Chapter 45 Smile

"Calm down boys," Simon said, walking out of their protection. The men were dumbfounded by his actions but they obliged with his order.

Simon took the gun from Ethan, cocked it, and gave it back. "Now you only have to aim and press the trigger." He said.

"Y-you are telling me to kill him?" Ethan asked.

Simon shrugged, "If you aim at his head or heart, then of course, you will kill him. In the end, it's your choice."

Simon glanced at frozen Henry, and then back at the pale Ethan. "Let me help you," he said, his voice clear. "This man is a criminal."

"B-but I ...." Ethan was already regretting coming here. More importantly, Henry also got involved in this mess.

"Ethan, I know you were in prison for some time, so you already saw what these damned criminals were up close. You wanted to join our group to get rid of them, didn't you?"

Ethan shook his head. He never planned and would never kill again.

"Let me tell you a story." Simon said slowly. "Many years ago, I had once let one young man go. He had joined that bastard's group quite recently at that time and had not done anything wrong. So I let him go."

Simon's voice got lower and threatening. "A few days later, I found out that man had killed an innocent girl while escaping from some thugs."

There was a deathly silence. Simon's words were like a devil whisper as he said, "So do it. Press the trigger and shoot him. This man has done worse than the bastard I let go. He has killed many innocent people. You won't be jailed again, don't worry. All you have to do is pull the trigger to prove yourself."

He lightly patted on Ethan's shoulder. "But if you can't do it, get ready to face consequences."

Ethan gazed blankly at the man who had terrified eyes. Just then Henry shouted, "I'll do it!" His voice breaking him out of his stupor.

The group turned their attention to him, his face was deathly pale and full of sweat, but there was a determination in his eyes. "Please let Ethan go. I'll do it."

Simon raised his brows. "Oh?"

Simon saw Ethan shaking his head so he stepped back and looked at them in amusement. Ethan turned to look at Simon, his eyes no longer clouded with confusion. He said, "I'll not shoot him."

Simon's smile didn't flatter, instead it widened as he said, "Then you ready to face the consequences?"

Ethan shook his head and bent down to place the pistol down. Ethan violently attacked the kneeling man by kicking him in the liver with full force

Ethan was unfazed by the man's crying and convulsions, turning instead to meet Simon's gaze. Simon calmly picked up the pistol, aimed it at Ethan, and pulled the trigger.

⸻�⸻

Ethan walked back up to the hospital roof. He wondered how the hospital surveillance team would be reacting right now because of his impulsive and shitty decision.

Ethan shook his head and thought of the past. At that time, the gun had no bullets. Simon said that he was not a fool to give a weapon to a guy he just met.

Simon had psychologically played with the inexperienced Ethan. He had pressured him to do something he didn't want to. But in the end, Etan passed the test.

Simon didn't want a man who could kill. He wanted a man who could handle pressure and make decisions correctly or at least not make the worst decisions.

Joining that group of people was Ethan's one of the best choices. He started to miss them and sighed. After reaching the rooftop, he saw Remora properly dressed up, looking at the distance.

He heard her say, "Revived from the dead?"

Ethan shrugged, walked beside her and said, "It was a really bad decision."

"At least it worked."

Ethan asked if she could do something about the surveillance team. She agreed and then both of them became silent.

After a few moments, Ethan turned to Remora and said, "I'll quickly go and check on Izora and Sydney. After that we can discuss the weird stuff happening."

"Mhh." Remora said, her expression unreadable in the silent night. She suddenly asked, "You are not going to ask if I am okay?"

Ethan felt awkward. He hesitated and asked, "Are you okay?"

"You tore my pussy apart."

"..."

Remora suddenly turned towards him and laughed out loud for the first time. She cooed, "Just kidding~," and pulled Ethan down to kiss him.

She was clumsy but tried her best to suck on his lips. After they separated, she smiled.

Later they were again in front of Izora's room. Before they entered, Remora told Ethan that when they brought Sydney she was clearly hungry but she still hadn't eaten anything. Maybe he could help with it.

As they entered the room, Sydney turned to look at them. Despite her puffy eyes and tired appearance, she still managed to look cute and beautiful, with all the best physical traits of her mother.

She stood up and bowed deeply to Ethan, thanking him for helping her mother. Ethan helped her up and replied, "Your mother helped me too. We're here for each other."

Ethan turned to look at Izora. Though she was hospitalized because of overexerting herself, still she looked peaceful to him while sleeping on the bed.

It made him feel calm and at peace after what felt like eternity. Ethan unconsciously touched Sydney's head and softly rubbed her hair. He was glad that at least he was able to make them together once again.

[Stress: -10]

Sydney didn't want to leave her mom so they softly talked beside her. Actually there was not much to talk about or more like Ethan didn't know what to say to her. Meanwhile Remora was having fun looking at Ethan like this. He felt so cute to her.

[Remora Kroft's Interest: +15]

Sitting on the chair beside the bed, Sydney suddenly said, "Uncle Ethan"

"Mmh?"

She softly continued. "Actually I sensed that something was off. But then I thought that it was an adult's problem. My mom should be able to handle it. I just had to focus on my studies and make her proud. That's what I thought."

Her gaze was clear, and her words even more so. "I had once watched something on a TV show. The TV show talked about life choices. Something about listening to our heart. Only now did I understand the meaning behind it." She took a deep breath and declared. "I will not let anyone hurt my mom again so I will become powerful enough to protect her."

Ethan and Remora were left stunned. They knew that this little girl was serious. Remora muttered unconsciously, "I think the right choice is always the one that comes from your heart. Even if it's something scary or seems impossible, if you listen to your heart, you'll know what to do."

Ethan turned to look at her in doubt. She whispered, "It's the quote from the TV show Sydney mentioned. It's a pretty popular one." She looked over at the girl and sighed, "Such a good child."

Ethan nodded in agreement, and once again, he affectionately rubbed Sydney's head. Sydney turned to look at him and smiled for the first time.

Ethan couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him as he saw the bright smile on her face. It was like all of the struggles and hardships he had faced over the past few hours had suddenly become worth it.

Just as he was basking in the warmth of the moment, a system message appeared before him. It read, "The heir is on the brink of a life-changing epiphany."