I’m Someone Else

Chapter 20

“How much do you make in a month?” William kept asking.

“F-Five hundred,” he answered sheepishly. He spends more in a day than I make in a month, probably. They can afford these special red wines, so they must be really wealthy.

Thomas looked at William. I see he’s going to help Howard.

“How long have you been working as a mechanic?” William whipped out some Kings of Denmark and handed Howard one. He also took one and started puffing.

“Four years.”

William nodded. “Then you must be experienced. Quit your job and come to work at Prosperity Avenue’s car dealership. We need an after-sales director. I’ll tell the guys about this, and you can start tomorrow.”

Howard was flummoxed. Prosperity Avenue’s car dealership? There’s only one dealership there, and they sell Mercedes-Benzs! I’m actually working in a car dealership now? And not just some mechanic, but an after-sales director? The offer came all of a sudden, and Howard was still processing it. And he still had no idea that William owned that dealership.

William took Howard’s confusion as dissatisfaction, so he added, “It’s just your starting position. You have a bright future ahead of you, so don’t complain. This position pays thirty-five hundred dollars a month. Work your way up, and you might become the shopkeep. And that pays about fifty-six thousand a year.”

“Oh, no, I’m not complaining!” Howard quickly raised his glass for a toast.

Damn, he’s filthy rich. One word, and he raised my salary sevenfold. I’m very happy about that. What did Izzy say to me? Oh right, ‘talk to me when you make twenty-eight hundred a month.’ Bet she would

never dream of me reaching and surpassing that goal in minutes. This is some friggin ‘speedrun.

Izzy spewed all that sh*t because she makes twenty-eight hundred a month, but now I make seven hundred dollars more than she does. I can shoot back at her next time we meet.

“Thank you,” Howard said genuinely. He didn’t doubt William at all. After all, someone who could splurge tens of thousands on wine wouldn’t fool around with a nobody like him.

William smiled. This was nothing big for him, anyway.

“No prob. Thomas’ friend is our friend. Don’t need to thank me.”

Someone suddenly slammed the door open, and in came a bunch of angry men armed with steel pipes.

“You’re not getting out of here alive, Thomas!” Wallace roared at Thomas.

Dammit. I can’t believe a mere driver slapped and kicked me. F*ck him. He humiliated me, and I’m gonna kill him. I got Nate here with me, and he’s gonna kick the sh*t out of this loser who got cheated on.

“Which of these b*stards did that to you, Wallace?”

“It’s him, Nate!” Wallace pointed at Thomas.

Nate came in, and he exclaimed, “Holy sh*t. It’s you!”

Well, I think I’ve heard that voice somewhere, Thomas thought.

Nate instinctively took a step back. What Thomas did to him left a scar, but then he realized there was no need to retreat. He got me last time because my men weren’t with me. Not today. I have two dozen guys with me. There’s nothing to be afraid of!

Nate felt the flames of fury burning in his heart. Of all people I can bump into, he’s the one? He thought he was just going to get rid of a nobody who insulted his lackey, but this was more than that. “We’re gonna settle our score, you little b*stard.” Nate looked at him coldly.

“You know him, Nate?” Wallace was surprised. The guy just came back to this city, and this is the first time we’ve seen him in years. What did he do to Nate to make him this angry?

“Know him? I have beef with him!” Nate raised his bandaged hands. “He broke my damn fingers, goddammit! I’ve been looking for him! Never thought you knew him too.”

Nate was furious. Today’s my lucky day. I can’t believe I ran into him again. He did this to my fingers, and I’ll make him pay for that! I’ll kill him!

“What? Dammit, we’re taking this out on him. He has to pay!”

Wallace was equally as angry. Damn, man. You beat me and Nate up? What are you, stupid? You’re just a single fighter. Even if you’ve been in the military for years, your training means nothing against overwhelming advantage in numbers.

Izzy and the others came to watch the show in glee as well. You asked for this, Thomas. Nobody told you to beat Wallace up.

Thomas looked at Howard calmly. “Howard, step aside.”

I don’t want anyone harming him when the fight starts later.

“It’s alright.” Howard waved him down. “I’m staying, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

Howard clenched his teeth. Worst case scenario, I get beaten up. We were high school buddies. Not to mention I wouldn’t have gotten this job if not for Thomas. Compared to what he has done for me, this

fight is nothing. Everyone’s been beaten up before in their lives at least once.

If I stay away, I’ll never forgive myself.

Thomas was moved. Never would he expect someone like Howard to exist in his circle of acquaintances. He actually thought of Thomas as a friend.

“F*ck off, Howard! I don’t want to hurt you!”

Wallace never did think highly of Howard. He thought Howard would leave after he roared a little.

However, Howard did the opposite. He pointed at Wallace and snarled, “Didn’t have enough, did you? Came here for seconds?”