The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

132 How Does It Feel?

Marcel and Jack’s dream had come true. The people were happy now. Marcel left Bluevalley Street just like that, closing all the bad memories the street created. However, there was one thing that most people didn’t know, including his grandmother, Lilian.

There was one business owned by Apollo that still survived to this day. An underground business that was not smelled by those who were not part of the dark world’s people. Because Marcel thought money was important, he was forced to keep the Paradise Cave business. He changed the name of the place to Underground Cave because he felt the previous name was not suitable for the place he considered hell.

During his lifetime, Marcel had felt how hard it would be to have no money. It became a fear that seemed to haunt him secretly in his subconscious. He was afraid of being in poverty again. He was afraid that his and his grandmother’s life would be miserable again if they did not have the money to buy power.

Since childhood, Marcel had always wanted a comfortable life. He always got insulted for his physique and was always envious when he saw rich people who could buy and wear whatever they want. All of these things made Marcel madly change his appearance and body shape. He wanted to heal all the wounds that the bastards had inked in his heart over the years.

Marcel understood that if he wanted to protect many people, he had to be powerful. That power he obtained with money, because basically, humans depend on money. It was impossible to survive without money in this day and age. They no longer lived in the stone era. Because protecting and advancing Redvalley Street required money, Marcel was forced to collect deposits from the street’s dwellers. However, he cut the cost to be small, so as not to burden the residents. To cover the lack of income, Marcel used the income from the Underground Cave which was a gold mine that was previously built by Apollo.

Paradise Cave.. or.. Underground Cave was the reason why RJC grew this big. Armed with knowledge and direction from Kenny Brown, Marcel became proficient in business. In just a short period, he was able to collect the coffers of money, becoming a rich man which was his personal dream. He could buy everything he want, but not with peace in his heart. Because, Marcel was not Jack. Every human heart was different.

The truth was Marcel had broken the promise. He should have shut down all of Apollo’s legacy businesses. But, instead, he still left one for him to survive. Or.. to keep Redvalley alive. Or.. to keep RJC in power.

-Flashback End-

***

.....

“That man in the black helmet is like a ghost. He could appear anywhere and we couldn’t even hear him coming.” A bright yellow dyed hair man said. He knelt with his back bowed respectfully, without daring to look at the face of the person he was talking to.

For the umpteenth time, the man with short hair kicked the yellow-haired subordinate who had made him upset. What really annoyed him the most was the information about the man in the black helmet who kept thwarting their group’s work. However, it was what the losers do, right? Throwing their frustration on others.

“Are you sure it was the same person who beat you to death?” Gaston Morez asked.

“Shut your fucking mouth! Who was death?!” Eddy Norman snapped. His face looked very irritated. He hated the midget man who always wore a helmet so much that he looked like a mushroom growing on rotting wood. The fact that he was defeated by that little bastard made him so embarrassed. His nose now had a rather odd shape because it had been broken earlier!

“How many times have we held Black Harvest Day, but the result was only a piece of fingernail because of that man. Not to mention Jita Kyoei who has come back and helped Calvin Lee. Too bad, Black Hole also increased the deposit rate. Dammit!” Tony Lin muttered.

“Actually, Calvin Lee and Jita Kyoei have been rarely seen lately. However, it’s that damn black helmet who seems to have nothing else to do but wander around.” Eddy added.

“It’s the time to find for him before we are killed by the chairman,” Gaston muttered.

“How many times are you going to say that? You’ve been saying that shit until Eddy’s nostrils are connected back.” Tony answered Gaston whose mouth was getting bigger by the day. He was sure that the man with the big muscles had actually been insecure by hearing only rumours about how strong the man in the black helmet was.

Gaston immediately turned to face Tony Lin, a man with soft black hair that was always neatly arranged to frame his oriental face, “Do you want to make a fuss in this chaos?”

Tony just kept a straight face, not the least bit interested in dealing with Gaston’s raging bull temper. A man with a large build who couldn’t even control his own anger was a man who would quickly lose in a tactical battle. Actually, Tony had been looking alone for information about the black helmet man. From the rumours he heard, the man had great fighting tactics. That’s what allowed him to win, even when facing an opponent many times bigger than his own body size.

“We have to frame him,” Tony said.

“We could not.” Eddy replied, “I heard, the next meeting will discuss our next target. Looks like the chairman would be focusing on RJC. Instead of chasing the dwarf man, I think, he would tell us to attack RJC’s territory which is a gold mine.”

***

TAK! TAK! TAK!

The sound of knives clashing with wooden cutting boards echoed in the kitchen, which was dominated by pastel-coloured ornaments. The ornamental plants that the owner of the house planted in glass vases have now grown quite tall. In a glimpse, Emma had been in that house for almost half a year.

“What are your plans for New Year’s Eve?” Jonas asked from across the phone. His voice echoed in the kitchen which was joined with the living room of the open concept house.

“I don’t know. Cooking, I guess,” Emma answered lightly as she put the chopped carrot into her soup pot. She accidentally connected her cellphone to a portable Bluetooth speaker that she placed on the counter table.

“I don’t think cooking is anything special anymore, seeing you do it almost every day,” Jonas said.

“Well.. But I like it,” Emma sighed quietly. Actually, she was also in a bad mood because she did not have more fun activities to welcome the new year.

“I was wondering if you might want to come home and stay here for a night or two,” Jonas said, making Emma stop her activities for a moment before moving back again.

Emma shook her head, though Jonas couldn’t see it, “Nah.. I’m comfortable here and I don’t miss anyone at home. I’ll even bet they don’t miss me either.”

“Just because someone doesn’t show you affection, doesn’t mean they don’t love you,” Jonas said. Then, a rumbling sound from behind the phone was heard, as if the old man on the other side was busy with something, “Did you know that Edward will leave the country tomorrow to do his studies?”

“Tomorrow?” Emma repeated in disbelief. Edward was her younger brother. The boy had planned to continue his education abroad. But Emma had forgotten that it would happen within this month.

“Sometimes I’m a bit confused. You all are siblings, but none one of you are close to each other.” Jonas muttered.

Emma smiled a little, “So do I, honestly. Actually, I see people attach great importance to their families here. That’s very strange because I’ve never felt it.” She sighed unconsciously.

“Everyone has a different life, Emma. If you don’t find family in the house you were born in, you may find it in your new world. But one thing you have to remember. Blood is thicker than water. You will see for yourself one day. How strong the blood relationship is.” Jonas replied.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Emma muttered as she continued to stir the contents of her boiling pot. Then, she immediately regained herself by shaking her head a few times, “Oh, Jonas. May I ask you something?” Emma asked with a smile on her face.

“What is it?”

“Um.. Actually.. I’m a little curious about something, but I feel bad to ask you. But, if you don’t mind, may I know, who was the woman who answered my phone at that time?” Emma asked with a little giggle.

“Oh.. Of course, you will. I’ve been waiting for this day to come.” Jonas muttered with an exasperated sigh, “So.. That was.. my lover?” he even hung his own answer.

“Wow!” Emma clapped in motion. “I’ve expected it, actually. But I just felt it was so absurd that I couldn’t help but ask you myself. So, it’s true that miracles could really happen, huh? I didn’t think you’re a human, Jonas!” she continued excitedly.

Jonas couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “Yes.. yes.. Make fun of me as you like,”

“How did it feel, Jonas? What made you know she was the one?” Emma asked curiously. Even though she hated to admit it, she was not blind to see that Jonas was a sexy man with a handsome face. In essence, he was a man with a figure who was above average in his age class. With the looks like that, Emma could bet many women had approached him. But all this time, the annoying man seemed to have never been interested in women.

Jonas smiled, “Why do you want to know? I feel like this is not like you, you know?”