Embarrassment flushed both our faces almost at the same time. We quickly looked away from each other, neither of us knowing what to say for a few seconds.
Alice cleared her throat first. She gave a small nod before her expression settled into its usual calmness. "Most of my dad's bodyguards are not really affiliated with anyone," she said quietly. "Before they start working for him, they usually write a will. If anything ever happens to them, their families are heavily compensated."
I lowered my eyes to the grass beneath my feet. The memory came rushing back before I could stop it. The man's terrified scream. The blood running down my fingers. His desperate pleas.
"But... I gouged out one of the bodyguard's eyes," I muttered, my voice shaking slightly. "He begged me..."
"It's okay." Alice gently placed a hand on my arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Her eyes never left mine. "You were defending yourself, Harry. It wasn't your fault." She paused for a moment before asking, "So... if we remove the value of your house and every other asset your family owned, how much debt do you still have?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Well... according to Bright, our lawyer, my dad borrowed eight point five million dollars from your father." I took a slow breath before continuing. "He paid back three point five million, leaving five million. Before he died he managed to pay half of that too."
Alice thought quietly for a moment.
"I see..." she murmured. "Then how did your family survive after that? What happened to the remaining debt?"
"My mom, my sister and I have been saving money for almost ten years," I explained. "We lived really poorly just so we could save as much as possible. Legally we weren't even supposed to pay anymore. But Bright said since my mom handed over all our remaining assets to your dad, they would calculate everything together and make us pay whatever balance was left."
Alice looked at me with a mixture of surprise and admiration.
"Then... how are you still this calm after everything you've been through?"
I let out a long, tired sigh before scratching the back of my head.
"I'm really not calm," I admitted. "I think I've just been... going through the motions." I forced a weak smile that disappeared almost immediately. "Even after they took everything, we still owe about five hundred thousand dollars."
Alice didn't react with shock. She simply nodded once.
"That's still a lot," she said softly. Her thumb gently rubbed circles against my arm in an attempt to comfort me. "But we'll figure something out. You're not cursed, Harry. I really believe things will get better."
"Yeah..." I whispered while staring at the ground. "I hope so."
Silence settled between us. Alice looked across the empty field, deep in thought, almost like she was doing calculations inside her head. After a while she sighed and looked back at me.
"Well... I don't really have that much money with me right now, but I can call in a few favors. I should be able to gather about half of it by next week." She reached into her jacket and pulled out a thick folded stack of cash before holding it toward me. "For now, take this. It's ten thousand dollars. Use it to pay your mom and sister's hospital bills. It should help for now, right?"
I stared at the money without reaching for it. My chest tightened.
"Why should I even accept this?" I asked quietly. "And... weren't you the one who told your father where we lived?"
Her expression changed instantly.
"No." She shook her head firmly. "I wasn't. I swear I never told him anything." She looked me straight in the eyes. "Honestly... he probably found out himself. You're forgetting who my father is, Harry."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Alice looked away for a brief moment before answering.
"My father controls an underworld organization. The biggest one in the entire state."
I blinked.
"An underworld organization...? What exactly does that mean?"
She let out a slow breath.
"Otis Town looks perfectly normal on the outside. Warehouses. Factories. Technology companies. Everything looks legal." Her voice became quieter. "But underneath all of that... it's something completely different."
I stayed silent and listened.
"He manufactures illegal weapons. He sells Xalenuim at extremely cheap prices so politicians become dependent on him. He hires mercenaries. He controls labor contracts too. Some of the people trapped in those contracts never leave again." She paused briefly before continuing. "The frightening part is that everything looks peaceful. The city is rich, clean and successful, so nobody questions anything."
My mouth slowly became dry.
"He doesn't control the whole country," she continued. "Only Texas. But honestly... that's already more than enough."
For several seconds I couldn't even process everything she had just told me.
"Alice..." I muttered weakly. "You're confusing me."
She immediately grabbed my shoulder.
"Harry, are you okay? Your face suddenly went pale."
I forced myself to take a deep breath before shaking my head.
"I'm okay." I swallowed hard. "So... basically your father has connections everywhere across Texas?"
"Yes," she answered softly while standing up. "He has influence almost everywhere. Hiding from him is extremely difficult." She looked at me quietly before giving me another gentle smile. "But don't worry about this money. I meant what I said before. If you ever need help, I'll be there."
I finally accepted the money and looked at her.
"Thank you... seriously." I smiled for what felt like the first genuine time in days before extending my hand toward her. "You're honestly a really good friend."
She laughed softly before shaking my hand.
"It's nothing, Harry. Besides, it's the least I can do after everything you've done for me."
For the first time in what felt like forever, the weight on my chest became just a little lighter.
"Well... I should get going now."
I turned around and began walking toward the school gate. The sound of gravel crunching beneath my shoes echoed quietly through the empty field.
I never looked back.
Not even once.
Alice stood there silently watching me disappear into the distance.
The gentle smile on her face remained for a few seconds longer before slowly changing into something colder. Sharper.
A sinister smirk spread across her lips.
"How naive of you Harry..." she whispered under her breath.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. After dialing the number she raised it to her ear.
"Hello. Alice speaking." Her voice sounded calm again. Sweet even. "Yeah he just left a few minutes ago."
She listened quietly.
"Mhm. I placed the tracker myself so there is nothing to worry about. Him and his family are not going anywhere."
Another pause.
A soft laugh escaped her mouth.
"I will make sure we squeeze every last thing out of them... hehe..."
Her eyes darkened slightly.
"You flatter me Father. I will not fail u