Chapter 1 Chapter one

“Run, Rome! Run, and don’t look back!”“Honk!!!!!!” Rome’s eyes suddenly opened with fear glowing in them as he jumped from his sleep with sweat dripping down his skin. Then he struggled to catch his breath while his heart pounded violently in his chest. He could feel his hands trembling as he suspiciously gazed around before stroking his fingers through his dark silky hair and then gently rubbing his face to awaken himself. “I can’t believe that I had this dream again,” Rome mumbled. Still feeling traumatized by his dream, he got out of bed and walked over to the fan seated in the corner of his tiny room and inspected it. “It broke in the middle of this killer heat weather, seriously?” Rome mumbled as he stared at the fan with frustration in his eyes. At that moment, a loud noise drew his attention toward his door, and his ears attentively listened to the voices echoing into his room. “Hey!! Old fool. Where is my damn money!”“Mr. Orlando, but the deadline for the loan has not been reached yet.”“Shut up! Your shop seems to be doing well, so why can't I ask for my money early!!”“But… but I don't have any money now. I spent it all on goods. How about waiting for the fifth of next month as we have discussed.”“Haha! An old thing like you have guts! If you don't give my money today, I will have to take whatever valuables I can find to pay for your debt!”“You can't do that, and this is illegal!”“Get out of my way!”“Ah!” With rage devouring him from the inside, Rome marched outside of his room. When he entered the store, he stopped and stared with burning rage glowing in his eyes. “Dad!” Rome shouted, looking down at a man with winter-white hair, then he focused his sight on his timeworn face and stared into his watery eyes. “Go back inside your room, Rome. I don't want you getting into trouble because of me. I will handle this.” Mr. Miller cried. Mr. Orlando walked over to the old man and squatted. Then he held onto both of Mr. Miller's cheeks and violently squeezed it. “How are you going to handle this, Oldman?” Mr. Orlando rudely said. Just by listening to the tremble in his father's voice and the arrogance in Mr. Orlando’s tone had Rome shivering from the anger pumping through his rapidly beating heart. “I give you guys one minute to get your asses out of our store!” Rome shouted. Within a split second, the room got filled with noise as Mr. Orlando and his men burst into a peal of laughter. "Boy, that's some filthy mouth you have there!” Mr. Orlando mockingly stated, standing to his feet. Then he gazed at one of his men and winked at him, and immediately the guy started walking towards Rome. “No, please. Let my son be!” Mr. Miller shouted. “Shut your hole up!” Mr. Orlando yelled with a smirk on his lips. Rome remained still even when he and the guy were facing each other at a close range. “You shouldn't have offended my boss.” The man slyly said, rudely patting Rome on his shoulder. At that exact instant, Rome grabbed him by the wrist and pulled it away from his shoulder. While the guy struggled to get his hand out of Rome's grip, he held onto it tightly and then popped his bones apart. “Argh! You son of a...!” The guy shouted. But he couldn't end his statement because Rome had brutally hit his kneecap against the guy's windpipe, knocking him unconscious to the floor. “Who's next!” Rome coldly mumbled as his dark eyes coldly stared at the remaining seven robust men. Mr. Orlando winked his eye, and the other men rushed towards Rome with deadly expressions plastered on their faces. Rome stepped back to create a distance. Then he coldly smiled as they all strike at once. Mr. Orlando's eyes kept rapidly changing direction while watching his men fall to the floor one after another. Rome sneered when the last man standing rushed towards him. Then he giggled before hook-kicking the guy in his face, sending him five steps backward before he hit the floor. “Where are you going?” Rome provokingly shouted, staring at Mr. Orlando running out of the store. Rome then burst into laughter as he watched Mr. Orlando tripped on a rock and fell face flat to the ground. “Hey, take your idiots along with you too. We don't want to dirty our store with garbage!” Rome yelled. “I will be back! And once I do, you will understand who's going to have the last laugh!” Mr. Orlando shouted, cleaning the dirt off him. Rome kept laughing until his eyes met with Mr. Miller's angry gaze, and in that instant, his voice got lower and lower till he was silent. “You trouble child!” Mr. Miller shouted, approaching Rome. He then grabbed onto his son’s ear and pulled it hard till it turned red. “Ah, ah! Father, I just saved you, so why am I getting punished.” Rome childishly cried. “Because Mr. Orlando is not only a money loaner, but he is also in a gang, and his boss is an evil man. We need to leave now.” Mr. Miller said in fear. “But why?”“He's going to kill you. I can't protect you because I am filthy poor, and because of that, you are also penniless!”“Hey! That's not fair. You've been doing your best.”“Yet it's not enough. Since I found you on that fateful night, laying in a pool of blood, I haven't done much for you then, and now, that your life is in danger because of me, there's only one thing I can do.”“Dad…”“I know what you are about to say, and I appreciate the fact that you are striving to spare my feelings from getting hurt. But I know that I am not capable of protecting you, so I am taking you somewhere that you will be safe.”“Do I get a saying in this?”“No! Now hurry up and go pack your things.” Rome stared at his father, trembling hands and terrified eyes for a moment before running into the back of the store, where his room was. A few seconds later, he returned with a worn-out bag hanging on his shoulder and met with Mr. Miller. “What’s that?” Rome mumbled as he stared at the paper in his father's hand. “This is your ticket to getting into a wealthy family.” Mr. Miller mumbled.

Chapter 2 Chapter Two

"What does that mean?" Rome asked, feeling stunned by his father's words. “Stop talking, and let's go. These guys will soon wake up from the nap you put them in!” Miller mumbled. Rome didn't move an inch as he stared at his father in shock. But then Mr. Miller slowly walked behind him and aggressively shoved him out the door. “Hey! How come the older you get, the more violent you become.” Rome mumbled after he had balanced himself. “Stop talking and walk!” Mr. Miller said while forcefully pushing Rome since he stubbornly refused to take a step forward. Everyone that walked past them kept awkwardly staring as Mr. Miller continued shoving Rome from the back. “Fine! Stop hitting me! I will walk by myself. But you have to tell me about where we are going.” Rome mumbled while questionably staring at his father. “All you need to know is that where I’m taking you is the safest place for you right now. So promise me that you wouldn’t cause any trouble once you are there and always keep your head low.” Mr. Miller said. “Ah, it sounds awful already.”“Rome! It’s not the time to crack jokes. Promise me!”“Yeah. Sure, whatever.” After a while, Mr. Miller and Rome got into a Cab. They both did not speak a word to each other the entire drive. When the taxi stopped in front of an enormous fancy fence, Rome and Mr. Miller got down and approached the gate. Then Mr. Miller rang the doorbell and waited. After a few minutes, a guard came out of the fence and walked up to them. He then gazed at Mr. Miller first before, staring at Rome. “I don’t have any money to give you guys. Now leave!” He rudely said as he stared at them with disgust on his face. The one thing Rome found hard to control was his anger. But as he folded his fingers into a fist, Mr. Miller grabbed his hand and calmly said, “I am sorry about the misunderstanding, but we are not beggars. My son and I would like to speak to Madam Rosey.” The guard's lips curve into a mocking grin before he burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that tears rolled down the corner of his eyes. “Not beggars. You guys can’t fool me. I have seen countless people like you, and they always say that they are not beggars. But in the end, I have to forcefully remove them from madam Rosey sight because they turn out to be beggars." The guard provokingly stated, trying not to burst into another laughter. Rome's fist got even tighter as he coldly stared at the mocking expression on the guard’s face. Then he let out a deep sigh and calmly said, “Look, my dad and I are not looking for trouble. We need to speak with this Madam Rosey.” A frown settled on the guard’s face as he angrily stared at Rome. Then he lifted the baton in his hand and swung it at Rome, but Mr. Mille rushed in front of it, and it banged against his arm. Rome was about to let his rage get the better of him when his sight caught a glance of a stunning woman approaching them. Immediately, his attention got drawn to her, and his anger slowly subsided as he stared at her glossy skin, slender eyebrows, velvety eyelashes, and ebony-black hair. “I don’t think my grandmother is paying you to assault the elderly.” The lady soothingly said while approaching Rome, Mr. Miller, and the guard. “Miss Catherine,” The guard said in fear as the baton dropped from his hand to the ground. In annoyance, she rolled her eyes before walking past him. Then she stopped when she got closer to Mr. Miller. “Hello, I am Catherine. The youngest granddaughter of the Balow household, and I sincerely apologize for what our security guard did. Please give me your account number so that I can be able to compensate you.” Catherine gracefully said. However, Mr. Miller fiercely shook his head as he grabbed onto her hand and said, “I don’t need money.”“Oh, then what is it you want?” Catherine asked in shock. Mr. Miller hastily let go of her hand, held Rome by his arm, and pulled him closer. He then looked back at Catherine's curious blue eyes and gently uttered, “I have a letter with the Barlow family stamp on it, and I think it’s time Madam Rosey receives it.”“If that’s the case, then please follow me.” Catherine softly said. The guard hastily stepped aside, and Rome and Mr. Miller walked past him, following closely behind Catherine as she led them into the fence. “The old lady is not going to be happy about this. But why should I care when it was Miss Cathrine who allow those beggars inside after all.” He mumbled while picking up his baton from the floor. When they got into the living room, Cathrine offered Rome and Mr. Miller a seat. Then as she turned around to leave, an elderly lady walked into the room with a frown on her face. “Catherine, why are the two homeless people sitting on my ascetic couch.” The elderly lady harshly said as she distastefully stared at Mr. Miller and Rome. When Catherine gazed at her grandma’s angry expression, all she felt was fear because she knew that she was about to get scolded again. Among her three uncles and her father, Cathrine knew that her dad was her grandmother's least favorite child, and everyone in the family knew it. That's why she got scolded a lot. However, her heart sank knowing that she had disappointed her grandmother again because she had been working on proving herself to her grandparents that she's capable of being the family top heritor. The anger that had subsided in Rome rapidly awaking in him. But he held it in and remained calm, remembering the promise he had made to his father. “I apologize for any discomfort our presence may cause you, Madam Rosey. But I think these two are supposed to get married, according to the paper I have in my possession.” Mr. Miller said with a straight face.

Chapter 3 Chapter three

All the members of the Barlow family got an emergency text from Madam Rosey, and within less than an hour, the living room got crowded with every one of them. They all took turns staring at the paper, and Mr. Barlow was the last one to hold it. Then the room became silent as everyone waited for him to say something. In the household, two individuals held all the power, and that was Madam Rosey and her husband, Mr. Barlow. Everyone else was in a power struggle among themselves, and it was a vicious circle with Cathrine and her parents at the bottom of the survival chain. Mr. Barlow cleared his throat, and everyone's faces became serious except for Rome. He kept staring at Mr. Miller, but his father bore no expression on his face. “This is my father’s signature, and the Barlow family stamp on this paper is real. My last granddaughter got promised to get wed to Mr. Miller's grandson once she turns eighteen." Mr. Barlow loudly declared. "But..." Catherine father mumbled. "The contract got signed between my father and Mr. Miller, and I shall honor it. Catherine is to get married to Rome within four weeks, and that is final. From today onward, Rome Miller is the son-in-law of this family.” Upon hearing her father-in-law's words, Cathrine’s mother let out a loud cry of disappointment as tears welled up in her eyes. “Control yourself, woman! How dare you behave in such a manner before father!” Cathrine’s father lashed out in anger. Mr. Barlow's face hardened as he clenched his fist while glaring at his son. Suddenly, he stood to his feet and said, “Handle your wife, and let this be the last time she disgraced this family with such a behavior!” With pity in her eyes, Cathrine stared at her father while he bowed his head in shame. Then she gazed at her mother's grieving face as her heart ached in pain. After waiting patiently for her husband to leave, it was Madam Rosey's turn to speak, and everyone else maintained their silence. She calmly stared around the room until her sight landed on Rome. Then with absolutely no respect in her tone, she asked, “What quality are you bring into the Barlow family?” Rome was about to answer when Mr. Miller dropped to his knees, rested his forehead against the floor, and cried, “It is my fault! I did not give him a better life. So please do not hold it against him.” The was a faint chuckling sound echoing in the room. When Rome looked to his right, he could see a young lady with dark violet hair struggling to hold back her laughter. At that moment, he desperately wanted to drag his father out of there. But he knew that it was not what Mr. Miller wanted, so he restrained his anger and maintained a calm expression. “How annoying! You can’t afford to support your son, so you decided to make him a burden to our family. What a scamming old man you are.” Madam Rosey straightforwardly said as she stood to her feet. “I beg for pardon,” Miller mumbled. “Your lack of shame is just disgusting. Stand to your feet. I don’t want rumors spreading that I bully a poor man.”“Thank you.” Rome felt like a sore loser as he watched Mr. Miller get off the ground and sat back on the couch. When madam Rosey's gaze fell on him, she sized up Rome for a while and firmly said, “I don’t like worthless people, so try to make yourself useful while living here. Oh, and Cathrine, since he will be your soon-to-be husband, he’s your problem. Make sure you keep him out of trouble.” The living room was silent for a moment as Madam Rosey left the room. Once the sound of her footsteps faded down the hall, a noise rose in every corner of the room. “Honey, our daughter can’t marry a loser. She is our only child. We can not hand her over to a nobody, especially at such a time.” Cathrine’s mother cried out to her husband. He then held her in the comfort of his arm and whispered, “Don’t you worry. I will speak to my father. I am sure he too will agree that giving his granddaughter to a valueless man is a terrible decision.” As her lips curved into a smirk, Chloe approached Catherine, and the moment she saw her cousin walking to her, Catherine’s face darkened, knowing that whatever her cousin had to say was going to be unpleasant. “So, an underdog for a husband. How ironic! As the saying goes, 'like mother, like daughter.” Chloe teased in a low voice, making sure that only Cathrine could hear those words. However, Rome was onto her, and even though he didn’t understand what she had said, Cathrine’s sad expression was all he needed to know that Chloe had bad-mouthed her. “My work here is done.” Mr. Miller said, and those words drew Rome's attention away from the two cousins and onto his father. “Are you joking? I am not staying here.” Rome mumbled with the utmost seriousness in his voice. “Stop being stubborn, son. I am in debt, I can’t take care of you. Plus, Mr. Orlando has threatened your life." Mr. Miller firmly said. "Dad," "Becoming the son-in-law to one of the wealthiest families in the country is the only way you can survive. Count it as luck and stop being proud.” After letting out a deep sigh, Mr. Miller stood to his feet and walked out of the room, leaving Rome staring behind him. Hey, you! Let’s go.” Catherine called out, angrily staring at Rome. It took a second for Rome to snap out of his thoughts and realize that she was speaking to him. When he noticed that everyone was gazing at him in disgust, he quietly stood to his feet and followed Catherine. When they arrived in an enormous and elegantly decorated bedroom, Rome shut the door behind him since he was the last to enter before staring at Catherine's cold expression. “How much will it cost for you to tell my grandfather that your father lied and that the marriage contract is fake?” Catherine boldly asked.

Chapter 4 Chapter four

“My father is not a liar. So you can keep your money,” Rome replied, hiding his anger behind his calm eyes. A long sigh came from Catherine's lip as she crossed her arms, shrugged her shoulders, and looked the other way. As his hand tightened around his bag ropes, Rome subconsciously gazed around the room. Then a baby photo of Catherine caught his eyes. Then he faintly giggled and said, “cute.” His comment drew her attention to where he was looking. She looked at the photo for a brief while before staring at Rome, then Cathrine furrowed her eyebrows and rolled her eyes at him. “We may get married. However, I don’t see you as my husband. You can sleep in my room, but not on my bed. Put your belongings in the left closet since I have no use for that space. Also, if you can’t help me, then do not meddle in my business.” Catherine harshly said. However, Rome made no reply since her remark annoyed him. Instead, he walked past her, approached the left closet, and opened it. Then he tossed his bag in the corner and slammed the door shut. “Father, this is insane. Catherine is my only child! You can not expect me to marry her to tha-that nobody!” Catherine's father said with humbleness in his voice. In a fate of rage, Mr. Barlow slammed his palms against the desk and shouted, “You ungrateful, son! Do you want your grandfather to become a liar? His direct words were ‘my last granddaughter will be married to the grandson of Mr. Miller." "But..." "Cathrine is my youngest grandchild. Therefore it is only right that she fulfilled her great-grandfather's promise!” The room grew silent. Then Mr. Barlow rested back in his seat and slightly waved his hand, gesturing to his son to leave the room. “What did father say?” Cathrine's mother cried out to her husband when he came out of the study. “There’s nothing we can do. Our daughter is going to marry a sore loser.” Catherine's father mumbled beneath his breath. Then he hung his head and walked away, dragging his feet. In the east wing of the Balow mansion, the four cousins, Charles, Richard, Jeff, and Chloe, had gathered in their meeting room, which was an old fashion chamber that no one uses in the house. “Hahaha, this is great! I thought we would have to lift a finger to get Catherine removed from the heritage list. But it seems like fate has done it for us!” Jeff said before sipping his wine. “He looks like a servant! Did you see his clothes? How dare him have the guts to be a son-in-law when he looked like that!” Charles angrily said, clutching onto his wine glass with burning rage in his eyes. Chloe rolled her eyes at her cousins and slyly intoned, “Let's make him one then.”“What?” Richard asked in confusion. With a devious smile on Chloe's lips, she stood from her seat, and as her fingertip traced around the glass, she shyly smiled and said, “Let's make him our personal slave.” It took less than a second for Charles, Richard, Jeff to burst into a pearl of evil laughter. “You should remind me not to mess with you in the future,” Richard said, making a toast to Chloe before drinking his wine. However, he excitement only lasted for a moment, and then silence befell the room. “Since it's your idea, Chloe, why don't you start, and we will follow your lead.” Charles cunning said, knowing that the was a thirst for power in the mansion and the slightest deal you make with anyone could be a trap. “Coward,” Chloe mumbled beneath her breath. Then she sat down her wine glass on the table and loudly said, “Fine. I will show you, ladies, how to get the job done.” Charles and the others were not happy about the name Chloe called them. But they maintained a bright smile on their faces. Rome had just finished arranging the things from his backpack into the closet when Catherine’s room door suddenly flew opened. He then took a deep breath before turning around to face Chloe as she gave him a dirty look. “I need you to wash my clothes,” Chloe demanded with a mocking smile on her face. Rome wanted to refuse. But at that moment, Catherine walked out of the bathroom and asked, What's going on here?” “I am just trying to be generous by making your husband useful. We all heard what grandma said, and it will be a shame if he is worthless to this household. That's why I asked him to wash for me.”“Is that so?”“Yes.” As a sigh escaped her lips, Catherine coldly stared at Rome and said, “Do as she says.” For a moment, Rome stood still, clenching his fist as he stared at both of them. Then he inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “Fine. Where's your clothes?” Rome mumbled, holding in his anger. “Follow me!” Chloe said, smirking at him. She walked out of the room, and Rome eyed Catherine for a second before following her cousin. When they got to Chloe's room, she headed inside while Rome waited for her out the door. A few seconds later, she came out with a basket, and when Rome reached to take it out of her hands, she dropped the basket on the floor. “Oop! Are you going to pick them up?” Chloe mockingly said. Rome gazed down at her bra and underwear scattered on the floor. Then he glared at her, bent down, and started putting them back into the basket. “Wow, Chloe! You are amazing.” Charles said as he, Richard, and Jeff approached Chloe and Rome. “What? I am just teaching our useless brother-in-law how to be useful.” Chloe said with a hint of arrogance in her tone. “Haha, true. Our dear brother-in-law can use a lesson or two from us. How about after you finish here, you can go wash my car.” Richard intoned. “Yeah, and afterward, you can polish my shoes,” Jeff said with a smirk. Although Rome said nothing, his blood was boiling with rage and thirst for revenge.

Chapter 5 Chapter five

Four weeks went by naturally, and it was finally Rome and Catherine's wedding day. As Rome stood before the mirror, staring at his reflection, he felt like the past weeks had been the worst days of his life. The Barlow family had turned him into their personal slave and had belittled him so much that even the servant had control over him. As Rome stared at his reflection, thinking about the hard labor he had done for them, he balled his hand into a fist and swung it at the mirror, stopping his punch only an inch away from the glass. “I can't break my promise to my father,” Rome mumbled, staring at his veins bulging on his neck. Suddenly his room door opened, and Charles walked inside. When his gaze met with Rome's angry eyes, he smirked and shut the door behind him before walking towards Rome. “This old thing suits you,” Charles said, pulling the tail of Rome’s coat. “What do you want?” Rome mumbled with anger burning deep within his eyes. “Is that how you talk to the one who gives you what you are wearing? If it wasn't for me, you would be walking down the aisle in a boxer.”“I worked for what I am wearing.”“Do you know how much I spent when I bought this suit? You being my driver for a few weeks isn't equivalent to the price of this suit!” The room fell silent as Rome tightened his fist and held in his breath. Then he slowly exhaled to relieve the tension building up in him. “Why are you here?” Rome calmly asked. “The wedding is about to start,” Charles replied. Without saying a word, Rome walked out and slammed the door. “Putting up an attitude? I will let you be for now since grandfather told us not to do anything to cause shame to the family name. But once we get home, you will feel my wrath.” Charles mumbled. The moment Rome walked into the wedding venue, the mumbling started. “Isn't he the scoundrel whose father tricked Mr.Barlow into marrying his granddaughter to him?”“Yeah, he and his father are both thieves and shameless.”“Such a gold digger. Doesn't he feel disgusted in himself?” These words echoed into Rome's ears as he walked down the aisle. But he kept walking, squeezing his fists every step he took. A few minutes after Rome had arrived at the wedding arch, the door opened, and Catherine walked in, and as she marched down the aisle, he could feel his anger slowly melting. ‘She is beautiful.’ Rome thought with a half-smile. Once Catherine had joined him at the aisle, the ceremony began. Everything went on peacefully for a moment, but when Rome and Catherine said, “I do,” the door suddenly flew open, and Orlando and his gang marched into the hall. A loud noise roused among the guests, and everyone was in total shock except Rome. “Mr. Ford needs a word with the groom,” Orlando shouted with his hands resting on his waist. Madam Rosey turned to her husband, squeezed his hand, and cried, “Honey, what have we done. It seems like Mr. Ford has a problem with Rome. We can not afford to offend Mr. Ford.”“What do you expect from me, woman? They are already a married couple.” Mr. Barlow mumbled, feeling sweat dripping down his forehead. Fear ceased everyone in their seats as they stared at Rome. But he was not bothered a bit about Orlando and his men. “What have you done?” Catherine asked, sounding annoyed. “I'll be back,” Rome said. Then he gazed away from her and walked to Orlando and his men. “You have guts using the Barlow family as a shield. Why did you belittle my boss with such a nonsense act? Now he is mad, and he wants a word with you.” Orlando said, smirking with a murderous gaze. “Stop chirping like some dumb bird and lead the way.” Rome casually said. “You brat! Are you counting death!”“You can either stop talking and take me to see your boss, or you can leave here and allow me to get married in peace.” The rage in Orlando's eyes burned, yet he didn't act on it. Instead, he forcefully locked Rome's hands behind his back and carried him out with his men following closely behind the both of them. When they got to a parking lot, Orlando shoved Rome into the backseat of a black car. Then he got in and shut the door. As the driver pulled off with the car and a bunch of black cars followed closely behind their vehicle, the feeling of worry was far from Rome’s heart, but what he felt was pure rage and excitement. A few minutes later, the cars came to a stop, and Orlando got out. Then Rome willingly stepped out of the vehicle. When Orlando and his men led him into a warehouse, Rome's sight rested on a man as he stood in the dark, a faraway distance from them. “The boss is watching. Make him suffer.” Orlando abruptly said. Within a split second, Rome saw a punch heading in his direction, but he used his palm to block the hit. Then his fingers clutched onto the guy's fist, and he popped the wrist bones from their joints. Then he balled his fingers into a fist and drove them towards the guy's cheek, slamming it against his jaw and breaking three teeth. Suddenly every one of Orlando's men came rushing towards Rome, and in less than ten minutes, the warehouse was noisy with the echoes of grown men's cries. “Thank you for helping me let out the rage that I have been holding in for four weeks. Ah, this is nice.” Rome said, taking in a deep breath with a smirk on his lips. “Rome?” He heard a voice call out of the dark, and immediately an agonizing pain ripped through his head while he screamed out the pain. “Run, Rome! Run, and don’t look back!” Those words became to echo loud in his ears as the pain grew intense. “Who are you!” Rome screamed, falling to his knees. Everything slowly became blurry in his eyes as flashes of images crossed his mind. “Show yourself!” Rome mumbled. But in a matter of seconds, he dropped to the floor and lost consciousness.

Chapter 6 Chapter Six

When Rome regained consciousness, he kept his eyes closed for a minute and waited for the headache to subside before raising his eyelids. “Where am I?” Rome mumbled, staring around the room, then his sight rested on an elderly-looking man with smoky-grey hair and a white goatee. With calmness in his eyes, he smiled at Rome and said, “You are at my house. I'm Mr. Ford by the way.”“Mr… Fo-rd. I…”“It's okay, kid. You don't have to fear me.” Doubt clouded Rome’s feature when he stared at Mr. Ford and thought, 'Don't fear you! You order your men to beat the crap out of me! Do you take me as a fool!’ For a second, Mr. Ford took his gaze off Rome and placed his focus on a picture frame. Then he took it off the dresser and showed it to Rome. “Do you know the person in this photo?” Mr. Ford asked. “Why do you have a picture of me as a kid?” Rome mumbled, feeling goosebumps on his skin. “My son!”“Your what?” Thinking Mr. Ford had gone mad, Rome began running over escape plans in his head. “You don't remember your father?” Mr. Ford asked, smiling brightly with tears in his eyes. “I have a father, and he's not you. Now with that said, I will be on my way.” Rome intoned, throwing the blanket off him. “How come you remember your name and not me?”“Because of a stupid recurring nightmare that I have every night from the time I was a boy till now.”“What nightmare?”“Everything is fuzzy in the dream except the person's voice, and I think they were talking to me. They kept shouting, ‘Run, Rome! Run, and don’t look back! So I decided to call myself Rome.” Watching Mr. Ford burst into tears, Rome felt awkward seeing a grown man cry, and he didn't know if he should comfort him or take the chance and run. But he didn't have the guts to do either of those things, so he sat there, waiting for Mr. Ford to stop crying. “That was me! I was the one telling you to run, Rome. On an unfortunate night, my enemies storm this very place and murder your mother.” Mr. Ford said, clutching his fists. For an unknown reason, Rome felt his heartache when he heard those words, and even though he still had no memory about Mr. Ford and this mansion, he sensed a feeling of familiarity. “Your wife is dead. I am so sorry.” Rome mumbled. “She's not only my wife. She's your mother. We fought a great fight that night, but your life would have gotten endangered if you had stayed in this place that night, so I told you to run away.” Mr. Ford said, staring Rome in his eyes. Yet he could tell that Rome was still in doubt about the words he had said, but Mr. Ford was sure that he had found his long-lost son. “This father that you speak of is he your biological father?” Mr. Ford asked. “No, he found me after I got hit by a car, and the driver drove off, leaving me there to die,” Rome said, realizing that there's a possibility that he could be Mr. Ford's son. “This is all my fault. I have failed you as a father. I tried finding you after I had destroyed the ones who took your mother's life, but my search was in vain. Son, let me make it up to you!”“DNA test,”“Huh?”“I want a test done to clear my doubts since I still don't have memories of you and everything you just said.” There was an awkward pause, then Mr. Ford burst into a peal of laughter. “Yes, I will go call Dr. Lincoln right now!” Mr. Ford shouted. Then he patted Rome on his arm and ran out of the room. “What a cocky old man. One minute he's trying to get me killed, and the next, I am his son!” Rome mumbled, getting off the bed. Feeling a bit curious, he went around the room, searching the drawers and cabinets, then he came across a picture frame hidden in one of the dresser drawers. “Who is she?” Rome mumbled, staring at the lady in the photo. Then the frame dropped from his hands and smashed onto the tiles. Tears began to roll down Rome's eyes, and his hands started to tremble uncontrollably. When Mr. Ford returned to the room, he met Rome sitting in the corner, crying bitterly. Then he looked away from the picture and stared at Mr. Ford. “Mom has died. I saw it all that night. She laid in a pool of blood. Why did I have to remember? I don't want to remember her in that state!” Rome mumbled, hugging himself tightly. A while later, Dr. Lincoln came to the mansion and did a thorough checkup on Rome. “He suffered from Dissociative amnesia. Rome's brain blocked out the memory of his mother's death, leaving him unable to remember important personal information.” Dr. Lincoln said, staring at Mr. Ford. “You must have suffered so much. I am a terrible father.” Mr. Ford said, tearing up again. ‘Why does he love crying so much? It's so weird. I don't remember him being this pathetic when I was little.’ Rome thought, darting his eyes around the room. After Mr. Lincoln had taken a sample of Mr. Ford and Rome salivas, he left the room, leaving them alone. “My son is finally back! I have an heir again. I think it's time for me to retire.” Mr. Ford said. “What?” Rome asked. “Well, you don't expect this old man to continue running the companies at such an age. I want you to take your rightful place as my heir and manage my multi-billionaire dollars businesses.”“I…”“I know you still have a lot to catch up on. But you are a fast learner. I can't believe you still know the moves that I taught you. Takeover from your father, huh.” After an awkward silence, Rome glanced up at Mr. Ford with a mischievous smile. “Okay, but under one condition,” Rome mumbled. “Anything. Name it.” Mr. Ford said. “Do not make my identity public.”“But why? I have hoped for this day for so long. Why can't I tell the world that you are my son?” A sly smile crept upon Rome's lips as he stared at his father and said, “I still have a few scores to settle.”