The third man,the one who'd brought the picture leaned in with a grin. "Boss, should I slice off a little ear so he remembers who he is?"
Sean's eyes bulged. "What?! My ears have done nothing wrong! If you're going to slice something, take my… um… hair. It'll grow back. Eventually. I think."
The boss didn't even blink. Instead, he slowly cracked his knuckles, one after the other, the sharp pop-pop-pop echoing in the small, dimly lit room. The sound made Sean's stomach churn. "You think I don't know my own daughter's secret boyfriend?"
Sean's mind scrambled. Boyfriend?! I've never even been someone's crush!
"Sir, I swear, I'm single. Painfully single. Like, if loneliness was a crime, I'd be serving a life sentence."
The goon with the knife snorted, struggling to hold back a laugh. "Boss, maybe your daughter just has bad taste."
The boss turned his head slowly, glaring at him. "Are you saying my daughter has bad judgment?"
"…No, I mean—uh—she's a free spirit?" the goon stammered, instantly lowering his knife and looking away like a scolded puppy.
Sean seized the moment, blurting out, "See? Even your own guys don't believe it's me!"
The second figure stepped forward, pulling something from his jacket pocket. "Let's see if this rejuggles your memory." He held up a small, scratched mirror in front of Sean's upside-down face.
Sean's eyes locked on the reflection—and his heart nearly stopped.
The person staring back wasn't him. It was the same nerd from the photo earlier. Messy black hair. Thick glasses. Skin pale like he hadn't seen sunlight in years. Sean's mouth dropped open.
He kept staring, disbelief flooding his chest. His voice cracked as he began touching his face. "This… this isn't me. What the hell is going on? Am I dreaming? I'm the ugly nerd? No. No, there's something wrong here!"
The two goons burst into loud, uncontrollable laughter. "Hahaha! At least you know you're ugly now—and you don't deserve the boss's daughter!"
Their laughter filled the room until the boss slowly turned to glare at them. The amusement drained from their faces instantly. The air grew heavy, cold, and silent.
The boss's voice was low but sharp. "You know, kid, you're the same age as my daughter… and I hate doing this to kids. But you messed with her, so now I'll have to make you disappear."
He reached into his coat and began pulling on a pair of black leather gloves. Each tug was slow, deliberate,like a man preparing to bury someone in the woods.
"Boss, let me do this," one of the goons said quickly. "You don't need to get your hands dirty."
"Yeah, boss," the other chimed in, "we can handle him. Quick and easy."
Sean's throat went dry. Every word they spoke felt like a countdown to his funeral. If I don't do something now, I'm going to die… again.
An idea hit him reckless, dangerous, and stupid,but it was all he had. The only way it would work is if the boss actually cared about his daughter's feelings. If not… well, he'd probably die faster.
Sean clenched his teeth. *It's do or die.*
"Yes… I'll do it," he whispered.
The boss paused mid-movement. "What did you say?"
Sean lifted his head slightly, forcing a smug look onto his upside-down face, even though his heart was pounding like a drum. "I said you won't be able to kill me."
Figure 1 tilted his head, sneering. "Huh? Are you trying to act brave, knowing you'll die soon? Even if you beg, you're still going to die."
"I'm not going to beg," Sean replied, his voice shaking just enough to betray him. "But you're going to make the boss's daughter cry if you kill me."
Both goons blinked, speaking in unison. "What do you mean by that?"
Sean's lips curled into the widest grin he could manage. "Because the young miss is pregnant with my child… and killing me means killing the father of her baby."
The room froze.
"Whatttt?!" the two goons screamed.
Even the boss's eyes went wide. "Pregnant?!"
The boss's face twitched. His eyes darted between Sean and the floor as if trying to process whether to be furious… or terrified. "Pregnant?" he repeated, slower this time, his tone darker.
Sean forced a confident smile, though sweat was dripping down the side of his face. "Yep. Two months along. You can even ask her yourself. She's probably been throwing up every morning. Pretty sure she even sent me a text yesterday saying she's craving… uh… strawberry ice cream."
"Strawberry what?" Figure 1 blurted, his face twisting in disgust.
"Pregnant cravings," Sean said with a shrug or as close to a shrug as he could manage while hanging upside down. "It's a real thing. Google it. Or… you know… don't. But the point is—if you kill me, you're not just ending my life, you're breaking your future grandchild's heart before it's even born."
Figure 2's eyes went wide. He turned to the boss. "Boss, if she is pregnant, and we kill him, your daughter might…" He stopped, glancing at Sean, then whispering, "…hate you forever."
The boss's jaw tightened.
Sean noticed. His brain screamed, It's working! Keep going!
"You think I want to die? No. But if I do, that baby will grow up without a father. And then one day… one day they'll ask their mother who killed him. Guess who she'll point to?" He let the silence hang for a second before delivering the punch. "…You."
Both goons stepped back a little, as if Sean's words were radioactive.
The boss rubbed his temples like he was holding back a headache. "If you're lying to me, boy, I'll make sure your death is slow."