Chapter 2 His Parents' Woes

Alexander stared out the window on the way to the construction site Sharon had mentioned. The new tall buildings, shops, and renovated structures were a clear indication that a lot had changed since he was last a free man.

He took a deep breath and mumbled to himself, "Everything happens for a reason. If I hadn't gotten sent to prison and met Willard reciting a cultivation method called Invincible Formula instead of chatting unreasonably, I wouldn't have gotten the chance to learn from such a great teacher and also become this strong and skillful."

Alexander was already missing that old man even though he had only been out of prison for an hour.

Back then, Willard didn't get mad at Alexander when he found out that the lad understood his words. Instead, he took Alexander under his wing and taught him many things.

In just four years, Alexander managed to master Willard's medical skills, martial arts skills, and treasure-appraising skills. He was almost as good as his teacher.

Now, he clenched his fists and muttered to himself, "It should be pretty easy to finish off those two without leaving a trace. They deserve to die, but I need to set my priorities straight now. Finding my parents comes first."

Revenge could always come later. It was best served cold, after all. Now that he knew that his parents had been suffering because of him, he couldn't just allow that to go on.

Alexander soon arrived at the construction site of Southside Road. From a distance, he spotted a couple sitting on the bare ground with their backs to a concrete wall as they had lunch.

Their lunch was very simple. It comprised a sandwich and a bottle of water.

Alexander quickly ran to them, sank to his knees, and held their legs.

"Dad! Mom! I'm sorry. You have suffered a lot because of me."

Santino Davies and Nadine Davies froze. The second they saw the face of the young man in front of them clearly, their sandwiches in their hands fell to the ground.

"Alex? My son!"

Nadine's body trembled as she reached out to touch her son's face. But when she saw that her hand was dirty and rough, she withdrew it.

Alexander immediately grabbed his mother's hands and put them on his face. At the same time, he nodded vigorously. "Mom, it's really me! I'm back!"

When Alexander remembered that Sharon was the first person he wanted to see after getting released, guilt almost ate him alive. What an unfilial son he was!

"Mom, Dad. It was all my fault! I'm so sorry for dragging you down."

With a look of guilt, Alexander raised his hand, intending to slap himself hard.

Santino grabbed his wrist just in time. There were tears in his eyes as he shook his head. "Don't blame yourself for what happened, Alex. All that is in the past now. I'm just glad that you are now free!"

"This is no big deal. Nothing else matters to us as long as you are alive and free," Nadine echoed with a shrug.

Alexander's heart tightened at his parents' caring words. The loving look on their faces made him put down his hand slowly.

"Did you really sell our company just to get me out?" Alexander looked up at his parents' gaunt faces and asked with concern.

The wrinkles on their faces deepened as they exchanged glances. Finally, Santino took a deep breath and filled Alexander in on what happened within the past four years.

It turned out that Santino had gone to Victor and begged him profusely to let what happened go so Alexander's sentence could be reduced. Victor asked for the sum of four million dollars in return.

At that time, Santino's company wasn't big and he had just bought a new home in Alexander's name. He couldn't afford to pay so much money.

But just to secure his son's release, he sold the company in which he had invested a lot and also their old house for about three million. He gave it all to Victor.

They still owed a few hundreds of thousands. As a result, they took up working at this construction site.

His father's words caused Alexander to frown. Something wasn't adding up. "But what about the house you got me? It should be worth at least one million. Why didn't you sell it?"

When she heard that question, Nadine's shoulders slumped and her face darkened. "Sharon insisted that she bought the house. With the Johnson family on her side, it was impossible for us to take back the house."

"Argh! Those two demons. How dare they claim my house?" Alexander gritted his teeth and growled.

"Calm down, son. I trust that your time in prison has taught you how the world works. Although it's unfair, you must understand that there are some people we can't afford to offend even when they are in the wrong."

"That's unacceptable, Dad!" Alexander shook his head and said angrily, "No one is above being called out! I'm not afraid of either of them. I'll make them pay for what they have done to us. By the time I'm done with them, they would curse the day they were ever born."

"Wait! Alex, let it—"

Just as Santino was about to dissuade his son, a deep male voice interrupted him. "You two are having lunch, huh?"

Alexander turned his head and saw a chubby man in a helmet heading towards them.

Santino leaped to his feet and walked up to him. After a bow, he said, "Mr. Williams, what brings you here at this time of the day?"

"Your salary. You don't even have a smartphone, so I can only pay you two in cash." Rory Williams chuckled, whipped out an envelope from his breast pocket, and stuffed it into Santino's cupped hands.

"Alex, say hello to our foreman Rory Williams. He is very kind to us. He pays us on time, so we can meet up with the deadline for the debt," Nadine hurriedly introduced.

Hearing this, Alexander smiled at Rory and said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Williams. Thanks for being so nice to my parents."

Rory waved his hand humbly. Afterward, he pointed at him. "You are Alexander? Your parents told me a few things about you. They have gone through a lot, so you have to stay out of trouble from now on, okay?"

Alexander nodded obediently. Suddenly, a loud noise came from not too far away.

Everyone turned their heads in that direction. They saw a bald man in a colorful vest with many scary hooligans behind him. The men were wielding clubs and all kinds of harmful objects as they swaggered towards them.

As soon as the other workers who were resting saw them coming, they ran helter-skelter and took cover in the makeshift shelters. The previously lively site suddenly became as quiet as a graveyard.

Santino's face turned white. He sidled up to Rory and whispered, "Mr. Williams, these guys are here for me. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Please get my son to safety."

When Rory tried to do what was requested of him, Alexander didn't agree.

He immediately stood in front of his parents and said in a deep voice, "Dad, Mom, I have got this. I won't let them lay a finger on you. Trust me."