Call Me Dad

A simple exchange, a little probing, and Ginny finally relaxed. The little girl still couldn't speak very well, so communicating was a little difficult, but Alvin didn't care. This was his daughter. He could teach her slowly.

Carefully, he drew Ginny into his arms. The tiny girl tensed slightly before completely relaxing, burying her head against her father's neck and greedily soaking up the warmth of family. In a voice so soft it was almost impossible to hear, she called, "Daddy."

Alvin felt as though his heart had skipped a beat. No wonder people said daughters were their fathers' lovers from a previous life. Even when he had dated his wife in his previous life, Alvin had never been this nervous. Back then, he and his wife had spent years together, and their union had come naturally. But his daughter... he wanted nothing more than to pluck the stars from the sky for her and be her guardian angel forever.

Holding Ginny, Alvin extended his right hand and gave Professor Wilson a firm shake. "Thank you, Professor Wilson. You've brought me an angel."

Professor Wilson shook his hand and said with a bitter smile, "I hope you'll always feel that way, Alvin. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. You're the most extraordinary young man I've ever met."

Alvin ignored the implication behind Professor Wilson's words and said firmly, "Of course. Ginny will be a little angel! My little angel!"

Professor Wilson nodded in relief. "She's very special, Alvin. My wife and I sincerely wanted to adopt her. But after spending a few days with her, we realized that we didn't have the ability to protect her. She's too special. Alvin, promise me you'll protect her. Make her your treasure. Don't make this old man regret it!"

Alvin nodded solemnly. "I promise. She'll be my treasure. No one will be able to hurt her. Not even God."

Professor Wilson nodded. "Then I can rest easy. There's still a lot to do at school, so I'll be going. My wife is fine, so don't make things too hard for the child. Alvin, Ginny is in your hands now. Here are the revised adoption papers." The professor handed Alvin a document, straightened his tie, adjusted his suit cuffs, then this old gentleman took his leave and drove back to school.

Alvin sighed. They were both professors, so why was the difference so huge? Thinking of Professor Cage, who looked like some bandit or street thug, then looking at Professor Wilson with his gentlemanly manner... the gap was truly enormous.

Reluctant to put down his daughter, Alvin held Ginny as he turned to look at the teenager who was obviously some gangbanging punk. He sighed to himself. The school uniforms needed to be ordered as soon as possible. Just look at what these kids were wearing—gaudy oversized T-shirts, baggy jeans that barely stayed up, cheap rings, earrings, and necklaces.

The black kid wore a defiant expression, staring at Alvin with a hard, stubborn glare.

Remembering that he was, after all, the principal and that there were other people in the restaurant, Alvin suppressed the urge to beat him up and said, "Tell me. Why did you hurt Mrs. Wilson?"

Those who knew Alvin understood that this kid was in trouble. If Alvin had simply beaten and cursed him, that would have been the end of it. But when Alvin questioned someone seriously, if that person answered poorly, their fate was easy to imagine.

But this kid was clearly a fearless hothead. Barnging his teeth, he put on an expression that said he was the boss and snapped, "That old bitch actually wanted me to apologize. I should've stabbed her and taught her a lesson."

A chill ran through Alvin. What kind of place could raise such a bastard? The worst students Alvin had seen in his previous life had only argued with teachers. This little punk had actually wanted to stab a teacher. And that teacher was a patient, kind old lady who was deeply respected by everyone.

Ginny, who had been curled up in Alvin's arms, heard the black kid insult Mrs. Wilson. She suddenly twisted around, wrinkling her nose and baring her teeth as she let out an enraged howl. She clenched her right hand, and two blades sprang out from between her fingers, slashing toward the kid. Alvin reacted quickly, pulling Ginny's hands into his embrace without caring that the sharp blades cut open his chest. He moved so fast that, aside from JJ, no one nearby probably saw what had happened.

When Ginny realized she had hurt Alvin, the blades on her hands immediately retracted. Leaning against his chest, she looked at him with guilt, worry, and fear.

Such a minor injury was nothing to Alvin. Twenty points of Constitution were no joke. Once Ginny's blades retracted, his wound began to close. Only a tiny amount of blood had even flowed.

Alvin lifted Ginny slightly, using her body to hide the bloodstain on his chest so no one else would notice anything strange. He looked at Ginny gently, pressing his forehead against hers and meeting her eyes. "Ginny is a little lady. Let Daddy handle things like this, okay?"

Ginny relaxed and gave a soft "Mm." She buried her head in Alvin's neck and no longer paid any attention to that foul-mouthed bastard.

Apparently having already suffered at school, the black kid was startled by Ginny. He cried out in panic, "Keep her away from me! She's a monster!" He struggled desperately as he spoke, but how could the burly JJ let him get away? With a slight squeeze of his hand, the black kid "calmed down." Yet his eyes remained fierce as he glared at Alvin, as if he didn't care about the principal at all.

The word "monster" made Ginny stiffen. Alvin noticed and gently patted her back to comfort her.

In an even gentler tone, he asked the black kid, "I know your name is Jason. Who are your parents? Where do you live? I think I need to have a talk with your parents."

Jason snorted coldly and shouted, "They've been dead for ages! Go find them in hell!"

Alvin nodded. "Your parents are dead, yet you've managed to survive. You must have joined a gang. Which gang? I can have a chat with your boss."

Jason put on an arrogant expression and shouted, "My boss is James Lancer from 58th Street! Let me go and apologize to me, or the ZL Gang won't let you off! We'll kill every last one of you!"

Alvin ignored Jason's threats and turned to JJ. "Are there many kids like him at the school?"

JJ thought for a moment. "There were some at first, but after the school solved their food problem, there aren't many left now."

Alvin considered this. "So there are still some, right?" He turned to Old Kent, who had already come over to watch the excitement, and asked, "Old Kent, have you heard of this... ZL Gang? Why haven't I?"

Since he had been asked, Old Kent thought for a moment, made a call to confirm the information, then said, "There is a ZL Gang. It's a joke made up of a dozen or so hotheaded kids. They distribute goods for Black Bear in the 58th Street area. Want me to call their boss over?"

Alvin nodded. This Black Bear was a lackey under Bloody Jansen, Kingpin's rival. Jason and his so-called gang were the lowest rung of Hell's Kitchen's gangs, doing work for the gangs above them in exchange for meager pay. And Bloody Jansen was New York's largest drug wholesaler, constantly at odds with Kingpin. Just from his name and his opponent, Alvin knew the man wouldn't live much longer.

"Then call his boss over. And Black Bear is the guy handling drug sales in Hell's Kitchen, right?" When Old Kent nodded, Alvin said, "Call him over too."

Jason heard Alvin completely disregard his boss, unwilling even to mention his boss's name. He had casually told an old man to summon his boss. Jason's expression turned panicked as he realized he might have caused serious trouble.

Alvin glanced at Jason and told JJ, "Find him a seat. Keep an eye on him."