" Who's Paolo Bronte? "
Jennifer drove the car as fast as she could and, hearing the question from Max, her hand trembled slightly. Then a deep sigh escaped her mouth.
" An Italian gangster, ex-husband of my sister "
" Did he do anything to you? "
" No… No, no no "
Jennifer looked more concerned that Max might misunderstand something, so she shook her head vehemently. Max, seeing her shake her head, finally sat back and relaxed. His body was trembling slightly. He understood it was because his adrenaline was wearing off.
Wait? I can come here to use my palladium card. If gangsters are living here, that means illicit money will be lying around for me to convert. And there's nothing money can't solve. Even helping her might eventually need money.
Max internally thought. The card still had about six days before it could be used again. Jennifer, seeing Max calming down, was not sure what he was thinking. Seeing him today, she finally realized how desperately and hopelessly she was in love with him. She even prayed to God for his safety when he went to fight those thugs.
I don't even believe in God.
*RING-RING*
Jennifer's phone rang suddenly, pulling both of them out of their thoughts. Jennifer tried to grab her phone, but it was shaking so badly that Max was shocked. She was literally holding the steering wheel to steady her hand.
Max picked it up and saw 'Paolo' was calling, so he looked at Jennifer, who was too terrified to even talk at this moment. Max simply swiped to answer and put it on speaker.
" Sister Jennifer, I thought we had a fucking deal!! "
As soon as Max put the phone on speaker, a thick Italian-accented German voice came through. Jennifer suddenly started crying. She looked like she had messed something up, which made Max so confused that he had no idea what was going on.
" Hey buddy, I don't know what's going on, but your boys were harassing her, so you need to calm the fuck down "
Seeing there was no way Jennifer was going to talk, Max interjected. Hearing his voice, Paolo didn't speak for a few seconds. There was an eerie silence in the car, with only Jennifer's sniffing sound in the background.
" You're the boy who beat up my men? Interesting. Usually you'd be dead within two days, but you did the right thing. They deserved it. Even I treat her with respect, how dare they? You two lovebirds talk about the deal, and I'll need €50,000 more for my man's hospital bill "
" What? !! "
" Welcome to the family, Amico "
*BEEP-BEEP*
Max had so many questions, but Jennifer was in no state to talk, so he just took a deep breath and leaned back. He understood there was some kind of deal between Jennifer and this Paolo. The deal involved a huge amount of money, because Paolo added €50,000 on top of it like it was nothing.
" Stop it there, I am hungry and need to drink some water too "
Max pointed at a local restaurant. Jennifer nodded her head, wiped the tears from her face, and turned the indicator on. Slowly parking beside the restaurant, both of them got out and sat down. Jennifer did relax a bit in a public place. It made her feel somewhat safe.
" Bring us two roasted ducks, with two sparkling waters, then Kaiserschmarrn as dessert "
Max ordered while Jennifer went to the washroom. She didn't talk much after she sat down. She just told him her phone was stolen at the university, so that's why she couldn't call or receive his calls.
[Special Mission: Help out Jennifer from her immediate crisis]
[Fixed Reward: Palladium Credit Card Upgrade, Charisma Increase by 15+ Status Point. (Permanent)]
A flashy system pop-up appeared in front of him. This one was slightly different from the usual calm ones. This one felt like one of those hidden quests you stumble upon while playing, not a side mission and definitely not a main mission.
Damn! Card upgrade will be nice, but charisma again? It will make me more eye-catching, tch!
As he dismissed the pop-up, Jennifer came back with a slightly wet face, and when she sat down, a smile bloomed on her face.
" Why are you smiling? "
Max, seeing her broad smile, asked. She was terrified when she left for the washroom, but what happened in there to make her smile like that?
" Nothing, just remembered how you made a K-Drama-like entry and rescued me. I hadn't thought you could fight like this "
Jennifer smiled as she pulled out a tissue from her bag and wiped her face. Max narrowed his eyes a little when he heard 'K-Drama'.
" What's K-Drama? "
" Oh? It's Korean drama. It's very romantic "
Max tilted his head. He realized he was actually very odd, or way less into the internet than he thought. Olivia, Finn, and Maya were also talking about something called 6, 7, and how different teens and tweens are nowadays.
What does "tween" even mean?
" Well, forget that, tell me about Bronte, I will help you out as much as I can "
" I… sigh… you're involved anyway. But you didn't ask what I did or if it's too dangerous. You're going to help me either way, huh? You're quite brave. What was the move you used back then? "
Jennifer smiled as a soft pink blush spread across her face when she remembered how dashing Max had looked moving through those thugs, fast and calm like it was nothing.
" Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I learned it in the orphanage to defend myself "
" Oh? That's very impressive… Can I touch your… "
Hearing he knew something so rare, Jennifer's eyes gleamed with interest. Max was seated with his elbow resting on the table, and his sleeve pulled tight around his arm. His biceps were firm and clearly shaped, quietly showing how built he was, something people usually didn't notice at first glance.
" Sure, as long as you tell me what's going on with Bronte? "
" Well, he was my sister's husband. He runs a drug syndicate… wow "
Jennifer tried to touch his bicep, but he was a little too far from her reach. Max quietly moved his chair closer and sat beside her, letting her feel his arm while he listened to her story. As soon as her fingers brushed against his arm, it felt firm and solid. She blinked, a little surprised, then couldn't stop herself from smiling.
" Continue, please "
" Y… yeah, so he runs a big drug syndicate. He also has strong influence in politics. My sister is in jail because she stole his cocaine and got caught. Or to say it clearly, she took a huge bag of cocaine and got caught while trying to flee Germany. He divorced her but didn't kill her because of their daughter, my niece. But he still wants his money "
" How much? How much does he want? "
" Well, he said he was being lenient. He wants €800,000. I plan to sell my car, take out the house deposit, and use my small savings. That's around €320,000. Then I'll take a loan on my professor's salary for the rest. Don't worry, I'll add the extra €50,000 on your behalf as well "
Jennifer kept smiling as she tried to squeeze his arm, but it didn't budge at all. She almost wanted to tear his jacket off just to feel it better, but she kept reminding herself she was in public. Hearing what she planned to do, Max pulled his hand out of her grip with an annoyed face.