You Would Rather Stop the Weapon

“How are you feeling?”

Kenneth is leaning against the wall while observing Lorenzo. He just woke up and still lying down when he heard that question.

As far as he remembers, the moment he lost his consciousness was when he’s still in the car and now...

He slowly sat on his bed. The thick comforter covering his whole body has slowly fallen to his thighs.

He welcomed Kenneth with his puffy eyes and messy hair—it’s like he did not fight against the grim reaper yesterday.

He looks like a guy who just woke up from his sleep. He looks perfectly fine.

And not just that, he feels fine.

“Fine…” he answered with his husky voice. He combed his head backward and sighed. “...how long I was out?”

“A day.” Kenneth averted his gaze from him. “Someone attacked us during your absence. They captured them."

His eyes widened. Before he could even speak, he assured him.

“They’re fine. All of them. Though not perfectly. But they will be. It’s not that serious. I’ve already taken care of it.”

Lorenzo sighed again. He just woke up and his head is already aching.

He saw it coming, he knows someone will eventually come to them even if they’re not opening any games. Someone will eventually seek the throne desperately.

However, they don’t intend to give it away quickly. Not now. Now when they still have nothing.

That's why they advised them not to fight back at all costs and avoid being captured.

Looks like they only succeed in accomplishing his first advice.

“What did they do to them?”

“Everything they can do in a short period. Punch, kick you name it. On top of that, they said nothing. Your cousin didn’t give single information—“

“I don’t care if they gave something to them. I care about what actually happened to them.”

“Right,” he sighed. “I’m sorry.”

He closed his eyes tightly because of annoyance.

He could have done something to protect them. He’s the one who insisted to take the Underground World.

And he didn’t hear any complaints from them, he didn’t hear any objections because they just simply know and they trust him.

They trust his judgments and if he thinks something has to be done, they will go for it. Right away. Not questions asked.

But now that they got beaten up because of that? And he did nothing? He feels bad—worse than that. He could have been there, with them.

But what was he doing? He’s sleeping peacefully? And he only woke up when it’s already done?

“Alexandra..." he said heavily. “Where is that woman?”

“Haven’t seen her since she left this house. Heard nothing from her as well.”

“That woman…she surely doesn’t know when to stop. I’m afraid this is not the end to her madness…”

He didn’t speak. He’s actually thinking the same thing.

Alexandra doesn’t know when and how to stop. She has no limitations. She’s going to do everything at all cost.

She will do everything until she gets what she’s been dying to get and since Cheska is still alive and unharmed, the next battle is about to come.

Just like what she said yesterday, all of them heard it, she has a lot of methods on her mind and she will not hesitate to use all of them until she discovers what method is perfectly fit for her new playmate.

Now that he’s thinking about it, what is those methods could be?

Or…what method will she use next?

“I was with her,” Kenneth said breaking the deafening silence. “Cheska.”

Lorenzo looked up with a surprise on his face.

“She saved us. Again.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was here, to tell us about your situation. But those guys came. I had no choice but to take her with me. I had no intention of making her help us but she did it…voluntarily. I don’t think I would be able to save my friends, our friends…” he paused for a while and sighed. “…without killing them.”

He is used in killing people. They have to learn it because if not, it’s their lives that will be taken by someone.

That’s just how life works in the Mafia World. Kill or be killed.

He knows, he knows if Cheska wasn’t there to help him he won’t be able to stop himself from pulling the trigger to their hearts.

The situation yesterday was completely different. They have guns and all of them are already cocked.

It’s far from their situation when they fought against the past leader of the Underground World. They have nothing against them but the situation yesterday?

They have three of his friends. He won’t really think twice about killing them. He will not hesitate.

It might bring a conflict to the Mafia World and Underground World—no, it would really bring conflict.

Lees are the only enemies they have and Grounders might join the crew if he successfully killed someone from their clan.

They don’t want that. They don’t want to harm any of them aside from the Lees.

Pray for everyone’s safety except for the Lees'.

When he looked at it closely, Cheska helped them to circumvent a war between the Underground World and the Mafia World.

“So you didn’t just save her huh? You took the weapon for her,” he changed the topic. “That’s not so you. You would rather stop the weapon than let it bury on your body.”

Lorenzo looked away. Kenneth tsked.

“She’s not that girl—“

“I know.”

“Then why? I will somehow understand the situation if that girl is also a Mafia. It’s natural to save your own people but a Commoner? You’re not even interested in any of them. You find them boring and a waste of time.”

Lorenzo’s jaw clenched. Does he really have to answer that question? If the answer is yes, he just wants to go back to sleep to escape from it.

“Lorenzo,” Kenneth called after his long silence. Looks like he’s not going to stop until he gets something from him. His eyes squinted at him. “Do you…like that girl?”

Surprisingly, that did not surprise him. Kenneth assuming that did not make him surprise.

He’s still looking away. Now that he’s not answering, or correcting his delusional thoughts it’s making him wonder as well.

But there’s no way that’s true.

Right?

There might be another explanation for his actions. Like? It’s too impossible.

He has no time for that and not to mention, he’s not expecting himself to fall for someone else. It’s just out of his list. It’s not even his top priority nor the bottom one. He’s too busy accomplishing his own agenda.

Does he really have time to fall for someone?

“I just don’t think she deserves to be—“

“You never once cared for someone. They deserve it or not, you just don’t care at all.”

That’s the biggest disadvantage of being friends with someone for so long.

They can see right away the loopholes of your own reasoning. They know how to tell you’re lying. They know how to prove you’re lying.

He’s now like an open book to Kenneth, he can read him without any mistake.

Compare to Ralph, his cousin, Kenneth still knows him well. He’s been with him for so long.

Among all of them, Kenneth is the most person who understands and knows Lorenzo inside and out.

“Likeness is a very serious term—“

“So you like her?”

He fell silent again. They’re just looking at each other. He wants to answer that easy question but his lips aren’t cooperating.

How could his own body betray its owner? What does it mean then?

Kenneth guessed it right?

There’s no way.

“If you like her because she shares the same name as—“

“No? It’s not because of that?”

Kenneth’s faced him in surprise. “So you do like her…”