"Stop her from struggling. Don't damage her face. If you have to hit her, do it somewhere else."

"MMPH!! MMPH!!!"

Surrounding a woman as they gagged her and held her down, were a number of men.

These men wore masks, covering their faces so as to prevent their identities from being known.

"MMM!!!!"

As the woman struggled heartily, the one who seemed to take the lead clicked his tongue in annoyance as the men pressed her down.

"Why are you struggling like this? There's no point to it, you know. You should know that better than-"

"MMMMMMMM!!!"

Elbowing one man and breaking free from another, the woman began to run - however her arm was caught by the one who seemed to lead the group.

"What do you think you're doing? What would you do if you actually escaped? This entire-"

As he spoke, the two men who had been pushed back pounced on the woman, pressing her down to the ground.

"Shit... I didn't want to get so violent, but it looks like we have no choice... I didn't think she would struggle so much! What are we supposed to do here?"

"MMM! MMM!!!"

The woman kicked and punched wildly as the two were barely able to hold her down, at which the boss continued to click his tongue.

"Just be patient and keep her down for now. We need to wait until he arrives to-"

"Until who arrives?"

It was at that moment, turning a corner - was a man.

He had a dead look in his eyes, irritation filling his expression as if he were fed up with everything.

"You seem to be the one calling the shots... but you've got a boss above you as well?"

The well dressed man, whose red hair was his defining feature, stepped forward from the alleyway as he approached the thugs.

"What do you think you're doing?”, the one in charge questioned. “Get out of here this instant. Do you understand who we-"

"Do you understand who I am?"

It was merely an instant - yet in that moment, the man who seemed to be calling the shots of this masked group found a hand around his neck.

"Ugh! Wha-"

And then he was slammed to the concrete wall behind him.

He felt his lungs cave as blood shot out of his mouth into the mask, dribbling down to cover his neck.

"No... you don't need to know. It doesn't matter. There's only one thing that matters about me right now."

At that instant, the other two men turned around with shock - though their expressions were hidden by their masks.

"Hey-"

"Wha-"

However that shock soon was cut off as a foot slammed into each of their faces in turn.

Thud.

Thud.

And in a mere moment, two bodies dropped as the man had swiftly turned around in a cartwheel motion, carrying his feet like an acrobat as they slammed into the faces of the men.

It was a motion which was exquisite, something which a businessman should never be capable of - and yet this red haired man had accomplished such a thing with ease.

"I'm pissed off."

Dusting off his coat, the man looked down to notice that there was blood on his suit.

"Ah... how troublesome. When I was younger I could fight without any consequences, but this could lead to criminal consequences, couldn't it? Well... I suppose I had better just make sure that such a thing won't happen."

Reaching for his pockets, the man pulled out three wads of cash - throwing them onto the ground as he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

And on that piece of paper, the man wrote something.

Dropping the note, it fluttered in the air before eventually landing on top of the mask of the one who seemed to be the leader, landing upside down so that the message was not shown.

And with this, the man turned to the woman, who had slowly stood up.

"T-thank you so mu-"

Slap!

And even as she called out in gratitude, the man immediately cut her off with a slap to the face.

"Eh? What are you-"

Slap!

Slap! Slap! Slap!

First with his hand, then pulling out a wad of cash, the man slapped the woman back and forth with the money - before dropping it at the feet of the woman.

"Nothing happened here. I was not here. You were not here. Not a single person was here on this day. Is that understood?"

"Eh! But-"

"There are two types of people who will resort to violence."

Turning around without even allowing an answer from the woman, the man cut her off once more.

"The first... are those who stand to gain from it. Those who use it as a means and method to obtain what they want, trampling others underneath their feet as they do as they please."

As he began to walk away, the woman seemed to follow the man as he continued to speak.

"The second... those who will lose everything if they do not resort to such things. And yet... I am neither of these things. Therefore do not follow me."

"I have to pay you back!!!"

The woman shouted this out in desperation, forcing the man to stop in his tracks as he looked back to her with absolute disdain.

"I have no need for you, woman. I didn't save you. I didn't protect you. I merely was aggravated... and as such I took it out on a group of people who were making some useless noise. YOU INCLUDED."

At that moment, the woman found herself mere inches from the face of the man.

"So do you want me to prove that to you by putting you in the same state as those men?"

"No."

However the woman responded with strength in her voice - facing off against the man without so much as flinching.

"You're a liar. Everything you just said... is false."

Bending down, the woman grabbed the money at her feet, standing up once more to face the man.

And then, she threw it at his face.

"Why did you give me this?"

However as soon as the woman stated this, she was slapped in the face once more with the very wad of cash that he had caught with one hand.

"Did I not just explain this?"

Slap.

"I was pissed off. And you and those men were being noisy."

Slap.

"So I decided to take my anger out on you all, and beat you up."

Slap.

"Buuuut... we don't live in a world where people can just go around beating anyone up for no reason. So I threw some money at you all to make sure everyone stays quiet."

Slap.

"Isn't that enough reason for you to just walk away now?"

As the man said this, he held the wad of cash forward for the woman to take.

And then, with a toothy grin, he thinned his eyes at the woman while he smiled - as if he was enjoying this.

"Or would you prefer that I continue beating you with this?"

"Why are you pretending like you've done something wrong and are trying to get out of it... you saved me! I... I just wanted to show gratitude-"

"If you want to show me gratitude then get out of my face, and out of my life. I have no time to play around with a woman. Goodbye."

With this statement, the man turned around, his jacket fluttering as he looked down.

'Tch... well, at least the suit is black, so the blood doesn't seem to show. I can't go out like this though. People will smell the blood.'

"I... I see that you want me to leave."

However his hand was gripped as he walked off - preventing him from doing so.

"I'm not quite sure why you would save someone only to leave so quickly... not even asking for compensation, and even throwing money around like that for no reason... you're probably so rich that you can do things like that... and maybe you really don't want to get in any trouble... but can't you let me do something in return?"

"Why are you so persistent?"

The man stopped in his place, posing this question to the woman with a threatening tone.

"Are you after money? Don't try and tell me that you're merely concerned for me, or that you truly wish to pay me back. Let me get something through your head, girl."

Turning around to face her once more, the man spat out his next words with animosity.

"I don't believe in benevolence."

"You don't think it's possible for someone to want to legitimately pay you back for something you did for them?"

With this stern statement from the woman, the man let out a sigh.

"I don't think it's impossible, at first. But I believe without question that as time passes, that people who once treated others with kindness out of pure benevolence will grow tired of such efforts without compensation. Which is why workers demand to be paid. It is why you cannot merely offer someone food and shelter in exchange for their generous labors. Charity can only go so far. And do you know what such a thing would be referred to as if such a thing WERE to take place?"

With a deadly tone, the man whispered his next word.

"Slavery."

"I... I'm merely trying to pay you back. And yet... and yet..."

At this statement, the woman seemed to break down, tears filling her eyes as she fell to the ground.

"Why won't you let me?"

"Why are you so desperate to do so? Just leave me alone and we can consider it even."

"I can't just do that! My conscience won't let me!!"

The girl shouted this out, looking up to the man with a pained expression.

And as his eyes met with hers, he grit his teeth as his heart softened.

"Fine. Just once. One time. Is that understood?"

Glancing away as he refused to meet the eyes of the woman, the man seemed to fill his mind with irritation as the woman wiped her tears with a joyful expression.

"What would you like!? Oh... buying you something probably wouldn't mean anything. After all, to you, who throws money around like it's nothing... anything that I can buy with money would be worthless, right?"

Placing her finger to her lips as her demeanor changed almost immediately, the woman gave off a flimsy aura - one which disturbed Bradley to the core.

The fact that she would put on such tears with ease only to immediately shake them off as soon as she got what she wanted was enough to put the man off, however he had already given his word.

"Oh! I know! What about a home cooked meal? Even if you go out to eat all the time... even if you have chefs to cook food for you, if I cooked for you personally... maybe it would mean a bit more?"

Tilting her head to the side as her blonde hair seemed to fall, the woman eyed Bradley with interest, to which he merely let out a sigh.

"Do as you please. Did you walk here?"

"Ah! I did? How did you know?"

"Why would someone like you be walking around in a place like this? It's dangerous. People like that are all over. Come with me. I have a car, so I'll give you a ride. Actually... I suppose that makes me sound pretty suspicious, doesn't it? Scratch that. Walk home yourself."

"How can you be so suspicious of yourself? You saved me, and I am trying to pay you back. Surely... I can trust someone like you, right?"

As soon as the woman made this statement, the man gazed upon her with abhorrence.

"You know nothing of this world if you think you can trust everyone who extends a hand to you."

Shaking his head with disappointment, the man gave in.

"But... I suppose either way you would have to tell me your address if we are going to head to your home. And I have no intention of giving you my own address, so I suppose if we're going through with this then no matter what I will look suspicious. Very well. Come with me."

"If you were going to do something suspicious, then why would you have been so adamant about running away without payment?"

As the man walked forwards, these words of the woman pierced him as he realized that the very reason she trusted him was exactly because he had acted in such a manner as to prevent her from trusting him.

"I see."

With a light smile, the man let out a short laugh.

"Heh."

"Is something funny?"

"Yes."

"What is it? Do I have something on me?"

Turning back with a questioning look, the man raised an eyebrow as he looked at the woman.

She was covered in dirt from being roughed up by the men, and her face was reddened from the wad of money that she had continuously been slapped with.

However the man was not laughing for such a reason.

"I was merely laughing at myself. Don't think too much about it."

"Ah! Now that I think about it, I haven't told you my name yet."

Deriving from the topic as quickly as it was brought up, the woman shifted the mood with the drop of a dime.

'So unfocused... is she always like this? Like a child... unable to keep her attention on one thing for more than a few minutes.'

"I'm Anna! And you are?"

With another sigh, the man merely shook his head as he led the woman, who had rushed up to stand by his side.

"Bradley Vendetta. Regio- no."

Before he could state his title, the man merely shook his head.

"Just call me Bradley."

----

"Ugh...."

"Ow... ow... ow..."

"What... just happened?"

The masked men awoke in the middle of an alleyway, their brains rattled from the blows which they had suffered.

"We... we were beat up?"

"By him?"

"Shit!!! I can't believe this... wait... no, nobody is here... the cops... they weren't called, right?"

"I didn't think this would turn into something so major... no... it looks like she did her job. She must have gone off with him as planned. But how did the boss know that he would jump in to save her like that?"

One man asked this, however the one who seemed to lead the group took off his mask, the paper that the man had left fluttering in the air as it fell to the ground.

"The Boss... he is something else. When he does his research... nothing is unknown. Bradley Vendetta... he was once a delinquent, you know."

"A delinquent!? So you're telling me he knew not only that he would pick a fight, but that we would lose to him?"

"Exactly."

As the one who led the group revealed his mask, he revealed his face to be that of a salaryman.

His glasses were shattered, and blood ran down his face from where the shards had punctured him.

His nose ran red, and the man grabbed the piece of paper which had fallen to the ground.

"What is this? He left us a message? And... money?"

Glancing around, the three immediately noticed the wads of cash that had been left in front of them.

And as he held the note close to his eyes, for he could not read it clearly without his glasses, the man squinted as he made out the writing from mere inches away.

[To whoever the fuck you are]

[Take my money and go.]

[If you have the balls to go against me, go right ahead.]

[Use that money to hire a lawyer if you need to. Press charges against me. Do what needs to be done. But let me warn you.]

[The lawyers I hire will be able to crush you and your entire organization.]

[If I ever meet you again, it will be as an enemy.]

[And my enemies don't survive.]

[The choice is yours.]

[I hope for your sake that you make the right decision.]

[Because if you don't... then I will ruin you.]

[See attached.]

"This is... quite the message."

Breathing heavily as the man read this, his hands trembling, he looked around with confusion.

"But... what does he mean by see attached?"

Turning the message around and upside down, something fell out.

"Hm? What's this?"

And as the man picked it up, he glanced at it with wide eyes - in complete shock.

"Why... would he leave this?"

Then, shaking his head as he closed his eyes, the man smiled as he chuckled to himself.

"No... I already know why."

Holding the card up, he glanced upon it.

It was a business card.

"Eh?"

"Why would he give us his personal information... after beating us up like that?"

"Doesn't he know that if we were members of the mafia we would track him down and destroy him?"

"He's lucky that isn't the case."

"What a fool."

The two others speculated, however the one who held the card merely nodded in denial.

"No, you're wrong. He is no fool. Perhaps... he is just as formidable as the President."

Speaking with awe in his tone, the man glanced upon the card once more.

Bradley Vendetta.

Regional Vice President.

Moria Financial.

"He had one purpose in leaving this.", the man stated as the others looked at him with interest.

"To send a message."

----

"I... I know it isn't much, but..."

The man entered the apartment of the woman.

It was truly nothing more than that. A small apartment in the downtown sector of the City.

Security was nonexistent. If someone wanted to break in, they could likely do so at any given moment.

'Why did I come to such a place?'

It was a place that reeked of poverty - something which this man despised.

It was not that the apartment itself was unclean. Quite the opposite. Despite the outside appearance of the shoddy home, it was as if the person who resided here took pride in even such a third rate home, keeping it sparkling.

Which made it all the more strange that this woman would be living in such an area in the first place.

"Well, no matter. I never expected much in the first place."

"Why not?"

When faced with this response, the woman looked to the man with a serious expression, at which he raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I?"

"You seem to be off living in your own world inside your mind. Everyone around you is dirt, and you're on top of all of them."

The woman made this harsh statement, however she did so with a slight laugh as if she was merely playing with him.

"Is that what you believe?", she asked.

As the woman headed to her kitchen to begin the cooking, she received no response from the man.

"You can sit wherever you like. Is there something in particular that you would like to eat?"

"Let's see... something that someone of this level of wealth would be capable of making, eh? I suppose... let's go with pasta."

"Pasta?"

"Is that not something you're capable of making?"

"No... it's fine. I just didn't think you would ask for something so... cheap. You know. I thought you'd say something like steak or lobster, I'm surprised that you would even consider my situation and ask for something like that in the first place. But..."

With a smile that seemed genuine, the woman laid a kind expression on the man as their eyes met.

"I suppose you really are kind, even if you don't realize it yourself."

"You're very nosy, quite loud, and often say things that don't make sense. You force people to go along with your schemes, and now I am even sitting here in your home by your command - because I did something which you claim to have been 'Saving you'. So I would prefer if you simply remained quiet and cooked whatever meal you plan on providing. Thank you."

The man didn't filter himself for a moment as he vented his true thoughts, however the woman merely laughed at this.

"You're very honest too. There aren't many men who would be willing to say something like that without batting an eye."

"Have you ever considered that I don't want to be here?"

"And that is exactly the reason why I trust you. If you were just trying to use me, then would you not be singing my praises in a sweet tone?"

He couldn't figure out this woman.

He didn't trust her in the slightest, yet every time he made a statement she would use it against him.

'She... am I being overly cautious?'

Something was off about her, which made Bradley not want to let his guard down.

Perhaps she merely was thankful.

Perhaps he was merely being paranoid.

Perhaps he should merely accept her kindness today and leave, never to see her again.

'I suppose that's what I'll do.'

"Do you want to watch TV? The remote should be on the couch there somewhere."

"TV... eh?"

Glancing over, the man found the remote, however he had no desire to use it.

'When was the last time I watched TV?'

"I'm good. I'll just wait here."

"Don't you get bored? What do you do all day?"

However even as the man tried to process the situation in peace, the woman did not allow this.

"I work. And I work. And I work. Even when I'm not working, I work. While I eat, while I bathe, while I sleep. But for whatever reason, I decided to turn off my phone this weekend... and do something else."

"That must be because you wanted to take a break, right?"

As the man admitted his situation to the woman, she twisted it against him.

"You're tired of your life being nothing more than work."

"What would you know of my life? Do you have a job? No... that was a foolish question. Of course you do, living alone like this. What do you do for work?"

"I work as a secretary. I do paperwork all day, and I don't particularly like my boss, but the pay is decent."

"I see. Well, money drives everything. If you can't pay the bills, you can't live. If you don't work for money, then you won't be able to work at all."

"You act like you know everything... but I think that you really want everything to be more unknown."

"Hm? What do you even mean by that?"

Turning around with confusion, the man looked at the woman as he failed to comprehend her words.

"How do I say it... I feel that you always say things as if they're the truth. As if they're facts. But you say them as if you wished... as if you hoped that those things weren't true."

"The fact of the matter is that everything I have experienced proves the things that I say to be true. And nobody has ever been able to prove me wrong. Are you trying to be the first?"

"Well... maybe I can try."

With a light wink, the woman turned her back to the man as she focused on the stove, cooking with haste.

The man became silent, merely watching and waiting as he wondered what he should say.

Yet in the end, he said nothing.

"It's ready. Sit at the table."

"Understood."

The man felt inside his pocket.

His cell phone was present.

He could turn it on, continue his work, make more calls, seal more contracts, increase his contacts, make more money - yet right now, he felt as if that was not the right thing to do.

Therefore he kept his phone off, for that night.

'It is Friday night, after all. Many people are unable to work at this time... so I suppose this should be fine.'

Sitting at the table while the woman served him, he thinned his eyes with continued suspicion as she performed actions which only a hired maid would usually be willing to perform.

'Why is she doing this?'

"You seem to be wondering why I'm serving you. But that's simple. I guess I have to say it out loud, since you're acting so clueless."

As she slid a bowl of pasta over to the man, the woman flashed him another cheerful smile.

"When a woman likes a man, she will do little things to please him - without any rhyme or reason."

"Pfft!"

The woman said this, however the man merely laughed.

"Hahaha!! So that's it. I see. Well, good luck, girl. I'll give you a heads up, since you've gone and done all this for me."

Grabbing the pasta as he began to eat, the man shoved the food into his mouth as he ate it with gluttony - in a manner completely unlike an elite.

"I'm not the man you should set your heart on. Period."

"Why is that?"

"Simple. I don't like baggage."

"So you consider relationships to be nothing more than a pain?"

"Yes."

The man answered the feelings of the woman in such a blunt and heartbreaking manner, however she didn't seem to quit.

"Your business card then. You left it for those thugs, right?"

"Eh?"

Looking up to the woman, who had crossed her arms with irritation, the man stopped eating as his jaw dropped.

"How did you..."

"I saw you slip it in there with that note. Well... I have no idea why you did such a thing... but if you weren't worried about them, so much as to let them know who you are, then surely you can do as much for me, right?"

The man was stunned, unable to even respond at first.

However as a moment passed, the man laughed once more.

"I knew something was up with you. You really do have a keen eye, don't you?"

"Is that a yes or no?"

"Very well. But as far as I'm concerned... this is merely business. And you're just another contact."

Reaching into his pocket, the man flicked a card across the table.

"Don't call me if it isn't business related. Or I might start ignoring you."

"You say that... but I can already tell."

Sitting down as she fixed herself a bowl, the woman slowly blew on her food before eating it.

"You'll answer."

----