A Force Love Contract With GANG LEADER

The next day Kate saw Max. He was gaunt and melancholy. His changes made her feel pain inside.

Sitting on a bench on the campus, looking at Ed standing by the car in the distance and seeing Kate, who was wearing new clothes, Max asked carefully, “Kate, now you and that man live together?”

Kate nodded.

“Sorry,” Max said sorrowfully.

“Don’t say that. Everything will be over soon.” She used these words that she wasn’t even sure of herself to comfort her brother. The term three years emerged in her mind.

“Is he good to you?”

She nodded.

“Does he have a family?”

She was startled. She never thought of that. Maybe. She remembered seeing the ring on his finger, but he hadn’t worn it recently. She was not sure when he stopped wearing it.

Max sighed, “I searched online. No valuable information is found about him. He is mysterious.”

The clamor on the football field was in contrast with the silence of the brother and sister.

After some time, Max took Kate to their canteen and bought one of Kate’s favorite foods: pumpkin chowder. Sitting at the table next to them were some boisterous students. They were gossiping and laughing, which made Kate and Max’s table seem extremely quiet by comparison.

After a while, Kate found the girls at that table stole a look at Max frequently. She said with surprise, “They are checking you out.”

Max blushed and said, “Stupid girls. Maniacs.” From his tone, this was not unusual to him.

Kate laughed, and the depression on her face was assuaged. They talked casually while eating. Talking about her life now, Kate accidentally mentioned that she was staying idle without going to work.

Max said, “He will not let you go to work?”

“No.”

“It is too much!”

Kate smiled, “Now I have time to read some books. I didn’t have time before.”

“Then does he agree you should go to college?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Kate didn’t reply. She didn’t dare to mention it to him. “I can learn by myself.”

Max felt sorry for her seeing her downplay it. He suggested, “I can take you to the library. You can find any books you want.”

Kate had both expectations and worries. “Will it be okay?”

Max suppressed his sorrow and said, “Of course it is okay. I will get a library card for you.”

At dusk, two men were sitting at the table in the front yard playing chess. The sunlight fell on the red geraniums and the swing on the porch.

Jessie brought the fruit salad and asked, “Tie game?”

Tristan said, “Donald took pity on me.”

Donald Harderson laughed. “It is delightful!” He took a sip of the tea and said

“Tristan’s skill is admirable. He is a good rival of mine.”

Tristan said with respect, “I just learned a little from my father. My skill cannot compare with you.”

“Oh. How is your father?” Donald was interested.

“My father passed away many years ago,” Tristan said seriously.

Donald sighed. “It is a pity. I would like to play with him if I could.”

“I heard that you were in the army before. My father was in the army before. He learned to play chess from his bunkmates.”

Donald nodded. “It was good in the army. We had training in the daytime. In the evening, when we had time, we played chess and even gambled on it. Who lost had to do laundry for the winner.”

The two people who were listening laughed, but the person who spoke sank into meditation and had some loneliness in his eyes.

Fifteen minutes later, Tristan stood up and said goodbye to them.

Jessie walked with him to the gate. She said with pride, “I told you you would hit it off with my dad.”

Tristan didn’t reply. He took out his cigarette and lighter and lit it. He took a deep smoke of it.

Jessie was surprised, “I thought you didn’t smoke.”

“Occasionally.” He said shortly. And he took a couple of smokes and then said, “You know, I am using you.”

Jessie’s face changed.

A month ago, she received a very big gift, a seaside villa. Newly built, limited edition, difficult to acquire even with high earnings. The person who sent the gift was Tristan.

She did not feel glad. She knew what it meant. But she didn’t go to him for an argument. She just mailed the entitlement document back to him. The gesture showed that she refused it.

And then her father came, and she called Tristan to come over to meet her father.