Chapter 214 - 17: Let’s Talk Over The Food

At the same time, Max was tossing and turning on a narrow bed in a bas.e.m.e.nt. 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 could 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 the 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 instruction 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 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 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.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%E2%80%99s-talk-over-the-food_51698075286167773">#%E2%80%99s-talk-over-the-food_51698075286167773</a> for visiting.

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."

Kate turned back and looked at him and said sincerely, "Thank you."

Ed laughed, and his eyes signaled to 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."

***

Ed tapped Max on the shoulder and said, "Go sit over there. See, Boss is so nice to give us a treat."

The sister and brother were both startled. One felt embarrassed, and the other wailed inside.

Tristan smiled and added lightly, "I have told you how many times not to call my boss all the time."

Ed patted his head and said, "Right. Sorry." And he turned to Max, who was stiffened. "Let me introduce you. This is my boss, CEO of Chasin Group, Mr. Fox, Tristan Fox."

Max was astonished. Chasin, everyone in LA knew it. He had not been in LA for long, but he also heard about it many times here and there.

He had to look at him with new eyes, but at the same time, the haze inside him grew thicker. He stole a look at his sister from the corners of his eyes.

Tristan stood up and reached his hand to him. Even while suspicious, Max stepped forward to stretch his hand out to shake with him. "Hi. I am Max White."

"Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Fox. I should pay you back someday."

Tristan smiled when he took his hand back. "I have known your sister for some time. And it was not a big deal. So don't take it too seriously."

As he said, he touched Kate on her back, and Kate's back stiffened. She did not dare look at her brother, but she could feel that he was looking at her.

Both the sister and brother were preoccupied, and despite the food as exquisite as pieces of arts, they tasted like cotton. In order to defuse the awkward atmosphere, Ed tried to ask them to have wine. He made fun of Max. "Max, are you old enough to have alcohol?"

Tristan asked Max some questions about his major and school work. He looked like he was half an expert in that field. Max answered his questions carefully in a polite but detached manner.

Tristan didn't eat much either, but he kept asking Kate to eat this and that, appraised the chef of the restaurant, and stated that he planned to draw him in… Both the tone and the content of his words made Kate speechless.

The atmosphere seemed peaceful, but there was something simmering below the surface. When Tristan went out to have a call and Ed left for the toilet, the sister and brother finally got a chance to be alone.

Max said, "Kate…"

He looked at Kate's eyes and panicked. He was overwhelmed with all kinds of doubts and conjectures, but he could not utter a word. How could he ask his sister what that man had to do with you, why he helped us, what deal you had with him?

He was afraid of asking the questions, and he was even more afraid to hear the answers. And it would be an insult and injury to his sister. He felt he had changed to a totally different disposition in the past four days. He had become cowardly and hypocritical.

He clenched his fists under the table. His sister seemed to read his mind and moved to sit by him. She held his hand and said gently, "Max, don't worry about me. I am OK. We are all OK now."

Max collapsed and said chokingly, "Kate, I am sorry."

Kate patted his back, stroked his hair, and comforted him. "I am your sister. Don't say that." She also had tears in her eyes.

At this moment, the door was pushed open a little but soon closed again.

Ed retreated outside and muttered, "Is this family of the year?" He turned back to see his boss shrugging his shoulders. He explained, "It is not done yet."

Tristan didn't reply to him but turned to the window and smoked. After exhaling smoke, he asked, "Do you envy them?"

Ed startled. "Envy who? The black sheep?"

Tristan seemed to be speaking to himself, "The bond of the family."

Ed turned his lips down. "Not every family is like them. They are blockheads."

Tristan laughed. After a while, he said, "I haven't been to the sanatorium for quite a long time. I will go tomorrow."

And after that, he extinguished the cigarette and stood by the window and focused on the view outside. The sky formed a golden tent with the setting sun. The city was also dyed with this golden color that disguised its true appearance.

When they got out of the restaurant, it was all dark.

They sent Max back to school first. When he parted with his sister at the gate of the school, he looked at her in despair as if she would be executed afterward.

That was Ed's observation. And Ed also had brainstormed about the scene of the sister in the execution room. Hopefully, she could at least keep her corpse in one piece.

Kate looked placid, though, or was at least pretending to be.

When they drove to the alley where Kate's apartment building was located, Ed said, "Here it is. The car cannot go further. There are steps."

Kate said, "OK. I will get off here."

Tristan looked at the pitched dark alley and said, "I will go with you."

Kate's hand, which had already reached the car door, trembled slightly, and she pushed the door open without a word.