Vincent was woken by a knock on his door. When he opened it, he saw Jay, fully dressed in his usual attire, a black suit with a black turtleneck underneath.
Vincent was surprised to see him ready so early.
"I-I'm sorry, I must have overslept, I—"
"No need," Jay cut him off. "The boss gave you the day off. Just be at the bar by 7."
Then he turned and walked away.
Vincent exhaled with relief.
'That's good. I can use this opportunity to get some of my stuff from the house'
He threw on the clothes he had and left.
"There's no way I'll find a taxi around here. Guess I'll have to walk all the way," he sighed.
"I should just see it as a workout," he muttered, trying to stay positive, and began jogging.
The distance was no joke. He ran for almost an hour and thirty minutes non-stop. His legs were killing him, but he pushed on until he finally arrived at his apartment building.
He collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. The kind of distance he had just covered was something no one would ever imagine doing on foot.
[Moderate pain extracted +33 points]
The notification felt like a reward for his suffering.
"Put it in stamina," he said, still sitting at the front entrance.
Right now, that was what he needed the most.
[Sure thing]
With a bit of his strength restored, Vincent rose to his feet and made his way up the stairs. The muscles in his calves burned with each step until he reached the top floor.
[Mild pain extracted +12 points]
"Mild pain? That felt way worse," he complained.
[Sorry, but the system knows best]
"This fucker…" he muttered, before suddenly noticing something odd—his apartment door was wide open.
'Oh yeah… I wasn't able to lock it when I left'
He immediately imagined how his place would've been looted by now. This area was notorious for that. But when he stepped inside, he was met with a completely different surprise.
There was a girl, a very pretty young lady, standing in his apartment.
"Who are you?" he asked, instantly on guard.
Then it hit him. "Are you with the Triad?"
The girl smiled. "You must be Vincent. I'm Sarah. My father told me about you."
"Your father?" Vincent's eyes widened. "Are you Archie's daughter?"
She tucked her auburn hair behind her ear and nodded. "Yes, I am. Sorry for just barging into your home."
"No, it's fine," Vincent replied, softening. "Archie told me he had a daughter in college, but he never told me how pretty you were."
She blushed. "Thank you… I was wondering if you've heard from him recently. He hasn't been home, and we were supposed to meet yesterday."
Vincent's heart sank. 'How do I tell her?'
How could he break it to her that her father was dead, and she would never see him again? There wasn't even a body to mourn.
"I'm worried something might've happened to him," she added, her voice filled with concern.
Seeing her like that, Vincent decided it was best not to tell her—at least not yet.
"Don't worry. I'm sure he's safe," he said with a forced, reassuring smile.
"In the meantime, do you want to get something to eat? I was just about to grab something."
She smiled. "Sure, why not?"
They chatted while they ate. Vincent told her how her father had helped him when he had no one—how a stranger had shown him kindness.
"That's just how he is," she said with a soft smile. "My father had me while he was still in law school. When my mom abandoned us, he dropped out to take care of me."
"He's supported me ever since. I honestly wouldn't be here without his sacrifices. When I graduate, I plan to get a good job and take care of him."
Vincent's heart sank even more. She had no idea she'd already lost the only person she had left in the world.
"Can I get your number? Just in case you hear anything from my dad?"
"Sure. And Sarah—if you need anything, you can always call me."
"Thank you, but I wouldn't want to burden you. If you run into my father, please tell him to call me. And thanks for the meal," she said with a small bow before leaving.
Archie was a good man who didn't deserve to die. He had kept away from crime just to properly raise Sarah—yet death still found him.
'And it's all because of Don Angel' Vincent thought, clenching his fists.
After gathering a few things, Vincent took a cab back to the compound, where he met Jay standing at the entrance.
"Why'd you bring a cab? This location is supposed to be a secret."
"Sorry. I was too tired to walk all the way back."
Jay tossed him a car key. "Use this instead."
Vincent stared in shock—it was a Mercedes-Bens, one of the most expensive foreign car brands he knew.
"I-Is this for me?"
"It's in your hand, isn't it?" Jay replied, leading him to the vehicle. It was a premium model, something Vincent had never dreamed of owning.
"Do you guys give cars to every new member?" he asked as he sat in the driver's seat, checking out the features.
"Of course not. Only the ones who might end up driving the boss."
Vincent smiled in amazement. "Cool."
"And Vincent," Jay added seriously, "I have to warn you, being close to the boss comes with a different kind of risk. The older members won't be too happy about it, especially since you haven't proven yourself yet. Like I told you before, the Yellowsaber rewards competence. If you want respect, you'll have to earn it."
He handed Vincent a driver's license with his face and details on it.
"The boss mentioned you don't have a license yet. You can use this one for now—it's fake, but the cops rarely check, so you'll be fine."
"Thanks," Vincent said.
"No need to thank me. You should thank the boss."