Chapter 33: Let’s Talk Over The Food
At the same time, Max was tossing and turning on a narrow bed in a basement. The only light was an old-style fluorescent tube, which gave out eerie white light, accompanied by the electric current’s hissing.
Among the graffiti on the mottled wall, one could identify some bloodstains. And at the lowest part along the floor, there were four lines scratched by fingernails.
It was the fourth day today.
The door opened, and a teenager with hair dyed in various colors walked in. He scanned the dish on the floor and said, “Going on hunger strike, huh?” And then he looked to the man on the bed and made sure he was still breathing, he retreated and slammed the door from outside.
Max sighed. He would like to die to save the trouble for his sister. What would Kate do to help him? He didn’t dare to imagine.
In the cruel reality, he really experienced the feeling of being feeble. In front of money and violence, everything was useless.
There was some noise outside, and the door was opened again. “Get up, college student!”
It was not colorful hair this time. Max turned his head to see it was the head. He saw him the first day he came, a vicious guy. And beside him, there was another guy with curly hair. He had a cigarette between his lips and looked at Max with a faint smile.
The head waved at Max and said, “You can go now.”
Max sat up straight and put on his shoes, and rushed to the door. “Who are you? Where is my sister?”
Curly-hair took out the cigarette and said lazily, “You will see her later.” He then scanned him and said, “You don’t want to wash your face? You will scare her with this face.”
Max was burning with anxiety, but he followed Curly-hair’s instructions and took a shower in the bathroom, and brushed his teeth. Interestingly, Curly-hair produced a new suit for him- a branded one, but he put on his own wrinkled and stinky clothes and came out.
When Max got downstairs, he was in time to witness Curly-hair open the big envelope passed to him by his guy and pull out the stacks of cash and throw it on the coffee table. “They are all here. One hundred thousand. That is it.”
The head pushed back the envelope to Curly-hair on the table and said, “Ed, you are looking down on us. We cannot take your money.”
Curly-hair waved his hand. “Just take them. Isn’t your guy still lying in the ICU? If he couldn’t make it, don’t forget to call me. I will pick a fine headstone for him.”
The guy chuckled awkwardly. “You are joking, Ed. He doesn’t dare to die without your order.”
Curly-hair wasted no more time with him and rose up, signaling Max to follow. “Let us go, son.”
When the car started, Max could see from the rearview mirror the guys were still standing behind, waving the hands.
Max drew his eyes to curly-hair and said, “Where is my sister?”
Curly-hair exhaled the smoke and said, “You are the student of LACC?”
Max gave an almost inaudible yes.
“Do you know about Cherry Ball?”
“No.”
“My girlfriend. She is a student at your school. Sophomore, Finance Department.” Curly-hair exhaled the smoke and added, “Doing good at school but better at shopping.”
Max saw it was not possible to learn anything about his sister from this guy, so he turned his head to the window.
Ed laughed. “Blockhead like your sister.”
Heard him mention his sister, Max turned back to him again. Ed shrugged his shoulders, “Your sister is still in one piece. Not hairless. We are going to see her. See it yourself.”
But he added viciously inside, at most a piece of skinless down there.
In the private compartment of the restaurant, the food was served, and dishes covered almost all the big tables.
Kate felt her body become numb after the long hours of sitting. That man was now watching finance programs leisurely. She didn’t know what was going on with all this today.
Suddenly the door was open, and she raised her face from her meditation and saw Max at the door. She jumped up with surprise and joy and Max also rushed to her with reddened eyes and cried out “Kate-”
Kate hugged him and could not say a word. She released him and looked close to his face, touched his face and examined him, and asked quickly, “Did they beat you?”
Max shook his head.
Ed coughed to interrupt them. “Hey. I say, sister and brother got reunited. Don’t forget to thank the person who helped you.”Content © provided by NôvelDrama.Org.
Kate turned back and looked at him and said sincerely, “Thank you.”
Ed laughed, and his eyes signaled the man aside. “You thanked the wrong person!”
Kate turned again and said clearly, “Mr. Fox, thank you.”
Her tone was polite and detached. Until now, Max found the man imposing, and he couldn’t help feeling alert to him.
Tristan said tastefully, “Good as long as you are OK.” And then he asked everyone to sit down, “Let’s talk over the food.”