The birds took off after hearing a loud bam.

An elderly man laughed, amused by how his son shoots and aims at his target. He applauded him as he approached to pat him on the shoulder. His son flinched, which made him laugh even more.

"Dear oh dear... It took you a long time to get this good," the old man observed. Without saying anything, his son picked up his belongings and began packing.

They have a father-son bond, so the father decided to have a small picnic in the forest where he usually hunts. While staring at his son's back, the father took three steps back. He noticed how hurriedly he packed his own belongings, but that didn't bother him. After all, he is a bad father. He took out his cigarette and began smoking, despite knowing that his son disliked the smell of smoke.

He said, puffing on his cigar, "Your mom's cooking dinner tonight, and she's expecting to see you." His son zipped up his bag, pretended to be finished packing, and heaved a deep sigh. He watched as his son's hands clenched into fists, but after a few seconds, he eventually relaxed. He closed his eyes as he breathed in the cigar smoke.

Looking at his irritable father, the son felt his anger rise, but he was able to control it. He then stopped breathing; the smell of smoke disgusts him because it reminds him of his father; the fact that he's inhaling smokes that literally came from his father at the same time irritates him even more. He put on his hat and prepared to leave.

"My mother is dead." he said, suppressing his rage as he walked away. Even from a distance, he could hear his father's irritating laugh. It irritates him so much that he finally vents his rage by kicking a rock in his path.

After laughing, the father's gaze shifts to the gun placed on their picnic mat, which his son recently fired. He smirked as he looked at it, threw his cigar, picked up the gun, and searched for his son. As he walks, he can clearly see him. He points the gun at him, he's good at aiming, and there's no way his bullet won't hit his son. He closed one of his eyes, took a deep breath, and clicked.

There was no gunshot, and his son is still free to walk. He drops the gun, realizing how easily he let a chance slip away; if only there was a bullet in the gun he was recently holding, he would kill him.

He enjoys seeing his son become enraged by him. It gives him pleasure and satisfies him up.

After their last interaction, the father seems to become suspicious when his son does not return home, even after four months. His wife never looked for his son, even him, he didn't look for his own son until he noticed that he never visited them again. Before, his son pays them a brief visit and eventually leaves when a fight breaks out.

"Where is he?" he inquired of one of his bodyguards, whom he had directed to look for his son. The guard stiffened and lowered his gaze.

He knew right then and there.

He scratched the back of his neck while closing his eyes. He then directed ten guards to look for his son. When ten guards weren't enough, he increased the number to fifty, at which point he received a report. His son was seen in the next town working as a fisherman. When he decided to confront him personally, his son fled, and that was the last report he ever received. Despite the passage of ten years, there has been no sign of his son.

His wife advised him to forget about his son and simply consider him dead. But he didn't pay attention to her. He craves seeing his own son suffer as a result of him; he wants to see him suffer with his own eyes! He opened his cabinet and took his gun. His wife stares at the gun and then back at him.

"What are you going to do?" his wife asked, horrified. He turned away from her and grasped the doorknob, but before opening it, he cast a glance at his wife.

"I'm going to murder my own son with my own gun."

He never returned home for two years. Despite their bad relationship and experience with him, his wife never left the house and is still waiting for him to return.

He looked everywhere for his son and traveled all over the world to find him. Years had passed and he had not found his son. He later returns home, and his wife was overjoyed to see him; she took much better care of him than before, and she never said anything or specifically asked him about his goal. She simply stayed with him and cherished him.

Despite his wife's efforts, he never really looked at her the way she did. He was sitting on a bench outside their house one day when his wife approached him with a tray of food for him to eat. That was the only time he looked her in the eyes. When his wife met his gaze, she smiled, but he didn't feel anything. He is disgusted that he has a wife like her.

Of course, his wife was aware of it. She decided to end her relationship with him after a year of having him back.

"You are not deserving of me." She voiced out and left the house that she once called "home".

Just by glancing at her wife, who had eventually left him, he laughed.

"It took you long enough", he said, laughing maniacally. However, his chuckle didn't last very long. He thinks of his son as he observes his wife leave. He is outraged by it, and it has made him yearn to see his son in pain.

With great effort, he then started looking for his son once more. He was relieved to learn his son's whereabouts, but surprised to learn that he has been raising a family for nearly two decades. That was how long he had not seen him, he realized.

He murmured, "A family...huh," and his laughter filled the room.

It excites him to think that he will not only see his son suffer, but also his family.

The people of Santa Rosa are celebrating a local villager's success because he has been accepted to work in a city in London. The celebration is organized by the people of the village, which he greatly appreciates. They're having a party! Showing him how much they value him. He smiled at everyone he saw and gave hugs to some, but he stopped greeting others when he saw his friend Eleanor.

Eleanor waved at him and showed him the basket she was holding, which contained the bread she had made for him, as well as the people in the area. He waved back and excused himself from the crowd.

"I'm sure you'd do well," Eleanor said as soon as he approached. His brow furrowed in concentration.

"You know how I'm feeling right now," he admitted. Pertaining to how nervous he feels just by imagining him doing his work in London.

Eleanor pushed the basket she was holding onto his chest, which he quickly grabbed. Despite the fact that the basket was not heavy, she felt relieved to be free of it. Her gaze wandered around and she smiled at the people she saw.

"Benjamin, if you're not deserving of this opportunity, you won't get it," she said, returning her attention to his friend, Benjamin.

"I will definitely miss Santa Rosa," he said as he walked over to the table near them to place the basket he was holding.

Eleanor took a quick look at him and noticed that his friend was exhaling heavily. She gave him two shoulder taps while grinning at him.

"Of course, you have the option not to leave and go to London—-but, oh! The embarrassment and shame you'd feel when you announced this to them," Eleanor teased, looking around at the crowd, some of whom were engaged in their own conversations and others who were dancing and singing. Benjamin followed her gaze and looked at the crowd, he realized she had a point; if he did not pursue this opportunity, his family and friends' efforts would be meaningless and they would be disappointed.

Eleanor's friend saw her and Benjamin talking and rushed over to greet them. She gave Benjamin a warm hug, and Benjamin, of course, returned the hug.

"We will miss you," Harriet said between sobs. When he heard her sobbing, he broke the hug and hid behind Eleanor's back.

"Hide me from her runny nose!" he acted dramatically, hiding his body even more. Eleanor laughed at how ridiculous he is, a big man hiding in her petite body. Oh, please!

Harriet pouted and gave him a murderous look, and he then stopped acting silly and attended to her. Harriet's sobbing continues as Bejamin hugs her; Eleanor simply admires them and gently pats Harriet on the back. They grew up together, and they never imagined that one day they would all drift apart. Though Benjamin was the first to ascend, the rest of them knew that they would soon be on their own without them.

The party went on until midnight. Benjamin walks with his friends Eleanor and Harriet until they arrive at their respective houses. Harriet never stops crying, whereas Eleanor is always calm. Benjamin assured Harriet that he would always be in contact with them, which made her cry even harder.

"We don't have phones!" she exclaimed loudly.

Eleanor gave Benjamin a disapproving look. Benjamin raises both hands to admit defeat.

"You could always ask the Collins," he advised. Harriet immediately stopped crying when he mentioned the Collins. She said her goodbyes and thanked Benjamin for walking them home. She is the first to enter their home, while Eleanor stands motionless, staring at Benjamin.

Harriet had never been fond of the Collins. She despises how they look down on them; despite their wealth, they have no manners, which she despises.

Benjamin was taken aback. He realized what he had just said, but even though he knew Harriet would react negatively, he hopes Harriet will understand that he suggested it so that they could still have connections with each other, not the other way around.

"Let her be," Eleanor said, patting his shoulder. Benjamin gave a nod.

"Shall I buy you one?" he inquired, referring to the purchase of a phone. Eleanor took a moment to respond; having a phone will be extremely useful to them, but she is having second thoughts. Except for the Collins, no one has their own phone, but having one isn't a big deal.

Eleanor nodded, but before Benjamin could respond, she began speaking. "I will buy one...but I will pay for it. I want to own something that I worked hard for," she explained. Benjamin lets out a sigh and ruffles her hair.

"Of course, that's your personality." Then they both said their goodnights. Eleanor promised to accompany him tomorrow as he plans to buy his own phone, which Benjamin will need the most given that he will soon be living in a city.

So Benjamin and Eleanor go to town to get what they need. After three days, the time has come for Benjamin to leave their village. People passing through town can hear Harriet's cries. Benjamin's parents, as well as Eleanor and Harriet, accompanied him to the car he will use to travel to London.

Benjamin hushed Harriet and explained that he will only be gone until he has enough money to start his own family in Santa Rosa. Eleanor hugged him and told him to look after himself. He reminded Eleanor not to misplace the paper he had given her the previous time, which contained his phone number. Eleanor assured him.

It was difficult for Benjamin to turn his back on them. As he walked towards the car, he felt as if his childhood memories were fading; he was experiencing nostalgia at the time.

When the car began to move, he rolled down the window and waved at them, a tear falling from his eyes, and it hurt him to see his family and friends cry. He then closed his eyes and turned his gaze to the front, where his future lies.

Benjamin had been gone from the village for a month. They were all going about their daily lives. Harriet and Eleanor are busy baking bread for their bakery, the farmers are still harvesting and cropping, and nothing new has happened since then.

Not until a group of men arrived in their village, riding their own horses and dressed in opulent tuxedos. Their arrival caused the villagers to stop what they were doing and look up to them. The men were perplexed and found it creepy that they had to stay in a location unknown to others.

The men carried a distant aura with them; they all appeared cold and heartless. There are five of them, one of whom appears friendly but exudes a frightening aura. One of them is expressionless, and the others are similar to them.

"Santa Rosa" Antonio whispered to himself as he explore his gaze around the small house and stalls.

"Isn't this like the beginning of a movie?" Bartholomew asks his friends. The other guys mocked him for being ridiculous.

"What genre?" Conrad inquired.

"I'm not sure... But it's about cannibalism!"

People who were watching them began to disperse as they found it strange to see men dressed in tuxedos riding a horse. They think it's arrogant.

Mr. Richard Collins, who had heard about their arrival, decided to meet them. He got into his carriage and drove to where the group was. He put out his cigarette and greeted the guys when he arrived. The men jumped down from their horses and greeted him politely.

"Hello, sirs!" Mr. Collins greeted them with a forceful, energetic tone.

"Good day! I guess we're here to settle down for about a year?" Antonio said. Mr. Collins, despite his dislike for having strangers in his village, forced himself to accommodate them in their old house. The house is large, but the Collins' house is three times larger.

"This is our old house; make yourself at home, and don't forget to pay your bills when the time comes," Mr. Collins reminded before departing the men.

Mr. Collins, before leaving, cast a quick glance at the men, which made him suspicious of them, however, suspicious or not, he still earns money from their arrival.

Harriet goes to the market where the men were spotted after hearing such news. She followed them until they arrived at the Collins' old house. She laughs as she realizes the Collins are broke because they are now accepting borders in their old house to earn money. She was able to see them clearly after Mr. Collins left. She pretends to be looking for her dog, which does not exist, while staring at them.

"Max! Max!" Harriet yelled as she spied on the men, who she could clearly see because the door was completely open. The men turned their gaze towards Harriet, and so Harriet called for her pet that doesn't exist. She noticed something unusual about their presence when she saw them all.

"What are they up to?" Harriet whispered softly.

Her beloved sister Eleanor received the news from Harriet. Eleanor was already aware of Harriet's news, the men being the talk of the neighborhood. Eleanor, her sister, listened to her while expressing only a passing interest. Eleanor was intrigued by the men's arrival and also assumed that there must be a reason why they are here.

"Let's make more dough to make more bread, because we can earn money by working hard rather than talking about some men," Eleanor said after a deep sigh. Harriet notices that she is working hard because she has made a lot of dough! As a result, Harriet has decided to assist Eleanor.

"But they're suspicious," Harriet inquired.

"Indeed," Eleanor says, giving up on stopping her sister from talking any further. So Harriet kept talking while Eleanor listened but let her sister's words pass from one ear to the other.

The men began unpacking and decided to explore the small village. Women stare in awe at them simply by walking past them. Conrad is pleased with what he is seeing. He felt like a very attractive man as he walked around with his peasants. Richard noticed him with a smug expression on his face.

"What's up with your face?" he wondered as he came to a halt. The other men stopped walking as well, with Conrad being the last to do so. When he turned around to face them, he had a puzzled expression on his face.

"What?" He tried to sound confused, but instead came across as proud. Richard stared at him for a long time, his upper lip pursed and his eyes narrowed.

"Stop daydreaming, idiot!" Richard exclaimed, and the men and Conrad both laughed.

"OK, I won't!" said Conrad. The men teased him as they walked around the village. They came across a busy street and decided to buy items from the side of it. There is a bakery, a clothing store, and a store for fruits, vegetables, fresh meat, and seafood. They all split up because they were going to buy different things, but Henry reminded them that they were on a budget and could only buy what they needed.

"Bro, look around you... there are only three stores in here, and everything they sell is for our basic needs," Richard observed. Henry rolled his eyes and murmured 'whatever,' which Richard could hear, but Richard only laughed at him and left him to go to the clothing store, where he saw Conrad already there.

Conrad and Richard go shopping for clothes, Bartholomew goes grocery shopping, and Antonio goes to the bakery.

Henry became bored while watching his friends spend their money, so he decided to assist Bartholomew in purchasing food to pass the time.

"And I remember how Benjamin hasn't eaten anything since he had consumed a lot of the bread you try making," Harriet recalls a time when they were young and Eleanor developed a passion for baking breads. They both remembered that exact moment and laughed as they made more dough.

"But, you see, I've improved a lot," Eleanor defends herself. Harriet snorted as she placed the dough in the oven.

"Of course! You do! The people in this village will not buy our breads if they aren't tasty enough to make them spend their own money on it." Antonio overheard their conversation and decided to add his comment.

"Is it really?" he asked himself, sounding as if he was asking Harriet and Eleanor. The siblings looked at him with a dismayed expression on their faces. They both despised being interrupted during their girl talk!

Antonio decided to ignore their stares and scanned the breads they were selling, he couldn't decide what to buy, so he turned his gaze to Eleanor as Harriet had just left to check the bread in the oven.

Eleanor kept making dough, completely oblivious to Antonio's gaze.

"Which can you recommend me?" he asked, and Eleanor raised her head to look at him and think for a moment.

"I'd recommend something that people frequently buy," she says, wiping sweat from her brow and adjusting herself. She finished the dough and asked Harriet to go get the rest of them and put them in the oven. Antonio arched his brow and nodded, forcing Eleanor to finish what she was about to say. She dusted herself off and went to see Antonio.

"A loaf," she said as she went to get a paper bag to put the loaf in. She then handed him the paper bag, which he grabbed and looked into her eyes.

"How much?" he inquired. Eleanor simply smiled.

"For free. Welcome to Santa Rosa!" she exclaimed cheerfully. Despite his hesitation, Antonio smiled back and thanked her in the most genuine way he could. After that, Antonio left, and Eleanor attended to other buyers who arrived after Antonio.

"Who was that?" Harriet inquired. Eleanor took a moment to respond because she was busy entertaining her customers.

"One of the men who just moved here," Eleanor replied between breaths.

Harriet furrowed her brows. "One of the men? You didn't ask him his name?" exclaimed Harriet. Of course, seeing Harriet so enraged and irritated caused Eleanor to stop arranging breads and stare at her sister. Eleanor undoubtedly felt something, which caused her to cry for a brief moment.

"Is it time?" Eleanor inquired, and Harriet became perplexed, asking her what she was on about.

"The time when you—-my sister—-finally felt the strong urge to love someone?" Eleanor asked dramatically, making Harriet cringe. Harriet dislikes the word "love," especially when it refers to someone she has just met.

"Absurd! I was just curious, and I haven't even had the opportunity to speak with them," Harriet defended. They spent the rest of the day arguing, and Eleanor teased her sister even more.

The men return home and decide to gather around the dining table to decide where they will sleep.

"There's no doubt that I should take the master's bedroom!" Conrad took advantage of the opportunity to get the room that the majority of them preferred. Of course, the other men do not find it acceptable to simply leave him alone. As a result, everyone decided to play rock-paper-scissors.

It's Henry vs. Conrad for the master's bedroom. Bartholomew vs. Richard, fighting for a single room. And because Antonio skipped, he automatically gets the smallest room. He wanted to get the master's bedroom, but when he saw his friends fighting and making a big deal about it, he decided to back down and take whatever was available because he desperately needed to rest, leaving his friends still fighting and playing the game.

Henry loses because Conrad shoots paper and Henry shoots rock.

Richard loses when Bartholomew shoots scissors and Richard shoots paper.

"AHHHH! I WON!" Conrad exclaimed as he ran around the kitchen with both arms raised in triumph. With a smug expression on his face, Bartholomew patted himself on the back. Richard and Henry, the losers, stared at each other for at least ten seconds before walking to each other and punching the air together.

"I can't believe we've lost to the real losers," Richard sobbed. They ended up sharing a room despite having separate beds. They all got the rest they needed, with the only difference being that Conrad and Bartholomew are sleeping with victory written on their faces, so happy that they've dreamed of winning every game they play.

The Collins family is currently eating dinner at their large dining table in their mansion. The table is so large that they are too far apart to talk... when you speak, you must be loud and clear; otherwise, you will go unheard. Mr. and Mrs. Collins are conversing loudly about the men who have just arrived in their village.

"Why are they here?" inquires Mrs. Collins. The question appears to be the most popular in the village. No one speaks after Mrs Collins, and all you can hear is the clash of their spoons and forks on their plates. Bethy, on the other hand, is listening intently to her parents' conversation.

"They wanted to see what it's like to live in our village," Mr. Collins said coldly, sounding disinterested and unbothered.

"Absolutely ridiculous! They must be up to something—"

"Then figure it out for yourself," Mr. Collins interrupted. She appears to be offended, but her lips are pursed and her gaze is fixed on her food. Bethy witnessed her mother's reaction, but she is incapable of altering it. She decided to finish her food quickly in order to escape her parents' cold atmosphere.

"I'll be having a party tomorrow evening; both of you better get ready," Mr. Collins said, breaking the stunned silence. Bethy put down her fork and sipped from her juice cup. Mrs. Collins exclaimed and stood up, clasping her hands together and staring at her husband with mad eyes.

"What now?" She expresses her displeasure with her husband's sudden decision.

Mr. Collins, on the other hand, remained unconcerned. He wants to get to know the guys better, so he'll throw a party for them, a welcome party.

"Stop misbehaving, woman," he said as he walked away from the table.

With anger still visible on her face, she stomped down to her chair and finished her meal. She cursed heaven and hell, she dislikes being treated this way, but she loves her husband and their daughter, and there will be no other happiness if she follows her heart and leaves them both alone. Norman, their Irish wolfhound, approached her and placed his paw on her legs. He looks up to her with sad but sparkling eyes, which calmed her down and caused her fast breathing to slow down.

Bethy excused herself and returned to her room. She wanted to cuddle with Norman, but he seems to know who needs him the most right now. She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, imagining what she would do if she was brave enough to express herself in front of her parents.

"I will definitely slay suggesting a much better option than having a welcome party for those strangers!" She twitched her upper lip as she said those words.

"Grace! Go tell our new people that we're throwing a welcome party for them!" Mr. Collins yelled to Grace, their maid. Bethy heard her father's order; his voice appeared to be outside their house, and his father appeared to be in their garden. She rose from her bed and peered through her window, where she saw their maid panicking in response to her father's order.

"Yes, sir!" Grace rushes over to the newcomers' cabins.

Antonio was awakened by a loud knock on their front door. He is the only one sleeping in the first-floor room; the other rooms are all on the second floor. The knock persisted despite his decision to ignore it. With his eyes still closed, he got out of bed and hit his head against the room's ceiling, which completely roused him.

He rubbed the area where his head had been bumped, muttering, "Darn it" He opened the door with his ruffled hair and pissed face, and there stood an unknown woman. Grace apologized for disturbing his sleep and bowed slightly.

"Mr. Collins wanted me to let you know that he will be throwing a dinner party for all of you tomorrow."

To check his watch, Antonio raised his wrist. His brow furrows. "Really? At nine o'clock?" he asked. Grace apologized once more. When Antonio realized that the woman in front of him was only being ordered to, he stopped staring at her and decided to stop being so agitated.

He asked, "Have you no phones in here? You can just call us and leave a message." Grace gave a slow headshake.

She defended, saying, "We wanted to rely on ourselves rather than relying on technology. Here in Santa Rosa, we do not accept much technology." Although Antonio gave her statement some thought, his face still shows confusion.

"Right, I'll tell the others what you told me, thank you," Antonio said, referring to the aforementioned party and completely ignoring the statement that people in Santa Rosa do not use much technology.