– The Terrified First Lion King

*****

Bars are known for their constant noise, especially at night during operating hours, but right now, the entire bar is eerily silent with everyone within staring blankly as though they were seeing the most disbelieving thing in history, particularly the ones who knew the reputation of the two Lion Kings.

This silence lasted for a long time before eventually, the Lion King, whose leg was being held by Xavier returned to his senses and became deeply embarrassed which promptly changed to an incredible rage.

“Bastard! Let go of my leg!” He snapped ferociously, trying to force away his leg from Xavier’s lazy grasp. Yet, for some reason, he wasn’t able to move it an inch—It was as though the leg was being held by the large hand of a deity and not the seemingly weak Xavier.

“Are you deaf? I say let go of my leg!” He barked and Xavier instantly smiled slightly before nodding his head.

“Sure,” he responded before continuing just as the Lion King was about to heave a sigh of relief. “I will just repay you with what you wanted to do to me.”

“This!” Everyone gasped and saw something flash in their eyes before they could think, after which, a shrill scream that sounded as though someone was being butchered echoed.

Subsequently, Xavier let go of his hand and the Lion King was sent ricocheting away halfway across the bar.

“Ah!!!!!!” He wailed like someone whose skin was being torn away from his body, making everyone feel their hair standing at the end while wondering about what had just happened.

They all turn into statues in an instant which lasts for a moment before the first Lion King forces himself to return to his senses.

“Third—third brother! What’s with your cry?” He asked with fear before rushing toward his brother.

“Aren’t you embarrassing yourself too much? Yelling this loudly and painfully merely because a tiny ant that could easily be squashed to death with my fingers hurled you away?” He complained with dissatisfaction before bending over to help his brother up.

The following second, however, he paused slightly before his eyes widened significantly, after which a strong shill ran down his spine.

“What-“ his mouth hung open as he subconsciously moved his hand toward his brother’s crotch area.

“What’s—what’s blood doing here?” he inquired incredulously and then pressed down with his hand.

“Rahhhhhhh!!!!” The second Lion King’s roar intensified as if he were experiencing the most excruciating pain imaginable, and soon after, he fainted.

The bar became pin-drop silent after this until; “He wanted to castrate me, but I castrated him instead. That’s fair, no?” A calm and lazy voice inquired, making everyone shiver frantically with goosebumps crawling hysterically all over their skin, then they glanced at the speaker.

“He—he crippled the lion king?” Someone swallowed hard and mumbled doubtfully.

Just then, the first Lion King returned to his senses and he screamed. “How dare you castrate my brother?!”

“I’m going to kill you!!!” His voice filled to the brim with killing intent scaring everyone in the bar out of their wits.

“The Lion King is finally mad,” someone mumbled and ran toward the bar’s exit without hesitation, looking terrified to the core.

“Probably all the eyewitnesses here tonight are done for!” Another person mumbled fearfully as he also ran for his li…

Everyone, knowing how unreasonable the Lion Kings normally are quickly ran for their lives, and before long, only Xavier, the fainted Lion King, the first Lion King who had turned into a raging bull, the dumbstruck bartender, and a horrified Grace were left behind.

“Die!!!!” The First Lion King roared with rage and closed in on Xavier, throwing his tightly clenched fist at his face with all the strength he could muster.

Watching this scene, the hearts of the bartender and Grace trembled, knowing that there was no way Xavier would be able to dodge or survive the attack.

Although they weren’t the ones receiving it, they felt the strong force originating from it and trying to destroy them, making the two ladies shut their eyes just as the attack was an inch away from hitting Xavier’s face, unable to handle the scene that would follow.

They brace themselves, expecting a shrill scream, but then a deafening silence was what they heard, lasting for a long time until the ladies could no longer handle their confusion.

‘What happened?’ they thought and squinted open their eyes, wanting to sneak a peak at what had happened.

What came into their view the next second made their eyes widen in stupefaction.

“Am—am I dreaming?” The bartender mumbled to herself dumbly before quickly pinching her arm.

Having worked in the bar for a few years, she had long learned about the strength of the two Lion Kings, able to face the attacks of five able-bodied men without breaking a sweat, yet…

“You—you—you…” the Lion King, who had attacked Xavier with madness and hatred earlier finally returned to his senses and stuttered as he eventually experienced what his brother had gone through a moment ago and to say he was terrified right now was nothing but an understatement.

He had never thought the seemingly weak Xavier who looked like someone he could pinch to death with his fingers would be able to stop his punch with just a single hand.

He thought he was dreaming as he stared at Xavier casually holding his arm that was tightly bulging with his thick veins from exerting all his strength.

“You—you—who… who are you?” He finally completed and Xavier, staring composedly at him sighed.

“I didn’t want any trouble; I just wanted to prevent you from committing an immoral deed while enjoying my peace. Why did you and your brother have to push my hand?” he asked helplessly, leaving the Lion King and the bartender stunned.

‘You didn’t want trouble and yet you interfered in our business, even castrating my brother! What nonsense was that?!’ He yelled in his mind, almost sobbing, but dared not to speak out.

“Plea—please forgive me, master. I—I was just too blind to see the elephant in the room! Please forgive me!”

The bartender, “_”

‘Is this still the First of the two shameless and evil self-acclaimed Lion kings?’ She thought blankly before hurriedly glancing back at Xavier.

Her heart began to pound frantically in her chest and she became filled with curiosity for him, meanwhile, Xavier, not realizing what he had caused to the bartender suddenly gazed seriously at the Lion King.

Given how you and that fool behaved today and the things I learned, you two love getting ladies drunk so that you can have your ways with them, no?”

“I—I… “ The Lion King became further terrified.

If those who had run for their lives out of fear were to witness this scene, they would have been stunned to death, but since no one was there, they couldn’t have in their entire lives imagined what had transpired after they escaped.

“I—tonight was our first time and I have never had the intention of forcing myself on anybody,” the lion king sobbed, regretting why he and his brother hadn't ignored or begged Xavier to mind his business earlier.

“Please forgive me!” He pleaded desperately, wishing nothing but to escape right now.

Xavier watched the horrified Lion King without reacting for a moment, while the two ladies stared at him, waiting to see what he would do. Eventually, he sighed deeply.

“As I mentioned earlier, I only wanted to have some drink in peace.”

– The Next Morning

*****

Inside a quiet, peaceful, and rough bedroom that has the appearance of a war aftermath, a sudden vibration sounded and the next second, two bloodshot eyes snapped open.

Very lazy to the peak and still sleepy, Grace, not seeing her present appearance twitched, wanting to pick up the phone ringing.

Just then, she felt a warm body against her skin, scaring her badly. She jumped back and stared with full alert, preparing to engage in case someone had intruded on her bedroom.

The following second, however, she saw probably the most handsome body she’d seen in her life.

Although the body was lean, it was well-built with no excess muscles or fat. Just as she liked it.

Though her heart skipped a bit at the sight of this body, Grace was able to ignore it, instead, her gaze slowly turned cold in an instant and she was about to yell when; everything that happened the previous night came crashing into her brain.

Her face paled the next second and she appeared to have done the most unforgivable thing of all time.

“How could I?” She mumbled dumbly before eventually sighing deeply.

The next moment, it was as though she wasn’t the one filled with deep regret just a moment ago—Her entire being turned emotionlessly cold in an instant.

She then glanced emotionlessly at the handsome man sleeping beside her for a moment before slowly picking up her cell phone and holding it to her ear.

“Where have you been, boss? Your grandfather, cousins, and uncles had long been waiting for you in the conference room.”

“This…” The emotionless look on Grace’s face changed significantly and she panicked for a moment, having forgotten the important meeting she had that morning.

“What time is it?” she thought to herself before quickly checking and upon realizing that it was already after nine in the morning, she felt like smacking herself on the face, wondering how she could have forgotten such an important meeting.

She took a deep breath before returning the phone to her ear.

“I will get be there shortly, keep them busy for me,” she said before hanging up the cell phone, not waiting to hear what the secretary was going to say.

Without hesitation, Grace crawled out of the bed and then gave Xavier an icy cold glare.

She felt like strangling the peacefully sleeping Xavier to death but then forced herself to breathe in again after which she bent over, wanting to pick up her scattered clothes.

Just as she made this single movement, however, it felt as though a blade had sliced through her legs, causing her to wince in pain and break out in a sweat.

Instantly understanding the cause behind this pain, she sent an even more hateful glare toward the still-sound-asleep Xavier, the urge to strangle him to death returning with a stronger force.

Grace gritted her teeth hysterically against each other. ‘I should get out of here before I commit a murder!’ she thought before managing to finally pick up her dresses and quickly wearing them.

Once done, she picked up her bag and walked out of the room without hesitation.

****

The bedroom returned to its tranquil state after she was gone and this lasted for thirty more minutes until Xavier, who had been sleeping soundly twitched.

The next moment, his eyes snapped open, and he let out a lazy yawn, following which he tilted his head to the side, producing a loud crack, and then sluggishly sat up.

Just then, he saw the sun streaming through the window, and he was greatly taken aback, the look of laziness in his eyes vanishing.

“Did I just sleep till the sun fully rose?” He muttered with disbelief while feeling as though he was dreaming, as he couldn't remember the last time he had slept for more than four hours.

Xavier took a moment to process this before eventually shaking his head and trying to recall where he was.

The next moment, however, his face went blank again, and this time a wry smile spread across his lips.

“To think that, not only had the love of my life, whom I was imprisoned for, moved on upon my release, but she was also sleeping with the person who imprisoned me in my house, with all my possessions gone,” he murmured, his voice heavy with pain.

He then chuckled self-deprecatingly after a moment as he remembered everything that had happened the day before, clenching his fists.

Xavier had hoped that getting drunk would help him forget the pain, which was why he allowed himself to get intoxicated the night before. However, the pain remained just as fresh as ever.

He heaved a deep sigh after a moment and got out of the bed while mumbling; “I should go and see my parents.”

At that moment, something caught the corner of his eye, and he quickly turned to look. In the next second, his eyes widened in shock.

“Blood?” He mumbled with confusion. “What’s blood doing in—in… wait!”

Xavier' went into a daze, staring blankly as everything that had happened after he got drunk the night before came crashing back into him.

“This!” His eyes widened as he couldn't believe the memories in his head.

“Did I just share a one-night stand with someone I newly met?” He muttered in a stupor, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Eventually, Xavier let out a wry chuckle before shaking his head. "Considering how she left, it's clear she doesn't want any relationship with me, just as I want."

As he uttered this, Xavier yawned lazily once more before gathering the bedding and putting on his clothes that were as well sprawled on the floor.

After doing all this, Xavier gave the bedroom a last glance before stepping out.

***

The room was on the second floor of the bar, and when Xavier reached the ground floor, he found it quiet and peaceful, a stark contrast to the chaos he had encountered the night before.

He glanced around, and seeing no soul present, dropped a wad of cash on the cashier’s table before leaving without looking back and just a little over five minutes later, the bartender from the previous night entered the bar, pushing a trolley of wines.

“Is he still sleeping?" she wondered and quietly made her way to the second floor to check the room where Xavier had been staying.

Realizing he was no longer there, she felt unexpectedly heartbroken and lost in her thoughts for a few minutes until the sound of footsteps jolted her back to reality, then giving the room one last look, she heaved a deep sigh before exiting and scurrying back to the bar.

“We’re not open yet!” she announced loudly upon arriving, but the next second, she was greatly taken aback to see the fierce and menacing figures standing there, each holding dangerous objects and glaring fiercely at her.

”Where is the bastard who castrated my brother light night?" the leader of the menacing group, one of the most notorious dons in Riverton City, asked coldly.

”This…” the bartender went momentarily daze, having never expected something like this.

She continued staring blankly until she hurriedly shook her head to snap out of her reverie.

“He has left,” she responded, stunning the people before her.

“Left?” Jazzy inquired blankly for a moment before glancing at his men with a fierce glint in his eyes.

“Did you guys hear that?” He inquired and immediately, a gang member hurriedly approached him.

Boss, I suggest you let us tear this place apart. I refuse to believe this bitch won’t provide the bastard who dared to harm your brother!"

– The Mysterious Bar

*****

The gangsters glared at the speaker before hurriedly looking at their boss with a fawning expression.

“Boss, I suggest we take this b!tch to the base and turn her to your toy. I refuse to believe she won’t speak up in just a day”

“No boss, just give me the go-ahead to deal with her. She will divulge the bastard’s location in less than ten minutes!”

Without hiding their rivalry over their boss’s favoritism, the gangsters shouted out cruel ideas one after another, but surprisingly, the bartender, who heard all their wicked suggestions did not show even the slightest hint of fear; instead only frowned in annoyance.

"Do you even know what your brother did to earn his punishment?" she abruptly asked, cutting off the excited gangsters and glancing at Jazzy, who immediately shot her dagger-filled eyes.

"My brother went after a b!tch and some worthless nobody thought they could step in, making him choose to punish them—and so what?!" he sneered, his voice dripping with icy contempt and his eyes burning with rage.

"How dare some nobody interfere in my Brother's business and attack them?!" he asked with a voice dripping with fury before yelling. "They're only mine to punish, even if they were to steal other people's women and wipe out entire families!!!"

The bartender instantly became stunned upon hearing this, then staring blankly at Jazzy for a moment, she asked; "Do you know that your brother intended to castrate this so-called nobody in the first place?"

“And so what?!” Jazzy yelled aggressively, showing that he already knew the truth.

He would have already torn the bar down since the previous night, but he and the first Lion King had been occupied with frantically moving the second Lion King and searching for medical treatment. Although they eventually found a skilled doctor who saved his life, the doctor had to remove everything related to his manhood, leaving the Lion King powerless from then on.

"What am I even saying?!" Jazzy, recalling his now-useless third brother and the emotional turmoil of the previous night suddenly roared, shooting flame-filled eyes at his men, "Tear this bar down and take this b!tch after me! She must give me that bastard’s location!"

"Yah!!!" The gangsters, bubbling with excitement instantly yelped and then charged forward with threatening expressions, ready to destroy the bar. Just then, a casual voice interrupted: "You should know that even your boss wouldn’t dare mess with our bar, right?"

The voice came from the bartender, who had remained unfazed from the start, and no sooner had she finished speaking than Jazzy’s expression shifted dramatically as he instinctively recalled his boss’s stern warning before he left, informing him never to cause even the slightest trace of trouble for the bar, or he wouldn’t be able to help.

***

Not knowing the turmoil going through their boss’s head, the gangsters, hearing the unhidden mockery and playfulness in the bartender’s voice became several times infuriated.

"I'm going to knock all your teeth out today!" a guy with dreadlocks, closest to the bartender, suddenly shouted, and the next moment threw a punch.

The punch was so powerful that a single glance at it revealed its ability to knock even a rottweiler down. Yet, the bartender remained calm, watching with a smile that left all the gangsters bewildered.

Just as the punch was about to hit her, making a playful and disdainful smirk appear on the face of the guy with dreadlocks, a sharp pain suddenly struck him. He let out an involuntary yelp, and in the next moment collapsed, lying completely still.

Everyone in the bar was dumbstruck by this scene and in the next second, their jaw dropped, staring blankly.

“What—what just happened?” someone gasped in shock before quickly rushing to check on the guy, but then he realized that… he was already dead.

"This!" Everyone was struck with sheer terror, but above all, they were utterly confused.

“You—you!” Jazzy, the most terrified of all after witnessing the tip of the iceberg suddenly pointed at the bartender, but then he sighed.

“Are—are you guys really going to protect that—that bastard who destroyed the future and purpose of my brother?” He questioned, now covered in beads of sweat.

“And when did my bar say we are going to protect anybody?”

“Huh?” Jazzy was momentarily stunned, but the next second, something seemed to click. His eyes flashed with a wicked gleam and he let out a sigh of relief before lowering his head.

“I apologize for causing trouble to your bar,” he said earnestly before waving his hand. “Let’s go,” he announced.

“This…” the other gangsters became astounded to their core, staring with a dropped jaw.

“Bo...boss, our—our brother just lost his life here. Are we going to leave just like that?”

“Stay if you want!” Jazzy snapped in response before storming away, not waiting for anyone.

The remaining gangsters exchanged blank gazes at this sight before seemingly realizing something. They spared am unwilling gazes at their fallen comrade before sighing and rushing after their boss.

“Wait!” The bartender suddenly called out as they were on the verge of exiting, scaring Jazzy out of his soul.

“Who are you leaving that to?” She inquired, casually pointing her chin at the carcass on the floor.

Jazzy instantlylet out a sigh of relief before commanding two of his men to move the body, after which they disappeared out of the door.

The bartender remained silent for a second before suddenly, a scheming look appeared on her face.

"Being unjustly imprisoned, sent to that scary prison, and surviving it, I’m sure you must have a lot of secrets. Let’s see if I’m wrong, though I rarely am," she mumbled mysteriously to herself, and with that, she walked toward her counter as if the recent incident had never occurred.

Just then, she noticed the wad of cash on it and went stunned before the smile on her face returned.

“I thought you had run off with my money,” she chuckled and then picked up the money, yawning in the process.

…..

“First brother! Are we—are we really not going to avenge the third brother again?” The first lion king suddenly questioned with unwillingness, seeing his first brother returning empty-handed.

His eyes were currently crimson red and his face was heavily etched with hatred for Harvey.

“Not going to revenge who?” Jazzy, with a menacing face, inquired and a vicious look flashed in his eyes.

“Never!” He responded hatefully. “Even if we would need to chase the bastard who hurt the third brother to the end of the world, we will!”

"But… but that was the only place we could have gotten his image from the CCTV. How are we going to find the bastard now that you don't want us involved with the bar again?"

“Hehehe.” Jazzy laughed, not appearing mad at all. “You said you’d recognize the bastard even in your dream, no?”

“That’s right, first brother. I will recognize him even in the dark!” the first lion king responded hatefully.

“That’s settled then,” Jazzy chuckled wickedly, but seeing the confusion on the first Lion King’s face, he explained.

"My boss has a highly skilled artist. I'm sure that with your description, we can get a drawing of the bastard, which we'll share with all the brothers.”

“I refuse to believe we won't catch him soon if he's still in the city!"