Chapter 333: Brother-in-law, Hello
A flood of thoughts swept through his mind. He should try what he’d seen in those videos-licking her fingers. That’s called flirting. He considered trying it. A voice in his head screamed at him to go for it. As he held the candy in his mouth, his tongue was just about to touch her fingers when Paige pulled her hand away and smiled at him.
“How is it?” she asked.
“…”
Not great.
Enrico looked at her, the strong minty taste swirling in his mouth, and responded, “I’m awake now.”
“Then let’s get going.”
Paige stood up, casually pulling him up with her. Before he knew it, she had reversed the roles, and his large hand now firmly held hers, her hand feeling small in his palm.
The luggage had already been loaded onto the tour bus.
“This way,” Paige said, leading Enrico by the hand. Once on board, everyone else was already seated. Carrie was doing Mila’s makeup, and Nick was glued to Angie, bombarding her with pointless questions.
“Angie, I still don’t quite get how guns are put together. Can you explain it again?” Nick was pestering Angie, who was busy handing out bottles of water, but when he heard someone board the bus, he looked up. The moment he saw the man walking in behind Paige, his legs turned to jelly. “Brother-in-law?”
The words didn’t faze most people, but the Peak Club members were visibly shocked, all turning their heads.
Mila, Carrie, and the others immediately stood up and bowed respectfully. “Hello, brother-in-law.”
Nick quickly straightened up and added loudly, “Hello, brother-in-law!”
“…”
Enrico raised his eyes, noticing all their gazes fixed on him. He glanced at Paige, who gave him a warm smile.
These were people from her past. The “sister” title was clearly directed at Paige, so “brother-in-law”…
He quite liked that title.
Enrico nodded calmly and climbed the steps. His tall frame made the bus’s low ceiling feel cramped, forcing him to hunch slightly as he moved forward. As he passed, he could sense the tension from the group who had called him “brother-in-law,” especially Nick with his white hair, who nervously hid his hands behind his back, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple. They were respectful yet fearful.
“Mr. Gustin, Miss, please sit here,” Angie said as she finished handing out water, gesturing to the second row.
Enrico stepped aside, allowing Paige to sit by the window before he took the seat next to her.NôvelDrama.Org owns this.
Angie looked over and noticed how the Peak Club members only dared to sit down after Enrico had taken his seat. She found it curious.
Nick sat in the front row, frantically waving Angie over to sit next to him. As the driver started the bus, Angie, seeing there were no other seats, sat down beside Nick. Surprisingly, Nick, who had been chattering non-stop earlier, was now sitting perfectly still, quiet as a mouse.
“…”
Angie found the change unsettling. She nudged her glasses up her nose and asked softly, “Why aren’t you talking?”
In response, Nick raised his hands and whispered, “Do these hands look like they’re broken?”
Angie looked at him, confused, and shook her head. His hands seemed fine.
“Exactly. That’s because I’m trying not to say anything. I’m trying to stay invisible.”
Nick gestured toward the back of the bus and mimed zipping his mouth shut.
Following his gaze, Angie saw Enrico and Paige. Paige was handing Enrico a bag of jelly candy, but he shook his head, declining.
“You all seem quite respectful of Mr. Gustin?” Angie asked Nick, puzzled.
At Temple in Heaven, their group was polite to Enrico, but not to the point of reverence. She didn’t understand why Nick and the others, who were with Paige, would be so deferential.
Nick looked at her in disbelief, his voice low but intense. “How can you be so calm? He’s *Enrico*. *Enrico*!”
Just saying the name was enough to send chills down his spine.
“…”
“Do you know how powerful he used to be? In country A, he could decide whether you lived or died with a single word.”
And he could break your hand with just as much ease.
Nick shuddered as he recalled the time he insulted Enrico by calling him a duck. He was lucky to have only had a finger broken.
“You’re scared of him?” Angie asked, finally understanding. “But I see respect in your eyes, not just fear.”
“Of course. He’s helped Paige a lot,” Nick said immediately.
Enrico might be ruthless in the news, with stories highlighting his cold-hearted power plays, but he truly adored Paige. That part wasn’t covered by the media.
Nick had witnessed it himself-Enrico, battered and bruised, had stood under a hail of gunfire outside Gangnam Hall to save Paige.
The bus wasn’t particularly comfortable, and the seats weren’t spacious.
Paige sat back, watching as Nick dramatically whispered to Angie about Enrico.
“Don’t you feel his aura is just overwhelming? It’s like he could kill someone with a single glance. Every time I see him, my legs stop working…”
Paige raised her foot and gently tapped the seat in front of her. “What are you mumbling about?”
Nick froze in place, slowly turning around to face Enrico, who was sitting next to Paige, relaxed and unbothered. Nick forced a laugh and said, “Brother-in-law, are you also going to River Town with Paige? You’re so good to her.”
He was certainly more pleasant to look at than Kevin.
Enrico nodded, his tone calm, without a trace of harshness. “Yes, I’m going with her.”
“!!!”
Nick was stunned. Why was brother-in-law so approachable today?
Carrie’s eyeliner pen slipped from her hand, and the others quietly turned their heads in disbelief. There he sat, in a white coat, looking uncharacteristically refined. The once sharp and intimidating aura seemed to have softened considerably.
It had been three years, but brother-in-law… he’d mellowed a lot.
“…”
Paige knew exactly what they were thinking, but was it really necessary to be *that* shocked? Had Enrico really left such a heavy impression on them?
“Why are you all staring at me?” Enrico asked, frowning at Nick, who looked dazed.
Nick’s eyelids twitched in fear, and he quickly blurted out, “I missed you, brother-in-law.”
The words had barely left his mouth before he wanted to slap himself. What nonsense was he saying?
“…”
Missed him?
Enrico glanced at Paige beside him. Could it be that, aside from Rafael and Jaden, he’d been close to this group before? Jaden had mentioned he was especially cold-blooded in the past. Maybe the information was wrong.
With that thought, Enrico calmly nodded and noticed that Nick was drenched in sweat within just a few moments, looking utterly drained. He picked up a bottle of water and handed it to him.
“For me?” Nick asked, overjoyed as he accepted the bottle.
Rey and Bobby were equally astonished.
“You don’t want it?” Enrico raised an eyebrow. Paige hadn’t given him instructions on how to deal with these particular people, so he had to rely on his instincts.