A few minutes later a man in a cook's uniform stood in front of the cell with a cart filled with four bowls beside him. Joe smiled at the sight as he felt as if he had been rescued from a battlefield.

  “Good, the food is here.”

  While it had started with friendly teasing, the discussion between Shelly and Bob had developed into something fierce. Somewhere the conversation shifted to who was Joe's best friend and the two started arguing with each other, both claiming Joe liked them more. To settle the argument, they turned to Joe and asked him to choose his favorite which put him on the spot. Their gazes were intense and he felt as if he would killed instantly if he chose either side. The arrival of the cook saved him from giving an answer as it allowed him to change the subject. He breathed a sigh of relief, hoping he never got between Bob and Shelly again.

  The guard opened the cage and allowed the cook to enter. He left the bowls of steaming soup in the cart and left instantly almost as if he didn't want to be in the same room with inmates for longer than necessary.

  Charles was the first to get up to grab his bowl the old man's eyes gleamed with excitement as he approached the cart. Bob chose to forget about Shelly for the time being and went to grab his breakfast. Shelly went next, leaving only a single bowl for Joe. As the King of his section, Joe felt a little disappointed that none of them grabbed his bowl and handed it to him, not even his supposed best friends. He frowned and got up to grab his soup.

  Joe stood in the middle of the room with the bowl in his right hand, the soup was still hot as he could feel its warmth that permeated his palm from the bottom of the bowl. Joe looked at everyone in the room with a sharp gaze and cold expression as he spoke in a deep voice that resounded throughout the cell. “Who gave you permission to grab your bowls? Do you expect me to be satisfied with only a single bowl of soup? Don't mess with me and handover those bowls right now!”

  The room went silent as a heavy atmosphere settled over the cell. Bob and Shelly looked at Joe with wide eyes and even Charles had stopped to stare at him after his words. Bob swallowed hard and glanced over at Shelly and Charles. Almost as if they could read each other's minds, all of them slowly stood up. They took a single hesitant step forward, their legs trembling. Shelly was on the edge of tears breaking down and Bob looked as if he had shat himself while Charles looked at him as if he was a monster. After they took their second steps in unison, Joe burst out in laugher.

  “I'm just mssing with you guys relax.” Joe said casually whole chuckling.

  Bob breathed a sigh of relief as he placed a hand over his chest and slowly sat down. “You got me,” he laughed in a shaky traumatized tone.

  Shelly's face twisted in anger as she clenched her left fist snd sat down. Charles plopped to the floor with wide eyes still processesing the joke.

  “You should've seen your faces, shit was hilarious.” Joe said as he clutched his stomach snd almost dropped his bowl in the process. He wiped a teary eye snd went to sit down beside Shelly.

  The girl gave him a nock on the head as he settled beside her, “That's not funny.”

  Joe felt nothing from the hit and continued to laugh. “Its what you get for bot bringing me my bowl.”

  It was Shelly who regretted her decision to strike him as her fingers nearly shattered after hitting Joe's hard cranium. “Ouch! What are you made of steel?” Shelly said as he examined her hand which was bruised. She knew she was lucky she had held back when hitting him or her digits would've snapped.

  Joe simply laughed harder at her discomfort.

  They all had their breakfast, the atmosphere lighter as everyone enjoyed their first full meal in days.

  “Ahh… that hit the spot,” Bob said as he placed down his empty bowl, now completely free of anything that might resemble soup. The young man had been shameless enough to lick the inside after drinking the last drops, leaving the bowl spotless. A thin trail of soup ran down the corner of his lips when he finished.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Shelly was the exact opposite. She quietly placed down her bowl, which still contained a small amount of soup, untouched and certainly not licked clean. Her face remained spotless, leaving no sign that she had just finished breakfast.

  “That’s how you eat with class and not like a filthy beast,” she said calmly.

  Bob caught her words and turned toward her at once. “What did you say? Are you calling me a filthy beast?”

  “If the shoe fits,” Shelly replied casually.

  Bob’s eyebrows twitched as he clenched his teeth. “Why you ugly little—”

  “Okay, that’s enough.” Joe’s voice rang through the cell, drawing both of their attention back to him. “If you’re going to share the same cell, you’ll need to learn to respect each other. You can’t argue every minute.”

  The two of them calmed down slightly after hearing his words.

  “And to answer your earlier question,” Joe added. “My man Charles is my best friend.”

  Bob and Shelly stared at him with wide eyes filled with disbelief, while Joe smiled, satisfied that he had avoided choosing either of them.

  A moment later, Bob and Shelly spoke at the same time.

  “Then who gets second place?”

  Joe tensed. The smile slowly faded from his face as he realized he had landed right back in the same situation.

  ‘I should’ve kept my mouth shut,’ he thought.

  Before he could answer, Joe was saved once again when the chef returned with the empty cart to collect the bowls. Shelly stood and gathered all the bowls except Bob’s before placing them back on the cart. Bob returned his a few seconds later.

  Joe could not help but feel a little guilty. He suspected the tension between them was partly his fault. He hoped the argument would fade on its own and silently prayed he would not get dragged into the middle of it again.

  “So you’re into old men, huh…” Shelly said teasingly when she returned to Joe’s side. ‘I mean, I don’t blame you. Psycho is good eye candy with those sculpted muscles and that bare chest. I just didn’t take you for the mature type.’

  “What are you talking about?” Joe stared at her with a puzzled expression. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not like that.”

  “I don’t discriminate,” Shelly replied casually.

  “I’m telling you it’s not like that.”

  “Hey Boss,” Bob chimed in, grinning. “So you like dudes who are strong and old, right? Guys who can push you to your limits like old man Charles. Don’t worry. I’ll start seriously working out and grow a mustache. Then I’ll become your best bud.”

  “I’m telling you both it has nothing to do with that!”Joe snapped, his face flushed with annoyance.

  A few minutes later, a guard stepped into the cell. “The washroom is ready.”

  “Great!” Joe said quickly as he jumped to his feet, eager to escape Bob and Shelly’s ridiculous teasing.

  The moment Joe stepped out, the guard locked the cell behind him. Joe raised an eyebrow.

  “What are you doing? My friends want to use the washroom too.”

  “The King of a section is granted the entire washroom to himself and may take as much time as he needs,” the guard explained. “The other inmates go after him.”

  Joe was surprised the man already knew about his status as King, especially since he had done nothing since killing Big Dog. News clearly traveled fast in Suveny Prison. He had also been unaware of the special rule regarding the washroom. While he had to admit it was a nice privilege for someone holding the title of King, it still felt wrong to leave his friends behind.

  “I want my friends to come with me. Will that be a problem?”

  “Of course not. The King shall have whatever he desires,” the guard replied, bowing slightly. He unlocked the cell again and gestured for Charles and Bob to step out.

  “You’re really taking us with you, Joe?” Bob asked. “There was no need to do that. As the King you should enjoy all the luxuries yourself.”

  “Nonsense,” Joe said with a wave of his hand. “What’s the point of power if I can’t let the people around me enjoy it? You guys are my buddies, and as your King I order you to come with me.”

  Bob and Charles smiled and nodded.

  As they walked down the hallway, Joe was surprised to see every prisoner in the surrounding cells standing with their heads bowed. The corridor was silent except for the echo of their footsteps. Bob and Charles looked around with wide grins, while Joe kept his composure and stared straight ahead.

  “Who’s that guy next to Psycho walking behind the King?” one inmate whispered.

  “I think he used to be one of Big Dog’s lackeys. The King must have taken him under his wing.”

  “What a lucky guy. Despite being one of the weakest in the East, he still gets to walk behind the King.”

  “Forget him. Look at our King. He killed Big Dog and walks around like nothing happened. His expression is calm and indifferent even after such a brutal fight.”

  “When he walked past our cell, I thought I was going to pass out. Even without saying a word, he has the aura of a King.”

  They eventually reached the washroom, which was completely empty as expected.

  “I’ve never seen this place so open,” Bob said in awe.

  “Well enjoy it. This is your life from now on,” Joe replied with a grin.

  They spent thirty minutes cleaning themselves, twenty minutes longer than the usual time allowed for inmates. They were even given special potions to help wash properly and keep themselves smelling fresh. Afterward, they changed into their new uniforms in another room.

  When they stepped out, a guard suddenly pulled Joe aside, surprising Bob and Charles.

  “You two go ahead. I’ll follow,” Joe told them.

  They nodded and were escorted away by another guard.

  Joe then turned to the man who had stopped him. “What’s this about?”

  “The Warden wants to see you.”