The Deceitful One

The spring rain quietly drizzled down on Damascus City situated in the south of the Belize Kingdom in the Western Continent.

It was already early in the morning, a slight breeze blew through the suburbs of the city. The sun had already hidden behind the dark clouds, refusing to come out.

In one of the dilapidated apartment buildings on 11 DeShawn Street, which was situated close to the slums, a young man had just woken up in his rented apartment on the second floor.

This apartment room consisted of only a single room. There was a single bed by the window, a wardrobe cabinet, a set of table and chair, and lastly a single gas stove in one corner of the room.

The young man had already woken up but he still lay on the bed under the tattered blanket, looking out at the gloomy weather outside through the only window in the room.

”Another year passed by, Happy Birthday to me. ” The young man sighed and then got up from the bed. He walked to the table and looked at his reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall above the table.

The mirror reflected the image of a handsome youth with black hair and black eyes. He was tall but emaciated. He couldn remember the last time he had a proper meal. As he was lost in thought thinking about what to do for the day, he heard a loud knock on his door.

Knock Knock Knock.

”Bryan you peasant, wheres the **ing rent money? ” Came the angry shout from the other side of the door.

Bryan instantly frowned when he heard this voice. He was already late on his rent for over a month now and on top of that, this landlord of his was a real piece of shit. He refused to fix any of the amenities in the apartment, especially the run-down ceiling through which water would leak every time it rained. Like right now.

You think Id live in this shit hole if I wanted to. Bryan sighed and walked to the door. Before he opened the door, he put on a fake smile and a subservient attitude. As soon as he opened the door, the landlord immediately started cursing him.

”Bastard wheres my money? Its already 2 months since you haven paid. Ill give you 1 week. If you can clear your dues then leave all your belongings and get the ** out of this place! ” The landlord who was a middle-aged man with a high hairline and a potbelly roared.

Belongings? Heh, what belongings do I have other than a pair of tattered clothes Bryan mocked himself inside but on the surface, he still appeared docile and replied, ”Mr Carter don worry, Ill have the money ready by the end of this week. ”

”You better or you can start living on the streets like the filthy rat you are. ” Mr Carter huffed, threw out a few more curses at Bryan and left.

Fucking bastard, Ill stuff that filthy mouth of yours with dogshit someday Bryan thought as he watched his landlord leave. He then shut the door and walked back to his table and sat on his chair. He pulled the drawer and took out a silver pocket watch with an intricate design.

The front side of the silver pocket watch looked very beautiful and displayed the time on the dial. Beneath the dial, one could still see the different gears working in tandem like a work of art.

Bryan flipped the watch around and saw the writing ingrained on the backside of the pocket watch:

To Little Bryan.

Love, Mum & Dad.

Bryan saw this carving and fell into deep thought with a reminiscent look in his dazed eyes. At this moment, his back looked extremely desolate and lonely.

His father Vincent was a watchmaker and owned a company called Lombardi Watch Co. He was a very famous artisan in Damascus City. Although the Lombardi Family wasn given any nobility title, they were quite affluent and well-connected in their own right. Bryans mother, Isabella, married his father when they were young and they were a very happy family.

However, Bryans mother, Isabella fell ill one day when he was only 6 years old. His father, Vincent did all he could and got doctors and apothecaries from Damascus City and even farther away from Nadir, the capital of Belize Kingdom.

But it was all for nought. After struggling for two weeks, Bryans mother eventually succumbed to her illness and passed away in her sleep one night. This left both Bryan and his father heartbroken. Bryan was still very young at the time and didn know the mean