Mrs. Alby raised her head and wiped off her tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but not a single word came out.
"How much do you initially want to sell it for?" Mason asked.
"3 million dollars, though I know the price is too high for such a house, but if you could buy it for 2 million, I might be able to find the rest myself," Mrs. Alby replied.
"We are going to give you the surgery money, and this is what you need to do. You'll take it immediately and go pay for your daughter's surgery. And tomorrow morning, you're going to come to my house and make my parents sign the documents that they're now the owners of the house. And more importantly, they can not find out about who bought the house, can you do that?" Mason asked.
The woman nodded frantically, her breathing heavy. Raymond was confused, but he kept quiet, observing what the little boy was doing. Mason turned to Shoko, who's also been quietly observing the scene. "Give her 5 million dollars," he said.
Shoko's eyes lit up in shock. "Are you for real?" he whispered, though his words were audible.
Mason nodded. "Please do, she needs it more than I do," he replied.
"Are you really going to give me such money?" Mrs. Alby asked, her breath and words trembling simultaneously.
Mason nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Take care of your daughter and… your mother's funeral. I'm sorry for that, may her soul rest in peace," he responded, and with that, nodded at Shoko.
Meanwhile, Raymond, who had his arms folded to his chest, stared at Mason, a wry smirk playing on his lips. "You are such a dreamer, Mason," he muttered under his breath.
"Do you want it in cash or in cheque?" Shoko asked the woman.
"Whatever you have would do," Mrs. Alby replied amidst tears. Just then, a young boy entered the shop, heading their way.
"Why are you just coming now?" Shoko scolded as he saw him. "You are always late! Go over there and start already!"
The boy quickly turned back and headed toward the other counter on the other side of the room.
"Give me some seconds, please," Shoko said and went into the room beyond the counter. While the rest waited patiently for him. After about five minutes, he returned holding a black bag in his hand. As he approached the counter, he placed it on it. "Here you go, ma'am," he muttered.
Mrs. Alby rushed toward the counter, trying to verify that she wasn't being played. She put the bag down and zipped it open. Her eyes widened, and a gasp escaped her mouth as she beheld the money in the bag. Tears streamed down her face as she dropped to her knees. "Thank you so much! Thank you so much!" she began to say, putting her hands together.
Raymond, on the other side, couldn't believe his eyes. It took him a while to realize his mouth was wide open. "Oh my God!" he exclaimed to himself.
Mason pulled the woman up as she was getting the attention of everyone entering the shop. "You shouldn't be doing this to me. An adult shouldn't kneel for a young boy, please stand up," he whispered. He glanced at Raymond, who was dumbfounded. "Help her hail a cab, please."
Without a second thought, Raymond quickly rushed toward the door, as if he had been compelled by some sort of spell. Mrs. Alby followed, taking slow steps toward the door. She glanced back every now and then, as though she wanted to thank Mason more.
"What's her name, if I may ask?" Mason voiced out after the woman.
Mrs. Alby glanced over again, alert. "Her name is Vivian," she responded. "Vivian Tennyson." As she reached the door, she took one last glance at Mason and Shoko, bowed, and left.
"Are you sure you're going to let her leave with that money when you haven't signed the house documents?" Shoko asked, visibly concerned. "Aren't you scared if she—"
"Nothing like that would happen," Mason cut in. "Do you see what's in her eyes earlier? It's desperation. She would do anything to save her daughter. And she got what she wanted. Would she become a swindler after saving her daughter's life?"
Mason turned to face Shoko and continued. "Why do you think I gave her 5 million dollars? Do you think I care for her grandmother's funeral as I did for her daughter? Don't worry, such a thing cannot happen, even if it did, there are several spy cameras in and out of your shop."
"You are one dangerous boy to mess with," Shoko. "Where have you hidden this side of you all these years?"
"There are many people out there looking good outside, but deep inside, they're struggling. Some of us had it rough when we were younger. Life showed us its harsh side, and we had to face reality at a tender age, forcing us to mature and become wise beyond our ages and against our wills," Mason responded.
Just then, Raymond burst in, surprise boldly written on his face. "Where do you get such money, Mason?" he asked, breathing heavily.
Mason turned to him. "I sold my necklace today," he replied. His expression is difficult to scrutinize because his eyes are obscured by his hair. However, Raymond could see his lips curling into a smile.
"Are you kidding me? You think I'm going to believe your necklace could be worth such an amount?!" Raymond sniffed, obviously couldn't believe what he just heard. Mason stepped closer to him. "Touch my chest and find it if you can," he said.
However, Raymond stepped back. "You think I would be stupid enough to touch that goddamn thing again!?" he recoiled. "I almost died the last time I did against your warning, now you want me to touch it again?"
Mason raised up his cloth, revealing his bare chest. "See? It's gone, I sold it today," he replied. "You must not let my parents know of what happened today, or else you'll lose your house."
"Of course I won't say anything, my lips are sealed. We don't need to pack anytime, right?" Raymond asked.
"Of course not! You guys are now the owners of the house. Tell your parents," Mason replied.
"Are you saying the house now belongs to my parents?" Raymond asked, confused.
Mason shrugged. "Well… If they sign the documents tomorrow, then yes, you can keep the house. It's not like my parents can live in two houses at the same time."
"You're really giving us the house? You're not going to punish me for all the time I've been bullying you?" Raymond said, his heart heavy with guilt.
Mason frowned and rolled his eyes. "That's pointless, my necklace already punished you when you touched it three years ago. I'm serious about what I said, you can keep the house."
Hearing this shocking news, Raymond fell to his knees, his eyes welling up in tears. "Thank you, Mason! I will always be good to you, I promise. I'll never treat you badly again," he said, tears slowly pouring from his face.
"Aishh! Just continue doing what you're doing before," Mason said. "If you change suddenly like this, things would be somehow… awkward, and there's no need to make things awkward between us. And I'm not doing this for free, you're going to do something for me in return later, so prepare yourself."
Raymond slowly wiped his tears and stood up. "I knew it, they always want something in return. Nothing is free in this world," he whispered to himself.
Mason turned to Shoko, who had remained quiet all the while, and smiled. "Keep the remaining 3 for me till tomorrow," he said almost in a whisper. However, Shoko's brow furrowed in confusion. "It's 5 Mason, don't forget," he reminded him in a whisper.
Mason smiled and turned toward Raymond. "Let's go home," he said and advanced toward the door.
"See you tomorrow, Shoko!"
Shoko smiled in amazement, still hadn't understood the mystery behind Mason's sudden transformation. "See you tomorrow, smart boy," he said within himself as he attended to his approaching customer, who seemed to have been waiting for a while.