Regression - Second Chance At Life

Chapter 266: Not So Much Of A Narcissist

Adam sat down before a fountain that was in the middle of the mall, staring at it as he went over everything that just happened.

Seeing that man give up on everything just to matter, even though his actions were evil, is making Adam contemplate his past, realizing just how close he was to becoming just like that man.

If not for his own self-induced isolation and stumbling upon nihilistic philosophy, he would have done something similar.

Beliving than nothing matters really helped him ignore all the self-hatred he felt for himself and also everything around him, his house, the people he worked with, and also the hatred he carried along for Julia his whole life.

And he had no other choice but to do so. He was already in his late 40s, fat, ugly, living in a rundown neighborhood, fucking prostitutes and drinking himself to sleep.

Could he have changed? Yes. Did he? No. As much as his nihilism helped him not go down a very dark path, it also stopped him from creating a better life for himself.

But then, a miracle happened. He regressed and became a younger version of himself again. He now has a chance to relieve his life again and live it better than ever.

His nihilism immediately disappeared because it held no value to his circumstances anymore, and now, without his nihilism, his suppressed anger returned, but only for a second.

His anger, too, was a product of what happened to him; his regression put him in a time before everything happened that led to his ruined life.

So Adam begins wondering, why is he holding on to all this anger when the events that caused it haven’t even happened?

Should he just let go of it? Adam pondered while staring at the water fountain.

It didn’t take long for Adam to realize what he truly feels. The anger he felt for himself? It’s useless to keep holding onto it because it doesn’t matter anymore.

His life is not fucked up anymore. In fact, it’s better than it ever was.

But the anger he felt for the people who caused his ruin? That he can’t let go. He might be a bitter person for thinking so, but he never claimed to be a good man.

He is who he is, a selfish, vengeful man who wants what he wants.

”Umm,” As he was making peace with himself, Adam noticed someone approaching him.

He turns his head and sees it’s the guy he met at the computer store. Bart.

”Bart, right? What’s up?” Adam asks, wondering what this dude wants.

”Um... I just wanted to... thank you for what you did out there,” Bart says, sounding very nervous.

Adam looks at Bart, feeling a little weirded out.

”Why are you thanking me? I didn’t save you,” Adam says.

”Umm... Yes... I just thought that... at least someone should thank you for what you did,” Bart says, scratching the back of his head.

Adam looks at Bart but doesn’t know how to feel. After all, he didn’t really save that girl for the sake of saving that girl. No. All he wanted to do was stop that guy from doing what he was about to because, in a way, Adam saw himself in that guy.

Adam didn’t want to see a version of him do the worst possible thing.

”It’s okay. I did what anyone in my position would do,” Adam says and gets up, ready to leave.

He turns his back to Bart and starts walking away, while Bart just stands there watching Adam leave with a complicated gaze, wondering if he should follow or not.

Bart is not usually someone who goes out of his way to talk to people, but he did to Adam, because Adam saved the girl he loved the most in the world, even if the girl has no idea who he really is.

Clenching his jaw, Bart chases after Adam once again, to at least know a little about his love’s savior so that he can repay him.

”Wait!” He calls for Adam, making Adam stop and turn to look at Bart again.

Adam sees Bart jog up to him. Now Adam is feeling weirded out. What does this guy want from him?

”What is it?” Adam asks.

”With everything that happened, I am sure the police will be called... I was just wondering if there is any way for me to contact you if the police ask for you,” Bart says, using the incident as an excuse to find a way to contact Adam.

Adam scrunches his brows. He does realize that his actions will definitely attract the attention of law enforcement, as a very serious crime was about to happen if he hadn’t intervened.

He walked out of there to clear his mind, forgetting that things are not over yet. He sighs, looking at Bart. Adam doesn’t want to go back in there right now, as there might be too many people, which will result in him getting too much attention, and Adam doesn’t want that right now.

”Here, this is my Fastgram account. You can message me if any complication rises up,” Adam says, showing Bart his social media account, as he doesn’t have any intention to give his personal contact number to a guy he just met.

Bart quickly follows Adam on Fastgram.

”I think I should take my leave now, unless there is something else you want to talk about,” Adam says, looking at Bart.

Bart shakes his head in denial.

”Well then, goodbye. It was nice meeting you, Bart,” Adam says and leaves. This time, Bart doesn’t stop him.

Instead, he looks at Adam’s account to find nothing in it. It’s just a simple account with a few followers and no photos or videos on it.

Bart thought someone like Adam would have a bustling social media account, given his looks and stature, but he guessed wrong.

Bart looks at Adam’s feeling figure again, feeling in awe because if he were in Adam’s place, he would currently be basking in glory, talking to Illian, who would probably be fawning over him for saving her, while people around would be praising him for his heroic action.

But Adam did none of that. He just walked away after pulling an amazing heroic act as if it were just another day in his life. Bart thought men like Adam only existed in stories, but he has now seen one in real life.

Of course, Bart is completely making all this up in his head, picturing Adam as this heroic figure who should be looked up to, but in reality, Adam only did what he did on impulse.

No longer being bothered, Adam decides to explore the other parts of the mall, just like he intended to do when he came here. That whole computer store debacle came completely out of nowhere.

’Fuck... I forgot to grab myself those latest PC components,’ Adam thought as that commotion completely took his mind off the thing he wanted to do, buy stuff.

’It’s for the best, I guess... Even the universe doesn’t want me to be frugal,’ Adam thinks as he continues to walk around the mall.

As he walks around, he does hear a few people talking about the incident that happened in the computer store, as word got around pretty fast.

Hearing people talk about him as if he were some amazing hero, praising his actions as to how he stepped in to save a girl out of nowhere, and then just leaving without saying a word, Adam couldn’t help but cringe as he listened to these people exaggerating what he did.

He just ran and kicked the guy’s hand into a screen, nothing else. But the rumors already seem to be getting out of hand as some people are claiming that he leaped froged into the air, did a three sixty degree spin, and then kicked the attacker in the face. This was just one of the many versions Adam just heard.

Adam decided to get as far away from this area as possible, as he doesn’t want to listen to more twisted and exggerated version of the events, painting him in an increasingly more heroic light.

For all the arrogance and narcissism that Adam thinks he has, he realized that he doesn’t like being praised at all, especially if it’s something good. He felt very uncomfortable about it.

After all, Adam never experienced anything like this before in his past life. Everyone he knew only looked down on him and insulted him.

’Looks like I am not that big of a narcissist as I thought I was,’ Adam thinks as he arrives at the other side of the mall, which is dedicated to fashion brands.

Everywhere Adam looks, he sees luxury brand stores selling all sorts of designer items, from clothing to fashion accessories.

As Adam looks at these brands, he thinks of buying a few things, both for himself and Isla.

After all, he has made Isla his girlfriend, so the least she deserves is special treatment from him compared to other girls in his life.

And so, he makes his way towards one of the very well-known luxury brands in the world.

Laurent Stains - A fashion brand that started about three hundred years ago, making guns for wars, and now they sell people clothes and other luxury items.

Adam knows about this brand because he owns a few things from them as well, like the perfume he wore for his date with Isla.

As soon as he walks in, he is greeted by an amazing smell in the air before being immediately approached by a beautiful saleswoman.