Rivalry: Infinite Buff

Chapter 32- Wealthy Ivan

The cashier, Charles Mauney, looked back at Leo.

On the other side, Leo could see the eagerness in Charles’s eyes, however, he was pretty sure he never knew a guy named Charles Mauney.

Charles seemed to be able to read Leo’s mind, “Haha, I should have explained. John! I was John Mauney before! We used to play games together when we were kids.”

"John…” after a long pause, Leo shouted out, “John!” Leo walked over and slammed his fist toward his friend’s arm.

"Wow! It’s really been a while since…15 years? What happened? I loved your name. Why did you change it to Charles?”

Charles, rubbing his shoulder after the powerful punch from Leo, complained, "Your punch is still as strong as it was years ago. You know, I have tried several times to invest in various projects, however, always ended up with nothing. People said I couldn’t succeed all because of my name, so I spent days and days trying to figure out a better name! Boom! Charles! Could you find a name better than the prince?”

Leo was shocked by the answer he got but it didn’t matter if he went by John or Charles. What mattered was how to fix the embarrassing situation they were in, “John, oh, no, Charles, you see ..."

"Oh, yeah, this? No worries! Nothing but new glass! This bro’s temper is exactly like yours. He is your friend, so he is my friend too!” Charles laughed.

Ivan, of course, couldn’t push put all of the mess on Charles, “Hi, I am Ivan. It is nice to meet you and I am sorry for everything. How about I buy new glass and we forget this ever happened?”

"How could I possibly take your money? I know it’s a critical time for your father.” Charles seemed to be more understanding after Ivan’s gesture of friendship. He knew it would cost him at least $2000, two-thirds of his month’s salary but he didn’t want to be petty in front of Ivan and Leo. 

"Ivan, Charles is right. You better save this money for your father. I will pay for this,” Leo chimed in.

"No, no, no. Leo, thank you, but this is my mistake. How could I let you pay for this? I didn’t have a chance to tell you yet. I got 4,500 gold coins earlier,” Ivan said trying to prove to Leo he could pay for it. 

"Again? 4,500 gold coins! This is quite a bit!” Leo was surprised to hear Ivan got more coins. He always knew Ivan was talented in the game, but that many coins in one day seemed unfair, especially when he couldn’t afford to buy even the cheapest potion. 

Ivan just nodded, "Yeah! Leo, I know I promised to return your money as soon as possible, but you understand what happened to my dad…I will need more time now.”

"Come on! Patient’s first!” Leo waved to stop Ivan.

"Thank you, Leo! I am posting those coins to Good-deal Exchange now! Charles, I will transfer money to you once it is in my account!”

"Ivan, please! I insist!" Charles wouldn’t give up.

Ivan and Charles were not young teenagers in a little rumble, they knew what they were doing so neither said anything else about it. Charles had a small bruise but no major injuries. The wound on Ivan’s head wasn’t as serious as it looked so after a nurse disinfected and put a bandage on it was like it never happened. 

Once he was done seeing the nurse, Ivan immediately posted the 4,500 gold coins on the platform. Instead of selling them all at once as he had done before, he divided them up and to his surprise, the first transaction was completed in less than two minutes after he posted. He quickly transferred $2000 to Charles as he promised. 

Ivan left Charles and Leo to catch up on what they had been doing with their lives since they last saw each other. He went back to his dad’s ward only to be stopped by Claire as soon as he stepped out of the elevator.

“Your dad has been transferred from the emergency room to the intensive care unit.” Claire told him.

Before he could say anything, his mom, Ann jumped up and questioned him, “Ivan, what happened to your head?”

"Yeah, Ivan, I was just about to ask you," Claire followed.

Of course, Ivan couldn’t tell his mother the truth. The last thing he wanted to do was put any further pressure on her. 

“Nothing. I was running too fast and fell from the steps. No worries.”

His mother seemed to believe his story, while Claire obviously did not buy his lame excuse, but she knew it was not the right time to question him about it. 

When Ivan finally had the chance to see his father, he was lying quietly on the bed with his head wrapped in thick bandages. He was not the strong man he remembered and seeing his face so pale, Ivan couldn’t hold back the tears. He vowed that he would give everything for his father to be healthy again.  

Holding his father’s hand in his, Ivan could feel the thick calluses and wounds, that represented all of the effort and time his father gave for his family over the years. As the eldest son of his family, it was a given that he had to help raise his younger brothers and sisters after Ivan’s grandparents passed away. Ivan had no idea how hard it was for a young non-educated boy to take care of himself and others. The only thing he did know was that his father was not selfish and put others first. 

The wrinkles on his father's face were like a river that ran dry, rough, and deep. The middle-aged man did everything he could for his family, including his siblings. All Ivan could do was think about how guilty he felt knowing his father was there because of him. 

"Dad, come back to me, please! I'll do whatever you want," Ivan whispered in his father's ear.

Ivan wiped away his tears and then turned to Claire, "Claire, you and Leo have been here the entire time. You both must be really tired. Why don’t you try to find a hotel to have a rest? I will be okay.”

"Come on, Ivan! I will be right here with you," Claire refused.

"Claire, Ivan is right. You should take a break," said Ann.

Looking around, Claire realized she wasn’t much help at the time, “Well, then I will be back tomorrow morning, bright and early. Ivan, I am sure that your father will be doing better by then. Take care of your mom and yourself.”

Ivan nodded goodbye to Claire and then sat down next to his mom.

Watching Claire and Leo walked away through the window, Ann commented, "You have two good friends!" As she tried to say something more her phone rang, she got up and stepped out of the room to answer it. 

Soon, she came back with a sad face. "It's your uncle. He said something urgent is keeping him at work so he can’t be here but he will be sending us $1,000 to help.”

“$1,000?” Ivan snarled trying not to lose his temper, “We will not accept it! And he is not my uncle any longer! Mom, I promise you, Dad will get through this no matter what I have to do!”