Willing? A scene flashed across Rocco's eyes.
His parents died when he was very young. Although the Hawkins family had power and influence, which would be a great thing for any other children, but not him.
He could never get along with the other children in the grand garden. Having no parents, he had no one to rely on.
"Hey, Rocco, fetch the ball for us," a child ordered.
"Fetch it yourself!" Rocco replied. Every day, they would find new ways to bully him.
"When I tell you to fetch it, you run along and fetch it, you parentless savage!"
Every time they would use being an orphan to mock him, especially after the kids found out about what his mother used to do when she was alive.
Rocco didn't know why he had to bear the consequences for what the adults did. He did nothing wrong.
He had to fetch the ball for them. After the rain, the yard was wet and muddy, and the children didn't want to dirty their shoes.
Rocco walked into the garden, his feet covered with mud. This was a rose field with thorns everywhere. Rocco was carefully looking for the ball.
"Where is it? I can't find it." He didn't find the ball after looking for a long time.
"It's right there. I saw it fly that way. Look harder!" Another child said.
"Bent down and take a look. Maybe it's covered by roses."
Rocco bent down and looked around, but he didn't notice that a child suddenly came from behind, kicking him in the back.
"Ah..." He lost his balance and fell into the rose bushes. He was only six years old that year, and his body was covered with blood because of the thorns. He fell into the earth, in pain and embarrassment.
The other children sneered and said, "Look at him, he's like a clown. It's so funny."
"A clown he is!"
None of them came up to help him stand on his feet. He was dressed very thin in summer, and many parts of his body had been pierced with thorns.
Rocco got up slowly and painfully. He didn't cry or make any noise. His old and shaggy clothes were
covered with mud and scarlet blood.
"I have done nothing to you to deserve this!" He shouted at the children in a hoarse voice. Children should be innocent, why did they have to be so vicious?
"Why? Of course it's because of your whore of a mother! We know that she slept with a lot of men just for money! You might be the son of any of them, you dirty sack!"
"You savage, I heard that your mother had some illness before she died. You are her son, you might have that illness as well!"
"Get out of the Hawkins family. Don't make a fool of yourself."
The rumors were like bricks hitting Rocco from all directions, piercing his eardrums.
"My mom is not a whore! Shut up!" Rocco rushed toward those kids like crazy.
Blood was still flowing from his body, but it couldn't compare to the pain he had to bear in his heart. The children were scared by his madness and fled in all directions.
"Good boy, good boy, you have to work really hard, no matter how painful the process is, and only then can you get out of here and achieve something for yourself so that no one can bully you ever again."
"Grandma, I know. When I grow up and earn enough money, I'll take you to my house and we'll live together. I will buy a great big house!" A smile jumped up to Rocco's tender face as he imagined.
"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to do that."
After Rocco started to go to school, he worked harder than others and achieved very good results. He didn't care about those sarcastic words and humiliation anymore.
Because he knew that one day he would make a name for himself, and then he would step on the people who had insulted him in the past!
Slowly, his outstanding results began to draw the attention of the higher-ups in the family. Rocco knew that he had successfully taken the first step.
The elders of the family would choose some outstanding children among the family, and when they grew up, they would work for the company.
Rocco wanted to seize this opportunity to desperately climb up. The Second Elder felt that this child was a keeper and quite obedient and therefore gave him more and more opportunities.
Finally, he got the chance he'd been waiting for. The Young Madam had escaped. The higher-ups in the family panicked after finding no trace of her anywhere.
After a few months, the people of the family had agreed that a person should be chosen to prepare for the selection. At first, their choice was Mira, who desperately and firmly refused.
The second Elder, against almost everyone's wills, chose Rocco. There had never been a male family head in the R family but he was their only choice, given that Mira refused to take that position.
After the Second Elder convinced the family members that Rocco was their last hope, Rocco worked even harder after being elected as the candidate.
Second Elder said that when he reached eighteen, he would be appointed as the head of the family.
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