UNDER HIS RULES

Hugo had visited this place before. The towering building, which he estimated to have seven neatly arranged floors surrounding the main building, was much lower but spacious enough for him to wander around. The right and left sides of the milk chocolate-colored building were well-maintained gardens.

Glancing at the clock in the corner of his phone screen, he sighed softly. He was an hour early from the scheduled return of the person he was waiting for. Choosing to sit on one of the available benches in the garden, he passed the time by playing games. Again. Today, Sam hadn’t given him many tasks. Moreover, there were no significant issues with the activities at Twin Dragons and Quassano.

Regarding the Adre River, the old man whose fussiness exceeded that of a woman made sure that there would be no trouble in the future. Alfred deliberately sent the ship to deliver a special order to the ruler of Savannah. Sam himself made sure it happened.

It could be said that there wasn’t much for Hugo to handle except for extremely important matters related to Twin Dragons. That’s why he could fully concentrate on his competition as well… His eyes briefly lifted to ensure that he wouldn’t act recklessly again.

Two days ago, he promised himself to pick up the girl who somehow suddenly intrigued him. Although visually, the girl had a simple appearance. If Hugo wanted a girl as beautiful as a popular celebrity in the Southern region, it wouldn’t be difficult to make her his girlfriend. Unfortunately, Hugo didn’t like that.

When it came to women, Hugo was different from Eland and Sam. Having a girlfriend was a hassle for him. He didn’t want any work to be delayed because of his personal affairs.

“After this… promise me that you’ll live better.”

Those words echoed again. His hand movements on the game board came to a halt. His memory was dragged to a part he desperately wanted to forget.

“We’ll arrive at the hospital soon, Sha. Just stay calm. Don’t move too much. Your wound will worsen.” Hugo tightly held the slender, manicured fingers. They were a bit sticky from the blood around his palm that he hadn’t cleaned yet. Since then, he had been using his hand to cover the wound that kept oozing thick, warm red fluid.

Don’t ask how Hugo felt at that moment. Since childhood, he had always doubted the existence of God. For him, there was no God. The proof was that unilaterally, both of his parents had to meet God, even though he still needed their love. Left alone, raised in such a harsh environment with a lot of pressure, Hugo became a rigid and stoic person.

Sharon’s arrival in Hugo’s life when he was 18 years old changed everything. Sharon’s gentle, warm, loving presence, devoid of negative thoughts, made Hugo start to understand what love was. However, his life was already intertwined with Sam. He first met Sam when he was ten years old. Even then, Sam extended his hand to help him escape from the clutches of his emotionless family members.

Those who considered Hugo as nothing more than an unlucky child. His smile returned. He could also hide his restlessness behind laughter and his way of lightening the mood.

Unfortunately, the danger of their closeness was not taken into account by Hugo. The enemies of Twin Dragons took advantage of Hugo’s vulnerability to attack them. Hugo almost got killed, but unfortunately, his target changed. It hit Sharon, who had come to meet Hugo. The trap set by their enemies at that time was so perfect that it made Hugo collapse.

No one was physically hurt. But his heart… it felt like it died along with ShaHugo’s funeral. Even though he felt that his dark life was starting to brighten up. He no longer felt useless, even though Sam always relied on him. There was a different place in Hugo’s heart for the meaning of being relied upon, concerning both ShaHugo and Sam.

Nevertheless, the revenge for Sharon’s death was carried out mercilessly. Hugo mercilessly slaughtered everyone involved. His hands were satisfied with the retaliation, but his heart was already broken into pieces.

Only the sweet memories with Sharon refused to be extinguished even for a moment. He didn’t want those memories to die because Hugo believed that his life would be like a soulless robot if they did.

That’s what made him respected by many enemies and allies. Almost everyone in the Twin Dragon’s base praised his marksmanship skills. Especially Sam, who trusted him with several important sectors. All of this was because the light in Hugo’s heart was fading year after year.

However, Hera’s presence in the Twin Dragon started to disturb him. Truly, Hera was nothing like Sharon, neither in appearance nor in temperament. In fact, if Hugo could be honest, Hera was excessively spoiled. Unfortunately, Hugo was rendered powerless against her behavior. Whereas when Sam was around, Hera never caused any trouble. She was quiet, obedient, didn’t argue much, and didn’t like intense debates among her fellow girls there. But when she was with Hugo, he had to test his patience to the extreme.

“Still half an hour?” He looked up and observed the bright sky. Sharon’s words echoed in his mind, reminding him of the last day they spent together. Just like this, a bright sky, scorching sun, but the breeze around them was pleasantly cool. Perfect for spending time together.

“How are you, Sha?” he whispered. No, Hugo wasn’t afraid of the lurking danger. Not because he was now prepared. It’s just that he had struggled with death alongside Sam many times before. Sam’s enemies and their affairs were never-ending and time-consuming. But it didn’t matter to Hugo because he felt that Sam was more than just his boss.

Sam… a friend and someone he relied on so much. Sam gave him such a tremendous confidence boost because the trust given wasn’t something trivial. That’s why he no longer had the fear of experiencing the same day when the girl he liked had to meet her demise while protecting him.

On the contrary, now he made sure that anyone who dared to disturb his time would be mercilessly eliminated.

“Been a long time?” Hera asked with a wide grin on her face.

Hugo glanced briefly at the person next to him. His face was slightly flushed, not only because of the scorching heat but also because Hera had just half-run to catch up with him. Her slightly breathless voice could be heard accompanying Hugo’s hurried steps.

“But I’m curious, why did you come to pick me up? Don’t you have work from Boss Sam?”All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“Can’t I?” Hugo stopped in his tracks right in front of his beloved red motorcycle. “Put on the helmet quickly.”

“Don’t you intend to put the helmet on me yourself?” Hera exclaimed excitedly upon receiving the matching red helmet for the big motorcycle in front of her. Hera knew that this motorcycle was often parked in front of the Twin Dragon’s base. Just like Eland’s, it was there frequently but rarely used. No one dared to touch it, let alone use it for personal purposes. Except when it was needed, cleaned from the accumulated dust.

The helmet wasn’t immediately put on by Hera. Her eyes were still fixed on the helmet, which she found incredibly beautiful. It was shiny and looked expensive. Hera believed that Hugo wouldn’t use a cheap brand like the one she had at home.

“Use your hands properly.” Hugo grunted disapprovingly. “Come on.” He immediately started the engine of the motorcycle. The engine’s roar was quite noisy. Instead of complaining about the noise, Hera chose to comply. Rather than straining her ears to hear the rider’s words, she found it safer to sit on the motorcycle seat.

Soon, the motorcycle left the parking area. Hera entrusted herself to Hugo this time, knowing that he wouldn’t harm her. Hugo and Tony were close friends when his brother was still alive. Tony mentioned Hugo’s name many times when talking about his work.

“Have you eaten?”

Hera was slightly startled by the recent question. Hugo’s voice was clearly audible, and she finally realized that there was something that made their conversation audible even with the helmets on. So there was no need to strain her ears or fight against the wind just to hear what the rider said. Moreover, she was safe because she wasn’t too close to Hugo, right?

“I already ate earlier.”

“What time?”

“Um… around noon.” Hera tried to remember her activities throughout the day. “I had chicken noodles with extra soy sauce. But it was really spicy. Then I had dim sum because Mr. Muh just delivered a fresh batch. They were really delicious, you know, Mr. Muh’s dim sum. You should try it sometime, Hugo. And I had water to drink, right? It was probably water.”

“Why ‘probably’?” Hugo wanted to burst into laughter after hearing Hera’s words. Hearing her talk so much made him unintentionally smile faintly.

“Well, earlier I also ordered sweet iced tea, but suddenly I remembered what my mom said. She said I should drink plenty of water. The weather is unpredictable like this, you know, bro. So, I kind of forgot.”

“You’re still young but forgetful.”

“Hey!” Hera pouted. “What did you have for lunch earlier? Don’t tell me you had ‘fresh air’ or you forgot?” She felt the urge to smack this man’s broad back. When it came to eating, Hugo often complained to her. Whether it was forgetfulness or lack of time. He voiced his complaints every time she served him food at the base. “Why do you always forget about eating? Eating is a pleasant activity, you know. Isn’t it suitable for a celeb–”

“I had chicken soup with Sam. I went to Alfred’s mansion earlier,” Hugo quickly interrupted. Although Hera’s chatter made his day colorful, sometimes her string of words gave him a headache.

“Oh.” Hera smiled behind her helmet. “I thought you forgot.”

“I’m not as forgetful as you.”

“Annoying,” Hera grumbled. The motorcycle slowed down as they approached a large intersection with traffic lights glowing red ahead. Hera opened her helmet visor slightly to observe the busy road. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“It’s better if you just listen to music instead of asking too many questions.” Hugo took out his phone and quickly fiddled with it, racing against time. And he started playing his favorite playlist. It didn’t take long for the music to resonate through the intercom connecting them.

“Can’t I ask a simple question?” Hera still didn’t want to give up. “At least let me inform my mom, Hugo.”

“I already asked permission from your mom. I want to take you somewhere.” Hugo’s words accompanied the music from one of his favorite bands. “I want to listen to this music. Do you know it?”

“Um… no.”

“Pathetic.” Hugo chuckled. He prepared to accelerate his motorcycle again as the traffic started to turn green. “Hold on tight, Hera. I’m going to speed up a bit.”