“How are you, Benjamin Vitt?”
Benjamin’s breath hitched as he stared at the man, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. The man, seated against the desk, had neatly bed hair. He was wearing a red polo shirt, long trousers, and old shoes. His tanned skin suggested he spent a lot of time in the sun. He didn’t look special; he looked just like anyone one might bump into on the street.
pared to Zoren, the Bennets, or even Finn, this guy wasn’t someone Benjamin would easily remember.
Seeing Benjamin’s reaction, the man nodded in realization. “Right, you can’t talk,” he said, snapping his fingers.
The door was left open, with at least two men standing outside. They weren’t wearing uniforms, but they were definitely armed. When the man snapped his fingers, one of them walked in.
“Mhp!!” Benjamin panicked as he saw him approaching. He wiggled his arms and legs, wincing in pain when the man held his shoulder to keep him still and removed the tape from his mouth.
“Now you can talk!” the man announced happily while the person who had peeled off the duct tape moved to the side.
Benjamin kept his eyes shut for a moment, then opened them when he realized they weren’t hurting him. Slowly, he looked up at the man, who was still leaning against the desk.
“Who…” His voice cracked, and he gulped to moisten his throat. “Who are you?”
“You don’t know me?” The man, clearly in charge here, tilted his head to the side. “That’s weird. I thought you’d remember me… but I guess, that’s not the case.”
The man rubbed his index finger against the side of his forehead, making Benjamin’s gaze follow the motion. When he saw the scar on the man’s forehead, Benjamin furrowed his brows.
“That scar…”
“You remember now?” The man smiled with excitement. “You’re the one who did that, don’t you remember?”
“…” As soon as Benjamin heard that, his breathing slowed, and his heart sank into his stomach.
When Benjamin was a child, he usually visited the town during summers. He’d spend his entire summer with his cousin, Mint. One time, Benjamin witnessed some kids bullying Mint. As her cousin and the only brother figure, Benjamin stood up for her.
Although many of Mint’s bullies stopped picking on her after that, one boy Benjamin had beaten up bore a grudge. When Benjamin left after summer, the boy began bullying Mint in unimaginable ways. Benjamin only found out when he overheard his parents talking to Mint’s mother in the kitchen.
Mint’s mother had taken her to the hospital, which was why Mint and her mother decided to leave the island temporarily. No matter how angry that made Benjamin, he couldn’t do anything. He was just a child.
Years passed before they set foot on the island again, and Benjamin coincidentally overheard some other kids talking. That conversation led him to this guy. One thing led to another, and while fighting the person responsible for Mint’s bullying, Benjamin ended up pushing the boy down. The boy hit his head on the pavement, and Benjamin didn’t know what happened after that because when he saw blood, he fled in fear.
“You’re that… guy,” Benjamin breathed out.
The man frowned slightly. “That guy, huh? So that’s what you’re calling me after I’ve got this nasty scar on my face?”
“You deserved it,” Benjamin scoffed. “You kept picking on Mint just because she doesn’t fight back. Well, guess what? If Mint finds out what you’ve done, she’s going to kill you!”
The man laughed. “Kill me? Ha! Do you think that ugly duckling weirdo can do that? Well, it’s been many years, but what I’m sure of is, even if she can fight now, there’s nothing she can do.”
“You…!” Benjamin clenched his teeth and balled his fists. “You don’t get to call my sister that.”
“Oh, I can call her whatever I want. It’s not like I’m lying. That woman’s a freak! Didn’t she have an extra toe on her feet?” The man chuckled, enjoying how Benjamin’s face reddened with anger.
“You! Take that back! Get these ropes off me! I’ll beat you to a pulp!” Benjamin yelled, struggling against his binds. But no matter what he did, the ropes wouldn’t e loose, making him even more frustrated.
Meanwhile, the man laughed in satisfaction. “I didn’t really think this day would e, but, oh well.” He shook his head, then arched a brow as an idea crossed his mind. “You said… Mint is going to save you, didn’t you?”
As soon as the words left the man’s mouth, Benjamin’s entire body froze. His eyes widened, his gaze fixed on the man.
“Well, if she’s ing here to save you, isn’t it only polite to wait for her and wele her?” The man suggested, his mouth twisting into a wicked grin. “She’d be happy to see you for sure, and I’d be happy to watch you plead for her life as my men slowly and painfully take it away.”
“Shut up!” Benjamin roared, even jumping from his spot in an attempt to break free. “Shut up! Don’t you dare touch her with those filthy hands! Do you think whatever you’re thinking is going to work?! She’s gonna beat you! I’ll beat you! Are you the same coward you were before?! Why don’t you take these ropes off and see if you can fight me?!”
The man shrugged, seeing this as Benjamin’s last struggle. “Benjamin Vitt, it seems you don’t understand what situation you’re in or where the fuck in hell you are?” Slowly, the man placed his glass on the desk before pushing himself away from it.
He sauntered over to Benjamin, stopping two steps away. Squatting down, he tilted his head to the side and smirked.
“If you think this is about the scar, it really isn’t,” the man said, shaking his head slightly. “That’s just a bonus. How you ended up here is because of you.”
“What?”
The man smirked. “Weren’t you snooping around my territory, asking about my business, and giving the townspeople false hope? Do you think the townspeople are on your side? They told me you’ve been asking questions and telling them… that you’d call the authorities. That’s not very nice, is it?”
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