Chapter 59 - 59

Ian tossed and turned in bed, for some reason, despite being exhausted he couldn't fall asleep.

He sat up and leaned against the headboard and took deep breaths.

"Why can't I fall asleep, damnit." Ian cursed as he placed his head in his hands and took deep breaths. "Fuck." He cursed as he swung his legs off the side of the bed and walked to the closet to change into some outdoor clothes.

Since he couldn't fall asleep, Ian decided to take a walk.

As soon as he arrived at the lobby, the receptionist greeted him.

"Mr. Lim, are you alright? Isn't it a bit too early for you to be up?" She asked Ian as she gave him a concerned look.

"Just going out for some fresh air, I need to walk." Ian said as he waved and walked out of the lobby.

The area around Solaire Towers was relatively peaceful, there were several parks and a few hotels nearby.

Ian felt as the cold morning air blew through, making him lift his hood over his head.

At first Ian simply walked along the sidewalk, watching as the cars zoomed past.

Despite it being three in the morning, there were a few cars that would pass by every so often. Several cabs would even slow down next to him to ask if he needed a ride.

Tired of the street, Ian decided to take a walk inside one of the nearby parks.

He took a deep breath as he could smell the freshness of the air. It was very different from the congested environment of the city.

The parks were like a small sanctuary, the lungs of the city, and they made Ian feel much better.

He allowed his mind to wander back to the events at the Reyes Mansion.

As much as he liked to tell people that he had now gotten used to being talked down to because his family had lost their wealth, he still wasn't used to it. As a matter of fact it infuriated him.

Ian had a temper, and it was a really bad one. He was glad that Mr. Sison had given him a reason to throw a punch, because if he hadn't Ian would have punched him anyway.

He had no right insulting the Lims. The Sisons were only rich because they had cheated their partners and married into extremely rich families.

Ian also knew that the Sisons had a history of bribing government officials just to get what they wanted.

Finding a bench in the park, Ian decided to take a seat, lean back and close his eyes.

He remembered the first time he got into trouble because someone was mocking him for being poor.

It was right after all of their money had run out and rumors began to circulate among the rich in the city. He was hanging out with his friend Damien and his girlfriend Jas at a local coffee shop. He remembered it like it was yesterday.

-------Flashback--------

It was six years ago, Ian, Damien, and Jas were in their last year of highschool, they decided to hangout in one of the coffee shops inside the old city.

This place was quite popular among the local families because the tourists who flocked to see the old city didn't visit this place.

It was quite modern and didn't fit the aesthetic of the old city.

"How is your uncle, Ian?" Damien asked with a frown.

Just a month prior to them meeting up Ian's uncle was diagnosed with stage four cancer. The doctors said that he had a very slim chance of surviving.

"He is coping." Ian said with a frown.

None of Richardo Lim's siblings ever got married, so Ian's uncle and aunt had treated him and his sisters as if they were their own,

Ian had decided to care for his uncle as much as he could, accompanying him to doctor's appointments and his radiation sessions.

The Lims had already spent quite a lot on his treatment, they refused to accept that his case was hopeless and they wanted to fight.

"Oh look who it is." A mocking voice came from the other table, making Ian and his friends turn around. "Can you even afford to be here, Ian?" A boy the same age as Ian said as he laughed.

"Piss off, Manuel." Jas said as she glared at the boy and his companion.

"Really? Are you letting your little girlfriend stand up for you?" Manuel asked, making his companions laugh.

"Jas isn't my girlfriend, and I choose to ignore you, Manuel." Ian said as he rolled his eyes at the other boy.

"Really now?" Manuel asked with a grin.

"Hey Ian, I heard your grandfather gave all of your properties to his mistresses and illegitimate children, that must be a pain." Another boy said as he laughed at Ian.

"Shut up, Adam!" Damien hissed.

"Oh, now it's your boyfriend that's standing up for you." The boy named Adam said with a laugh.

"Ignore them." Ian said as he turned around and focused on his drink. He had to deal with way too much to be bothered with them.

"I bet your fucking uncle deserved to get sick, you Lims got way too cocky, serves you right!" Manuel said as he laughed at Ian.

At that Ian felt something snap in his mind and he saw red.

He calmly stood up and walked towards Manuel.

"Ian." He heard someone call out, but he was way too angry to notice who it was. He didn't care why they were calling him. All he knew was that he was furious at Manuel.

"I said your fucking uncle deserves to be sick, it's your family's fault -" Manuel began to say, but he stopped half way when a friend grabbed his shoulder as if telling him to stop.

Ian balled his hands into a fist as he tried to resist the urge to attack the man in front of him.

"Manuel, too much." His friend Adam said as he shook his head.

"Fuck off Adam!" Manuel shouted as he shook Adam's hand off his shoulder. "Don't tell me you are afraid of a cunt like him? The Lims are nothing now, they don't even deserve to live in the old city."

"Manuel." Another friend said in a shy tone. "Too much."

"Whatever, losers." Manuel said as he rolled his eyes at his friends. "This guy is a coward, he is nothing. The Lims deserve every pain and every punishment coming their way. They all deserve to suffer. I bet your father is just like your grandfather, fucking every whore that comes knocking."

At that Ian couldn't take it anymore. He launched himself towards Manuel as he felt his hand make contact with Manuel's face.

Punching him once was not enough for Ian. Using his other hand he punched Manuel once more, shocking everyone in the room.

"Ian!" Jas called out as she and Damien both tried to pull Ian off of Manuel.

"You fucking asshole!" Manuel managed to shout between punches.

Eventually Damien was able to pull Ian off of Manuel and managed to hold him back with the help of a waiter.

Manuel's friends helped him up as he struggled to get back on his feet.

Ian smirked as he watched Manuel wipe the blood off of his face, Ian had gotten him good. His right eye was now swollen and his lip was cut.

He was sure he also heard Manuel's nose break from one of his punches as blood dripped from it.

"You! You!" Manuel shouted as he struggled to form a proper insult.

"I what?" Ian shouted back as Damien and the waiter both tried to get him to keep quiet.

"Wait till my dad hears about this!" Manuel threatened. "You'll be spending your university days in prison and your family will be kicked out of the old city!"

With that Manuel's friends helped him out of the coffee shop.

----End of Flashback----

Ian took a deep breath as he shook his head, he was a foolish boy to let his temper get the best of him.

Manuel's father was an important businessman and he had single handedly managed to doom his family even more with that fight.

Ian looked up at the stars and wondered, what if he had let the insults continue? Would things have turned out better?