I grabbed the empty box of cigarette on the table and threw it to the guy standing beside me. He gave me a look but didn’t say anything and just went to the trash can to dispose the cigarette box.

I put one foot on the chair and stared at the man sprawled on the floor, blood gushing out of holes I inflicted on him using a heated iron rod. He died 3 seconds ago and staring at his corpse didn’t bring me any sort of remorse.

Anthony neared me and whistled at the gruesome sight.

“Is that Senator Mendoza’s assistant?” he asked, leaning over to get a better view.

“Yeah, your dad asked me to kill him,” I nonchalantly answered.

Anthony rubbed the back of his head, smiling apologetically at me.

“Sorry, I’ve been busy dealing with foreigners, I didn’t get to torture this fucker,” he said, kicking the body.

He looked at the men surrounding us and ordered them to clean up the mess. I remained sitting on the chair. I took my phone out of my pocket and stared at a picture of the guy I’ve been in love with for almost 12 years.

I sighed.

It’s been three years since I moved here in the Philippines and I’ve been stalking him like crazy.

After I finished training with grandpa, the old man and his friends, I immediately asked dad that I wanted to go to the Philippines as soon as possible. Dad was adamant at first. I’ve been training non-stop for most of the years I’ve been in Italy. I endured all the pain, the suffering, the depression, everything, just to meet him again. After all the years that have passed, I remained in love with the kid I met.

Dad kept saying it was nothing but puppy love, that it would pass when I grow up and eventually, I’ll forget him.

But I didn’t.

Every damn second of my life, I kept thinking about that.

I wanted him so bad that it’s making me crazy.

Only Clark knew how desperate I am to own the guy I only met once. He even told me I’m behaving like his fathers, to which I consider an insult since his fathers were crazy bastards. They were one of the people who trained me to become the next leader of the American and Italian Mafia and they put me through hell just to become like them.

Clark was the closest person I have in my life other than my family and his parents. He’s the only person I see as a true friend. I grew up with him after I got back from the Philippines for the first time. After his parents introduced him to us, we became fond of each other since we both have the same personality, the same attitude and the same outlook in life. We both trained at the same time and even though he was two years younger than me, he didn’t let our gap hinder his goals of getting what he wanted.

The training Clark and I received from those ruthless, brutal people made us strong and resilient. By now, I’ve adapted from all the injuries they inflicted on me, making me immune against pain.

I became an even stronger person than Matthias, who’s probably one of the scariest and strongest person I’ve known.

I know that’s what my old man wanted me to be.

He once told me that if I wanted to protect the person I love, I need to become better than him.

And I did it.

Even after I finished every requirements I needed to become a mob boss, my dads didn’t pressure me to take their positions. Dad told me that I was free to do whatever I wanted until my old man retires. And I was quite glad because Matthias was still a formidable person, able to lead two groups even in old age.

I heard silent footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw Clark walking towards me. His hood was covering his head, his hands hidden inside his jean pockets as he stopped beside me to observe what happened.

He followed me after knowing that I moved to the Philippines to continue studying in North Vale. A school especially built for the delinquent students of the country. But it was all just a front. Anthony and Kenneth’s father built the school with the help of the most prominent people in the underground world which included both my fathers. Their father wanted North Vale to be a place where they could easily transact drugs in and out of the country without the knowledge of the local government.

But come on, let’s be honest, I’m sure those idiot politicians knew what dark secret North Vale’s hiding. They say it was a reformation school to help the delinquents of the country to change for the better but the truth was that it’s a place where crime was legal. High-ranking politicians gets a cut of North Vale’s business and in return, they turn a blind eye to whatever North Vale’s true purpose was.

It was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it was a good system to make drug dealings easier for the syndicate.

Carlos, the leader of the Philippine syndicate, personally asked me to dispose Senator Mendoza’s assistant, who he found out was getting a bigger cut than what his original payment was to keep Mendoza’s mouth shut. He’s been threatening Carlos that he would exposed North Vale but he bribed him and his group to keep them silent but even after getting a lot of money, Mendoza’s assistant got greedy and it ended up with him on the ground, dead.

Well, whatever, his death will serve as a warning for Mendoza’s party to keep their eyes off of North Vale.

“Finished already?” Clark asked.

“Yeah.”

I stood up and walked away, leaving my men to deal with the mess I made.

“Let’s go,” I said to Clark who walked beside me.

“To visit Carlos, I assume?” he asked, his voice dead like usual.

Clark doesn’t have a lot of emotions and I liked that about him. He was indifferent to most humans. He was a recluse and only a few people could take a genuine expression from Clark.

“Yeah,” I said, walking close to me, “I need to collect my money from him.”

I heard Clark sighing.

“So instead of being with the guy you’ve been obsessed with half of your life, you’re doing petty jobs like this,” he commented.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I can’t do anything about it. I’m all alone here. My dads didn’t give me anything.”

“Can’t aunt Marge help you with money?” he asked.

“Nah, I don’t want to bother them.”

Clark smirked.

“Well, I’m sure they’re feeling pissed because you haven’t been visiting them for a long time.”

“I’m busy.”

“It’s not like you’re killing people everyday, Hiro.”

“I am, actually.”

“Then give me your kills. I can do it for you.”

I put an arm around his shoulder and smirked back at him.

“You’ll do a sloppy job, baby boy,” I teased.

He puffed his cheeks and playfully glared at me.

“If your dad knows you’ve been doing assassin jobs, he’ll be furious.”

I grinned at Clark.

“Same goes for you too.”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me.”

--

I threw the black card smeared with the blood of Senator Mendoza’s assistant on Carlos’ desk. He stared at it, raising a brow at me.

“That was fast,” was the only thing he said.

I sat on the chair in front of his table while Clark sat in front of me.

Carlos looked at his secretary. He nodded his head and I watched him leave the room to retrieve my payment.

“You’ve been a big help, Hiro,” Carlos said, dropping the pen he was holding and taking his eyeglasses off.

“I know how busy Tony and Ken are,” I said, “I’m just doing you a favor.”

Carlos gave me a barren smile.

“I still have a lot more, just tell me and I’ll give you targets.”

I leaned on the chair and sighed out loud.

“I’ll think about it.”

I saw Clark rolling his eyes but he didn’t say anything.

“If you have free time, I want you to meet my other two sons, Tyler and Liam. I’ve been training them as well.”

I raised a brow at him and said, “it’s gonna be hard for you to pick an heir to lead your group.”

“I already decided who’s going to be the next leader but I want them all to be like me,” Carlos said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. This man was cruel man. He only wanted children to use them as pawns and weapons for money. Anthony and Kenneth knew that but they couldn’t do anything so instead of fighting back, they succumbed to what their father wanted them to be. In the end, they’ve become sadistic, merciless, just like their father which for me, was a failure if you wanted a good heir to a mob family.

I know it’s important to let a leader to become evil but greediness and the constant thirst for power was one of the usual reason why a mob family crumbles.

I’ve seen it too many times.

Carlos’ secretary finally came back and he was holding a black, metal case. He gave it to his boss who in turn open it to let me see the stack of money inside.

“Five hundred thousand, I added one more, just for good measure,” he said, smirking at me.

Not bothering to count the paper bills, I closed the case. I took it and stood up, turning my back against him.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” I said without making any eye contact with this wretched man.

“Likewise, Hiro, likewise.”

--

I threw the case in the back seat of my car. I heaved another sigh and I could feel Clark staring at me.

“What?” I snapped, feeling irritated that he was observing me.

“Five hundred will last you a long time,” he said. “Stop working for Carlos and look for another job.”

“This is one way to make money fast.”

“Earl specifically told you not to take assassin jobs,” Clark reprimanded.

“Well, dad’s not here.”

I put the seat belt on and urged Clark to do the same.

“I don’t understand you. The reason why you’re here in the Philippines is because you want to be with the kid, right?”

I clenched my fists.

I’m aware of that. The only reason why I’m here was because of him.

But for the past year, I’ve been having doubts.

And it was seriously pissing me off.

“Call the others. Let’s go eat,” I said, dismissing what Clark was telling me.

He stared at me.

“Hiro,” he exasperatedly called my name.

“Drop it, Clark. I’m fucking hungry.”

“You’re an idiot.”

--

“Finally!” Devine exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement, “we get to see each other again!”

Cleo rolled her eyes at Devine.

“It’s only been two days since we last saw each other in school, Vine,” she sarcastically said.

Her brother, Clive, snickered but Devine’s glare made him stop.

“I’m just telling you, everyone’s been busy with the festival!”

She shifted her eyes to me.

“Well, except for the boss,” she added. “What have you been doing?”

I remained quiet. I wasn’t interested in answering her.

Anthony leaned closer to me and with a huge grin on his face, he replied, “you know what he’s been doing, Vine!”

Devine made a face.

“Yeah, I know that.”

Everyone in this table came from families who were working in the syndicate. I chose them to be with me after knowing that each and every one of them would be a great use to me. Except for Anthony and Kenneth, they were all expendable and I could use them however I want. I have no other intention of getting close to them.

I don’t see them as friends so every time I’m with their company, I’m always quiet and distant.

“I don’t understand you. The reason why you’re here in the Philippines is because you want to be with the kid, right?”

I mentally scolded Clark for putting that in my mind. I glanced at him and he was silently sitting beside Ishmael and Clive. He was busy browsing his phone while Ishmael tried his best to make conversation with him.

I’ve very well aware of that.

You don’t know how much I wanted to drop everything, leave North Vale and get this guy just to be with me. If I needed to kidnap him, lock him up in a place where no one could find him, I would.

I’ll do anything to have him.

12 years. I’ve suffered for 12 years.

I’m yearning for him.

Fuck, I want him so bad.

After all the years we’ve been separated, my feelings for him only grew stronger.

I wanted him to be mine.

I wanted him to be mine.

I wanted him to be mine.

I wanted him to be mine.

I wanted him to be mine.

I wanted him to be --