Slater was not just Argie’s boss but also his benefactor, who had given him a job when no one else would. His poor parents owed the man a great deal of money, and Argie couldn’t risk offending the not-so-kind man.
"I was just about to leave, Mr Slater," Argie said quickly, trying to avoid further trouble with his boss.
"About to leave? You should be halfway through the journey by now. ." Slater barked. "Get moving, already."
"Yes sir."
"Don’t move," Blaze commanded and for so strange reason, Argie halted.
Then he tilted his gaze to the infuriating man, disgust flashing in his eyes. "How much will it cost to get Argie off your hands permanently?"
"What?!" Argie’s jaws dropped.
Slater’s thick brows shot up.
"You are joking, right?" He scoffed, though his eyes instantly glead with opportunity. He gave Blaze a slow, greedy once-over, his eyes lingering on the luxury cruise ship anchored behind them.
"Do you see smiling?" Blaze’s expression remained dark and unreadable.
"Listen, sir, you don’t have to do this. If you want my help with anything, I can do that for you after my shift ends. I...." Argie was still speaking when Blaze interrupted him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Trust , Argie. I promise, you won’t regret this. I just need to take care of this hiccup."
Argie smiled, already liking Blaze’s captivating personality. "Okay."
"Listen here, mister." Slater interrupted, slowly, losing his patience, especially with the tourist complaining bitterly in the background. "Argie is one of my most loyal and diligent workers," He said, puffing his chest. "He’s not for sale. But... if you want him to give you a private tour on that fine vessel of yours, I could be persuaded into a favourable arrangent."
Blaze stepped closer and slowly adjusted Slater’s tobacco-stained jacket, his darkened eyes piercing through Slater’s twitching ones.
"Or....I could make you disappear just as easily as your dock."
Slater froze, his smile cracking. He knew danger when he saw one and he could tell this man wasn’t bluffing.
"Who are you?" He demanded in a slightly quivering voice.
Blaze pulled back, his aura dangerously calm.
"Do you know who owns this coastline? Who funds the patrol boats? Who signs off on the shipping licenses?" Blaze tilted his head slightly. "Arithmus...that is his na right? Well... I control the people who control the authority that controls him. And do you know what happens to greedy bastards like you who overstep their boundaries?"
Slater swallowed hard, his throat bobbing.
"Sir, I’m very..."
"One order from , and you could be swimming with the fishes at the bottom of the ocean." Blaze cut him off. "But since I’m in a generous mood, I will make you one last offer. How much will it cost to get Argie off your hands permanently?"
Slater’s legs wobbled, sweat beading his forehead
"I...I think we can reach an arrangent, Sir." He stamred. "If... It’s Argie you want, then, you can have him for a token."
"How much?" Blaze snarled.
"Forty thousand dollars. Plus another ten grand I loaned his father for his dical treatnts."
"What?!" Argie’s fists tightened at his sides. "That’s a lie, Slater. You’ve already squeezed us dry. We don’t owe you half of that money. And don’t forget I’ve been working for you free to repay my old man’s debt."
"I’ll double it," Blaze said flatly, patting Argie on the arm.
"What?!" Slater blinked, startled.
"That’s a hundred thousand dollars!" Argie’s jaws dropped.
"I’ll send you a hundred thousand right now," Blaze continued, his expression hardening. "Take it and stay away from Argie and his family for good."
"Deal!" Slater said instantly, his greed winning over pride.
Argie stood frozen as Blaze pulled out his phone and transferred the money right there in front of everyone.
When the transaction was done, Blaze slid his phone back into his pocket and patted a hand on Argie’s shoulder.
"How about you show around, Argie?" He said with a small, knowing smile. "I’d like to see where you live and et your parents."
Argie hesitated for a mont, eyes flicking between Blaze and the open sea, before he finally nodded.
"Okay..."
As they walked away from the dock, Argie inquired who Blaze really was and why he wasted that huge amount of money on him.
But Blaze’s explanation still didn’t make any sense until they arrived at his adopted parents’ humble ho on the far side of the island.
Inside the old fisherman’s humble thatched-roof ho, the grey-haired man wasn’t welcoming at first until Blaze convinced him beyond a reasonable doubt that he wasn’t there to harm Argie.
The old man cleared his throat, his weathered fingers tightening around the mug in his hands as if bracing himself against mories he’d long buried.
Blaze and Argie sat opposite him, with Blaze holding out his phone to live-stream the scene, while the old man recounted a heartbreaking tale.
"I have told Argie this story before because the doctor advised us against forcing him to rember who he was or where he ca from due to the swelling in his brain. He has temporary amnesia."
"I see." Blaze nodded, releasing a sigh of relief.
"It all began so months back. I’d been out on the open sea for three days," the old fisherman began, his voice low and steady. "Chasing Bluefin tuna and swordfish... the kind that only show themselves when the world is quiet." His eyes drifted toward the tiny window, as if he could still see the endless stretch of dark water. "The night was peaceful. Just , the waves, and the stars. The kind of night that reminds you you’re still alive even though buried in debts."
"Then, I heard the strangest sound like exploding fireworks. But this was no fireworks. I could recognise gunfire from a mile away."
Argie listened, wide-eyed and lost, confusion still clinging to him like damp clothes.
Blaze, however, leaned forward with a faint smirk, the kind a man wears when he already knows the story, but loves hearing it again.
"At first I thought I imagined it." The old man continued. "But it kept coming repeatedly like a mafia gun battle."
He set the mug down, hands trembling slightly. "I sailed toward the sound, a foolish and deadly decision if you ask . But I’d lived too long on the sea to ignore danger. As I got closer, I saw a ship speeding away, its lights dimd like it didn’t want to be rembered."
Blaze’s grin widened, his pride unmistakable. "And this old man still went closer," he muttered under his breath.
The old fisherman shot him a look but kept speaking. "I didn’t know what I’d find, but... sothing in my chest told not to leave just yet. And good thing I didn’t. Because there, floating in the dark water, were two bodies."
Argie inhaled sharply, his head suddenly aching with flashes of strange mories.
"One of the n was already gone," The old man said quietly. "...his body was riddled with bullets. Whoever did it made sure he’d never draw breath again." He paused, swallowing hard. "But the second... that one was fighting for life. Barely breathing. He was cold as death but... stubborn. Like he refused to die."
He lifted his gaze to Argie... "That one was you, Argie."
Argie’s lips parted, but no sound left him. Confusion, fear, disbelief and everything else twisted across his face at once.
"You can to from the sea, a gift from the sea god." The old man slowly broke down in tears. "I may have saved your life that night, switching that black ring on your finger with the death man. But you saved my wife and with your food fortune."
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