3 Turning Over a New Leaf

Calvin felt that he lost a piece of his soul when he walked out of that door.

But he never turned back nor take a final look.

Calvin could be considered as a battle-hardened man who wouldn't even blink in the face of a hellish nightmare. However, he had a single weakness.

It was his family.

Calvin was sure that if his mother and sister walked out of the house right now to stop him from going out.

He would definitely turn back and go with them.

Thankfully, they didn't get out.

Calvin heaved a sigh of relief.

He glanced at his wristwatch.

"There's still enough time."

It was still high noon.

Calvin went back to the Internet Cafe where his mother captured him.

As soon as he walked inside, the Old Manager sitting behind the front desk instantly awakened.

"You..."

"How dare you come back here, you thieving son of a bitch!"

"You're still suspended!"

"Why did you come back?"

The Old Manager glared at him and shouted.

His voice attracted the attention of the other customers.

"Wait, isn't he that guy earlier that got captured by his mother while he was playing games?"

"Yeah, that's him! I will never be able to forget his face!"

"Why?"

"Why, you say? That's the guy who bought that extremely expensive Elementalist Laks skin!"

"What?!"

When the other customers heard that Calvin was the baller who purchased that expensive skin earlier.

Some of them stopped whatever they were doing. They stared at Calvin's general direction in amusement. After all, even though Calvin was a baller. They heard from the Old Manager that he was suspended from the Internet Cafe.

The Old Manager stared at Calvin with complex emotions.

Actually, he wasn't that mad towards Calvin.

Calvin was a baller who purchased a lot of game credits from him.

In other words, Calvin was a whale. A whale customer was something that every establishment needed for their continuous success. The Old Manager understood that, so he greatly appreciated the fact that Calvin always bought game credits from him even though they were at odds.

But...

When he realized that Calvin's money actually came from deceiving his family and even stealing the tuition money of his sister. He suddenly thought that Calvin was going too far. Despite the fact that the Old Manager didn't want to lose Calvin as his customer. He knew that he had to uphold what was right.

This was why he suspended Calvin instead of banning him outright.

Calvin stared at the Old Manager.

He knew what the Old Manager was thinking.

Letting out a sigh, he stared right at the Old Manager and said.

"Please ban me from this Internet Cafe."

"What?"

Even the customers observing the situation couldn't help but gasp upon hearing what he said.

"The baller is asking to be banned? Is he planning on going clean now?"

"Clean my ass! How can someone go clean so easily? If one could do it that easy, then do you really think that I would be divorced from my wife, right now? Playing video games isn't just a simple addiction. It's also a lifestyle. At least, that's how it is for us addicts."

"So, are you saying that you don't believe what he's saying?"

"Yeah! I bet he'll come here a few days later and ask to be unbanned."

The Old Manager could hear the discussions around him. He had no objections to what he had heard.

Calvin was a well-known video game addict.

He was a disgusting person that shouldn't even be allowed to be in a family.

Yet, he was actually going to change for the better?

What was going on?

Did he finally drink his medications once and for all?

'Damn, this is bad...'

The Old Manager inwardly whispered.

A smile bloomed on his face as he approached Calvin and said, "Come on now, Calvin. You've been a long-time customer of this Internet Cafe and you want to get banned? Why do I feel like you're trying to throw away the bond that we've made together in the past two decades?"

He patted Calvin's shoulders and continued...

"Now that I think of it, you've been my customer for such a long-time, yet I haven't given you any loyalty rewards..."

The Old Manager took a black card decorated embossed with fake glittery diamonds.

"How about I give you a VVIP Card? With this, you'll have a seventy-percent discount with everything in this establishment. I guess this should suffice as a reward for your loyalty to this establishment for so long, right?"

The Old Manager dangled the VVIP Card in front of Calvin as if he was feeding a fish some meat.

Calvin lightly smiled, "Uncle Jerol... It's really been such a long-time since first started playing here..."

He then let out a sigh, "But I think it's about time for me to move on."

He patted Jerol's shoulder and before the latter could even reply...

He turned to look towards the customers and said.

"I'll be selling my League of Myths account for only ten thousand dollars! The first person to arrive in front of me shall..."

Before Calvin could even complete his sentence, a customer leaped from his chair and literally rolled in front of Calvin.

He took a card out of nowhere and handed it over to Calvin.

"I'll pay via card..."

Calvin's lips repeatedly twitched.

"Uh... Sure."

He used the Old Manager's card terminal and the transaction was finally completed.

It was at this moment that the Old Manager finally awakened from his trance.

"So, you're really going to do this for real." He could see that Calvin was definitely serious about his decision. To sell his League of Myths account that had skins worth at least a hundred thousand dollars for only ten thousand dollars.

It was impossible for someone to do such a thing if his resolve was half-assed.

"Yeah..." Calvin smiled at the Old Manager.

Afterwards, he turned around and went for the exit.

But before the automatic doors could fully close...

The Old Manager caught up to him and handed him a business card.

"If you are unable to fully turn into a new leaf. You can always come back here and become my employee. I'll treat you properly and pay you well. After all, you can be considered as a half-son of mine considering how long you've been a loyal customer of my humble Internet Cafe."

Calvin was taken aback by the Old Manager's gesture.

"Well then, don't mind if I do."

But he didn't refuse his offer.

He took the business card and finally disappeared from the Old Manager's side.

When the automatic doors closed, the Old Manager sighed and returned behind the receptionist's desk.

A customer saw his expression and commented, "Old Manager... Are you crying?"

"Cry my ass! Do you want to get suspended?" The Old Manager barked.

The customer felt a shiver down his spine before he ran back to his computer.

The Old Manager sighed once again.

Staring at the direction where Calvin disappeared, he shook his head and whispered.

"I hope you do well out there, young man."