Elliot's POV
I walked into the Tournament grounds with Levi by my side. Unlike the first time we came to the same place, we were escorted inside by a bunch of girls wearing skimpy leather clothes and two burly men. I glanced at Levi and whispered.
"Is this how they escort you every time?" I asked him and he shrugged. I guess that was his way of saying "yes". I shook my head as I watched the girls lead us down to one of the rooms built under the arena seating area. The stadium was filled up and it was very loud already with people screaming and cheering.
It reminded me of the first time we came to the Tournament and met Cade. When we entered the room with Levi's name on it, I saw Richie, Hans and Osher speaking to someone. They looked very troubled as they argued with the man. It took them a while to notice us. Osher looked at Levi grimly and then at me. His eyes narrowed when he saw me.
"Why is she here? Isn't the mess you made with Eric enough?" He asked Levi and Levi scowled at him.
"I can bring whoever I want." He said coldly and I felt everyone's unwelcome gazes on me. I looked away uneasily.
Osher stretched his neck in a gesture of annoyance and exasperation. "Forget it!" He snapped finally as he came over to Levi.
"Levi, the administrator says you have to fight eight matches tonight. They are not giving us a choice." He said and my eyes widened as I looked at Levi's surprise.
"But..so suddenly?" He asked, looking at the man in the room.
"I am sorry. We made an exception for you in the first place. Just take up the offer or drop out." The man said. Levi frowned at that. He glanced at me warily. I watched the man who informed us about the Tournament Administrator's order leave us.
"Look dude, you can do this." Richie said and Levi scowled.
"The hell I can!" He snapped.
"This is that bastard Cade's doing. He is pulling the strings isn't he?" Levi growled, looking angry.
"Oh the feel of your love for me is heart warming." I heard someone's amused voice. We all turned to see Cade casually strolling into the room with two guards on both sides.
Levi started to rush towards him with violence in his eyes, but Osher held him back. Cade chuckled as he stopped before an enraged Levi.
"Shouldn't you be grateful that I gave you a second opportunity? I thought you would thank me." He said with a sneer.
"Why would I thank a slimy bastard like you? Give me back my money, asshole." Levi demanded, his nose flaring as he struggled in Osher's hold to get closer to Cade. He almost managed to push away Osher, when Hans and Richie also grabbed him.
"You think attacking me would get back your money?" Cade asked with a laugh.
"Boy, you are so naïve. The only way I will return your money is if you defeat me in the final match of this Tournament. Remember that. You better work your ass off to deserve a chance to fight me in the finals." He said and to my shock, Levi flipped Hans and Richie over his shoulder and charged at Cade. The guard beside Cade moved faster and blocked the punch aimed at Cade's face. I watched as the guard's nose spurted blood and Cade's eyes went livid.
Within seconds it escalated into a full on fight with Cade pulling back his guard and punching Levi. Levi punched back as well and sent Cade staggering to the wall. I watched Cade kick him in the chest with his feet. Osher, Hans and Richie stepped in, pulling Levi back and to my shock, pouring water with ice cubes on his head. I watched Levi turn on them angrily while Cade's guards tried to pull him back as well. Cade wiped the blood from his nose. Levi looked somewhat fine except for an angry looking bruise near his left eye.
"Are you going to stand there gaping like a doll or are you going to console your boyfriend to calm down?" Someone asked beside me and startled me out of my reverie. I did a double take when I saw Eric beside me with his reptilian smile.
"You.." I sputtered. I hadn't even noticed him coming in since I was engrossed in the fight. What was with everyone sneaking up on us unannounced? Besides, what was this rat doing here? I glared my hatred at him as I remembered he was the reason for all my misery.
I watched him go over to a furious Cade.
"I pay my humble respects to master Lucas Pietro's heir." He said, pulling a small bow to Cade. Cade huffed in distaste as he glared at Eric.
"If you make it to the finals, I will smash in your skull. Go running back to mummy like the wimp you are." He said to Levi as he left.
Levi pushed everyone away as he huffed his breath. He looked around everyone in annoyance but his eyes looked kind of guilty when it landed on me. He calmed down almost instantly. Everyone looked at me.
"That was really foolish, boy. It seems you've sent your clear sanity on a holiday this week." Eric mused.
"He is right." Osher fumed.
"Fighting with Lucas's heir was dangerous. You have eight more matches to win tonight. You won't get enough time to even take a sip of water. They are going to do one match after another without breaks. You need to focus and keep yourself from getting harmed as long as possible. Already, you've got a nice bruise on your eye." Osher scolded.
"It was worth it to bust that arrogant bastard's nose." Levi said, as he looked away. He glanced at me again, uneasily.
"I think it was fun to watch blood spurt from his nose." I said with a shrug, because Levi seemed to be worried about what I might think about it. A small smile appeared on Levi's face and Eric scowled.
"You are one very blood thirsty woman." Eric said and I glared at him.
"I would have loved it to see you bleeding from every orifice too and I am no woman." I snarled at him and he smiled at that as I glared daggers at him.
"Little girl..you shouldn't play with fire." Eric warned, still smiling. I hated it.
"Fire? You think you are like fire? Please. You are just an ass kissing wimpy little fry pimp, cowering behind bigger gangsters." I said and Eric's smile disappeared.
"That's..enough." Levi said, pulling me away.
"Guys, I need to get ready for the match. Can you leave us alone?" He asked them. Eric kept staring at me for a long time before he left. I fumed at that. Levi sighed.
"That was kinda..dangerous." He said when we were alone. I glared at him.
"You have no idea what that freak had done to me and my family." I said heatedly. Levi sighed.
"I understand you are angry about that night..." He started.
"No. You don't understand and besides, who are you to reprimand me? You were the same with Cade." I replied back angrily.
Levi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes. And that was stupid too but messing with Eric is worse. People like Eric don't fight back with honour. They are deceptive and manipulative. It's a terrible combination. Atleast with Cade, he has some honour. He keeps his word even if he is an asshole." Levi said.
"So what? I hate him." I said in exasperation. Levi shook his head.
"You know..I know you have reason to hate him but it would be in your best interest to forget it and move on. If you follow a person like him for revenge you are going to get trapped instead. He is like that." Levi warned me. I scowled at him.
"So..you are saying to just forget it?" I asked, giving him a look of disbelief. Levi looked uneasy as he looked away.
"It's not like he got away scot-free. We did get back at him..sort of." He said awkwardly. I looked at Levi with a frown. If he was so hesitant to make a move against Eric, it would be best to never tell him about my mum. He would just warn me away. I gave him a disappointed look just as an announcement blared from the speakers about the matches.
"I..need to get ready." Levi said uneasily without making a move to do it.
"We will talk later, Ellie." He said finally when I didn't reply. I watched him change his shirt and bandage up his chest, probably to protect his healing nipples. I just sat down as he armed himself with daggers, swords and chains. His body still looked slick from the water the guys had poured on him and he wasn't trying to dry it off as he pulled on a black sleeveless t-shirt.
Someone knocked on the door and came inside. I tried not to show my irritation at the rude girl who I met in Osher's house. She walked over to Levi in tall high heeled boots, a midriff white top and the shortest shorts I have seen. It almost looked like a g-string. I rolled my eyes as she eyed Levi like some pervert.
"Baby, you look hot." She said as she put her hand on Levi's chest and her other arm slithered around his neck. I snorted.
"It looks like a pervert, lustful auntie molesting a child. How old are you? Forty or something?" I couldn't help sniping in.
"What? Are you jealous bald boy?" She asked me, with narrowed eyes. Levi looked uneasy between us.
"Why would I be?" I asked with a roll of my eyes before deciding to leave the room with Levi calling behind me. How could he let some freakish woman in weird clothes touch him so familiarly like that? I wondered in annoyance. I walked out, until I saw the benches where Richie and the others sat. My anger calmed down when I felt someone staring at me. I turned to see Eric looking at me. He didn't look away even when I caught him staring at me. Just then I heard the name of the contestants being called.
Amidst loud guitar music came out a seven foot looking giant with long hair. My eyes widened in shock as he roared at the crowd like a lion. I shivered in fear at the man's animalistic look. I really think Levi should turn back and forfeit the match. Just then, I heard the announcer call up Levi's name and heavy metal music started with the crowd chanting "Leviathan". Levi entered the ground with that woman beside him. Unlike the other man, Levi didn't do anything remotely frightening. Only the woman seemed to be basking in the crowd's attention, getting her claws all over Levi's body. I scowled at that. The music finally ended and the match started with a cage closing in on them.
I watched the both of them size each other. The other man attacked Levi first, but evaded the swipe Levi made with his knife. The man grinned and showed claws like the ones Wolverine in X Men had.
"Ugh." I said in fear as the man charged at Levi with those claws. Levi moved fast as he grabbed the cage and flung his body, giving a hard kick in the man's face. The man roared as he fell back and Levi landed on his chest, giving him several punches on his face. Levi was a force to be reckoned with. The man couldn't move him off as Levi made a bloody mess of his face. He even swiped Levi's back with his claws but Levi didn't let go until the man lost consciousness and the match ended. I stood there stunned at what I saw. That was just so brutal. It wasn't really a test of skills or anything remotely like watching skilled fighters. It was just a test of brute strength.
I watched Levi come over to us as the match ended and the crowd cheered. Some people rushed over to Levi to attend to the bloody swipe from the claws on his back. They poured some disinfectant on it and I saw Levi searching the bench. His eyes stopped on me and it looked grim. Maybe he was asking me a question from the way he kept looking at me but I didn't know what he expected. I gave him a small smile and he looked sort of relieved as he glanced away.
We all watched as a shorter opponent who looked asian came in to the arena. The announcer announced the name and the crowd cheered. Levi went up again. This match was different from the first. The opponent looked to be very skilled in some form of martial art. To my surprise, Levi was very good as well. He easily defended and attacked the man with kicks and powerful jabs from his fists. I saw everyone watching tensely as Levi finally found the opportunity to make a good attack as he moved behind his opened and did a choke hold from the back before twisting the neck hold and slamming the man down by throwing him behind over Levi's shoulder, almost like breaking his spine. The man fainted almost immediately. It looked painful.
The next match started without even warning as a burly man ran in and charged at Levi. To our surprise, Levi did a quick turn and jumped up in a move that hit the man's neck pretty hard with his knee. With a final elbow jab to the back of the man's neck, he was down. Levi didn't even get to straighten up when three men charged at him at once.
"What the hell is that?" Osher bellowed.
"Call up the administrator. They aren't allowed to attack him at once." Osher said to Hans. I looked in alarm as three people took out swords and knives to fight against Levi. Levi ran down to grab his swords and took it up just in time as they all attacked him together. I covered my mouth in shock as I watched Levi struggle to push back the tangle of swords, trying to overpower his swords.
With a roar he pushed back the swords of the three of them. With fighting prowess I had yet to witness, he managed to momentarily separate the three fighters and disarmed one of them with their sword flying in the air. The others charged but Levi seemed too good with his sword. We actually watched him cut down one person's swords. He was a flurry of moves as they fought them off. The disarmed man quickly grabbed a spiked looking whip and sent it flying as Levi fought the last man. It hit Levi and made him bleed quite profusely.
"Hey, what does the administrator say about this?" Osher demanded to Hans.
"He says it is allowed to fight like this." Hans said somberly.
"Damn it!" Osher cursed and we watched the match drag on. The three opponents were too much for Levi to subdue them all at once. After disarming two of them, the first one seemed to recover and attack Levi before the third one tires out. They were taking timed turns and taking rest to recover when Levi couldn't do the same.
"He will have to hold on until fifteen minutes are over." Osher said worriedly.
"What happens after fifteen minutes?" I asked him. Osher looked at me with a frown.
"Then the maze will be put down on them and guns will be allowed." Osher told me. How would that be any better? I wondered. In time, I was nervously biting my fingers. The audience was also holding their breath. Levi didn't look that injured but we could tell he was getting tired and the opponents were getting more chances to attack him. In no time the crowd started the count down. I looked up at the huge TV showing the count down. "Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen.." The crowd chanted along with the clashing of swords and swishing of barbed whips.
"Two..three..one." The crowd stopped counting and we heard the sound of thunder. It was a sound effect but it made it feel ominous. We all watched as something like a maze started to descend. Everyone looked up and moved out of the way as it came down on the ground. We couldn't see anything above the ten feet walls of the maze. Instead, all of us were now looking at the TVs. The ones on the top seats of the arena could look down into the maze and we heard the crowd telling where Levi or the other opponents were. Of course, not all of their instructions were true. For them, it was just fun.
"What is the maze made of?" I asked Osher.
"Some parts are made of bullet proof glass, some made of thick wood, some made of plastic and some made of cardboard." He said. I blinked in surprise. I watched Levi running down the maze, touching the maze walls as he went. He was probably checking the material of the walls. The three opponents also had to separate and search the maze for Levi. The areas where they could get guns were marked in red and I saw two opponents get guns before Levi. To make it known, they fired shots in the air. Levi knelt down at that and I watched him touch the walls.
"Leviathan is right infront of you." Someone in the crowd screamed and we watched in horror as all opponents fired at their walls. The sound of gun fire was deafening. Levi ran as bullets tore through the maze. He finally got a gun and we watched him crouch. He looked like he was in pain.
"He was hit by a bullet." Hans said and I gasped. I prayed the match would end soon.
"Are you scared Leviathan would lose?" Someone asked beside me. I turned to see Eric standing close to me. I snarled at him.
"It's not in his blood to lose. A little bullet would not stop him." He told me and I frowned. He talked as if he knew a lot about Levi.
"I am not interested in speaking to you." I said with a glare.
"It seems like your mother told you about me." He said, the slick smile back on his face.
I didn't reply as I watched the TV tensely. Levi was waiting it out and the crowd again gave away his location. Two opponents moved. Levi seemed calm. He stood up just as the men were about to reach him. I watched in awe as he shot bullets through the walls on both sides with guns in both hands and the two men went down. We heard the announcer announce those two were out. Only one more remained. Levi moved and we heard the crowd telling Levi the place where the opponent was. Levi did move according to their instructions but stopped after a while. He waited and the crowd got impatient. They started instructing the last opponent to find Levi. I saw the last opponent scowl at the shifting loyalty of the crowd. He walked cautiously.
"He's behind you." Someone screamed and the opponent turned to look behind him just as Levi broke down the cardboard wall and knocked out the gun from the man's hand. The man trembled before Levi as he pointed his guns down at the man.
"I give up." The man said loudly and the match's winner was announced as Levi. The maze went up and we all gave a huge sigh of relief.
The announcer announced that according to rules, after a maze match, there would be a five minute break. Levi looked dizzy and bloody as he walked over to us. I ran over to him.
"Did you get shot?" I asked him anxiously as I tried to find the source of bleeding on him. The rude girl in Osher's gang pushed me away from Levi.
"Let the doctors look. Don't waste our time." She snarled. Levi tried to say something but she asked him to focus. He seemed dizzy anyway. I watched the doctor pull up his t-shirt and check the wounds on his chest and stomach before checking the legs. The bleeding was coming from the back of one leg.
"To the room. Now."' The doctor said and I watched them help Levi back to the room. I was also going to follow when Eric stopped me.
"There's no need to go." He said.
"Shut up." I snarled as I pushed away his hand. "Why are you here anyway?" I asked him.
"I co-sponsor Leviathan." He said with a shrug and I looked at him in surprise.
"Whatever, just stay out of my way." I snapped at him but he smirked.
"Is that the attitude you should show to someone to whom you owe 2.6 million dollars?" He asked me.
I whirled around to that. "What 2.6 million? Mum says it was was 1.3 million." I said.
He chuckled. "The last time I told her how much she owed was like two months ago. Then it was 1.3 million. Now it is 2.6 million." He said with a nasty grin.
"You jerkface!" I growled at him.
"The more you annoy me, the higher it will go. Is that what you want?" He asked me.
I bit my lips, glaring at him. "Let my mom go!" I demanded and he laughed.
"What do I get in exchange?" He asked me.
"My mum's health is getting worse by the day. What use could you have of her?" I asked him, a bit desperately now.
He smirked. "That's true. Old age is catching up to her I guess. She cries faster these days. My clients are getting bored." He said. I frowned at that. A shiver went down my spine at the way he looked at me.
"I know what you did. I know you were behind Levi attacking my club the day after he helped you escape. I even suspect you might be behind a certain cyber attack on my club, timed about the same time as Levi attacking us." He said with a smile.
"What are you speaking about?" I scoffed. I knew it would be dangerous to fess up to that.
He looked deep into my eyes as he advanced upon me. He looked down my clothes to my chest and down my legs.
"Unlike your mother, you aren't that pretty." He mused. Thank god! I thought with relief.
"I can give you a chance to pay me back that money." He said softly. My ears perked at that but I didn't want to ask him. It wasn't even hours ago when my mum told me how dangerous it was to make deals with Eric. I wasn't going to be stupid.
"I want you out of our life. Forever." I snapped.
He smiled. "Sure. Is that a deal?" He asked me and I glared at him.
"I don't think you offered one." I said suspiciously.
"There is an offer if you like." He told me and I was just staring at him with suspicion.
"The girl's contender matches will start after the end of this week. If you participate and manage to become the queen of this Tournament, I will forget the debt and also get out of your hair. If you accept it, starting today, I will leave your mother alone. But if you fail, both you and your mother will become my slaves to do with as I want for the rest of your lives. Think about it. You won't ever get another opportunity like this. There is absolutely no way you can pay back 2.6 million dollars. And let's not forget, I will make your mother and little brother's life hell. I've been thinking it would be nice to bring your little brother also to serve in my club." He told me with a smile. I slapped his face without thought.
"You have a dangerous habit of raising your hands and saying whatever you want." Eric growled dangerously at me. I ran away quickly, back to Levi's room. My mind and heart were still racing as I rested my back against the door and took deep breaths. I calmed down as I saw the frenzied attendants around Levi. He looked all bandaged up and was wearing only his boxer. I stared at him. It was the first time I was seeing him naked down to his boxers. For some reason, it made my face warm up. Levi looked pale though and he didn't look up. I saw the doctor slapping his cheeks, asking him to look up. He looked exhausted.
"Yep, he's focused." The doctor announced.
"Come on, Levi. You can do this. Only two more to go." Richie told him.
Levi nodded but he looked exhausted as he stood up. He even wobbled as he pulled on his jeans.
"Think of why you need the money Levi. You lose the match tonight and you lose it all." Osher told him, grabbing his face to make him look.
Levi pushed away, breathing weakly. "I know." He mumbled clenching his jaw.
"Imagine..all your years of effort, going down the drain." Osher said.
"I know. Buzz off." Levi screamed, gasping for breath and pulling away. Everyone backed off a bit.
"You are focusing on your body's weakness." I heard the one voice I really hated at that point.
Levi glared at Eric as he walked in calmly.
"Your body is a dangerous weapon groomed to fight and lead. It cannot be vulnerable. It's in your blood to overcome pain. The DNA in you is passed down from generations of fighters who have all been apex predators of their time. You go down fighting until your last breath. Tell your mind that." He said as he walked towards Levi. Levi narrowed his eyes at that.
"Isn't that what your daddy used to say?" He asked and Levi snarled.
I frowned. This abominable man knew Levi's dad? I saw everyone else look at Levi warily. It seemed they all knew it was a touchy subject.
Levi stormed out, passing me just as the announcer announced him back on the fighting arena. He seemed to be dazed and in pain. I followed everyone out with Levi and didn't get to say anything to him before he went back into the match awaiting him. The opponent looked like a boxer and his style was also the same. Levi was weak but to my surprise, he overcame his pain and fought with new energy.
"Now that's what I call a true fighter." Eric mused as he smirked. I watched as Levi pulled up the bulky man and slammed him down on his head. The match was over when the man couldn't get back up. Finally it was the last match of the night. Levi didn't even get to come back to us for a break. He was again bleeding through his new t-shirt. The opponent that came out was built like a mountain and he carried weapons of fire. I gaped at that. Levi even looked like he was screwed as he looked at the opponent. He was barely standing.
The man grinned viciously at Levi and said. "I am going to bury you here tonight, pretty boy."
To that, many people in the crowd booed while the others cheered "Kill him".
The man attacked and Levi had to keep backing away to avoid the flames. He tried fighting back but the man was faster. I looked tensely, sweat coming down my forehead. It really did look like Levi could lose. The man was a fire breather and he breathed fire like several meters long. Levi even got burned and fell down. The man could have finished him but he choose to drag it on. He kept hitting Levi with his foot and something that looked like a barbed iron baseball bat. I screamed as he hit Levi's head with the bat. There was a sickening crack sound or perhaps it was my imagination.
"Come on Levi. Fight!" Osher screamed and the whole arena repeated it. He was too dazed to fight though. His punches weren't even landing on the guy. The guy pulled back and we all watched in horror as he got a bottle of petrol and poured it around Levi before putting it on fire. I screamed out Levi's name but he didn't look like he heard. He was barely moving. The fire flamed around Levi in a circle. He stood up probably to escape the heat but then noticed he was surrounded by fire. The guy used a whip to hit Levi all around.
"He's trapped and inhaling smoke from the fire. This won't last long." Richie said, biting on his lips.
"He wouldn't die. Guys in his bloodline don't die so easily. This is a good show because we can see what he does when instinct takes over." Eric said with a smile. I got angry then. I didn't want to watch him die here or be pushed to an extent where he is on the brink of death.
"Levi!" I screamed again but I didn't think he heard.
"Levi! You better win this. I didn't come here with you to see you lose." I screamed.
The flame throwing guy laughed at that and hit Levi with added ferocity. I growled in anger at that.
"Was that your girl friend? Did you bring her here to show her how you die like a cowering wimp?" The man snarled. Some laughed at that but most of the crowd seemed appalled. Some even screamed to let Levi go.
"Come on! Get up Levi. Get up! You promised you would help me. You can't go back on that. Come on, Levi!" I screamed and the crowd chanted it up. Levi stirred as he turned in my direction through the fire.
"Don't give up! You can't die here. You owe me a ride home atleast." I screamed out. To my surprise Levi chuckled.
"What are you laughing at, freak?" The man asked Levi and flung his whip. This time though, Levi grabbed it and pulled him hard into the circle of fire. With power I didn't think he had, he pulled the whip around the man's neck and tightened enough to choke. The man made the indication for giving up after a while of struggling. Levi could have killed him because these matches allowed it. But he backed off, panting hard. Richie ran in and put out the fire. Levi couldn't stand. I ran over to help him. He looked at me with a small smile, his face, bloody and filled with the dark soot of fire.
"Sorry Ellie, I can't keep my promise to be your sleeping pillow or take you home." He whispered in my ear. I turned to scold him for giving me a heart attack by almost dying out there but he had already passed out.
The doctor checked him as we reached his room and said the injuries were extensive. He said we had to take him to a hospital. I was going to call an ambulance when Osher stopped it.
"We don't take even our dying men to the hospital. It attracts too much attention and brings in the Police." He snapped at me. I glared at him.
"I don't care. Levi isn't dying here because of your nonsensical rules. He didn't fight till his last breath out there to die from lack of medical treatment later." I protested.
"That's right." I heard someone say as he came in. To my surprise it was Cade.
"Warriors shouldn't die in vain. You can use our hospital. I have called in for the ambulance." Cade said and no one responded. I ran over to him gratefully.
"Thank you. Now what's taking them so long?" I demanded. Cade sighed just as the ambulance attendants came in.
I wanted to quickly help them carry Levi to the ambulance but Eric stopped me.
"Sorry. But Levi is our gang member. He cannot go inside an enemy gang territory." Osher said. I felt the nerves in my head pop at that stupidity. I turned around and gave a roundabout kick into Osher's stomach.
"But I can go and I will take Levi with me. Who is going to stop me? You?" I asked angrily as Osher straightened up, glaring daggers at me. No one stopped me again as I helped the attendants place Levi on the stretcher and carry him out. I ran out with him but an unwanted pest followed.
"Technically, I am not in any gang. So I can go with you." Eric said, looking at me with a weird smile that looked almost like he appreciated me. We both sat on either side of Levi inside the ambulance. Eric kept looking at me.
"You are creeping me out, freak." I said with a glare at him when he didn't stop staring at me.
He gave that creepy smile and said "Did you think of my offer?" He asked me, reminding me of his offer. I didn't reply.
"You seem different tonight." He mused and I looked at him suspiciously.
"It's like there is a fire lit up in you." He said.
"Do you want to burn in it? It's called hatred." I snarled at him.
He laughed at that as if I have joked. "It's interesting." He mused as he looked at me.
"Jason told me you were a mellow little thing and I was disappointed. I always wondered how none of King's children had the fire in him. He was a feisty guy. Even when he breathed his last, he didn't give up." He said, making my eyes widen in suspicion.
"What do you mean his last breath?" I asked him.
"He didn't die in an accident. We killed him. If he had just handed over his money to us, he wouldn't have to die." He said as he sat back with a smug look on his face.
I looked with horror at him. I couldn't move even when I wanted to pound his smug face to a pulp.
"What did my father ever do to you?" I asked him.
"He dared to take me into a court room and get me fined. The prostitutes were mine. How dare he say they have rights! Don't make me laugh." He said in a sinister voice.
"I just wanted him to pay back the money I lost." He told me and I shuddered. The level of hatred I felt for Eric went to dangerous proportions by then.
"I wanted his whole family to suffer for his arrogance. At first, seeing his wife beg was so satisfying. But then it soon became boring. There's something interesting about trying to break a person who wouldn't yield. I missed that. But tonight, in you, I saw his spirit. I've heard King had a daughter named Elliot and that the girl thinks she is a boy. I heard she could take on all the boys in her Kindergarten school. You piqued my interest as a kid and I really expected you to meet my expectations when you grow older. But then, Jason easily subdued you. You became a dull little thing. I thought you were more like your father but it seemed like you were more like your mother. Hard on the outside but soft inside...But now I think, perhaps I was wrong about you." He said. I frowned at that. I guess I had been behaving very irritably tonight because of all I have heard from mom. Eric seems to think that showed a fire inside me.
I looked at him with such hatred, I barely controlled myself from hitting him.
"Look Elliot. You are basically my property. I can do whatever I want with you so long as your mum remains my slave. I could make you and your mother my slaves and have you raped infront of your little brother. I heard he hates you. Imagine what he would think after wards." He said and I couldn't stop myself from punching his nose so hard that it spurted blood. Eric roared and grabbed my shoulders hard, digging his nails into my skin until it bruised.
"You know what I can do to you, little bitch and I have given you an option to get away from this all." He said. I frowned at that.
"What do you gain from it?" I asked him. He laughed at that.
"I will see you broken. You will be laughed at and humiliated in front of a whole crowd. Then when you come back crawling to me, I will have my men make slaves of you, your mom and perhaps even your little brother. I will always remind you that you had a choice to get rid of me but you failed. Elliot is a loser and you will say it to me every day. I will train you to be a slave myself." He said with an evil smile.
"Is that what you really think?" I asked back without thought.
"Stupid old fart. I will never beg. I will accept your terms and I will be the Tournament queen. You just wait and watch." I said angrily. Eric's eyes glinted at that.
"We shall see. I will put in your Tournament deposit fee myself. You can't back out now." He said and I realized I had just made a deal with the devil. But the way I looked at it, I had no choice. Eric was going to do whatever he wanted anyway. If there was any choice in it, I should try, shouldn't I? I looked at Levi and remembered the matches. I might have guts but there was no way I could survive through something like Levi did. I wasn't that strong. I might have a big mouth but I was just a skinny kid.
I shook my head at the demeaning thoughts in my head. I wasn't weak. I was my dad's child. He stood up against gangsters and powerful people to fight for the rights of the weak. He never backed down. He stood up for what he believed. He gave up money and luxury to be with my mom and our family. He died fighting. I couldn't be anything less. I will show this man how wrong he was to underestimate my will. I will fight for my family until my last breath. So what if I know almost nothing about professional fighting? I will find help. I wished I could tell Levi. But judging from his response earlier, he would keep trying to stop me. My friends were in their own messes. I had to find a way to become the winner on my own, I thought as I looked at the monster before me coldly.
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AN: Please vote and or comment if you liked this chapter :).