assumed that Caleb was but a thug, my heart leaped to my throat as soon as I knew he was under Louis.
• “I’m sorry to have caused you trouble,” Maddy apologized.
• “Um, it’s alright.” Although I managed to force a smile, I was in fact silently regretting my actions. Why did my dumbass self just have to go play the hero? What should I do now that I’ve offended Louis Schmidt’s man?
• When I was still worrying about my future, I noticed a group of people approaching the restaurant with Caleb in the lead, seemingly searching for someone. Damn! I cursed mentally.
• By that point, Maddy also noticed their presence, so she quickly whispered to me, “Hudson, you have to leave now! You’ll be done for if he catches you!”
• “What about you?” I asked.
• “He won’t do anything to me aside from humiliating me. We used to be classmates, after all,” she replied.
• “Will you be okay?” I questioned again while staring at her.
• “Just go! They might have spotted you by now, so leave through the back door,” Maddy urged me.
• Lifting my head, I left the restaurant. Judging from the fact that they were running into the restaurant, they might have spotted me, so I dallied no more while making a dash toward the back door.
• “Get him!”
• I heard voices cry out from behind me. Sprinting out of the rear entrance, I ran through High Street to reach my Audi that was parked by it. After swiftly getting into the car and starting the engine, I floored the gas pedal, leaving them in the dust.
• My heart was still thumping when I got home, where neither Jessie nor Gemma were present. I flopped down on the sofa, spacing out while staring at the ceiling. To be honest, I was regretful of my decision to stand up for Maddy, but I couldn’t turn back time. It led to me reflecting on my recent past, and if I was being too arrogant now that life was easy.
• I was financially abundant and living with a gorgeous beauty, while my job at the clubhouse was easy. Not only did I get tipped often, but the women in there were both beautiful and seductive. Spending my time amongst them made me forget that I was but a poor country boy, a weakling with neither power nor influence.
• What should I do? Will Maddy snitch on me? I thought abruptly. Caleb didn’t know me, so he wouldn’t know where to find me even if he wanted to find fault with me. However, all hell would break loose if Maddy told him I worked at Dreamscape Clubhouse.
• I suppose not... After all, I only got into all this mess because I tried to help her, I mused. However, b*tches would be b*tches, especially when said b*tch was literally working as a prostitute in a clubhouse, so there was no way she would be honorable.
• I was plagued by my own thoughts while mulling over my circumstances. I didn’t have work that night, so I had some junk food for dinner. By nine o’clock, Jessie and Gemma came back while holding onto each other when I was watching TV on the sofa. Jessie was wearing a camisole and skinny jeans, while Gemma was in a mini dress that left both her lean legs exposed. Under normal circumstances, the alluring sight would’ve earned them my appraisal, but I wasn’t in the mood to do so that night.
• “How dare you even show your face here, Hudson?” Jessie asked while staring at me.
• “I offended someone just this morning,” I said, explaining to her my circumstances in hopes of getting her help. Instead, she concluded that I was merely reaping what I sowed. Not in the mood to bicker with her, I stood up to return to my room after glancing at her.
• “Jessie, Hudson might really be in trouble.”
• Upon hearing Gemma’s voice, I slowed down to hear what Jessie might say. If she had even a tiny bit of inclination to help me, I wouldn’t mind turning around to beg her on my knees.
• “He’s afraid that I might throw him out of the house, so what else could it be other than to earn my sympathy? Just ignore him.”
• What Jessie said left me feeling dejected. I couldn’t help but wonder if I still looked like a wimp to her. If worse came to worst, I intended to beg for her help. Caleb and his thugs should be wary of the police, and with Jessie’s connections, she should be able to help me settle the dispute with Caleb if she was willing to reach out in my stead.
• However, I was determined to settle things on my own after listening to Jessie and Gemma’s conversation. I would no longer ask Jessie for help, even if it would cost me my life. After all, no man could stand being called a wimp by such a gorgeous woman, so I was determined to prove myself to her.
• The next day, I bought a foot-long hunting knife before proceeding to hide it in my Audi, just in case. By six o’clock in the evening, I arrived promptly at the clubhouse. When I bumped into Maddy at the lounge, I was thinking of chatting with her, but she seemed intent on avoiding me. Even during our brief conversations, she was being snappy, which felt like a deliberate choice on her part to put distance between us.
• Bloody hell, what’s the meaning of this? Startled, I stared at her with wide eyes while surmising the reasons behind her actions. Throughout the night, I had a bad feeling about where things would go. Judging from her behavior, I supposed she might very well have confessed to Caleb that I was working as an attendant at Dreamscape Clubhouse.
• After getting off work at one in the morning, I snuck out from the rear entrance of the clubhouse nervously. Upon scanning my surroundings, I noticed that there was nobody else aside from my other colleagues who had also just gotten off work. Was I being paranoid? Blinking, I cautiously proceeded to the basement parking located a hundred meters away from the clubhouse.
• In order to avoid suspicion, I always parked my car over there. After all, the main reason I worked as an attendant in the clubhouse was to act as Jessie’s spy. Although the short distance never bothered me, I couldn’t help but have a bad feeling that night. I constantly felt that someone was tailing me, but I saw no one behind me every time I turned around. It was just my mind playing tricks on me.
• When I was thirty meters away from the parking lot, I began running. However, by the next instant, the headlights of a car lit up from behind me, which led to me turning around instinctively, only to be momentarily blinded by the dazzling lights.
• The screeching of car brakes could be heard right before I was punched in the stomach. Then, two people dragged me into the car. It took me a while before I adjusted to the inside of the car. I was in a van, sitting between two young men. Caleb was seated in the passenger seat, while a bald man was driving.
• “Were you the one who meddled in my business the other day?” Caleb asked while turning around to glance at me.
• “Caleb, I-I work for Fatty Watson! What do you plan on doing to me?” My body was trembling nonstop as I stuttered.
• “Pah! You’re not even his subordinate! I know you’re but a lowly attendant in the clubhouse who even the gigolos preside over, so don’t you dare act tough in front of me!” As soon as Caleb turned around, he gave me a slap while hurling insults at me. “Beat the crap out of him!” He gave his orders to the two young men.
• Thump—thump—thump—
• Both men held my arms up in one hand before they began pummeling on my stomach with the other. A few hits in, I began wailing, but my stubborn streak kicked in as soon as I cried out in pain, so I clenched my mouth shut while keeping my silence.
• “You fools! Pack in more force! Beat him to a pulp!” Seeing that I remained silent, Caleb chided his subordinates.
• Thud! Thud! Thud!
• Immediately, I could feel that their punches landed more forcefully. Feeling the pain in my stomach, I howled in pain before scolding him with all my might, “You freaking loser! Kill me if you dare, or else I’ll make sure that you pay dearly for this!” Instead of howling, I cursed him in order to distract myself from the pain in my stomach.
• “I want him dead!”