A wave of chuckles rippled through the Pit mbers the mont they heard the na.
"Enough!" Wolf barked, instantly silencing them.
"Any na, no matter what it sounds like, deserves respect. It might sound stupid today, but tomorrow, it could be a na none of you would dare to speak aloud."
The na Max had chosen was more than just a title, it was a reflection of what he was going through.
He needed to accept his new life and use everything in it to his advantage.
What stuck with him most was the amount of wealth he had at his fingertips, and the way he intended to use it to build a new empire.
That wealth had co from his bloodline, so mixing the two ideas together felt perfect for this new beginning.
"Hey… wouldn't it have been better if he, like, brainstord the na with us first?" Joe asked. "And wait, are we officially part of this Billionaire Bloodline too? Are we, like, a crew now?"
For soone like Joe, who'd just been another delinquent under Ko, the whole thing actually sounded... exciting. Being here in front of a real gang was terrifying at first, but now? Now it felt like he was living out the version of life most delinquents only fantasized about.
In a way, school had just been a smaller, safer version of the real underworld waiting outside its gates.
"Billionaire Bloodline, huh? Makes us sound like so high-class crew..." Steven said, raising an eyebrow. "And I'm anything but wealthy."
"Haha! Yeah, if you made a gang, it'd be called the Broke Bloodline," Joe laughed.
He was imdiately rewarded with a slap to the back of the head from Steven.
"Alright," Wolf said, rising to his feet. He looked serious now, ready to move. "From here on out, The Pit agrees to work with the Billionaire Bloodline for this task."
"It's okay, I'll co to you," Max said. "I need to send over that deposit paynt anyway."
As Max stepped toward Wolf, Aron instinctively followed, but Max turned back, raising a hand to stop him.
"It's fine," Max said calmly. "I'll sort this out. We need to show there's a level of trust between us. If they break that trust, they'll ruin their own reputation. No one would work with them again, and they'd spend the rest of their lives stuck dealing in petty cri, stealing and selling car parts just to survive."
So of the Pit mbers grunted, muttering complaints under their breath, but they knew he wasn't wrong.
When Max reached Wolf, he sat down on the battered sofa and extended his hand. Wolf accepted it, sealing the deal with a firm handshake.
The two of them continued talking as Max pulled out his phone, requesting Wolf's paynt details to send over the agreed deposit.
While that was happening, Aron turned his gaze back toward Joe and Steven, who, as always were still bickering between themselves.
Eventually, Aron walked over to them.
"Hey, good job ssing those two people up earlier," Steven said, offering a nod. "I think that might've been what stopped the whole fight from spiraling. I'm still not happy about you cheating in our match, but credit where credit's due."
"Don't suck up to him," Joe chid in. "He's not the one handing out the money."
Steven clenched his teeth, but reminded himself, they're just kids... immature kids.
"It was just nice seeing soone else on the receiving end of your attacks for once," Steven muttered.
"You're also quite talented," Aron replied, his tone sincere. "I believe it will be beneficial for you to continue teaching your student, for Max's sake."
Out of everyone there, there was only one person who could protect Max while he was at school, and that was Joe. There would be tis when Max might need an ally on the inside, which was why he'd chosen his words carefully.
"There's sothing else I wanted to ask you," Max said. "Do you study Russian at your school?"
"Russian...? Not that I know of. Maybe a bit of Spanish... or was it French?" Joe shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, no one pays attention in those language classes."
"You don't say... I wonder how he managed to speak it then. Maybe he's just watched too many movies or sothing," Steven replied.
The question Steven asked was the sa one Aron had been silently pondering. A man with no mory suddenly able to speak Russian? Knowing about this hidden location in a city he barely visited?
Had so much happened to Max that Aron didn't know about? And if that was the case, was Max really telling the truth about his amnesia?
Because the more Max talked... the more things weren't adding up.
Back at the makeshift sofa, Max had just finished exchanging details with Wolf. Two things had been completed. First, the deposit paynt had been transferred with ease.
Second was the exchange of contact information.
That part was crucial, especially since they were operating between different cities. Now Max had Wolf's number, and vice versa.
"So, you're planning to strike this weekend?" Wolf asked, leaning back.
"Send us a ssage the day before. Nothing should co up, but just in case you need to abort, we'll hold position."
"We'll et you at the train station and go from there. Is this everyone you have?" Max asked, scanning the group.
"It is. Ten people," Wolf confird. "Though one's been injured... a little too much. Will that be enough?"
"Depends on how strong you are," Max joked, and it actually got a small smile out of Wolf.
Still, as Wolf looked at the young man sitting across from him, sothing didn't quite add up. His body, his presence, it didn't match his mannerisms at all. And the way he spoke... it didn't feel like he was talking to a high school student.
Then, in the middle of that thought, Max interrupted.
"There was sothing else I wanted to ask you," Max said, his tone shifting slightly.
There was a reason, a very specific reason that out of all the groups he could have chosen, Max had picked this one in particular.
"I want to ask you about the White Tigers."
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