He clenched his fist as Josh and his wife, Raven, walked past him. He was itching to strike the old man, but even he knew that that wasn’t the wisest of decisions he would make. Josh alone was a handful, and he knew of what he was capable. Then there was his wife. She wasn’t new to the business, and could very well hold her own ground. A two-on-one situation was the last thing he wanted to tackle.

Josh’s attempt at provoking him, regardless of how feeble it was, had its desired effect. The youngster didn’t give a damn about that *******’s career and if it were down to him, he’d had, personally, ended it himself. Contrary to what Josh may think, it wasn’t the fact that that ****’s career lay in the gutters and his flourished that riled him. No, it was none of that. Rather, it was the aftermath.

Collecting his thoughts, he let go of the anger raging within him. He exhaled and looked up. A smile formed on his face.

~What the hell were you hoping to accomplish with such a blatant lie?~

He chuckled. “Nothing, to be fair. But it seems as if I may just have accomplished something.”

~And what would that be?~

“I don’t know. We’ll see.”

~ Now that that ship of a shitty plan has sunk, it’s time we get back to my original plan. The one that was actually going to work.~

“I’ve got a better idea.” He turned around and looked around at the area he had tossed his bag to earlier. Spotting it, he hobbled to it and picked it up. Looking into the small pocket on the side of it, he pulled out his mobile phone and began to dial a number as he headed towards the exit.

~A better idea? What kind of idea? And why are you calling him?~

“As much as I hate to do this, he’s the only one that can help at the moment. He’s better suited for tasks like this.”

~What are you talking about? And why do you have to rely on him?~

“Rylan?” the voice at the end of the line asked with a tinge of surprise in its tone. “Is that you?”

He waited a moment, reluctant to speak. However, he knew he had to. He had to swallow his pride once again, and do the only thing he seemed capable of doing when it came to him. Ask for his help.

“Old G… I need your help.”

Old G let out of sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. How have you been? Where are you at?”

“Sorry, but I have no time for small talks. I need you to help dig up some information and find a certain people.”

“Hmm…” he replied with a wary tone. “What’s this about, Rye?”

“It’s nothing much. It’s just… can you help or not?”

Once again, the older man sighed over the phone. “Who are this person and these people?”

“Josh Arcanum,” he answered. “I need you to find any-”

“Whoa, hold up, son!” interrupted Old G. “Did you say Arcanum. Josh Arcanum?”

“Yeah! What of?”

“Okay, what is seriously going on? If this is about your father-”

“It’s not, darn it. Now, can you help or not?”

Silence. It remained for nearly a minute before Old G broke it with yet another sigh. This time of defeat. “Fine. What exactly are you after?”

“Anything on his past… and anyone from his past. Family, friends, flings, girlfriends, boyfriends, whoever, and whatever. Dated as far back as when he was in kindergarten.”

“All right! I’ll get them on it. Though, if there’s-”

“I’ve got to go now, Old G. Thanks!”

Ending the call, he slipped the phone back into the side of his bag. Having now hobbled out of the building, he looked up at the grey skies above Toronto. Wasn’t the weather splendid?

~What exactly are you planning, arsehole?~

“He asked for proof. I’m getting him said proof.”

~You do realise that there is no proof, right?~

“Oh, ye of little faith. There probably isn’t… there probably is.”

~Give it up, ****-face. He’s not your father and we all know that. Besides, he’s right. He would have been 14 when you were born.~

“True! But it’s not unfeasible for a 14 year old to father a child. The youngest father is only 11. Maybe they think teen pregnancy is cool, that’s why many people do it now. And on another note, it’s about time we give our present to another punk. Who in the world doesn’t like presents?”

Smiling, he left the premises.