2015.
After ditching school, Oliver turned into a ruthless loan shark. He preyed on the lower-class folks for greed and power, and he wasn't afraid to use brute force when debtors didn't pay up on time. His blond hair, slicked back as a kid, darkened to an ashy brown, making his green eyes pop even more.
Now nearly six-foot-three and wearing a black trench coat, Oliver headed over to one of his debtor's houses in Lionwest on a dark, rainy night [https://img.wattpad.com/536b7521227cdab607e4b97a92eecbc415d82d8f/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4344314a586a76554b53366e71513d3d2d313438343739383134362e3137666563333630613064663136326532373930383539313937352e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Now nearly six-foot-three and wearing a black trench coat, Oliver headed over to one of his debtor's houses in Lionwest on a dark, rainy night. Once he spotted it, he parked his Aston Martin out front and strolled through a little gate. The house was modest-not poor but definitely not the kind of luxury Oliver had come to see as normal. The lights were on, which meant someone was definitely home.
As he approached the front door, Oliver noticed the curtains were drawn, and without a second thought, he knocked three times-quick and hard enough to startle the debtor, who was having dinner solo with some wine and fish.
The homeowner was a balding, chubby guy in his fifties, with a few silver strands on the sides. After getting up slowly, he made his way to the door, but just as he was about to peek through the peephole, Oliver raised his finger, blocking it.
«Who's there?» the dude asked, not seeing anything through the peephole.
«The boogyman,» Oliver shot back, still keeping his finger over the peephole, trying not to laugh.
«You think this is a joke? Get lost before I kick your ass,» the guy threatened, getting all riled up and reaching for the doorknob.
But when he cracked it open just a bit, he immediately recognized Oliver's face and tried to slam it shut. But it was too late.
«Whoa!» the debtor yelled.
Oliver didn't respond and, with a quick move, shoved the door open, forcing his way inside while throwing a grin as the debtor backed up.
«Long time no see, huh, Clark?» Oliver kicked things off, picking up his pace as he noticed the debtor was now backed up against the wall.
«Please, Oliver, I'll pay you back. I just need more time,» the debtor pleaded, eyeing the wall behind him and raising his hands.
«You've had enough. Time to pay up,» Oliver shot back coldly, stopping right in front of him.
«I can't, Oliver. I don't have it...» Clark said, glancing at the window, looking for an escape.
«Don't have it, huh?» Oliver hissed, invading his victim's personal space, making Clark twist to the side to shield himself.
With the debtor's posture, the loan shark pulled his neck back a bit and looked down at Clark's hands.
«Now, let's see those fingers...» he whispered, looking down.
He grabbed them tight and smashed them hard, watching Clark drop to his knees. Then, Oliver let go and took a step back to scope out Clark, who was clutching his hand and gasping like crazy. Then Clark looked up at Oliver with this desperate look on his face.
«What the hell are you?» he asked, still holding his hand with the other.
The loan shark stayed quiet for a moment, staring into Clark's eyes with his green gaze. Then, he leaned in slightly and dropped his voice.
«Who, me?» he repeated with a sly grin, almost amused, before straightening back up. «The scourge of God,» Oliver said, before loading up a right kick and nailing the debtor square in the face, knocking him out cold.
As he saw the debtor go all limp, a laugh escaped Oliver's lips. Then he started pacing around the room, but after a minute, he squatted down over Clark's body and snagged his wallet from his jeans.
Looks like you ain't got jack, huh? he thought, counting the cash.
It was around a grand. Oliver then stuffed it into his pocket before tossing the wallet onto Clark's body. The loan shark then backed off, opened the door, and headed back to his Aston Martin. Despite his brutality, Oliver had a certain charisma that drew people in, and his wealth fueled a lavish lifestyle but also a constant sense of paranoia.
Now in his twenties, Bruno maintained his slight, lean appearance, with light brown curly hair, strictly shaved on the sides, and he had grown a big mustache. He wore a tank top and displayed a large snake tattoo on his shoulder. He liked to adorn himself with jewelry, including many gold necklaces and rings, and took pride in his job as a marijuana dealer.
He liked to adorn himself with jewelry, including many gold necklaces and rings, and took pride in his job as a marijuana dealer [https://img.wattpad.com/e511a53eaf70ac8f8a07b43d40eb0044478ec833/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f696a3167507338385759614a37773d3d2d313438343739383134362e313766656333363434623839326665313438363039303934373238372e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
One night, a customer who looked like a college kid rolled up to him. He was all skinny, with short dark hair in a bowl cut, round glasses, and wearing a short-sleeved white shirt with thin stripes.
«Hey! You the weed guy?» he said with a grin, getting closer and throwing up a friendly wave.
Bruno was puffing on a joint while leaning against a car when he heard the dude's voice and almost freaked out, tossing it aside.
«And how the hell do you know that?» he shot back, shaking his head and stepping closer with his fist ready.
The customer froze, seeing Bruno come at him all intimidating.
«A dude named Manu...» he stammered, stuck in place.
Bruno figured out who he was talking about and stopped to look around. When he realized there was no one around, he motioned for the guy to follow him into a back alley, where just one car was parked, and he pulled out a big bag of top-shelf weed.
«Uhm, looks fine,» the customer said, eyeing the stash.
«Looks fine?» Bruno raised an eyebrow. «It's the best you'll find in this town, buddy,» he went on, lowering his arm.
«Mhh, yeah,» the customer muttered, shaking his head like he wasn't so sure. «What 'bout eighty bucks?» he asked as he glanced back at Bruno, who wasn't having it, stuffing the weed back in his pocket.
«Eighty bucks?» Bruno replied, closing the gap and grabbing him by the jacket, lifting him up. «Who the fuck ya think you're dealin' with? Huh?»
«Hey, hey, chill out... how much you want?» the customer said, raising his hands up.
«Two hundred bucks...» Bruno said, bringing him back down and shoving him away.
«Two hundred bucks?! Have you lost your mind?!» the customer exclaimed, all shocked, touching his crumpled jacket.
«These are the prices, man!» Bruno said, stepping in closer again and grabbing the guy by the neck, slamming him against a nearby car. «So, whatchu gonna do? Huh?» he asked, being all confrontational, lifting his chin.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
«I-I can't b-breathe...» the customer stammered before Bruno loosened his grip. «H-hey, I-I had no clue you'd ask so much for this s-stuff...» he mumbled again, pinned down on the car's hood.
«Now ya know,» Bruno said, taking a step back but still giving him a threatening look. «I don't do discounts for nobody, so if you want my weed, you gotta cough up the cash.»
«But that's too much! I can't swing it...» the guy said, trying to haggle and flailing his arms.
«Then get lost!» Bruno snapped, turning to walk away.
«Wait up,» the customer said, hustling to stand in front of him. «Look, would this work as collateral?» he asked, pulling off his watch and handing it over.
Bruno snatched the watch and gave it a good look, flipping it around like he was checking its value. It was a Swatch Cobalt, all shiny with a blue silicone band.
«Yeah, that'll do,» Bruno said, showing a little grin.
But instead of taking the watch, he balled it up tight in his fist and whacked the buyer right in the face, dropping him like a sack of potatoes and breaking his nose and glasses in the process. Bruno then snatched the dude's wallet and the watch, vanishing into the night like it was nothing.
What a dumbass, what was he thinkin'? Haha. he thought as he bolted home.
On the other hand, Manu had turned into a six-foot tall dude with a shaved head, a scar over his left eyebrow, and a snake tattoo wrapped around his neck. He was wearing a black tank top and leather jeans, cruising the city streets at night on his Yamaha T-Max.
He was wearing a black tank top and leather jeans, cruising the city streets at night on his Yamaha T-Max [https://img.wattpad.com/08f8c0825a61951150535bf3d0bed8ebefba5f6f/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f504f64566a4662454a57797a6a413d3d2d313438343739383134362e313766656333366131386438346433333131393237333133303037322e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
He spotted two targets who looked like they were packing some pricey stuff. The couple, in their forties, was decked out in designer clothes and flashy watches. Manu pulled on his ski mask, crept up, and pulled out his gun.
«Give me everything you got, NOW!» he barked, setting the kickstand and hopping off his scooter.
«Y-yeah, take whatever you want...» the guy stammered as he turned, raising his left arm in surrender.
«Please don't hurt us! We won't tell anyone!» the lady begged, grabbing her valuables and handing them over.
«Don't worry, I only care about your stuff,» Manu replied, scanning the area with the gun still aimed at them. «HURRY UP!»
The two unfortunate souls quickly shoved their valuables into Manu's backpack, but some of them slipped from their trembling hands and fell to the ground.
«MOVE YOUR FUCKIN' BACKS!» the thug shouted, keeping the bag wide open as the man hurriedly picked up what had dropped.
Once he was sure he'd snagged everything he could, Manu hopped back on his scooter and, without a second thought, shot both of them in the knees. The victims started screaming in pain, but Manu didn't give a damn. He fired up the engine, and before speeding off, he spat on one of them. Then he took off at full speed, laughing like it was the best joke ever.
A few days later, Jacob and Enzo met at Enzo's place, whose living room was decked out with trophies from dog fights and the heads of the dogs that Enzo's pit bulls had taken down.
Jacob was wearing a dark blue Ralph Lauren polo, slim fit Diesel jeans, and black Gucci kicks. Enzo, on the other hand, had on a big gray Hugo Boss shirt, black leather pants, and sturdy Prada boots.
«Your place is legit, Enzo,» Jacob said as he stepped into the living room, eyeing the dog fighting trophies.
«Glad you're feeling it, man,» Enzo replied, shutting the door with a solid thud. «I like filling it with memories of our wins.»
«I bet,» the heir of the Cobras responded, glancing at him before turning back to the dog heads. «But... those heads on the wall?» he asked, eyeing them with unease.
«Oh, those,» Enzo answered with a cocky smirk, raising his chin with pride. «Yeah, they're from the dogs mine beat. Some folks keep trophies, ya know?» he said, like it was just another day in the life.
«That's wild...» Jacob replied, forcing himself to stop staring at the heads, trying to switch to something less twisted. «Anyway, time to hit up the others,» he said, pulling his phone from his pocket.
After shooting a message in their WhatsApp group, Oliver, Manu, and Bruno hit back, saying they'd be there soon. About an hour later, the crew showed up one by one and settled around the table.
Oliver was sporting an olive green Lacoste polo, black Stone Island jeans, and some clean Nike kicks. Manu came through in a black Off-White tank top, black leather jeans, and Valentino shoes. Bruno pulled up in a gray Diesel tank, blue jeans, and Timberland boots.
Their eyes landed on Enzo and Jacob, both sitting at the head of the table. Jacob leaned back in his chair and got right into it, speaking with that business tone.
«Alright, fellas, I called you here to check on how our business is holding up,» he said, glancing around at the crew. Then his eyes landed on Oliver, at his left. «So, Ollie, how's the loansharking going?» he asked, resting his elbows on the table and locking his hands together.
«There was this dude who tried to dodge the payment, but I cleaned him out. Fifteen grand,» Oliver replied, crossing his legs and giving a little smirk. Then he tossed the stack of cash, bound together, right in the center of the table.
Jacob leaned forward, a smirk of approval crossing his face. Then he turned to Bruno, to his right, who was messing with his phone a little.
«What 'bout ya, bro?» he asked.
«The weed's brought in about ten grand,» Bruno said, grinning as he leaned back. He pulled out some baggies of weed from his bag and tossed them on the table. «Had a dude try to short me, didn't end well for him.»
Then Bruno reached into the bag next to his chair and tossed his cut of cash on the table, along with the watch he'd snatched.
«And whose is that?» Enzo asked, giving the Swatch Cobalt a quick glance.
«Some punk-ass college kid. Dude didn't even wanna pay what he owed.» Bruno responded with nonchalance.
«Keep it, Bruno, that's yours,» Jacob said with a wave of his hand, and Bruno grinned, thanking him with a nod.
«What about the fights, Enzo?» their leader questioned, lifting his chin a bit.
«We brought in about twenty grand,» Enzo said, crossing his arms and wearing that tough look. He reached into his fanny pack and laid his cut on the table.
«Good. And the heists, Manu?» Jacob asked again, leaning to the left, his eyes glued to Manu, hype written all over his face. The heists were a major part of their game, after all.
«Better than expected,» Manu said, sitting up straight. «Check this out,» he said, pulling his take from the jacket draped over his chair. «Eighty grand. We cleaned out those rich bastards.»
Everyone peeped at the cash on the table and made some serious impressed faces. It was a ton of dough. Manu totally crushed it. He just pulled off his best heist.
«Holy shit, Manu, you just earned yourself the title of 'robber of the month,'» Jacob said, cracking a grin as light laughter rippled through the crew. The rest of the guys clapped and chuckled along.
Once the moment passed, Jacob locked his hands together and got serious again.
«We're blowin' up, but we gotta stay sharp,» he warned, as his eyes locked onto each of them. «The bigger we get, the more heat we'll attract. The Spyders ain't gonna sit back and let us take their turf.»
Enzo's eyes tightened when Jacob brought up the Spyders.
«Man, those cockroaches can't touch us,» he spat, his hands hitting the table. «We run this city for a reason, bro, all thanks to Johnny and you.» he said as he shot Jacob a nod of respect. «I bet your old man's proud of what we've built.»
«He is... He is...» Jacob said, nodding slowly at Enzo's words.
Then, Oliver stood up and made his way to the fridge.
«You know guys, I never figured loansharking was my thing,» he said as he glanced back at the group. «But hell, it pays good and keeps people in check!» he went on as he grabbed a bottle of champagne and a few glasses.
«Yo, Jacob, I've been thinkin' about somethin',» Bruno said, getting up from his seat and leaning against the table with both hands. «What do we do if the cops get on us? We can't just hope for luck,» he asked, grabbing everyone's attention.
Jacob waited for Oliver to set the glasses down before answering.
«Well, Dad managed to bribe about 85% of the cops in this city...» he started, but Manu cut him off.
«For real? That many?» Manu replied as he raised a brow.
«Yeah,» Jacob nodded, folding his arms. «We've been building these ties for years, Manu,»
«Still, we can't just count on bribes,» Bruno chimed in, leaning back with a serious look. «We need a backup plan if something goes sideways.»
«Don't sweat it, man,» Jacob said, meeting his crew's eyes. «We've got lawyers in our pocket too, the kind who know all the loopholes and how to bend the rules.»
«Damn, that's solid,» Manu replied, touching his lip. «It's like we got a safety net for when shit hits the fan.» he said, as he took a cigarette and lit it up.
«We're everywhere, Manu,» Enzo added, arms crossed. «But prevention's still the key.»
«Always one step ahead, huh?» Oliver questioned as he smirked at Jacob and stepped closer.
«One step? Ten, pal,» Jacob shot back, tapping his glass against Oliver's. «We're ten steps ahead, and they don't even know what game we're playin'.»
With everyone holding champagne, Oliver raised his glass.
«To staying ten fuckin' steps ahead, then,» he said with a proud grin.
«Cheers,» Manu echoed, lifting his glass, while the rest of the crew followed.
«We're number one,» Jacob added, downing his drink.
«Cheers guys. We got everyone on their knees,» Bruno added, licking his lips with a satisfied grin.
«Yeah, suckin' our dicks,» Enzo added, with a sick grin.
The crew kept drinking deep into the night, celebrating their wins and feeling untouchable, convinced that nothing and nobody could take them down.