Chapter 5 The Fighter

"I'm a fighter, I'm a survivor and I'll get through anything people can throw at me."

-John Daly-

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The cheers of the crowd was heard as the giant fell down on the ground after being defeated by a young mysterious newcomer.

The man didn’t even have a name. He was only known as Z. It was his first time playing in the ring and he already managed to beat the champion of the house. It was quite a humiliating defeat for the champion.

Yet for the newcomer, it sparked curiosity for others.

They wanted to know who he was, but he was unapproachable. There were too many security around him.

“That was a great fight, Zain. But promise me you would never do something like that again. If your father hears about this, he will be upset.” Duncan, his manager and friend spoke.

“Do you think I care about what he think?” He asked back.

“I know you don’t but have some mercy on me. It won’t just be you who gets to taste his wrath, but me too. The last thing I want in this life is to get in trouble with that old man.” He reasoned. Zain understood why.

His father, Marcus Lee was probably one of the most terrifying person he ever knew. Not only because he was so wealthy and powerful, but because he was known for having quite a temper.

Being the oldest son of two, Zain had a lot of responsibility on his shoulder and his father had high expectation and hope for him. Zain was a relatively smart kid, but he always had a rebellious streak which made it difficult for other people to get along with him. One of his favorite activity to do was fighting.

When he was not working, he would go to the gym and learnt different kind of martial arts. His family was a sophisticated, old money family who viewed fighting as a commoner’s hobby, something that was frowned upon.

“I will never stop fighting. It’s the only way I can get rid of my frustration.” He replied as he put on a shirt to cover his perfectly sculpted body. He went back to his car and this time, he asked Duncan to drive instead. His arms hurt a little bit from the fight and he needed some rest.

“You will have a meeting in an hour, I suggest you get your lunch first and then both of us can head straight to the office.” He advised. Zain liked working, but he was feeling particularly exhausted that day.

“Can I just skip today’s meeting? Send someone else to take my place.”

“No, Zain. Come on. If I show up without you, they will literally kill me. Okay, you know what. If you come to the meeting today, I will not disturb you tomorrow. How about that?” Duncan offered.

“Tomorrow is Saturday, I have no business to do with you.” He argued.

“Zain, I am begging you. We have known each other for years now. Please, don’t you have at least a little bit of pity for me?” He pleaded. Zain was getting annoyed and decided to give in to his request.

“Fine, I will come to today’s meeting. Just shut up for the rest of the ride, I am not in the mood to talk.” He replied. Duncan smiled and agreed, At least he would be safe for the day. He got into the office and walked to the meeting room. As soon as he was there, his father stared at him and noticed the bruise on the corner of his lips. He rushed to him and spoke in a low voice.

“Did you have a fight again? How many times do I have to tell you not to fight? You look like one of those street delinquent. You are almost twenty-eight now. You are not a teenager anymore. Time to grow up and start acting like a proper adult.” He nagged. It was exactly the reason why Zain didn’t want to come. He already knew he would be getting those nagging from him. He didn’t say anything else and just sat down.

Marcus absolutely hated his son’s attitude. He was so different from his younger brother, Tristan. Who is calm, mature and reasonable. Sometimes he thought he should just hand over the company to his second son.

Only problem was, that young man had no interest in handling the family business. He’s more immersed in the world of music. Being a professional violinist and handling an event organizing company.

On the other hand, despite his horrible attitude, Zain was a businessman to the core. Two things he loved the most was money and danger. The first was reasonable, the second was not.

The meeting eventually ended and when everyone has left the room, Zain also wanted to leave. However, Marcus stopped him mid-way.

“Zain, wait a second. There is something I need to discuss with you.” Zain turned around with a displeased expression to ask him what it was all about.

“You know, recently I have been notified that my good friend, James Howler’s daughter is back. I’m not sure if you remember her but back in the days, the two of you were engaged.” Zain couldn’t believe his own ears.

“What do you mean? I have never been engaged to anyone. I don’t know what you are planning but whatever it is, I don’t like the sound of it.” He replied.

“Yes you were. Both of you had been engaged since she was born.

However, she was kidnapped when she was three and we had to cancel the engagement. Now that she is back, I am thinking of continuing the engagement and have the two of you married.

It will be good for our business. You know how wealthy and influential James is. Being in law with him means a great advantage.” He proposed. Zain didn’t even think twice and quickly refused it.

“No, there is no way I am going to marry someone I don’t even know. If I’m going to marry someone, it will be purely for love. I won’t be a political tool for you.” He walked away from the room without waiting for another respond from him. Zain was furious. He knew his father was ambitious, but he didn’t think he would come up with such ridiculous plan.

After the meeting, he headed straight to the gym to blow off some steam. When he was lifting weight, he saw a familiar face from the distance.

“Hey, Zain. Are you working out again today? You’ve been killing it!” It was none other than Bethany Morgan.

One of the personal trainer at the gym and the woman Zain secretly had a crush on. She was slightly tan, with a slim, fit body, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Perfect white teeth and a pleasant, outgoing attitude. She was one of the reason why Zain refused to had an arranged relationship with other women. In his heart, there was Beth.

“Yes, I need to train harder and get my mind of a few things. What about you? Do you have any students for the day or?” He questioned.

“In fifteen minutes, yes. I have an hour session with this new woman. Apparently she just gave birth a few months ago and need to lose the baby weight.” She replied with a warm smile.

“Ah, I see. You know, I was wondering if you are interested to have a meal with me this weekend. There is this new Italian restaurant that just opened and I think you’ll enjoy it.” Upon hearing it, Beth smiled a little.

“Are you asking me out on a date right now, Zain?” She raised her brow in a sassy manner and he chuckled in response.

“You already know the answer. Is it a yes?” He asked. She pretended to think about it for a few seconds before finally nodding.

“Sure, I will be there. You have my number. Just text me the date and location. I will be there.” She replied. Inside his mind, Zain was overjoyed. Despite what he would consider a semi-bad day, there were still some good things that happened that day.

Outside the gym, a someone was watching both of them. A man with glasses lifted his camera and took a picture of Zain and Bethany. They should have picked a gym that were a bit more private. It was too easy for anyone to snap a picture from the outside. The picture was transferred to a computer and was finally sent.

“He’s going to get in a lot of trouble after this.”