章 50: The Seed
"Huh?! After all this time he disappeared because he was hungry?! How much longer is he gonna make me wait?!" Randall screamed out.
"I-..." Ricky couldn't say much, as not only does he not know what to say, but Rona was hugging him and..petting him like an animal.
"Miss Rona, I would appreciate if you would act professional and unhand me-"
"Aww come now Little Ricky, what happened to calling me Aunty Rona? Ever since you grew up you start distancing yourself from your sweet aunty." Rona said as she giggled.
"I am no longer a kid, and this is hardly the place for such things." Ricky said as he tries to escape her inhuman strength.
"When did he say he will come back?!" Randall questioned.
"He didn't say, only that he has interest in the modern cuisine of this modern era." Ricky said.
"That numbskull only thinks with his stomach." Randall said as he crossed his arms in frustration completely ignoring Ricky's plea.
But deep inside he couldn't keep the excitement down, hence the nonstop wide smile ever since he was told Alfie is back.
It could be said that almost everything he knows and has at the moment is due to Alfie. Randall was a very laid back man despite his age and is capable of contending with the fastest and strongest people on earth.
But he wasn't always like this, in fact when he was young he was very small, weak and always angry as a child.
More than 70 years ago...
He grew up hating everything that didn't go his way, as an orphan he grew up with no one behind to support and love him nor was there anyone besides him to go through life with but there were always obstacles in front of him blocking his way.
He forced his own path while he was still a young man with no clear goals in life, not only did he not have anything in the past and present but he also didn't have anything to look forward to in the future.
He tried working but there wasn't anything he found to his liking, and he was always messing up as well and moved from work to work.
And if his life wasn't shitty enough, he messed up big time in one of the factory jobs he got in and his legs were messed up. He spent a large amount of his savings on his treatment only to hear that his leg can't support him in hands on work.
At that point Randall didn't even think about how unfair it felt rather that he should keep on moving, due to his leg Randall took on more easier jobs and ended up in Blue Ribbon where he met someone named alfie.
Or Head Chef McBride at the time.
The guy was only a few years older than Randall but he was the head chef of the famous restaurant. He was even surprised he was able to get the job as the pay was more than anything he has ever had.
Randall took the job as a server but like always, he was messing up and he blamed it on his leg even though it would still be the same if his leg was fine.
Alas, the good for nothing Randall would have been fired in the first week if Alfie didn't voice out his wants on him staying. After that Randall did his best to at least not mess up and work hard.
Throughout the time he worked in Blue Ribbon, Randall has seen how incredible Alfie was with his job in the kitchen. His handlings on the food was unbeatable which was one of the reasons Blue Ribbon became famous.
The young man worked his dishes like the fire didn't bother him, his graceful and majestic techniques in cutting, seasoning, and movements would make both workers and customers pause and watch.
The young man Alfie was also friends of some pretty high up and dangerous people. Randall heard something about a certain Mafia family having close relations to the restaurant and the few men being chummy with Alfie seemed like the closest things to professional gangster bosses.
It wasn't until one night where Randall had his lunch in the back of the restaurant outside sitting on a crate did his life would come to change.
As young Randall sat eating his lunch looking up at the night sky, the back door banged open as Alfie walked out with a cigarette in his mouth.
Catching each other in each others sights, Alfie smiled as he took a crate and sat himself next to Randall looking at the kid.
From the first day, Randall caught Alfie's eyes due to one reason, because he wasn't special.
That was it.
When Randall first started out he didn't have any talents or seem interested in anything much, while others would always have interest in something or whatnot, Randall never really showed much expression and didn't talk much.
That's what caught Alfie's eyes.
Before the war started, Alfie didn't just spend his days training and strengthening himself, he also made long lasting plans that could go on until the age of chaos.
But at a certain period around the late 30's, Alfie saw Randall Ravens as one who could take up one of the roles in his mind.
"Ravens huh? That's a pretty badass name." Alfie said to Randall who just grunted.
"Did you know that there are times when ravens and wolves work together?" Alfie said ignoring the weird looks Randall was giving him.
"There are times when a raven would scout out and find a prey, and when that's done, the raven calls the wolf to hunt the prey and after that they would share the food.
Or when a raven finds a dead carcass, they would they flock together and cry out for more larger animals to come, which most of the time are wolves, and they would rip up the carcass more letting the ravens reach the innards."
Randall stopped eating altogether and stared onto Alfie with a hidden expression of frustration.
"Why are you telling me thi- what does this have to do with anything?" Randall asked.
"Well nothing really, at least nothing now.
But let me ask, What's your plan?" Alfie suddenly asked.
"Plan? Plan for what?" Randall asked as he stood up looking at Alfie weirdly not holding back.
"For your life...what is your plan in this life? Do you have a certain goal you are following now? A dream maybe?" Alfie asked as he stood up as well staring at Randall.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden, I don't even know you.." Randall said.
"No you don't, but that doesn't natter right now, what matters now is your answer."
"My...answer?"
"What if I said I could make you one of the richest man in power and wealth, what would you say to that?"
"I...I would say your crazy…" Randall said as he eyed Alfie looking for what the guy is playing at.
"That's fair, but what if what I'm offering is real?" Alfie asked firmly.
Randall didn't speak, he was speechless wondering what is going on, how did they come to this situation. Weren't they talking about some wolf and bird thing sometime ago?
"If you agree I will even heal that leg of yours and introduce you to a world you never would have imagined." Alfie said as he flicked the burned cigarette away.
The only thing in Randall's mind was that Alfie is trying to recruit him into a world of crime, maybe be a mafia gangster and work his way up into being a wealthy and powerful man.
"I...I..can't-.."
"Take some time to think about it, you probably don't have much to lose but it's not something you should easily decide on." Alfie said as he made his way to the backdoor.
"W- wait!"
Alfie turned around to face the young Randall with a tilted head.
"C- can you...explain more on what I'll be doing...if I do accept this offer?"
"Hmm, a businessman of sorts?" Alfie said unsure.
"B-Businessman?! Me?!" Randall said shocked at the outcome.
"Yeah, what did you think I was offering you?"
"I...I thought you wanted to recruit me into being...a gangster." Randall said with a sigh of relieve.
"PPFFTTTAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!" Alfie burst out laughing as Randall just turned away from Alfie completely ignoring him and his laughter.
"You thought I was gonna make you a gangster?! You?! Wahahahah, what would your name be, Broken Leg Randy?! Hahahahahah!!"
Alfie laughed out, but he laughed so long Randall threw the plate he was using at Alfie who simply dodged it which surprised Randall. Because Alfie effortlessly dodged it despite the short distance between them and was still laughing.
"Whatever, it still wouldn't work for me, I don't know anything about business." Randall said hopelessly.
"I know, I asked you because you probably don't have anything." Alfie said.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well like you said earlier, you don't have any goals or dreams in life. Check.
Do you have loved ones?"
"No."
"Where do you live?"
"...in an orphanage."
"Are you good at anything?"
"...no."
"Talents?"
"...no."
"Money?"
"..."
"Can you fight?"
"...kind of…"
"Are you currently in school?"
"Yes."
"Your grades?"
"...it's...decent."
"Perfect."
"Huh?! I don't...understand." Randall looked at Alfie.
"You're nothing now and you have nothing to lose, so if anything you will only be moving forwards to achieve wealth and power in society."
Randall stood still not knowing what to say, in fact he doesn't understand what was happening.
"There is nothing to wrack your brain about, you just have to accept my offer and leave everything to me." Alfie said assuredly.
"..."
"I'm not sure if I can understand the situation but...you said I can be...someone big if I accept it and leave it to you?"
"Yes."
"B-but...why me?" Randall asked.
"Just think of it as me investing into the future, plus there is a saying that goes like this.
When you give a seed to a man who has everything, he will just throw it away. But if you give the seed to a man who has nothing, he can become a farmer. And from that farm can give that man everything." Alfie said.
The saying seemed to have moved Randall, safe to say there was no such saying, it was something Alfie thought up at that moment, wise or not.
"So how about it, Randall G. Ravens? Would you like to take the chance to enter a new world?" Alfie asked as he brought up his hand for a shake.
With a determined face and a steeled heart, Randall shook the hand.
"I'm willing to."
*************
"Hmhmhmhmhm." A hummed laughter came from Randall as he ignored Ricky who was calling him to stop Rona's childish behaviors.
Randall couldn't help but reminisce of that night.
But after that night where he agreed to Alfie's offer, he went through hell from pointless training from Alfie and a few lessons on business.
It was certainly hell but throughout the time together in the past Randall had gained a brother and learned what tough love was.
Sometime after that Alfie sent him to college after passing the highschool test to head straight to college and major in Business.
There wasn't enough time to study everything for the GED so Alfie taught Randall how to cheat for the test which he passed with floating colors.
And entered college somehow thanks to Alfie, Randall didn't know how but he didn't question and kept moving forward.
Soon enough Alfie entered into the army and a few years later Randall graduated and started certain inventions that "he" invented.
As soon as he took some steps in making the Ravens company, Alfie send people that would work with him and protect him in the dark.
Sometime during the war where it was chaotic and Alfie made himself a name, he showed up out of nowhere to have a talk with Randall.
The topics they discussed shook Randall deep down, unbelievable was the only thing that could be said.
Even crazier than healing his knees by hand.
But months later the war has ended and both war heroes have disappeared, not long after that Rona came to Randall and they started to settle down the true foundation of Ravens Industries.
As time passed and events occured, Randall became more shocked and worried about the future.
The things Alfie spoke of to him either came true or will come true, and so Randall worked on everything he can to complete all the tasks Alfie gave him to work on.
The well-beings of the future depends on his part of the work.
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