Chapter 10

Sebastian saw how weak and battered Zeno looked as he hung on the chain, but he couldn't care less, he was ready to punish him more, or even kill him if he didn't give him the response he needed.

"You planned this with her all along didn't you?" Sebastian dangerously strode to Zeno, "Too bad she's still dumb as ever, it wasn't hard to crack and track. Now, tell me what she wants from me," Sebastian lifted Zeno's tired face with the mouth of his gun, forcing him to look at him through his swollen eyelids.

"Answer me!" He hit Zeno's lips with the back of the gun.

Zeno coughed profusely, spurting out blood as he did, his body swinging like an equilibrium experiment as the chain kept him hanging an inch above the floor.

"I've told you before..." *cough* "I don't know what you're talking about, and I have no idea what that was or where it came from," Zeno tried to sound firm.

He would have cursed Sebastian out if his Nana wasn't at stake.

This was the kind of man his Nana warned him to be wary of.

They were rich, powerful, and heartless; they would use you at any cost to get what they wanted, and once they were done, they'd trash you faster than you would do a smelly rotten rat.

And, if they sensed any form of threat from you... It'll be your end. Unfortunately, that was his case now.

"Damn it!" Sebastian cursed frustratedly.

Another blow landed on Zeno's stomach.

"You fucking son of bitch, want to die?!" Sebastian growled and pointed the gun between Zeno's eyes.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, his father's voice bellowed from behind him.

"Stop this madness! Sebastian," Mr. Orion walked into the room with two guards beside him.

"Release him," Mr. Orion ordered the two guards beside him.

They quickly found a remote and lowered the chain, going ahead to unlock it.

Zeno fell to the floor as he was freed, he was numb all over.

He couldn't feel his limbs but he managed to stand up, slowly moving his arms to get blood flow faster to it.

"Who let you in? You're not welcome here," Sebastian's tone was menacing.

"That's no way to treat your father, hijo," Mr. Orion said.

"You may leave, Zeno, Ken is worried about you," Mr. Orion motioned to the guards to help Zeno out.

"Not without my consent, Zeno. Stay," Sebastian ordered, looking straight at Zeno, silently challenging him to defy him

This was the first time he said Zeno's name.

Zeno stood still, he didn't want to upset either of them.

His luck must be so bad in this life that it landed him into a Mafia feud between a father and son, making him an object for receiving their transferred aggression.

"Leave the boy out of this, son," Mr. Orion sighed.

"Humph! you talk like he's innocent. But let me enlighten you, Padre," Sebastian said sarcastically.

He went over to Zeno and stood behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"This moron you've hired for me, conspired with that Einstein bitch of yours to spy on my home," Sebastian kicked Zeno behind the knee, causing him to fall unceremoniously to the ground.

Zeno winced, he was losing all his reserved energy, and he felt like he was going to pass out anytime soon.

"Sebastian-"

"Now, let me warn you, fool; if anything happens to my boy, I promise you a slow and painful death, you-"

"Enough!" Mr. Orion bellowed, looking from Sebastian to Zeno who was now kneeling on the floor, his last strand of strength threatening to give out.

"I hired Zeno for you and Ken, for your security and, for the comfort of my grandson, since his father doesn't know how to love his son," Mr. Orion said firmly.

"Doesn't that sound familiar?" Sebastian's question was laced with sarcasm.

"Stop this at once and let Zeno go," Mr. Orion ordered.

Thud!

Zeno fell flat on the ground, passing out.

The last thing he remembered was hearing a voice asking someone to carry him out of the room.

Sebastian sat in the living room, he was still fuming, but he tried not to show it in front of his child who was worried sick about Zeno.

"Dad, Is Zeno going to be alright?" Ken asked as he sat on another couch in the living room.

"He's alright, Ken. Don't worry about him," Sebastian said emotionlessly.

It was already 9. P.m. and the doctor was still inside Zeno's room, treating and patching his wounds.

It annoyed him that he had to spend his money on treating someone he hated so much.

"Go to bed, Ken. You'll see him tomorrow morning,"

"But, Dad!" Ken kicked his legs in refusal.

"Nicole," Sebastian called in a low tone.

"Yes, sir?" Nicole immediately appeared beside him.

"Take Ken to his room," He ordered.

"Yes, sir," Butler Nicole replied.

He went over to Ken and squatted to his level.

"Come to bed, Ken. Zeno Is very tired and needs to sleep to be strong again, would you want to disturb him?" Butler Nicole reasoned with Ken.

Ken pouted his lips, pondering over the information.

He sure wanted Zeno to get strong again so that he would still be able to play with him, not disturbing him seemed like the best option to go with.

"Okay," Ken hopped down from the couch.

"I'll see him tomorrow, right?" He asked Butler Nicole hopefully.

"Yes, Ken, you will," Butler Nicole replied.

He took Ken's little hand and guided him up the stairs and to his room.

Sebastian sat there, watching his little boy climb up the stairs with the hopes of seeing his Manny tomorrow when he woke up.

He started to reconsider his decision to send Zeno away.

In as much as he hated his father, he was right about one thing, Ken had grown too fond of Zeno. Taking Zeno away right now would harm Ken's psychology, he didn't want that.

He thought back to the brief and heated conversation he had with his father not long ago before he left.

He had told him how everything happened.

His father had his means of getting whatever he wanted, which is why he was able to get the video of what happened with Zeno in front of Ken's school surveillance camera.

After watching it, his hatred for his son's Mother reached a new milestone.

He discovered that Zeno had been innocent all this while, just as he was saying, but he didn't still like him, nor did he trust him either.

He had checked Zeno's background and found nothing suspicious about him, except that he boxed in an underground arena for money and had a black belt.

But he didn't just like him, maybe he was jealous; jealous that his son liked a common Manny more than he did him who was the father, or maybe he hated Zeno because he came from the lower class and stank with poverty.

He was sure he had an ulterior motive for accepting to become his son's Manny.

Sebastian didn't trust anyone, he believed that people always end up betraying your trust in them.

Because Zeno wasn't working for his ex-wife didn't mean he wasn't or couldn't be working for someone else.

He knew humans as greedy animals, and the spot on the leopard can never change.

He was sure Zeno would still find a way to try and steal from him, they always do.

He decided to show him that being close to his son doesn't mean he'll get any fortune from him. He knew how greedy and selfish the lower class could be. They were all ass-kissers.

His instinct told him that Zeno was hiding something, and he was going to find out by putting him through a series of traps.

He was a hundred percent sure that Zeno would fall for one of them.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked up and saw the doctor coming down from Zeno's room, a medical file in his hands.

"I'm done," Sebastian heard the doctor say beside him.

He only nodded in response and kept his eyes locked on his phone.

He gritted his teeth to constrain his irritation as he used his side eye to see the doctor lower himself beside him on the sofa.

"You know, the boy is not the cause of your frustration," The doctor spoke as he casually relaxed back onto the sofa.

"Mind your words, Ezra," Sebastian warned menacingly.

"I'm just saying. Have you seen the boy? You almost put him in the same condition as his Grandma," Ezra shook his head and turned to Sebastian.

"Why keep him if you hate him so much?" Ezra asked cautiously.

"I said, mind your fucking business!" Sebastian pulled out a gun and pointed it at Ezra's head.

"Chill, no need for that. Goodnight, dear friend," Ezra gently removed the gun from his face and stood up from the chair.

Sebastian watched with rage as Ezra casually walked out of his house.

Five years ago, Ezra was his good and trusted friend, but after the incident with his ex-wife and ex-best friend, he cut off everyone, everyone except Ezra who refused to accept that he no longer wanted him as a friend.

Ezra was the only one who insisted on keeping contact with him, and he hated it when he used the opportunity of being close to him to say things that were beyond his boundaries.

He needed to find a way to limit him from coming close to him, but he knew it was impossible, Ezra has been their family Doctor for quite a long time now.

He sighed and looked up to Zeno's room, he wondered if he'd woken. Not because he cared, but because he wanted him to wake up for the sake of his son.

He didn't want his son worrying about him first thing tomorrow morning.

And he didn't want him to use this as an excuse and skip working.

If he had to stay in his house, he had to work for it.