Chapter 6. The Debt
"Where is your son!" James gritted at Mark. He shook his head and refused to answer.
"Do you know who I am?" Mark was initially looking down, then looked up to see James' stern cast. Mark identified who James Belgenza is. Naples acknowledged him as the most famous casino owner named Daga Nero and the most powerful man in the city.
"I-I…" Mark stuttered to say something.
"Those who steal from me mostly die. Do you wish for it too?" Mark shook his head breathlessly and sought to confess to James. He knelt and grabbed James by the leg begging for mercy.
"Please forgive me. I didn't know this casino was yours, sir!" Mark lied. James snorted and then chuckled sarcastically.
"You are a scumbag. Isn't there anything worth that you may do in your life?" Mark fell silent to look up over. James suddenly grasped Mark's coat collar to get him up and pushed him against the wall. His hands clutched Mark's neck.
"Which one of you is Moretti's dog? You or your son?" James hissed to growled with his low but threatening tone. One of his hands gripped and strangled Mark, who was starting to run out of breath.
"N-not I-I!" Mark tried to push out James' grip on him, but James strained harder. Mark has no comparison to James. James strangled could easily break Mark's neck with one hand.
"I-I beg you… I-I c-can't h-breathe…aaakkhh!" Mark began to limp. And James watched him almost out of oxygen. He dropped him just like trash on the floor.
"I don't like wasting time. One of you must be working for Moretti. And I think it's your son." Mark was coughing. He was still trying to breathe and gasping hard for air.
"I don't know who he works for now. He brought me here!" Mark replied breathlessly.
"Now he's also running away with the money!"
"Where is he?" James is still on the same gritted tone.
"Please don't hurt him. He's just a kid!" James snorted and chuckled sarcastically.
"What kind of kid appears at the casino to cheat on a poker machine? Are you fooling me!?" Mark shook his head vigorously.
"Where did your son go?"
"Maybe, maybe he went home!" James grabbed Mark's coat again and threw him forward.
"Let's take this rat back to his house!"
Mark was forced to walk panting and limping out of the manager's room. Meanwhile, James and Earth and some mafia gangs also followed them.
The member tossed Mark in their SUV while James followed behind with his black Exelero. Earth drove the car, and James sat in the passenger seat next to him.
On the way, James was initially silent. He seemed to retain something. It was as if he had heard Starley's surname before.
"Where have I heard Starley's last name before?" James asked Earth holding his chin and watching out.
"Ah, It is the same name as the girl's surname who helped you before, Sir." Earth's spontaneous reply got James to turn at him. Earth only retaliated by turning his head for a moment before accelerating faster.
"Yes, Vreya Delilah Starley." Earth nodded at James.
"Is that who came with Mark Starley was a girl?" Earth shook his head.
"No, sir. I think it's her brother, I guess!"
"How many people identified as Starley are in this town?" James asked idly. Earth shrugged his shoulder.
"I think only Americans. It's not a popular name here." James nodded.
"Harristian is not a popular name either!" James murmured to mock at his surname. James was glancing outside again. Earth just replied with a smile.
"How much was stolen from that slot machine?"
"25K Euros per each, sir."
"So it was 50K in total?" Earth nodded. James rubbed his forehead.
"I've donated more hundred thousand Euros per year, but more poor people are coming!" James complained, still caressing his forehead.
"Because you are the only one who gives the charity, sir." James shook his head.
"If that man is the father of your savior, then will you free them?" asked Earth curiously. Their car began to enter the slum apartment area. James looked around and replied casually.
"No one can steal from me. Whoever that is!" James expressed and got out of his car right as it stopped. Earth sighed and went out to follow James. James' men had harshly pushed Mark to reveal to them where his house was.
With a terrified expression, Mark was forced to walk first to show the way. He couldn't escape due to the narrow alley that they were passing. James watched out of the corner of his eye at Mark's apartment.
They finally entered a building and went up the stairs to the 3rd floor. James was stepping up the small stairs with his hands in his pockets. Arriving at the shabby apartment, Mark tried to knock on the door. But no one opened it. He did it until finally, one of James's men shoved him hard so he could open it faster.
Mark finally reached into his pocket to find that he had the spare apartment key. James snorted and smirked sinisterly.
“What a dog!” James spoke in his mind.
Mark opened the door and went inside. James's men shoved him, and James and Earth walked behind. James walked proudly and looked around the tiny apartment. There is only a shabby sofa, a television, a small kitchen, and a dining table—the size of a table like a corner flower pot in James' mansion with an obscure clock on the top of the wall.
"It's like a horse stall. No, mine is way better than this," James muttered mockingly. Mark didn't answer and snuggled into a corner.
"Where's your son!" James asked, not wasting his time.
"Aah, he…" Mark tried to find him, but Earth then blocked him.
"Don't think you can escape!" Earth blurted arrogantly. James came closer to grab Mark's collar and then punched him in the belly. Mark quickly fell on the floor and coughed while wincing in pain.
"Find him!" one of James's men then checked all the rooms and returned a few seconds later.
"He's gone. His clothes are gone!" James growled and kicked Mark repeatedly. Mark coughed and winced in pain. He later pleaded by holding James' foot.
"I don't know where he is. Would you please let me go? I'm not guilty. It was my son who took the money away!" he stated, trying to find James' mercy.
"Your son is truly loyal, Mr. Starley. He left his daddy with all the money so he could hide it and take it back later. Wow, hahaha!" James laughed sarcastically and was followed by his men.
"I will wait for your son to come home. If he doesn't come back by nightfall, I'll pierce your head and hang your body from the ceiling of this stable, got me?" James furiously shoved Mark over. James then walked around the cramped apartment and checked a few corners.
While waiting, he strolled to one of the narrowest rooms he had ever been in his life. It felt like the orphanage where he was almost killed was not as tiny as this room. James gazed around with a sinister face and was attracted by one of the items lying on the table. A plain black hair tie with a small silver flower ornament. James took the hair tie and ran it between his fingers.
His hunch was that his savior girl was the daughter of the man who stole from him. James evilly grinned as he stared at the rubber band.
"Aaah, who are you!" James turned as a shriek came from outside the room.
Bingo!
Delilah had just returned from her flower shop and found that her apartment door was unlocked. Her eyes widened as she thought that her father must have come home. She instantly went inside without a second thought and only regretted it after."Who are you!" Delilah shrieked shockingly and dropped her bag. She was shocked when she saw that her father had been severely beaten. Delilah came over to her father."Dad, are you okay?" Delilah raised a question with a timid expression and was on the verge of crying."What happened? Who are they?" Delilah still wondered about her father, but Mark didn't answer.James came out of the room to glimpse what was happening. He strolled towards Delilah and watched behind her. Delilah was kneeling in anxiety, holding her father. James then glanced at Earth and coded with his eyes to talk to Delilah.“Your father stole from the casino. Now he must pay for what he took!” Ear
The next day James ran his day as usual. As the owner of Superhart Tech, a company that produces high-tech racing machines, he has to supervise each innovation in his factory. Today he is leaving for Hong Kong to meet a client. One of the team sponsors in Formula E invited him to come to a press conference about next month's season. At the same time, they would show the type of engine used by the team. Apart from making engines for F1 cars, Superhart Tech also designs and modifies engines for some racing teams, such as Grand Prix and Nascar. "Call Jayden, tell him that I want to see him for dinner," James said after breakfast with Earth, who was standing nearby. "Yes, sir," Earth replied, then followed James out of his mansion to a luxury sports car waiting in front of the lobby. The vehicle would take James to his private airport before leaving for Hong Kong for the meeting. On the way, James did some work on his plane. Earth is also busy hel
James went out of his car at Sea Breeze Bar restaurant of Disneyland Resort. He had an appointment with Jayden while he was in Hong Kong after a business meeting."Hi, Jay," James greeted Jayden. Jayden was having dinner with a teenage girl in the outdoor spot of the restaurant. Jayden smiled and invited James to join him."Ratu, let me introduce you. He is my friend, James," Jayden introduced James to the girl sitting next to him. Ratu sincerely took out James' hands to shake and introduced herself."Ratu Lin. I am Uncle Jay's niece," Ratu admitted adorably with her friendly smile. James raised an eyebrow and smiled as he shook her hand."James Harristian. You can call me James or Uncle James." Jayden frowned at the different names James mentioned to them."Harristian?" Jayden reconfirmed with a question."Yeah, that's my real surname. Only a few people know. You're one of them." James replied. Jayden nodded and poured the alcohol into a sm
Since his childhood, James had heard the strange voices and moans of his mother from her bedroom. His soul is sick and does not grow normally. He grew up with the son of a prostitute as his childhood name. It made him often have fought at school. At the age of 4, he could even beat an older child brutally.But James was well-liked by his home neighbors. It was because he is handsome for a child of his age. His cheeks are chubby and adorable, full pink lips, a sharp nose, and thick and neat eyebrows, and his doe and keen eyes are the attraction. His flawless skin and naturally brown hair tend to be blonde, making people think that James must not be an Indonesian.James just moved from the neighbourhoods after his mother was married to a businessman who became his girlfriend. Oscar Hermawan was one of the most famous property entrepreneurs of those times in Indonesia.Unlike Ferry, Oscar is a father of a son. He married Maya hoping that his son could get a mother'
Delilah gets a little clue about the location of her father and brother. She didn't sleep all night and because there was only one day left of the deadline. Delilah must track after her brother, who was in a bar."Oliver!" Delilah called to her older brother, who was hugging a sexy woman. Oliver's eyes widened when he saw Delilah. Delilah rushed into the bar and was about to grab Oliver's hand. But Oliver was quicker to stand and dodge."What are you doing here!" rebuked Oliver by pointing at Delilah."Oliver, I beg you to pay Mr. J's money that you took from the casino!" Delilah replied with a grimace like she was about to cry."What do you mean? I didn't take anything from him!" the woman who was with Oliver then put her arm around him and looked at Delilah with a smug stare."Who is she, honey?" she asked. Oliver turned to his lover and tilted his head."Oh, she's my sister!" Oliver answered. Delilah was still trying to beg Oliver to give
Earth jerked off Oliver, who was in pain in front of his father."Oliver... wake up, boy!" mumbled Mark trying to pull his son. Oliver was still holding his painful stomach from Earth's dreadful punches. Meanwhile, James was washing his hands in the sink before wiping them with an expensive handkerchief. He gave it to one of his men as he walked towards Mark."You dare to run from me, huh?" said James standing arrogantly with one hand in his pocket. James glanced down at Mark and his son Oliver. He snorted and shook his head."Where's my money?" James demanded repeatedly. One of his loafers tapped against the floor, waiting for their answer. Mark turned to his son, who was also looking at him."W-Won't my daughter pay for it?" said Mark. James slightly opened his mouth in disbelief. What kind of father would sacrifice his daughter to pay off a debt? James nodded then, he thought to himself. He was not surprised by Mark's attitude as a parent. James' biolo
James enjoys the parties and banquets of Golden Dragon in Hong Kong. He also met Anthony Lin, Jayden's father, at the party. A few minutes after, he gets a particular notification from the Dubrich auction house during the party. They call for a new girl that be auctioned tomorrow night in Paris. Dubrich has some hidden auction houses almost all over Europe and Asia. Billionaires from Syech to the Prime Minister often become their VIP members. And James Harristian is one of them.James smirked faintly while reading the encrypted notification on his phone. Jayden noticed him and then walked closer to ask."Don't tell me you have to go home now!" Jayden rebuked as he handed James a glass of Scotch. James chuckled and shrugged his shoulders."There's an offer I can't pull over, Jay. Nevertheless, I have come to your inauguration." Jayden sighed."I'm planning to move to New York. Want to come along?" Jayden stated matter-of-factly."What for?""
Delilah's eyes widened when she heard her father speak about a killing plan. Her mouth opened wide enough, and she was whiter than her pale skin. How could her father propose engaging in such a crime? Delilah unconsciously shook her head to reject."I can't do that, Dad. How could I kill someone!" Delilah replied, still with an upset grimace."Why not! If you know what he has done, then you will learn that what you will do is not much." Delilah was still stunned and did not answer. Her mouth was slightly open, surprisingly. Mark came back closer and kept convincing his daughter."Now, give the money to your brother so he can repay it." Delilah still didn't move to see her father. Mark realized that Delilah didn't trust him quickly. He started to hug her and sat her down on the bed. He gently took on Delilah's hand and held it."Listen to me, honey. It would be best if you didn't get hurt. James Belgenza will kill you if you try to negotiate with him. Deli