Chapter 24

That's how determined Jona was to ensure nobody overheard his conversation with his father.

Jona reached for the mouse after he heard Devan's footsteps fade into the distance, making sure no one could see or hear him anymore. He intended to click the left button on his index finger to join the virtual meeting, but hesitated for a moment. His eyes drifted in a way that Jona didn't like. Damn it! He cursed sharply to himself. Forget, forget, forget! Forget those negative thoughts. Jona gritted his teeth as hard as possible to maintain his composure.

He felt powerless now. He was no longer someone worthy of respect. He wasn't.

Now he was just a man who couldn't do anything, not even walk without a cane. He was no longer the devil they knew. He wasn't anyone who could torment them anymore.

He had become better than his father.

Gathering his slowly unraveling sanity, Jona finally dared to press the 'Join' button. And there appeared his father's face instantly. Sitting on his pavilion bed. An IV dripped into his large hand, and medications lined up next to his bedside table. His body wrapped in a pair of worn-out clothes, which Jona believed he hadn't changed in a week. His waist was covered with a blanket, and beside him stood a pair of crutches to support his walking. His body had become very obese in recent years, as he could no longer move due to a stroke, and now fat accumulated in every part of his body.

This sight alone seemed to infuriate Jona. His father's appearance alone seemed to make Jona growl with anger. It could shatter Jona's sanity and break his soul. But even so, Jona held back. He clenched his fists as hard as he could, and he forced a fleeting smile. A smile that was not at all genuine, and was wrapped in cruelty behind it.

"Good afternoon, Dad. It's rare for you to contact me,"Jona clenched his fists tighter. "Is there something you want to discuss?"

"No need for those disgusting pleasantries. You know i hate them." Bov Austin replied, with his hoarse voice and his breath was rapid. "I've come to talk about your actions, you damn child,"Jona didn't need to ask to know what he meant.

Even though Jona now ruled his own company empire, his father, who had long been ill, still wanted to meddle. A desire to feel useful. That's why he became a 'monitor' for Jona. Some of Jona's subordinates, who when Jona was young worked for his father, still often reported to his father about their family company and from there, his father still liked to interfere, even though Jona never allowed it so easily. And this time the issue to be discussed was very clear. The Yones siblings.

Although Jona kept his father's subordinates far away from him, sometimes they were still very skillful in pulling out important information about ongoing cases.

Jona chuckled softly,"Mischief? Can that be called mischief?"

"Of course, damn it. You suddenly torture the Yones siblings without clear reason and throw them out just like that! What's your scheme this time, you bastard!?"Jona silently smirked. Even though the news about the Yones siblings might have reached his father's ears, but the news about Carlie being at their residence apparently did not. The proof was his father didn't know that the cause of his anger was Carlie Eloise. "Do you know how much the Yones family has helped our alliance!? How much their father has helped me!?"

Jona smirked cynically. "Also how much they have harmed me?"Jona said. "Perhaps their father is a good and smart businessman. But Papa also knows that his children are not like that. Instead of strength, the two of them burden me more in my eyes."

"You bastard, you damn child! What kind of face am i going to show to Yones if he visits my residence!?"

Silently, Jona smirked cynically. With his father's current condition, not many people even wanted to come to visit him. Not many, it meant almost close to none. He was a cunning man. Hated by many. No wonder that as he awaited death, not many missed him. Mr. Yones, the father of Paul and Paula, was the same. But even so, his father was always drowning in his pointless fantasies. He still tried to consider himself important. Useful. Indebted. Even though most of what he did during his life only burdened Jona's path as his successor.

"I don't care about what you want or what you say, but you must apologize and compensate the Yones family appropriately to mend the family relationship that you yourself broke!"Jona had to clench his fists tightly to prevent them from loosening and slamming the table loudly.

"What if ibrefuse?"

"You damn child, just die already!"his father's coughing fit echoed loudly, almost simultaneous with the man's erupting emotions. A nurse helped him sit back down in peace. She wore earphones to ensure she couldn't hear the conversation between father and son. "Remember, Jona. Who built our alliance empire to be as big as it is now? Who paved your path to success until now, until the entire mafia world respects you, embedding the prideful name Rey De La Oscuridad in your jacket? Because of who? Because of me! Because i started it, continued your grandfather's steps, so you could easily become like this!"

This time, Jona's emotions were truly raging. He wanted to scream at his father that his father had never done that for him. His father established the alliance, that's true. But back then, it only consisted of 3 incompetent people. Jona ended up kicking out 2 of them, leaving only the Yones siblings. 'So did his father pave the way for Jona's success? What kind of joke is that?' Jona even wanted to smash the screen in front of him.

'This man only gave him pain and a dark past. What did he help in his life?'

"Remember what i did for you and you should already see with your stupid head that your father's words are sacred words that you should agree with!"his father shouted thunderously.

"I trained you. I made you strong. I built a mental fortress of steel for you. I-"

And after that, Jona could no longer hear his father's words. His body immediately froze, his ears ringing loudly, blocking out his father's voice from entering, and his gaze trembled. 'Train... Strong, mental as strong as steel? He, who gave me that? Unconsciously,'Jona's head began to pulsate violently and behind his chest, Jona could feel his heart pumping rapidly - too fast and unimaginably hard. Until his chest cavity screamed in pain. His stomach felt twisted from within.

Train... Strong, mental as strong as steel... Train... Strong, mental as strong as steel...

"Dad! It hurts! Dad!"a loud whimper from a young child began to ring in Jona's ears, very loud. Like a broken radio. Deafening. "Dad, please, i'll be a good boy, i'll-"

"You're worthless. You're not worthy! Children like you can only embarrass my name and nothing more! Get up and train again, damn it!"

Then his crying became louder in Jona's ears. But this time, it was accompanied by the sound of tearing paper, sheet after sheet, filling the air. And on each sheet, along with the wailing, was written in blood flowing from the small fingers of the little boy. "I hate you, dad, i hate you, i hate this world, take me away from here."

"Kill dad for me. Please!"

Jona clenched his jaw as tightly as possible. He bit his tongue until the salty and metallic taste flooded his mouth. Wake up, damn it! Wake up! His mind screamed, trying to rid the vile buzzing from his mind. Forget, forget, forget! The man in front of you is powerless now, 'he is not a threat. He... He's just a cruel father who can hurt you again!'

Jona took a deep breath when he heard his father gasping from behind there, after expressing his frustration endlessly. Jona had to restrain himself from going insane. So his mind wouldn't drive him crazy. The man reached for the mouse with trembling hands, then moved the cursor to the red button above. He clicked the "leave" feature, then another button appeared with the words "Are you sure you want to leave the meeting?"and before tapping it too, Jona took a deep breath.

"Dad, go to sleep. Soundly. And don't add thoughts to your already retired head. I won't change my mind, and for now, i don't have time to answer such pointless calls like this."

"Jonathan! You da-"

"I hear your Alzheimer's is worsening, so i'm sure you'll forget my words even before tomorrow, so i'll say it now,"Jona said, sarcastic, and unbearably firm.

"My choice won't change just because of your wrath alone."