Chapter 4 - Too Much to Ask For

"Hm...not too bad, if I do say so myself," I muttered to myself with a satisfied nod, as I looked around.

Several weeks had passed since my family was murdered in cold blood. After the police showed up, they asked me a whole lot of questions, though fortunately, it didn't seem like they suspected me of being involved in that incident or anything.

That would've been a mess I'd definitely have wanted to avoid no matter what. But, well, things were still pretty tiring thanks to that incident.

And after a hectic few days, and the situation finally settled, I inherited all the money my parents had saved up. It's a good thing they hadn't written a will, otherwise all that money would probably have gone to some other random members of this family.

I then used that money to buy myself a small but nice house, moved some of my stuff there, sold a whole bunch of the other stuff from the mansion online, and then put the mansion for sale too.

I figured it wouldn't get sold anytime soon, considering what had happened, so I put a relatively low price on it for a mansion, and to my surprise, I had a buyer within a couple of weeks.

That got me a whole lot more money, and overall, way more than enough that I'd never have to work a day in my life. Honestly, it's kinda more money than I know what to do with.

I also legally changed my name, got a haircut and dyed my hair, so that no one would know who I am. I'd rather not carry the baggage of my family name. As I'd learned recently, that's basically akin to a death sentence.

And today, I'd just finished unpacking my stuff and tidying up my new house. Gotta say, I did a pretty good job for someone who's spent all his life being waited on by maids and butlers.

The only negative in my life right now is that my relatives know where I live...after the cops questioned me, they contacted some members of my family to let them know what had happened, and later, also gave them my new address before I could tell them not to. Oh, the joy.

Anyway, as I'd finished unpacking and tidying up, I decided to rest up for a bit, taking out my phone and scrolling through as I flopped down onto the bed with a content sigh.

From now on, I'm no longer going to worry about what I'm going to do with my life, there's no need to concern myself about that thanks to this stupidly obscene amount of money. Everything has been pretty shitty till now, but I finally have the chance to turn things around.

I have more than enough money to last a lifetime or three, and I've never really had any spending problems, I have no interest in buying excessively expensive stuff just for the heck of it.

I'll just relax for the rest of my life, keep a low profile, try my hand at any hobbies that catch my interest and live a nice, simple life.

Yeah, that sounds fantastic. I'll stay away from any drama or politics or whatever, nothing messy whatsoever. That's a big part of why I changed my name legally too.

I then sat up with a frown as I heard the doorbell ring...hm? Who could that be? Maybe one of my new neighbors coming to say hi? Well, I don't want to make any trouble, so I'll be polite and try to wrap it up quickly.

I should maintain a good relationship with my neighbors, to avoid any pointless, avoidable issues further down the line.

"Yeah, I'm coming," I called out as the doorbell rang again, as I headed for the door.

I then unlocked it and opened the door, before letting out an audible,dramatic groan. Crap, it's my aunt and her husband. She's my mother's sister, and a real money grubber. With that in mind, there's no question as to why she's here.

"This is quite a, uh...quaint little place you're living in," She remarked, as she pushed past me and walked in.

No need to mince words, be honest. No, seriously, tell me how you really feel.

"Come in, why don't you?" I sighed in exasperation, making no effort to hide my displeasure.

As her husband walked in too, I shut the door with a slight slam, feeling irritable. He handed me a bottle of fancy liquor, which I set down on a table...what, do they think some top shelf booze is gonna convince me to hand over my money to them?

Because I guarantee that that's what they want. I mean, I'll accept the drink, I can appreciate some good alcohol, but it's certainly not enough to buy me off.

"Hm, don't you have a maid or butler or any servant?" She frowned as she looked around.

No, why would I? Oh, on second thought, maybe I should hire that old bang maid of mine, I think I still have her number.

"Cut the crap and tell my why you're here, and then please leave," I responded, as I did my best to keep calm.

"Tch, it's no wonder your parents were so disappointed in you, what a vile attitude you have. Now, then...regarding the tragic incident with your parents and brother, it happened before they ever wrote out a will. However, my dear sister always expressed how she would want their fortune to go to me if the worst ever happened.

Of course, you can keep the life insurance money, but as for the rest...I'm entitled to it. You can send it via bank transfer or write it out on a cheque, but I insist that every cent-...," She rambled, showing no subtlety in her greed.

"Sure, sure...give me solid proof that you're really entitled to the money and then, by all means, you can have it," I interrupted her dryly.

I'm only saying that because I know she has no such thing.

"Are you suggesting that I'm lying?" She gasped indignantly...impressive, that's gotta be the worst acting I've ever seen, holy shit.

"Well, first off, you totally are lying. And secondly...kindly fuck off now, please. Or, in terms you're probably more familiar with...get off my property," I stated curtly.

"How disrespectful, if only you had died instead of your parents and brother," Scoffed her husband.

No, really, tell me how you really feel.

"Oh, you don't really mean that. After all, if they were still alive, you wouldn't even have a chance of getting this money. In fact, I bet you were thrilled when you heard the news. But, guess what, that money's mine. And I have no intention of giving you, of all people, a fucking handout. I won't ask again. Get out," I remarked icily.

"You're making a grave mistake, you little bastard. But I'm sure you'll realize that and come to your senses soon enough," Responded my aunt with a death glare, as they headed for the door and left, shutting it with a slam.

Damn it, I should've started recording. That was definitely a threat, and not a very subtle one at that. It's probably an empty threat though, they have zero influence now. My former family name incites hatred and rage among the people of this country, after all.

I just hope this is the last I'll ever see of them. That brief interaction exhausted me, I'm fucking spent. I walked over and locked the door with a weary sigh...think I'll take a nap or something.

Hm, and tomorrow, I should invest in a security system for this place. An electric fence, security cameras, the whole works. In fact, I should give a security company a call and find out when they can set it up as soon as possible...

...

The following night, I was in bed, about to go to sleep. I never did take that nap earlier, I instead got distracted and ended up messing about with my whip and some other random tricks, like fancy card shuffling and stuff.

I also confirmed that I'll be able to get a full security system set up by tomorrow evening, it's a bit on the pricey side, but hey, I can definitely afford it. Maybe I should also put in some effort into befriending my neighbors, form friendly relations with them and whatnot.

Alright, I can worry about all that tomorrow, it's already past midnight. Plus I'm kinda drunk too, I drank about a third of that bottle my aunt brought. She may be a total bitch, but I have to admit, she's got good taste in booze.

Time to go to sleep-...hm? What was that? I thought I just heard a thud echo out from my balcony...I've locked the sliding doors, and I'm not hearing anything else.

Did I just imagine it? I quietly got out of bed, my legs wobbling as I did, and peered through the curtain covering the sliding doors, letting out a sigh of relief...I don't see anyone, guess I really did imagine it. To be fair, I am pretty drunk.

Guess my aunt's threat had me more paranoid than I realized...I shook my head with a slight laugh as I walked back to bed and flopped onto it, pulling the blanket over myself as I cranked up the A/C.

I like making it super cold and then cocooning myself inside a thick, fur blanket, it helps me sleep. Also, I can't fall asleep without at least two pillows...one for my head and one to hold. I just don't feel comfortable without that.

I let out a stifled yawn and shut my eyes as I wrapped myself inside my blanket, letting out a content sigh as I began to drift off. Here's hoping things start to turn around from here on, I don't want to live a miserable life anymore, all I want is a peaceful life...

...

...

Hm...? Is someone ringing my doorbell? Yeah, they are. I sat up with a groan as I rubbed the sides of my head...I definitely drank too much last night. I should-...grr, whoever's ringing my doorbell is doing so non-stop, what the hell!?

Damn it, and the sunlight streaming in through the balcony is giving me a real headache. It's way too early in the morning for this crap.

Yeah, I know that I decided to form good relations with my neighbors, but I don't care about that right now...whoever this is, I'm gonna go give them a piece of my mind-...suddenly, the sound of wood breaking and splintering echoed out, and several footsteps poured in.

What the...? Did they just break my door down!? What the actual fuck!? Am I being robbed!? I got out of bed in a rush, nearly falling over as my legs buckled, before grabbing my whip and heading for my room door to lock it, but I was too late, as it suddenly swung open.

The moment I caught a glance of the intruder's face, I swiftly flicked my wrist across, swinging my whip towards him and striking his left eye, eliciting a cry of pain as I hit it and sliced across it, blood pouring out as he stumbled back in pain, before raising a gun.

I quickly cracked my whip again, hitting his wrist and knocking the gun out of his hand, as I-...huh? That uniform...is he a cop? What is going on here?

Before I could wrap my head around the current situation, several more cops burst into my room, their guns locked onto me.

"Drop your weapon!"

"H-hold on, what's going on, why are you in here-...?" I began in alarm.

"Drop the fucking weapon, you piece of shit, or we'll shoot!"

I immediately dropped the whip, as I felt my blood run cold, a bead of sweat running down the side of my face.

What the hell is happening? I haven't done anything...damn it, all I wanted was a peaceful life. Was that really too much to ask for...?

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