“THAT’S… THAT’S SOOO BAD! WHAT KIND OF MOTHER DOES THAT?!?”
She gasped for air, clutching her chest as if physically pained.
“THAT’S DISGUSTING! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN”
Her voice cracked, emotions spilling over.
Her mind raced, trying to find any possible explanation.
But there was none.
There was only betrayal.
Suzan looked at Alex, searching for an answer.
But Alex?
He was stiff as a corpse.
Not moving.
Not breathing.
Expression dead inside.
A single drop of sweat trickled down his temple.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.
Suzan snapped back to her mother.
“I KNOW YOU DON’T HAVE A HUSBAND, BUT MY BOYFRIEND?!?”
Her voice cracked
“YOU SHOULD’VE HAD SOME SHAME!”
Suzan’s voice echoed through the restaurant, her rage bordering on hysterical.
Kelly, however, remained unbothered.
She casually dusted off her shoulder, still holding her purse, as if this entire confrontation was beneath her.
“Oh, please,”Kelly scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
Suzan staggered back. “D-Dramatic?!?!”
Her face twisted in pure disbelief.
“YOU SLEPT WITH MY BOYFRIEND AND YOU’RE CALLING ME DRAMATIC?!”
Lucian, Jimmy, and Garry stared in absolute shock.
Garry, who had been casually leaning back in his chair, almost fell over.
“Bro…” Garry muttered under his breath. “This is beyond legendary.”
Lucian’s mouth opened, then closed. He had no words.
Jimmy just blinked, then whispered, “I…I don’t think I’ve ever seen a betrayal this bad.”
Suzan, now breathing heavily, grabbed the nearest glass of water from the table.
“MOTHER.”
Kelly finally turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “What?”
SPLASH!
Suzan threw the entire glass of water right into Kelly’s face.
The restaurant GASPED.
Chairs scraped against the floor.
Some people stood up.
A waiter dropped a tray.
Even Alex, who had been motionless in shock, opened his mouth wide.
Kelly closed her eyes, water dripping down her face, her makeup slightly smudged.
For a second just a second she looked utterly stunned.
Then
She exhaled deeply through her nose.
Slowly, very slowly, she opened her eyes.
And smirked.
“Cute.”
She wiped her face without a single care in the world.
“Still childish, I see.”
Suzan’s hands shook in rage.
“YOU”
“Enough.” Kelly raised a hand, cutting her off.
“You want the truth?”
Suzan froze.
Alex stiffened.
Lucian, Jimmy, and Garry leaned in.
The entire restaurant fell dead silent.
Kelly took a slow step forward, towering over her daughter.
She locked eyes with Suzan.
And then she smiled.
“You were never woman enough for him.”
BOOM.
The restaurant exploded into chaos. Gasps, murmurs, and even a few choked coughs filled the air. Customers stared, some gripping their utensils mid-bite.
Alex facepalmed. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to exist. Not like this.
Kelly, with that smug smirk, continued, “I mean, just look at you. You’re what? 24? And he’s in his thirties. Even your ages don’t match. He’s a better fit for me.”
Alex wanted to sink into the floor.
“He even told me,” Kelly added, “how childish you are. How you’re lacking compared to me. Why would he even choose you over me?”
“ALEX!!!”
Suzan hadn’t even fully processed her mother’s words. Her rage found its first target.
She snapped her gaze toward Alex, who was still holding his face in his hands, praying for divine intervention.
“Don’t hide your face!” She grabbed his wrists, forcing him to look at her. “Is what she’s saying true?!?!”
“Sweetheart, I”
SLAP.
A sharp smack echoed through the restaurant.
Garry winced, closing one eye. “Ooff.”
Jimmy exhaled. “Damn, that looked painful.”
Lucian just shook his head. “He kinda deserves it.”
Suzan glared down at Alex, seething. “You bastard! You think that hag is better than me?! You even talked to her about me like that?!”
Kelly rolled her eyes before stepping in. “Hey, hey, don’t beat him up. If you don’t want him, give him to me.”
She pushed Suzan aside and wrapped her arms around Alex, pressing his face into her stomach.
“How dare you hit my sweet boy?”
Alex utterly mortified.
Suzan stumbled back, eyes widening before pure rage took over. “YOU SLUT!!! FIRST, YOU STEAL MY BOYFRIEND, AND NOW THIS?!?!”
Kelly’s eyebrow jumped. “Excuse me?”
“Slut,” Suzan repeated through clenched teeth.
Meanwhile, Alex was still trapped in Kelly’s embrace, his face pressed against her stomach.
“Uhh, Kelly? Can you can you let me go?” Alex muffled against her dress, awkward as hell.
Kelly tightened her grip. “No, sweetheart. You need comfort.”
Suzan, on the other hand? Losing it.
“YOU BITCH, GET OFF HIM!”
She lunged.
Kelly dodged smoothly, spinning Alex behind her like a shield. “Awww, are you jealous? You’re so adorable when you throw tantrums.”
“TANTRUMS?!?!?!”
Suzan grabbed a glass, her fingers tightening around it, rage boiling in her veins.
Lucian saw it first.
“Hey, hey don’t!” He started to stand, ready to intervene.
Then
“AHHHH!!!”
Suzan gritted her teeth, eyes blazing.
“If you weren’t my mother, you’d be dead by now!”
The room froze.
But instead of throwing it, she slammed the glass back onto the table, her chest rising and falling as she took deep breaths to calm herself.
Lucian slowly sat back down.
Lucian, Jimmy, and Garry all went dead silent.
Garry, however, was fighting a grin. “This is getting spicy.”
Then he remembered.
“Wait, wait, wait!” Garry suddenly clapped his hands. “I was in the middle of an important conversation! I don’t have time for this drama!”
Lucian sighed. “Yeah, Garry, focus. You had a whole ‘future father-in-law’ situation to explain.”
Suzan, still breathing heavily, turned back to Alex. “This isn’t over.”
Kelly winked. “Of course not, sweetheart.”
Alex?
He just dropped his head onto the table.
“Kill me.”
Lucian leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly as the chaos unfolded.
Suzan’s grip on Alex’s collar was relentless, her expression sharp enough to cut steel.
“Alright. Stand up. Come with me now. Or we’re over.”
Her voice was low, controlled, but the threat behind it was deafening.
Alex, finally freed from Kelly’s suffocating embrace, took a deep breath.
“Hey, I can explain, baby”
He was on the verge of tears.
This was all Lucian’s fault.
If Lucian hadn’t stopped him from going home last night, Suzan never would have found those cursed panties. He never would’ve been caught in this nightmare.
“Help me, you bastard,” Alex’s eyes screamed at Lucian.
Lucian?
Lucian gave a light cough, looking away.
Alex’s expression darkened. “Didn’t you say you’d help me no matter what happens?” He threw Lucian’s own words right back at him.
Lucian looked at the ceiling, suddenly fascinated by the architecture.
“What are you looking at?! No one’s saving you today!” Suzan yanked Alex forward, her grip tightening.
Alex grimaced. “Alright, alright just don’t hit me here!” He rubbed the red mark on his cheek, still burning from the previous slap.
Suzan wasn’t listening. She pulled him up from his chair, dragging him forward.
Lucian watched with calm amusement.
Then
“Hey, hey. Bro.”
Lucian stood, reaching into his pocket.
Alex blinked.
Lucian slipped something into Alex’s shirt pocket. “Take this. full 20 mill If you need more, just call me.”
Alex froze. What the hell
Suzan and Kelly paused.
They both narrowed their eyes at Lucian.
Alex reached into his pocket, slowly pulling out a black bank card.
“W-Wait… this… huh?fr fr… 20 million??”
He went silent.
Lucian patted his shoulder. “Be safe.”
Suzan and Kelly glanced at each other, gears turning in their heads.
They wanted to ask something.
Wanted to say something.
But
They noticed the dozens of eyes watching them.
The whispers.
The stares.
And they thought better of it.
Suzan just tightened her grip on Alex’s collar again.
“Let’s go.”
They dragged him toward the exit.
Alex snapped back to reality.
“HEY, HEY WILL I BE SAFE?! YOU PROMISED!!” He shouted back at Lucian as he was forced out the door.
Lucian?
Lucian just waved his hand. Dismissive. Relaxed.
Jimmy chuckled.
Garry?
Garry whistled. “Man… should we light a candle for Alex?”
Lucian shook his head, watching them disappear.
“I’ll have to send someone to keep an eye on them.” He exhaled. “That bastard told me he didn’t have family.”
The restaurant erupted into chatter.
Whispers. Speculation.
The woman who just dragged her “boyfriend” out like a mafia boss.
The mother-daughter war that almost turned into a WWE match.
Waiters exchanged looks.
Customers kept stealing glances at Lucian.
And he?
Lucian just picked up his glass of water, taking a slow sip.
Suddenly as remembering something
Garry checked his watch frantically.
“Ahh, fuck! In all this excitement, I almost forgot”
His eyes widened. “Nooo! It’s almost time! We only have 30 minutes left!”
Lucian and Jimmy chuckled.
“Bruh.”
Lucian shook his head, sighing. “Alright, we don’t have much time. Tell us what kind of help you need first we’ll get to your story later.”
Garry took a deep breath. “I’ll keep it short then.”
He clenched his fists.
“My girlfri uh, crush. She’s from a secret big mafia family.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. “Ohh?”
“Well, according to her brother, their family has this long-standing blood feud with another mafia family. Like, a deep, generational one.” Garry exhaled. “Basically, her father said she can’t marry anyone until the last bloodline of that enemy family is wiped out.”
Lucian and Jimmy exchanged a glance.
“Her father really said that?” Jimmy asked, skeptical.
Garry nodded. “Her brother told me she actually fought with her father over me, but he rejected her outright.
“And since she didn’t want to put me in danger or have her father do something stupid… she rejected me.”
A brief silence.
Lucian rubbed his chin. “That’s complicated.”
Jimmy leaned back. “Roughed up.”
Lucian nodded. “We could try talking to her father. Maybe make him understand?”
Garry snorted. “That dude? Nah.”
He folded his arms. “I actually called him the same day her brother told me all this. The only thing he said was, ‘I’ll give you a test today,’ and then he just cut the call.”
Lucian and Jimmy blinked.
“A test?” Lucian asked. “Like, to see if he’ll let you marry her?”
Garry shook his head. “I don’t think it’s that easy. It’s probably more like… if I pass, he won’t kill me.”
Jimmy whistled. “Damn. Ruthless.”
Lucian sighed. “So what’s the test?”
“Her brother said it’s probably going to be a shooting test.”
Lucian and Jimmy stared at him.
“Shooting test?”
“With pistols,” Garry confirmed.
Lucian rubbed his chin. “Yeah, you’re screwed.”
Jimmy snorted.
Garry rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the confidence, asshole.”
Lucian leaned forward. “What’s the target range?”
“100-200 meters.”
Lucian shook his head immediately. “Yeah, no. You can’t do that.”
Garry’s eye twitched. “Wow. Again, thanks.”
Lucian crossed his arms thinking Even in his past life, Garry wouldn’t be able to pull that off. That’s pro-level shooter accuracy. he was good, but not that good.”
Garry ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “Well, shit. It’s already time. Is there anything we can do?”
He turned sharply to Lucian. “You got any ideas?”
Jimmy followed his gaze, expectant.
Lucian… looked away.
“What? No. I don’t know how to shoot.”
Jimmy and Garry: “…”
“lying bastard,” Garry muttered in his head.
Lucian cleared his throat. “Right, Jimmy? We don’t know anything about guns.”
Jimmy crossed his arms, smirking. “Yeah, yeah. Total amateurs, us.”
Lucian exhaled. “Look, just go take the test.”
“Huh?”
Lucian stood up, patting Garry’s shoulder. “Trust me. Just go. Your task will be done perfectly.”
Garry narrowed his eyes. “And how exactly do you know that?”
Lucian grinned. “Because I do magic.”
He suddenly placed a hand on Garry’s head.
“Abra-ka-dabra… shoo~… now you will never miss a target.”
Garry’s face went blank.
“…Are you fucking serious?”
Lucian patted his cheek. “Just go, motherfucker. You’re gonna be late for your ‘father-in-law’s’ first meeting.”
Jimmy chuckled. “He’s right. Missing your first meeting with the old man wouldn’t be good.”
Lucian nodded. “Also, take Jimmy with you.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Lucian’s gaze met his.
“Go with him.”
Jimmy held Lucian’s stare for a moment.
Then, he sighed. “Alright.”
Garry looked between them. “Okay… and what about you?”
Lucian stretched. “I got something to prepare.”
With that, he turned and walked off.
Garry glanced at Jimmy.
Jimmy just shrugged.
—