Ken’s POV:
The repeated honking jolted me from a deep sleep. I opened my eyes to find myself asleep in a car.
No!
Fuck, I had an accident.
I was still trying to gather my thoughts when someone suddenly approached the car, banging on the window.
Sighing, I rolled the window down to see the man standing there. He was a bulky, middle-aged guy with pale skin, dressed in a vintage outfit.
“Thanks for checking on, but I’m okay. I guess I just blacked out for a bit,” I said, forcing a smile.
“Checking on you?” he asked, and I nodded. “Son, you just crashed my car. You need to call your mechanic to come pick it up and get it fixed.”
Crashed his car? How? I wondered as I looked ahead and noticed the vehicle parked right in front of mine. I quickly got out, brushing the man aside as I ran to the front. It hit me hard: I hadn’t just crashed his car-I had wrecked mine too.
Mine was a fucking rental car, so how on earth was I going to afford to pay for the repairs on both cars?
Turning to face the man, I began to plead. “Please, sir, I didn’t mean to hit your car. Can you forgive me and let me walk away?” I begged, my hands clasped together.
“Hey! You!” He shouted, striding toward me. “You think you can just walk away after what you did? I need money for repairs, and I want it now!”
I opened my mouth to plead again, but he cut me off. “You’ve got cash, right? Or do I need to teach you a lesson?”
“Please,” I said, fear creeping into my voice. “I’m not trying to avoid paying you; I just can’t. I don’t even have enough money to cover the damages to the rental car. Please, just forgive me.”
“How is that my fucking business?” He asked, glaring at me.
Suddenly a small crowd began to gather. I could feel their eyes on me, and the judging look from their stares. The man pointed at me, raising his voice.
His smile widened, and he leaned closer. “You think I’m going to let you off that easily? You were drunk driving, weren’t you? Everyone saw you crash into me.”
As murmurs rippled through the crowd, I suddenly grew scared. If this man called the police on me, then I would definitely be put in prison for some days, and I don’t even have the money for jail.
And that crazy-ass Mitchelle definitely wouldn’t want to spend a dime on my bail now that I crashed the damn car she rented.
“Look at him! He’s the reason I’m stuck with a damaged car! Drunk behind the wheel, and now he won’t even pay up!” The man announced to the crowd.
“I wasn’t that drunk!” I protested, but it came out weak. “I-”
One man stepped forward, anger imprinted on his face. “You’re lucky he didn’t call the police! Drunk driving? You could hurt someone!” And the foolish crowd nodded in agreement.
The fear of being sent to prison made my heart race. I glanced around, looking for an escape, but the crowd was closing in. In a fit of fear, I pulled out my phone and asked, “What are your account details? I’ll send you the last of my cash.”
“Thought you didn’t have any money?” He replied, chuckling.
After I sent the man what little I had left in my account-my last card, actually.
I looked up at him. “There,” I muttered, my voice shaking. “Just leave me alone.”
As he pocketed his phone, the smirk returned. “Smart choice. Next time, think before you drink.” With that, he turned around and walked to the lampost, leaving me standing there, humiliated.
I felt the eyes of the crowd still on me, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned and walked down the road aimlessly, my mind racing. Everything that just happened was overwhelming, and I felt completely lost like I was no longer the person I once thought I used to be.
Walking down the street, lost in thought. I couldn’t stop thinking of the cash I’d just given to the guy.
It was all I fucking had left.
I hissed as I turned to see his car being towed away, while mine was left behind. What the hell was I thinking? I should never have driven while I was drunk.
This is all so fucking messed up.
Should I swallow my pride and ask my father for money? Or maybe my mother?
No, I can’t do that!
I already made a promise to myself, after father willed everything to Noah, my stepbrother, I’ve vowed to prove I can make it on my own. Asking them for money now would feel like admitting defeat, and I can’t let that happen.
I suddenly recalled the company I stole away from Mirabelle and how everything collapsed. I thought I could handle it, I thought I could do it. Instead, I ended up selling the cars and putting ‘For Sale’ signs on the house just to pay off loans. I had sacrificed everything for the thought of freedom.
I wanted to break free from Noah’s shadow, but no matter how hard I tried, it just seemed to swallow me up more and more.
“Why did I think I could do this alone?” I muttered, shaking my head.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket, jolting me from my thoughts. It was my mother. I hesitated, staring at the screen. Part of me wanted to ignore it, to keep walking and drown in my misery. But I took a deep breath and answered.
“Ken, please come home tonight. I know that you and Mitchelle will be arriving tomorrow.” She said, urgently. “But I need to talk to you about something important, right now.”
“Important?” I scoffed, my frustration growing. “What could be so important that it can’t wait until tomorrow? You’re probably just going to talk about trying to fix my relationship with that man again.”
“Would you stop that?” she warned. “He’s not just some random man; he’s your father.”
“I seriously doubt he’s my biological father,” I shot back.
“Do you realize you’re indirectly accusing me of infidelity?” She replied, her anger flaring. “Just stop being stubborn for once and-”
“Enough!” I cut her off. “Do you know what my day’s been like? I crashed my car into some guy’s, and now I had to pay him my last card just so he wouldn’t beat me up! I can’t believe I’m stuck in this mess while Noah just sits pretty with everything handed to him. I hate him! I hate all of this!”
There was a brief silence on the line, and I could almost hear her taking a breath. “It’s enough, Ken.” She finally said. “I will think of a way to get the company back from Noah.”