Chapter 10 First Warning
The men remained completely silent. Their refusal to speak made it clear to Kane that they were not ordinary thugs. They had been hired by someone powerful, someone they feared far more than him.
Kane tightened his grip on one of them and pressed him harder against the wall. “This is your last chance. Tell me who sent you.”
The man met his gaze with cold, dead eyes. He looked like he wanted to speak, but no words came out. His partner, still pinned to the floor, stayed equally stoic. They were not going to talk.
Before Kane could push further, one of them made a desperate move. He grabbed a loose steel bar from the ground and swung it with all his strength, catching Kane off guard. The sharp impact struck the side of his head, sending a horrible wave of pain through his skull. Kane fell to the floor, momentarily disoriented.
By the time he regained his composure, the room was empty. He scrambled to his feet, his vision still swimming slightly. The door stood wide open, and the faint echo of their hurried footsteps had already faded into the distance.
The lights flickered back on. Kane rushed to the window and scanned the streets below, but there was nothing. The men had vanished as if they had never been there.
Kane clenched his fists in frustration. Whoever sent them had clearly given strict orders. Their silence proved they were more terrified of their employer than of anything Kane could do to them.
He rubbed the side of his head, feeling the faint sting from the blow, and muttered under his breath, “They will regret this soon enough.”
The next morning, Kane stood in front of the supply closet in the dormitory, staring at the uniform they had handed him. It was a faded blue jumpsuit with the words “Everwood Sanitation Services” printed on the back. The fabric felt rough, the stitching looked frayed, and it carried a faint smell of bleach and grease. He sighed and slipped it on.
The work site was located in the industrial district, a grimy complex of warehouses, factories, and processing plants. The air reeked of oil, burnt rubber, and something sour he could not quite identify. The sanitation station itself was tucked into the corner of a rust-stained building.
As Kane stepped inside, the conditions did not improve. The floor was slick with a mixture of spilled oil and murky water. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered intermittently, casting everything in a sickly yellow hue. The break area consisted of a battered vending machine and a few plastic chairs, some missing legs. A large dumpster sat in the center of the room, its contents already spilled onto the floor.
Then the sound of laughter caught his attention. A group of men stood nearby, their uniforms just as filthy as the room itself. One of them, a stocky bald man with a crooked grin, leaned against the wall and gestured animatedly as he spoke.
“Hey, boys, look who’s here!” the bald man called out loudly. “Vinnie’s younger brother finally decided to join the family business!”
The other men chuckled, their laughter echoing off the walls.
Kane ignored him and moved toward the supply rack to grab the tools he would need — a mop, a bucket, and a pair of gloves that looked like they had not been cleaned since the last century.
The bald man was not done. He walked over with a smug expression. “What’s the matter, pretty boy? Too good to talk to us lowly sanitation engineers? Or are you still learning how to use a mop?”
The other men snickered, clearly egging him on.
Kane kept his expression neutral and tightened his grip slightly on the mop handle. “I’m here to work, not to entertain you.”
The bald man laughed and clapped one of his buddies on the shoulder. “Oh, he’s got a bit of fire in him, doesn’t he? Let’s hope he’s better at cleaning floors than he is at comebacks.”
Kane took a slow breath and forced himself to stay composed. Reacting violently would only draw more unwanted attention, and that was the last thing he needed right now. He had a job to do and he was not about to let a group of loudmouths distract him from his real purpose.
As he turned to leave with his cleaning tools, the bald man stepped directly into his path. “Hey! Shouldn’t you reply when someone is talking to you, or do you want to end up in the dumpster you’re supposed to be cleaning?”
The man smirked and added loudly, “Hey, mop boy, stop pretending to be better than the rest of us. You’re in the same dirt as we are now.”
“I think you should stop now,” Kane replied calmly.
The man’s grin widened as he clearly enjoyed the attention from the other workers. “Don’t call me ‘man,’ rookie. The name’s Bruno. And you’d better remember it.”
Bruno took a step closer, puffing out his chest like he owned the entire facility. “Do you even know who I am?” he asked, his voice loud enough to draw every eye in the room.
Before Kane could respond, one of the other men chimed in with a laugh. “Oh, you don’t know Bruno? He’s the cousin of someone in the HR department. He’s basically the king here.”
The group chuckled, but Bruno was not finished. He smirked and continued, “Even your older brother Vinnie wouldn’t mess with me. Sure, he’s married to the boss’s daughter, but we all know what that makes him — a pathetic son-in-law.”
The words struck hard. Kane’s grip tightened on the mop handle, but he held himself back for one more moment.
Bruno, sensing he had struck a nerve, leaned in closer with a mocking smile. “What’s the matter, Ryder? Can’t handle the truth? Face it, you’re just a nobody playing house in someone else’s castle.”
Before Bruno could say another word, Kane’s fist connected solidly with his jaw, sending him crashing to the ground.
Ten minutes later, Company Clinical Department
Bruno sat slouched on the edge of a medical cot while a nurse carefully tended to his swollen lip and bruised face. He winced every time the antiseptic touched his skin. The swelling on his cheek had already turned a deep shade of purple.
Kane leaned casually against the wall, watching the treatment with a completely neutral expression. Despite the tension in the air, he showed no hint of regret. Bruno’s muffled groans of pain were strangely satisfying.
The door swung open and Reginald strode in, his sharp gaze darting between Bruno and Kane.
“Kane Draven,” Reginald called out, his voice cold and authoritative. “I hope you understand the gravity of what you’ve done.”
Kane didn’t respond to him.
“You’ve been given a rare opportunity here. Do you even know how lucky you are? According to the company policy, engaging in physical altercations is grounds for immediate dismissal.”
