Chapter 2
The urn was tiny, barely the size of his palm. He mused, “Who would have thought a six-year-old child would be reduced to just a small handful of ashes? Just days ago, he was standing before me alive, calling me uncle. Too bad Chloe soon cut him open.” “Chloe said his only value in life was to be my blood bank and spare organ donor. Now that he’s dead, you’re next. Looks like you father and son have a hereditary occupation.” He burst out laughing, tears of mirth in his eyes. Rage ignited in my heart. I lunged at him, trying to snatch the urn. “Give it back! That’s my son!” But my strength was no match for his. He easily dodged me. “I can’t just give it to you for free. After all, Chloe wanted to throw it away, but I kept it for you. You should be thanking me!” As he finished speaking, several bodyguards suddenly appeared and kicked the back of my knees, dragging me to the company lobby. It was bustling with people, including many former colleagues and acquaintances. They all stopped to stare at my wretched state. “Isn’t that Jack who disappeared? I thought he had retired after making his fortune. How does he look like he’s on death’s door? He’s practically a cripple!” “I heard he gambled away all his assets and got his hands broken by loan sharks. He even caused his own son’s death. What a burden on poor Chloe!” “He’s probably here to beg Marcus for money, playing on their past relationship. Those two are so unlucky to be saddled with him.” Contemptuous and scornful gazes fell on me, their disdain nearly drowning me. Marcus smirked, “You want your son’s ashes? Then crawl between my legs to get them! I’ll give you five seconds. Time’s up after that!” He started counting down, “Five, four, three…” As I gritted my teeth, agonizing over the decision, he paused midway and laughed. Then he suddenly opened the urn and dumped all the ashes into a nearby flower pot. The white fragments and powder scattered, then were ground deep into the soil by his raised foot. In an instant, they vanished without a trace. Now there was no way to retrieve them. I could no longer contain my fury. I raised my hand and punched him hard in the face. “Marcus, he died for you! How can you be so heartless? Aren’t you afraid of karmic retribution?” Marcus sneered and said in a low voice, “Are you trying to tickle me? A cripple is still just a cripple.” “No wonder your wife says you’re useless, completely unable to satisfy her. Yesterday we went at it until the bed nearly collapsed. She kept praising me, saying how amazing I was. She screamed in pleasure so loudly the whole office outside could hear clearly!” He grinned maliciously, “You know what? Back when you were kidnapped and tortured, we watched the whole livestream from outside. She felt guilty midway and wanted to send someone to save you. But after I pressed her down on the couch, she was too caught up in ecstasy to care anymore. In fact, the more we heard your agonized screams, the more aroused and thrilled she became.” My whole body shook with rage. Memories of being tortured to the brink of death flooded my mind, making me sick with anger. But Marcus suddenly grabbed my hand and used it to punch himself hard in the face. “See, that’s how you throw a punch!” he taunted. Just then, we heard Chloe’s piercing scream. She quickly shielded Marcus behind her, then slapped me across the face to avenge him. Her face was colder than I had ever seen as she said, “Jack, stay away from Marcus. If a worthless cripple like you hurts him, he’d wake up dissatisfied even in his dreams!” “If you dare touch him, I’ll pay you back tenfold!” I laughed mockingly, “Didn’t you cause me to become a cripple in the first place?” A flicker of panic crossed her eyes. She frowned, “What are you talking about? Stop being ridiculous!” But Marcus held her back. “Chloe, Jack did me a favor in the past. Let’s consider this punch as repayment for that kindness. We should be magnanimous and not quibble with petty people!” He took Chloe’s hand and left. Their backs as they walked away together stung my eyes. But I didn’t chase after them to beg. Instead, I went home to pack my bags. The doorbell suddenly rang. A courier had delivered a package. When I opened it, a bloody, mangled finger fell out. From the birthmark, I immediately recognized it as my son’s. The note inside read, “Chloe accidentally chopped this off while harvesting his liver. A keepsake for you.” Just then, my phone rang. Chloe’s voice came through, “Jack, I was a bit hasty earlier. Don’t take it to heart. Marcus told me he picked out a gift to apologize to you. Do you like it?” Suppressing the hatred in my heart, I said in a trembling voice, “I love it. Tell him I’ll return the favor.” I hung up and left behind divorce papers, then departed from the place I had called home for years. Chloe, thinking I had finally learned my lesson, hung up with satisfaction. She was accompanying Marcus at the company, waiting for their business partner. But as the appointed time passed, there was still no sign of them. Just as Chloe was feeling uneasy and about to make a call, a panicked employee rushed in. “M-Ms. Chloe,” he stammered, “Someone saw our business partner leave by helicopter with Jack! And Jack asked me to tell you something before he left.” “He said he now knows everything you’ve done to him. His biggest regret was giving you that billion dollars five years ago to help you rebuild. If he could do it over, he’d rather have fed that money to dogs!”