“So, well…” Jimmy began, leaning back in his chair. “At first, I thought Lucian was too good to be true. I figured there had to be some ulterior motive behind his actions. I mean, nobody’s that selfless, right? Especially not some kid I barely knew.” Find adventures at empire
He paused, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he continued. “So that day, we didn’t talk much. We went our separate ways, and I didn’t think too much about it afterward. Just another random encounter on the streets.”
Jimmy’s gaze grew distant as he went on, his tone taking on a reflective quality. “But then, the next day, out of nowhere, he found me. I still don’t know how he managed it, but he showed up at one of my secret hideouts a place nobody was supposed to know about. And he did it without me noticing a thing.”
Both Avey and Cassandra leaned forward slightly, their curiosity piqued.
“I was sure he was a spy,” Jimmy said with a dry chuckle. “I thought maybe one of my enemies sent him, a trap to mess with me. So I figured, fine if that’s the game, I’ll teach him a lesson. Show him not to mess with me or get involved in these businesses.”
Jimmy’s grin turned a little rueful. “I decided I’d rough him up a bit. Scare him off, you know? Tell him to stay out of this world because he was just a kid. I mean, what else could an eight- or nine-year-old boy possibly be doing sneaking around like that?”
He leaned forward, his expression almost amused. “When I confronted him, I asked him why he was there. You know what he said? ‘I just came for fun.’ Can you believe that? No reason. Just… time pass.”
Cassandra frowned, her brow furrowing in confusion. “He didn’t explain why he was there?”
Jimmy shook his head. “Nope. Didn’t offer any reason at all. Just stood there like it was the most normal thing in the world. So I told him to surrender put his hands up because honestly, he looked weak as hell. What could a kid that age possibly do? I even said as much to him.”
Jimmy’s eyes lit up with a mix of amusement and disbelief. “And you know what happened next? That little mons..” He stopped himself, laughing under his breath. “Before I even knew what hit me, I was flat on my back, with Lucian sitting on top of me like…”
Avey’s and Cassandra gasped softly. Even Garry, who had been quietly listening, arched an eyebrow, pretending to be surprised.
“Yeah,” Jimmy said, smirking. “That kid nine years old took me down. I mean, me. Can you believe it? I still don’t know how he managed it, but that’s Lucian for you. Even now, he’s scarily good at fighting.”
He glanced at Avey. “Bet you didn’t know that about him, did you he can fight?”
Avey shook her head slowly, feeling a pang of regret. She had never known this side of Lucian
Jimmy knew about him too much more then her she didn’t.
Jimmy coughed, straightening in his seat. “Well, I’ll admit it I let him win. Took it easy on him because, you know, he’s just a kid.” He coughed again, looking away as if to avoid scrutiny.
Garry bit back a smile, trying to keep a straight face, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
“Anyway,” Jimmy continued, brushing off the moment, “after that, we somehow became friends. He helped me out with so much that it’s hard to put into words. And then I found out…” He paused, chuckling softly. “That kid? He’s rich. I mean, rich-rich. Like, stupidly rich.”
“I didn’t know how a kid that young could have access to so much money,” Jimmy admitted. “But he didn’t just help me out a little. No. He cleared all my father’s debts. Paid for my mom’s hospital bills. Even bought us a house. And he did it all without asking for anything in return.”
Jimmy’s voice dropped slightly, tinged with something unspoken. “I asked him why he did it. You know what he said? ‘I just want to be your friend.’ That’s all he wanted from me. Nothing else.”
A faint, genuine smile crossed Jimmy’s face. “I’ll admit, at the time, I thought it was ridiculous. But that’s Lucian. He’s not like anyone else. He showed me kindness I didn’t deserve unconditional kindness. And I’ll never forget that.”
He leaned back, his expression softening as a nostalgic look crossed his face. “Over time, I started trusting him. I even started liking the kid. He was the first person other than my mom who ever made me laugh. The first person to celebrate my birthday. Can you believe that? I didn’t even know what it felt like to have a friend until I met Lucian.”
For a moment, Jimmy’s voice faltered, and he looked away, his gaze distant. “He changed my life. Pulled me out of a hole I never thought I’d escape. And he didn’t ask for anything in return. Not once.”
Avey stared at Jimmy, she listened to his story didn’t said anything.
“Well, things were great for a while,” Jimmy said, a faint smile crossing his lips as he leaned back, his tone softening with nostalgia. “That kid… he was always happy. Always laughing, like the world didn’t have a single problem to throw at him. No matter what was happening, he had this way of staying positive too positive, honestly. It was like negativity just couldn’t touch him.”
Jimmy’s gaze grew distant as he continued, his voice tinged with a mix of admiration and disbelief. “He was kind to everyone. Always. It didn’t matter who they were or what they’d done. Lucian treated everyone like they mattered. Like they deserved his kindness.”
He paused, his brow furrowing slightly. “I never saw him angry, you know? Not once. Never bitter, never hateful. No grudges, no resentment. It’s like he just… refused to let the world drag him down. Even when he had every reason to.”
Jimmy shook his head, a soft chuckle escaping him. “I couldn’t figure him out. I mean, how does someone like that exist? How do you go through life being so good to people, so… pure? It didn’t make sense to me. Still doesn’t, if I’m being honest.”
“But, as time went on,” Jimmy continued, “my relationship with him started to change. At first, I didn’t think much of him just some naive kid who didn’t know how the world worked. But the more time we spent together, the more I realized how wrong I was.”
Jimmy’s smile grew a little softer, a little more genuine. “We started talking about everything things I never thought I’d tell anyone. I’d tell him about my mom, my past, my struggles. And he’d listen. Really listen, like what I was saying actually mattered to him. Like I mattered to him.”
He paused, his voice growing quieter. “Lucian had this way of making you feel seen. Like you weren’t just another person passing through his life. Like you were important. Special. And he didn’t do it because he wanted anything in return. He just… cared.”
Jimmy leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he let out a deep breath. “Over time, I stopped questioning it. Stopped doubting him. He wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met before, and I realized… that was okay. That was who he was.
—