Chapter 9 He Is Not A Bad Person

• “I understand, Mr. Hackett!”
• After responding, I had nothing else to do, so I left Tigre's office. I returned to my previous room, laid down, and continued to sleep. Deep down, I was filled with anticipation for my official start of work the next day!
• The night passed, and by the break of dawn the next day, I was already awake at six. Out of habit, I neatly folded the blanket into a perfect square.
• I couldn't help but chuckle bitterly as I looked at the blanket. Even though I was out of prison now, it seemed that my habits from my time there were not going to change anytime soon.
• When I drew back the curtains, I was met with the sight of the sun, red and newly released from the clutches of the clouds on the horizon. It stirred deep emotions within me.
• Today marked my first day of complete freedom. Akin to the rising sun, I would be embarking on a new life!
• Upon leaving the room, I called out a greeting to Irene, who was yawning non-stop, and then headed to the second floor's buffet area for breakfast.
• Tigre's spa operated around the clock, twenty-four hours a day. Irene's shift alternated between starting at seven in the morning or seven in the evening.
• I made my way to the buffet section before grabbing myself a bowl of oatmeal, two buns, and a boiled egg. As for the rest of the food, I just couldn't muster any interest.
• I scanned the area for a seat and suddenly noticed Matthias sitting in the back row, so I made my way to him.
• Upon seeing me arrive, Matthias asked in surprise, “Theros, why are you up so early when your shift isn't until the afternoon?”
• “Force of habit from my time in prison!” I answered with a chuckle.
• Taking a bite of my oatmeal, I asked curiously, “Mr. Carlson, do you know a guy named Gavin Warren at Sea Arcade?”
• Matthias swallowed his food, then fixed his gaze on me. “Why are you asking about him?”
• I told Matthias about my encounter with Gavin yesterday.
• “I'm simply curious about him, and my impression of him is quite positive!”
• Eyeing me for a moment, Matthias then said, “I think Gavin is quite a ruthless character as well. I heard he used to be a soldier and fought on the front lines. After retiring, he was initially assigned a structured job by the local authorities. However, Gavin's mother owned a pasta restaurant in Qudnard, which was vandalized by a few local thugs demanding protection money. Coincidentally, Gavin returned just in time to witness his mother being harassed, and he single-handedly fought off the five hooligans! One of the thugs, it's said, had a crippling leg injury. This incident cost him his job, and he ended up overseeing operations at Sea Arcade.”
• After he finished speaking, I muttered, “This person isn't bad. He served in the military and is also very respectful toward his elders. People who love their elders can't be all that bad!”
• Matthias scoffed lightly and retorted, “True, he isn't a bad guy, but he has a hot temper. If he doesn't like what he hears, he's quick to start a fight!”
• I continued chatting with Matthias as I ate, and through him, I gained a lot of information.
• In the Bronzestad underworld, there were four major powers. These included Benjamin Wagner from Qudnard, the Callaghan brothers Linus and Wallace from Dreamouth, Felix Lawcombe from Druginia, and Arnold Xanthos from Drocver.
• The real power behind Tigre was Linus. As for the other gangs, those with a bit of influence had ties with these four forces, while the rest were not worth mentioning.
• Mr. Carlson, did you set up Lionel with a woman last night?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
• Matthias gulped a spoonful of oatmeal before responding, “What's done is done, and you shouldn't pry or meddle in his affairs. Don't cause any more trouble for Mr. Hackett! You should also limit your interactions with that Gavin guy. Brandon Ziegler, the owner of Sea Arcade, doesn't get along with Mr. Hackett!”
• “Understood!”
• I gave a noncommittal response, but in my heart, I didn't agree with Matthias' words. In truth, I found Gavin to be quite decent, or at least my first impression of him wasn't bad.
• After breakfast, Matthias first took me on a tour around the guest room department, explaining the workflow and so on.
• Everything else was straightforward, but what Matthias made sure I remembered was what I had to do when a guest requested a masseuse.
• To my relief, Matthias told me to keep an eye out for lone men who came to rent a room. He suggested I should casually mention, in passing, that we have escorts available. If one of them took a girl, I would earn thirty bucks as a commission!
• Curiosity got the better of me, and I asked how much it would cost to hire an escort for the whole night. When I found out it was fifteen hundred for a single night, I was utterly stunned.
• Matthias rolled his eyes and said disdainfully, “That look on your face practically screams that you've never seen much of the world. Have you ever heard of Paradiso in the capital? The girls there cost tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands for a single night!”
• Sure, I was taken aback, but I was also thrilled. In my mind, I was calculating - if I got thirty bucks every day from one girl, I could make nine hundred in a month. That was almost catching up to my salary!
• It was only later that I realized earning that money wasn't as easy as it seemed.
• After getting to know the workflow with Matthias, he then took me to rent a house.
• We exited through the back door of the spa and made our way to the parking lot, where Matthias led me to a sleek black Santana 2000.
• As I sat in the passenger seat, I remarked enviously, “If only I could drive a car like this one day!”
• Without even glancing at me, Matthias said, “Work hard at your job and you will!”
• Matthias stepped on the gas, taking me away from the spa. However, not long after we hit the road, Matthias suddenly said in a grave tone, “Brace yourself; we're being followed!”