WHY ME (Episode-2)

Asher stormed into his room, consumed by a fury that was unfamiliar to him. He was a man who never faced criticism, those who dared to speak against him were typically eliminated without a second thought. Yet today, his mind was in turmoil; he found himself unable to kill the person standing just outside.

“Why?” he thought, anger turning inward. “He should be ruthless. Why can’t he bring himself to do it?”

Meanwhile, Izrael watched the young man, Voss, who was crying silently from the pain. He felt a pang of sympathy for him. Voss had clearly provoked the wrong man, a man for whom killing was a simple solution. The waitresses nearby whispered among themselves, “How miserable. He never even spoke to us, and now he’s angered the owner of the hotel, the mafia boss. He’s dead meat.” Izrael shot them a sharp glare, and they hurriedly scattered.

“Little boy, you will have to face the consequences,” Izrael said. Hearing this, Voss, who was already blaming himself for acting in the heat of the moment, felt his heart sink further. Silent tears fell as it seemed all his old wounds were torn open again. Izrael then took his arm and pushed him toward the door to Asher’s room.

Asher was sitting on the bed when the door opened. His glare fell upon Voss, who entered the room as if his feet were made of lead. Voss did not resist; he simply went in. Gathering all his courage, Voss spoke in a broken voice, "I’m s… sorry, ma…ster. I will b..be more careful." Tears streamed from his eyes.

Asher looked up, his eyes full of rage. "There is no 'sorry' in my dictionary," he stated. A chill ran down Voss’s spine. The young man fell silent, looking blankly at Asher. Internally, Voss was despairing. “Why again?” He had escaped from his parents, so why did he have to face this kind of treatment all over again?

Asher stood up and grabbed Voss by the face. "Why don't you beg for my forgiveness again?" he demanded. Voss looked back at him with empty eyes. When Asher’s gaze met Voss's, it was Asher who felt a sudden chill. A jolt went through him, and he suddenly shoved Voss away. With the light push, Voss stumbled, hitting his head on the corner of a side table. Blood flowed from the wound, and he passed out.

Asher, who had been astonished by what he saw in Voss's eyes, quickly gathered himself and turned back. He pulled Voss up, who had been slumped on the ground with his head against the table. "Hey, you, wake up!" he said. All of a sudden, Asher felt as if someone were squeezing his heart. But again, he wondered, “Why?”

"Izrael, take him to the hospital. Leave him there; we will deal with it after returning from Italy," Asher commanded, as he had a business trip to Italy that same day. Izrael felt confused. Asher always killed those who went against him, so why was he sparing this one? Puzzled, Izrael left Voss at the hospital, and a few hours later, Asher flew to Italy.

After being admitted, Voss regained consciousness five long hours later. It was already past five in the morning. He saw that he was not in the hotel but in what seemed to be a hospital. Suddenly, a nurse entered the room. "Sir, how are you feeling?" she asked. Voss looked at her in confusion before asking, "Where am I?"

"Sir, you are in XXX Hospital," she replied.

Voss thought to himself, “What? XXX Hospital? Isn't that the most expensive hospital? And this room looks like a VIP ward.” He hurriedly tried to stand up, and the nurse quickly held him. "Sir, what are you doing? Please lie down; you are not well."

"I'm sorry, I cannot pay the hospital dues. Please let me go," Voss pleaded.

"Sir, all your dues have been cleared already," the nurse informed him.

Voss felt relieved, but was then suddenly shocked as he remembered everything that had happened. He wondered, “Why would he send me to a hospital? I’m just someone insignificant.”

In the morning, the doctor discharged him, saying, "You are too weak; please take care of yourself. Also, your body shows some unusual symptoms. Please get a full body checkup soon." Voss heard this but ignored it. He returned to the grocery store where he worked and told the owner he had a minor accident. The kind store owner gave him a few days off to rest properly.

After that day, Voss thought everything over and decided to quit his job at the hotel and find work elsewhere. Since he had angered the hotel owner, he thought it was best to stay away. However, before Voss could go to the hotel to quit, he was told he was fired. The hotel manager, upon learning of the incident, had fired Voss to gain favor with the hotel owner, Asher, who likely did not even know the manager existed.

It had been fifteen days since Voss had been to the hotel. He found a new job as a waiter in a small gay bar, as the pay was higher than other available work. His hotel pay had been almost the same, but with this new job, he could easily cover his monthly expenses without needing other jobs.

Today, he was going to meet Esabella. Voss was always happy to see her occasionally, as she was the only one who loved Voss. Voss had not told her everything, but he had shared enough of his struggles for Esabella to grow to love him more. When she learned how Voss had been enduring so much for years, she had no words, only tears in her eyes. She hugged Voss and promised to always be there for him, which deeply touched his heart. Over time, his love for Esabella grew. She was like a mother to him. His biological mother had never treated him well, but Esabella treated Voss as if he were her own son.

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