The cordial greeting of the sunrise approached the translucent window by the room when he and Maverick had already caught up on each other’s lives for the past six years that Nathan had been away. With empty bottles and plates that were scattered around the glass table, Nathan, who was almost but not quite drunk, stood from his seat and tapped Maverick beside him. His friend was already snoozing with his neck craned to the headboard of the chair.

Cracking his neck, Nathan kicked his shins, startling him with a shout, “Dude, get up. It’s already morning.”

Maverick, who just dozed out from his seat, reclined his back away. “Shit, fuck . . .” He fumbled on the couch, searching for his phone. “What time is it?”

Nathan lifted his forearms and replied, “It’s six in the morning.” He slapped his knees and added, “Come on, let’s go. I need a lift.”

The man grumbled in protest. “Fuck, dude, don’t you have a car for that?” He staggered as he stood on the ground, to which Nathan had noticed quickly that he helped Maverick by supporting his unsteady walk.

“Yeah, I do have. But I can’t call Isaac. It’s too early,” Nathan explained to him as they both walked out of the room, trotting toward the parking lot.

By the time they got to the parking area, Maverick unhinged his arms on Nathan’s shoulder and fished out his keys inside his pockets. “You owe me a lot, Nathan.”

Nathan shook his head as he lightheartedly disagreed with it. “Not as much as you do.”

Maverick didn’t respond and just chuckled it off as they got inside the car and drove to Maverick’s place.

***

As the night greeted Clara’s apartment, Daphne was shocked to see her mother in the lounge with an unkempt and distraught face. Linda’s eyes were red as scarlet when she stood from the upholstered chair and stepped forward toward her daughter.

Combing her curly hair, she batted her messy eyelashes at her daughter. “Hey sweetheart, how are you?”

Awkwardly, Linda reluctantly hugged her, which Daphne found a little strange and sketchy. Usually, her mom only did it if she needed money from her.

“What are you doing here, mom?” Daphne tried not to grunt as she dropped the bag on the couch.

Meanwhile, Clara came to the picture with a ladle in her hand as she went toward them. “Finally, you’re here, Daphne! I kept calling you a while ago to tell you your mom is here.”

Daphne turned her gaze to Clara, smiling at her softly. “Sorry. I didn’t notice. Thanks, Clara.”

“Sure, and no worries about it,” Clara answered as she looked at Daphne and Linda back and forth. She then recognized the tension between the two of them that made her move backward. “Okay, I’ll just be in the kitchen, if you need something, Daphne…”

Daphne nodded at her friend and then, in a couple of seconds, grabbed her bag from the couch, neglecting her mom to go into her room. Linda, however, followed her behind, looking quite jittery and nervous.

When Daphne got inside, she placed her back on the table and removed her shoes to change into her slippers. Without looking at Linda, Daphne finally resigned to the thought of ignoring her by asking her mother straight away.

“Do you need the money right now?” She then walked to her closet and yanked on some shirt and pajamas.

Linda bit her lips for a moment and then plummeted her arms to the side. “Yeah. The guys needed the money, Daphne. I have to pay them immediately, baby.”

“Can’t it wait?” Daphne threw her clothes onto the bed and then raised her arms to prop them on her waist. “I don’t have any cash with me now, mom.”

Her mother’s face instantly became more anxious. Linda’s finger fidgeted relentlessly as she walked toward Daphne’s bed, sitting uncomfortably on it. Rubbing her palms onto her knees, she muttered, “I have to give them the money right away, Daphne.”

Linda tilted her chin and with trepidation in her expression, she added, “They’re going to kill me, if I don’t pay them back.” She buried her face into her palms and wailed.

Daphne couldn’t help but be worried about her mom. The shield she was fortifying against Linda soon crumbled down as soon as she heard her mother’s cry. She wasn’t merciless and certainly, she wasn’t a monster to not feel any empathy and compassion for Linda.

Linda was and is still her mom, and that would never change despite her flaws of being a wonderful mother like other moms.

She walked forward to her bed, brushed her mom's arms, and sat on her feet to tell her, “Didn’t I say I’ll help you with it, mom?” Daphne then pulled her forearms out of her eyes and looked directly at Linda’s face. “I just got a part-time today and I will start tomorrow. Also, I already applied to be a full-time teacher at a private school.”

Her mom’s eye blinked. Then she wiped her tears off as though her distressed expression a while ago diminished in an instant. “You did, baby?” Linda smiled sweetly at her daughter, hugging her tightly. “I’m so proud of you! Mommy is so proud of you, sweetheart.” Kissing her temples, she added, “I love you so much, and thank you!”

“Just—I just need time, mom to pay for it. That’s the last thing I could ask you.” Daphne sighed, parting away from their hug.

Sniffing her nose, Linda coaxed her daughter by tucking the falling strands of her hair into her ear. “Of course, I understand, Daphne…”

Daphne couldn’t find the exact words to say to her, which became the reason for her giving Linda a robotic smile. After that exchange of reassuring words, her mother left Daphne in a devastating state. As she went back to the kitchen where the food was already ready at the table, she slumped her back on the chair, exhaling massive frustration.

At that moment, Clara noticed that after she placed a glass of wine by her side, she asked her, “Did she ask you again for another money?”

Daphne didn’t speak and just nodded to her with dejection.

“You can borrow from me for a while, if she badly needs it right now, Daphne.” Clara sat beside her, holding her hand.

“No, Clara. It’s fine. Besides, you’ve already done a great deal for me.” She forced her lips to curve upward. “I can handle it, don’t worry,” Daphne reassured her friend.

Clara pursed her lips. “Alright, but please do tell me quickly if you find yourself in a tight spot, Daphne. You know I always got your back.”

Daphne gave her a nod. “Yes, I will.” She then lifted her hand away beneath hers and then patted Clara’s hand with hers. Clearing her throat, she changed their subject as she grabbed the spoon by her side and scooped the risotto from the plate. “Great, I’m starving! Let’s eat!”

Clara didn’t push the topic through as she also picked up her spoon from the table and took a portion of the rice.

***

The next morning came by so rapidly that Daphne felt the strain of pressure on her nerves. She woke up so early to prepare all the things she would need for the first day of work. Wearing the most formal and professional clothes she had, she went to Nathan’s place even before the start of her work.

By the time she reached the place, Daphne was not surprised to be accosted by a thirty-foot tall mansion in front of her. The house, or so she said, the manor was so commodious that it would fit more than a thousand people. It looked more like a commercial area with an aristocratic and expensive design, rather than a warm and comfy residential space.

She then fixed the creases on the hem of her blazer and pushed the bell button on the ten-foot tall column that was barricading the entire mansion. After a minute, an old lady came to open the gate in a formal black-and-white uniform. The lady must be one of Nathan’s maids and caretakers of this house, along with other employees who live with Nathan and Chuck Kelly.

“Good morning. Um, I’m Daphne Collins, the new tutor,” Daphne greeted the lady.

“Ah yes, Mr. Kelly had already informed us. I’ll take you to Chuck’s room, Miss Collins,” the white-haired woman replied to her while she pushed the front door open.

They walked to the massive space of the room and, as Daphne followed her to the stairs, her eyes couldn’t stop roaming around as though she struggled with the thought of comparing Nathan’s over-the-top home to Maverick’s trifling mansion.

And by the time they got to the second floor, the old woman added a reminder, “You can tell me if you need anything, Miss Collins.”

“Sure. Will do,” Daphne politely replied. “Also, may I know if I need to know anything about Chuck, in case…” She paused for a while and then jerked up her shoulders briefly. “In case just something happens?”

She turned around to take a glimpse of her. “Not so much, Miss Collins. The kid will have to take his vitamins in the afternoon and need to eat lunch at the exact time. Also, we’ll directly bring the meals here so you two won’t get disturbed.”

“Ah, got it. Thank you so much, miss—?”

“You can just call me Mrs. Willis, Miss Collins,” the old woman casually answered.

“Just Daphne, by the way. I’m not comfortable with people calling me by my surname,” Daphne explained to Mrs. Willis.

The woman didn’t bother asking her about it and just shrugged it off. After a couple of minutes of walking down the hallway, they finally stopped at a white door. Mrs. Willis opened the door and upon entering the room, Daphne met a freckled young man on his bed.

“Chuck, your tutor is already here, buddy,” Mrs. Willis informed the kid.

Daphne stepped forward to the kindness and introduced herself to him with joy. “Hi, Chuck! Good morning! I’m Miss Collins, your new tutor.”

However, instead of being greeted pleasantly, Chuck jumped out of his blue rocket ship bed and threw his stuff at her. “I don’t like you.” Before Daphne could even reply, she was already strewn with water from the kid’s cup.

“And I don’t want you here!” Chuck stomped his feet so loud that made Mrs. Willis scolded him.

“Oh, come on now, young man, that is not how you treat your teacher, buddy. “

The boy snouted and shouted, “I don’t care! Leave my room! I hate you and I don’t like you in my room!”

“I’m sorry about this, Miss Collins. I’ll talk it out with him,” Mrs. Willis said to her as she approached the young man.

Daphne nodded at her, watching her appeasing the grumpy boy. The white-haired woman sat beside Chuck and brushed the boy’s dark-brown wavy hair. “How about this, buddy? I’ll cook your favorite mac and cheese later, while you wait here with Miss Collins. Does that sound alright with you?”

The boy pressed his lips into a thin line. “But uncle doesn’t want me to eat that! He says it’s not healthy, Mrs. Willis!”

She raised her index fingers and then pressed them to her mouth, winking mischievously at the boy. “It’ll be just between us.”

Chuck thought it over for a moment. He lifted her head in Daphne’s direction and asked, “What about her? She’ll tell him about it…”

Daphne quickly answered Chuck, “I won’t tell your uncle. I promise!” She put her hand on her chest and added, “Scout's honor, Chuck.”

Chuck just grimaced at her as he rubbed his eyes. “Whatever.”

Mrs. Willis then stood from her seat. “Good boy, bud.” She approached Daphne and told her, “I’ll get back to the kitchen, Miss Collins. Do inform me if you need something.”

She bowed her head to the old woman and watched her leave the room to single-handedly handle Nathan’s pompous and spoiled nephew.

Clasping her fingers, she pivoted her gaze back to Chuck, who looked completely uninterested. “So how about we do something fun and interesting while we wait for Mrs. Willis? Is that okay with you, Chuck?”

“You’re stupid. Studying is not fun.” He gritted his teeth, clenching his fist tightly.

She sat on her heel and responded enthusiastically, “We’ll make it fun, then.”

Chuck ignored her, crossing his arms to his chest as Daphne started to bring out her teaching materials.

Hours had passed, and the teaching session was a disaster. Chuck didn’t listen to her and kept on complaining. More so, Daphne endured the long-hour session of patiently comprehending the problematic attitude of the child that when it ended, she never felt so damn tired in her life as now.

After they were finished, Daphne was about to go home when suddenly the spoiled brat’s uncle just arrived.

As soon as Daphne went downstairs, she came across Nathan in the hallway. Smiling at the man, she greeted him politely while he just returned her an impassive glower. Daphne didn’t make that man’s elusive gesture to her an issue as she decided to pass by him, walking toward the entrance door of the manor.

When she was about to open the door, Daphne suddenly paused by the time she heard Nathan’s voice stammering.

“You can have dinner here,” Nathan said in an uncertain and hesitant voice.

Daphne burrowed her eyebrows. She then pointed her thumb in the door's direction. “No, it’s okay. Anyway, I should be heading out since it’s already late.”

Then Nathan’s secretary interrupted. He was a man in his twenties whose extravaganza personality exudes in his colorful clothing. “Darling, you’re such a sweetheart! No need to be shy, darling.” He circled his arms around her shoulders and uttered to her ears, “Mr. Kelly never invites anyone to dinner in his house, so if I were you, I'll accept it because it is damn rare!”

Nathan seemed to have heard Elliot’s comment. His eyes glared at his secretary, clearing his throat. “Stop corroding her mind with your nonsense, Barker.”

“Boss, I’m just sayin’ the truth,” Elliot Barker retorted in a sassy tone.

Meanwhile, Daphne found their interaction appealing. It was her first time to see Nathan with his secretary have that dynamic, yet respectful, professional relationship between them.

“I really can’t. I have to go…” Daphne adamantly rejected his offer.

He lifted his left hand to loosen the tie on his collar. “I will have Isaac drive you back to your apartment. If that’s what you’re worried about.” Shrugging to himself as he tried to explain, he muttered, “Besides, I don’t want to be rude to my nephew’s teacher.”

“I haven’t been invited by him to dinner, mind you, Miss Collins. If I were, I would take that chance.” Elliot winked at her before looking back at Nathan. “Anyway, boss, I gotta go. All the documents for tomorrow are done and your meeting with the Saundra Land Corp. has been all set.”

Nathan nodded at his secretary. Elliot then waved his hands to Daphne and said, “Night, darling! It’s nice meeting you!”

“Same, here.” Daphne smiled at Elliot while waving her hand also as she watched him leave.

When the door in front of Daphne and Nathan shut closed, he gazed back at her and asked again, “So, would you want to stay for the dinner?”

“I really shouldn’t—" She chewed the bottom of her lips as she contemplated whether to accept his invitation. Her pre-thoughts wanted to refuse the offer, as she didn’t want to add her debts to this man. However, a part of her also knew that it would also be obnoxious of her if she rejected his offer. Furthermore, it was just a casual dinner among the Annistons’ and she surmised that not could go wrong with it.

“Are you sure?” Nathan asked her again as he waited for her with his other hand clutching a suitcase while the other was shoved inside the pockets of his trousers.

She shook her head with a bit of reluctance and answered, “Oh-kay. Yeah, sure.” Daphne stepped forward, gripping her back onto her shoulders. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Uh, great.” He sounded odd, airy, and breathy. Nathan then turned to his left and pointed his index finger to the narrow passage. “Just walked straight here, turn right, and there’s the dining hall.”

“Er, sure. Thanks…” She roamed her eyes to the bright halls of the way on the right wing of the mansion. Then, as she was about to go, she noticed Nathan going upstairs. Stopping behind his back, she asked him, “Are you not, um, coming to eat… for dinner?”

Nathan looked back at her and pursed his lips. “I’ll head there late. Don’t wait for me.” He then continued walking upstairs when suddenly he collided with his nephew going down.

“Hey, kid. How’s your day?” Nathan greeted his nephew like he was just some child he casually knew.

Daphne found it odd, as she had thought that the two were close. Backing up her expectations, the man went to lengths just to get Chuck Kelly a credible tutor. If he didn’t care about the kid, he wouldn’t go through the painstaking process of giving the best of everything to his nephew.

Chuck, however, didn’t respond to him and just ignored his uncle. Nathan didn’t force the kid to answer him, even if Daphne felt Chuck was a tad disrespectful. Just like him, Daphne tried to ignore it as though it didn’t happen.

When the kid finally came down, Daphne approached him. “Want to go with me to the dining room?”

The kid, again, neglected her for the nth time and just spout a snide remark. “Stupid!”

Daphne just sighed in dejection while she followed the young man to the dining hall. On the other side, Nathan trotted up the stairs, going to his room.

***

Thirty minutes had passed when Nathan came to the dining table. He was wearing a light-brown sweatshirt and loose pants. Daphne was sitting on the left side of the long mahogany table, while Chuck was on the right side, near the head seat.

“Why is your plate still empty, bud?” Nathan quickly noticed that Chuck wasn’t even lifting his arms to grab some food. “Are you not hungry?”

The kid gave him a grumpy look. “I’m not hungry.”

Nathan reached the bowl of beans in the center and took a portion of it to give it to Chuck. “And why not?”

Chuck harrumphed. “I don’t like the food and…” He shifted his gaze to Daphne, who was sitting two seats apart from Nathan and was a noticeable distance away from Chuck. “And I don’t like her.”

His uncle looked up at Daphne as he folded the knitted sweater on his right arm. “You don’t like Miss Collins?”

The brat nodded. “Yes. She makes me study so much!”

“But it’s for your own good, Chuck. I told you to have to study hard—" Nathan tried to explain to the child when Chuck intervened with him immediately with his tantrums.

“I don’t like to study, uncle, and I don’t like her! And I don’t like the food! I hate her and I hate this!” He shouted as he banged the utensils on the table.

Daphne jumped in her seat, surprised at the kid’s reaction. She knew that Chuck had a problematic attitude, but she didn’t know that it was deeper and more extensive than this.

Nathan didn’t scold his nephew. He raised his arms and pinched the bridge of his nose as he called out Mrs. Willis. “Mrs. Willis!”

The old woman came quickly while wiping her dark brown hands on her apron. “Yes, sir. Is there anything you want?”

“Chuck doesn't like the food.” Waving his hands to the maid, he added, “Bring him whatever he likes.”

Mrs. Willis nodded. “Right away, sir.”

However, Daphne felt this was too much. The kid was being spoiled rotten by everyone in this house, which intensified his insufferable behavior more. Gripping the spoon and forked, she meddled, “Hang on…”

Both Mrs. Willis and Nathan stared at her in bewilderment.

“Don’t you think you’re coaxing him too much?” She dropped the utensils to the surface of the mantle and then placed her hands under the table. “He needs to know that his behavior is disrespectful and appalling. Moreover, if you give him everything he wants, he’ll think that it’s alright to be rude and impolite.”

Nathan’s jaw tightened. He propped his elbows on the table and cracked his knuckles with his fingers. Ignoring Daphne’s comment, he signaled Mrs. Willis to take Chuck with her to the kitchen.

Mrs. Willis just obliged him as she approached Chuck, who was so cantankerous. “Come with me to the kitchen, dear. We'll make your favorite grilled-cheese sandwich.”

The kid followed the old woman to the kitchen while Daphne and Nathan were left alone in the dining area. When Chuck and Mrs. Willis’ shadows disappeared in the room, Nathan grabbed his utensils again and forked some French beans.

“Don’t tell me what and what not to do with my nephew, Miss Collins. I’ll discipline him whenever and whatever I want,” he rebutted her suggestion a while ago.

Daphne wiped her lips with the cloth. “Please, just call me Daphne, Sir Kelly. As a teacher, I’m just giving you a bit of advice to help you with Chuck, and not, in any way, doubt your ability as his guardian.”

“Then just Nathan, Daphne. Besides, I don’t need your advice regarding him and, more importantly, I don’t like you intervening in our affairs,” he said softly, but with warning and indignation.

With this, Daphne didn’t try to defend herself back to her employer and just ate in silence with him. The past thirty minutes of them sneaking out stares at each other while eating was the most awkward and unsettling feeling Daphne had experienced in her life.

***

By the time their dinner finished, Daphne was about to go home. It was already eight o’clock in the evening and she had to still travel back to the apartment for at least forty-five minutes. Nathan’s nephew, Chuck Kelly, was already in his room sleeping, while Nathan was in the living room with documents and papers scattered on the coffee table and on the sofa.

Daphne greeted him in the evening as she fished her bag on the couch. “I’ll be going, si-Nathan.” She bowed her head partially and added, “Thanks for the dinner. I sincerely appreciate it.”

In his spectacle glasses, his eyes titled up to meet hers. “Wait a minute. I’ll just call Isaac to drop you in your place.”

She hastily shook her head at him. “No, it’s alright. The ride on the bus would take me twenty minutes only, and the fare is not that really expensive, so it’s fine.”

“No, it’s already late. The walk here to the subdivision is too long—“Nathan explained as he got his phone and opened it.

“It is really okay, Nathan. Besides, Isaac must be already sleeping…I don’t want to bother him just to take me home,” Daphne insisted.

Nathan couldn’t respond to her and because of this, Daphne decided to head towards the front door, when all of a sudden, she heard him at her back.

“I’ll drive you home then.” He stood from his seat as he looked at Daphne. She was, on the other hand, surprised by his prompt gesture that made her eyes gape wide.

Waving her head in persistence, she rejected his offer. “No. No, no, it’s really fine. You don’t have to do that, Nathan.”

Nathan didn’t listen to her. He moved out from the table and said, “Wait for me here. I’ll just grab my keys.”

Daphne was about to stop him when she didn’t catch him up as he hastily walked upstairs to his room. Sighing in resignation, she hunched her shoulders down while she waited for him to come down.

After a few minutes, Nathan, with his long black coat, stepped down the stairs and walked toward the front door. Daphne, who couldn’t do anything about it, just let the man insist on his offer as she also didn’t want to make the atmosphere between them become more obdurate.

As they both stormed to the garage, Daphne went inside the car, and sat at the back, while Nathan sat in the driver’s seat. Nathan recognized it and was dismayed by her intended avoidance of him.

“Sit by my side,” He ordered her as he took a glance at her in the rear-view mirror.

“No. I’m fine here.” Daphne wetted her lips, turning away from him to the window of the car.

Nathan raised his eyebrow. “I don’t want to look like I’m your driver, Daphne.”

“You’re not.” She shrugged obstinately.

“And yet, sitting there on the back, make me look like one,” Nathan stated to her as he shifted to his back and to give her an ultimatum. “Now, are you going to sit beside me so we can go, or will you keep on insisting on your point throughout the entire course, wasting our goddamn time?”

Sighing in defeat, Daphne didn’t have a choice but to change seats and sat on the passenger seat beside the driver. After getting situated inside the car, Nathan turned on the engine, revving and driving the vehicle on the road, together with a lady, who looked a bit conscious of the situation between them.

***

While on the road, Daphne couldn’t help but think about what Nathan had said to her minutes before when they were having dinner. She didn’t like the way he responded to her like she was a nosy bitch who meddled in other people’s life.

She knew she wasn’t that kind of person, as she was just concerned as a teacher toward Chuck’s reprehensible attitude. The kid was too much and way out of himself that he was downright rude to everybody, even to his elders. For Daphne, Chuck was just so disrespectful to them that she couldn’t let it go, even if this was the first time meeting and interacting with him.

For this reason, she broke the silence between them as she clutched her purse tightly. “I know this might be way too overboard as Chuck’s tutor, and I mean no disrespect for your parenting skills with him, but I think you shouldn’t tolerate his tantrums.”

Yeah, Daphne was stubborn, and even if Nathan Kelly would get mad with her, she didn’t care, and to the hell with it.

Nathan pulled the clutch, shifting his gears. Despite not looking at her, the anger on his face swelled up that it was evident to be noticed by Daphne.

“As I’ve said before, Daphne, I know what I am doing with my nephew. If you can’t comprehend that, please just keep the advice to yourself.” Then, after a couple of seconds, as his arms were on the steering wheel, he continued, “Don’t go beyond the boundary of being his tutor and my employee. You know nothing about him and you also don’t have the right to talk about him that way. I don’t want this to become personal to you and would never desire to affect this … to your work, but please do me a favor and respect the distance between being his teacher and tutor. Am I making myself clearer to you this time, Daphne?”

Daphne became tongue-tied after that. Even though she understood his point, she still couldn’t accept his explanation. She knew her limit as Chuck’s teacher, but she also knew her responsibility along with that role. Deep in her heart, she believed that as a teacher she shouldn’t only teach the kid with basics, but also inculcate a positive and well-mannered attitude toward the kid.

Being a teacher didn’t end in the four corners of the room. To be a teacher was also to be a second parent to the child.

And because of this, Daphne was absolutely annoyed with him. “Well, I wouldn’t tell that to you if you know how to treat your nephew, Nathan,” she muttered, to which Nathan heard considerably.

“If this is how you do your work professionally, Miss Collins, then I suggest this deal between us would never last long. Pay me the fine you’ve caused for the inconvenience and the ruckus you'd made.”

Daphne gritted her teeth. “Oh, don’t you worry, mister, because I’m not like others who run away from their debts!”

“Good to know! Because if you continue being an insufferable swot, then I don’t have a choice but to fire you, Miss Collins!” he shouted, stopping the car to a screeching halt when the red light blinked at a traffic light.

Daphne scoffed. “You don’t have to worry about that, Mister Kelly, because before you can even fire me, I already quit!”

“Huh, so this is how you want to do this?!” Nathan spat back.

“Yeah, because apparently, I’m a fucking insufferable bitch!” She snapped at him and hastily walked out of the car before Nathan could reply to her.

All alone by himself in the traffic, he thumped his hands on the steering wheel, looking pissed off and irritated. “I said swot, not bitch!”

As soon as Daphne Collins dashed out of the car, Nathan was left alone with a bothering thought about her. He couldn’t explain it, but somehow, he rather felt like a jackass to Daphne for the insensitive remark that he had made.

And not because he cared about her or took notice of her, but because, at the bottom of his heart, he knew that what she had said was right. He didn’t know what and how parenting was when Chuck was given to him. Nathan was just also a young adult back then with a child-like maturity to even handle that kind of tremendous responsibility.

So, without thinking about it thoroughly, he swerved the car to turn around in the nearest corner and shifted to the right, to where Daphne exited the vehicle. Parking the car by the sidewalk, he walked on the street, trying to find a woman with dark blonde hair, who was wearing semi-formal clothes.

A few minutes had passed, and to no avail, he couldn’t find Daphne. Frustrated by it, he raked his hands through his hair and ran back and forth to the same street, scrutinizing every corner of the avenue.

Meanwhile, Daphne, who was still pissed off, was walking to the empty alley, all alone with the smoke from the car’s exhaust pipe and the flickering lights on every store sign she approached. Covered by a dark, grim night, the back street of the pathway was shrouded with an odd, deafening silence. Daphne’s back shivered in anxiousness as she felt the stiff brush of the breezy wind swirling around her as though it were whispering an omen to her.

She wrapped her arms, skidding away quickly to the eerie path so that she could get away from there as fast as possible. Turning to the left side of the alley’s corner, she collided with three buff men.

“Hey, peach! Want to come with us?” The short man whistled, wiggling her eyebrows back and forth.

Daphne just hunched her head down, ignoring the three hooligans. However, a tall man blocked her way when he cut to her front.

“Ain’t that booty banging, woohoo!” he hooted out, smirking deviously.

“You dressed up nicely, sweetheart. But it would be even better if I take those off on you!” The last man, who was quite large, scoffed.

This time, Daphne couldn’t keep quiet, and with that, she lifted her head to them with audacity and spat back, “Leave me alone! Assholes!”

The short man laughed, slapping his tall friend on his back. “Fuck dude, this one is feisty!”

“You like it dirty. Don’t you, bitch?” The bulky man among the three sneered, flashing his black smeared teeth.

Daphne cringed inwardly when her gaze promptly met his randy leer. “Get out of my way!” She warned the colossal man in front of her and pushed him away.

“Ah, this bitch likes to play!” The short man snatched her arms instantly, pulling Daphne to her. His friend, the lanky tall man, block the other side so she couldn’t have a chance to get away from them.

“Don’t ya worry, sweet cheeks, we’ll make sure you’ll have some fun!” the tall man on Daphne’s left side whispered in her ears.

Taunting shivers in her nerves ignited as his uncouth voice reverberated her thoughts, filling her mind and body with oscillating fear. She gulped deliberately when her fingers automatically curled into her sweaty palms.

“I said let me go!” Daphne miffed back.

Finally, the bulky, large man came forward. Licking his lips, he said to his two guys, “Get our lady inside, and make sure she’s all tied up.”

The two nodded at him. On Daphne’s right side, the short man uttered with excitement, “We’ll bound you so tight, honey, so you would keep on coming back.”

As soon as Daphne heard him, she tried to squirm out of his friend’s grasp. She wriggled her wrists that were tied to the two men’s hands and weighed drag her weight down so that they would struggle to lift and slog her to their place.

“No! Get away from me! You assholes!” Daphne screamed in protest.

“Ah dude, this bitch is a screamer!” The tall man commented to his friend as he slammed Daphne with a dirty rag from his jeans pocket.

As he excavated throughout the entire avenue, Nathan heard an alarming scream coming from the other side of the alley. He tracked the shrilling high-pitched voice along the corners of the sidewalks and sprinted across the block to where the sound originated.

“Daphne is that you?!” He shouted, running to the dark alley of the street, and by the time he got there, he was astounded to see Daphne with three men hauling her like a piece of sack.

“Mmph!” Daphne cried to him when she saw Nathan while a cloth was blocking her mouth as she was being dragged by the group.

He fumed with anger as he witnessed what they were about to do with her. Running toward them, he “You fucking muggers, let the lady go!”

“Aw, looks like your boyfriend is here to help you, baby!” The short man teased.

The tall man snide, “Too bad, he’ll see you fucking us three with all of your holes!”

In front of Daphne, the bulky man added, “Shut it, Whicker! You’re wasting the time. Just drag the bitch to the corner!”

Both of his friends obliged their leader and pushed her to the corner of the block. Daphne writhed her body, trying to unlash from them.

Whilst, the large man waited for Nathan to come closer to them as he matched the glowering stare of the young man.

Unaware of what Daphne was about to do, the tall man felt the blow of the lady’s heel on his shin, resulting in his excruciating whine. Consequently, the short man abruptly loosened his grip on Daphne when she kicked him in his balls.

As a result, her back was smashed into the cold, arid concrete ground when the two men dropped her. She threw the rag from her mouth, spit the awful and disgusting taste from it, and skewed her back, wincing from the massive blow of the cemented surface.

Nathan was about to help Daphne when he paused to realize that the woman didn't need his help. While watching her tearing the two hooligans apart, he found himself chuckling in wonder how a small, petite woman like her could handle those guys.

“Daphne!” Nathan shouted again to Daphne, reminding her.

Along with her shallow breaths, she didn’t think twice about getting up and running away from them when all of the sudden, the hefty man hastily pulled the tail of her hair with intense force, making her scream with agonizing pain.

“Oh no, woman, you won’t get away with us just like that!” The large man warned her as he thrust her back to his chest. “I’ll make sure you’ll obey as I fuck you so hard!”

“Let me go, you bastard!” Daphne didn’t let her fear cower her. She stomped her heels to his feet to try to dash away from him.

However, the man dodged her stomp quickly. “Honey, you’ll have to do more than that.” He called again to his two men who struggled to get up and ordered, “You wimps, get your ass up!”

Nathan noticed it right away. The situation between them took a dark turn when the two men came to help their friend again and grabbed Daphne to her feet, carrying her inside the reclusive corner of the alley.

Because of that, Nathan rushed to get to them before they could do something to Daphne. Without hesitation, he punched the stout man in the face and hit him on the side of his limbs. His opponent was able to recover from his punch. Cracking his neck, the bulky man hit his face in return.

Nathan felt the massive blow of his punch, making his vision hazy and dizzy. He then shook his head sideways, waking himself to jab the man against his cheeks. To his dismay, the large man dodged it rapidly, turning his shoulders away from Nathan.

“Ya think you can kill me with a puny cock of yours, shithead?” The man jeered at him with his arrogant gait.

However, Nathan didn’t let his insults flinch his confidence down. The man was larger than him and taller. He knew he couldn’t beat the shit out of them if he attacked the front. Bearing that in mind, he probed into the opening sides of the man, looking for his blindside.

Nathan then moved to the left side of the open street as he waited for the right time for the man to bout him. And as what he had just surmised, his opponent rushed to him, raising his arm to punch him on right.

On impulse, he sloped his shoulders back, yanked his forearm, and snapped it with a twist on his back. When he got him in his grasp, he kicked the back of his knees, making him kneel in the progression.

With a hunger to knock him down, he banged his head on the nearest light post and threw him into the street. The tall man wasn’t about to attack him back as he plummeted on the asphalt cement and blacked out into oblivion. The two men recognized what had Nathan done, which made them react quickly to help their friend.

“Mother fucking, son of a bitch!” The tall man hissed.

Requiting for their friend, the tall man tried to blow him on his jaw, but he failed to do so when Nathan, in reflex, counter-attacked him with an uppercut.

“Ah no, you shit! Don’t you mess with my brother?!” The short man then ran to smack his back with a piece of wood lying around the street’s alley. Nathan promptly noticed the wood; however, instead of dodging it, he caught its bark, gripping it tight to halt the man from hitting him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he cautioned the man.

Nevertheless, the short man didn’t recoil from his warning and extricated away the wood from him. He then proceeded to hit him on his ribs, which Nathan didn’t calculate right away.

“Fuck you phony superman!” The short man laughed.