He led the two of them into the living room, then opened the refrigerator.

Inside the fridge, there were only some drinks.

He took out two bottles of Coke and said with a smile, “I just got back yesterday, so all I have is Coke.”

“I brought pizza.”

Bruno slapped his forehead and said, “You don’t have much to eat here. When I was cleaning up before, a lot of stuff had gone bad. I was worried you hadn’t eaten, so I went all the way to East 16th Street to buy pizza from old Anthony’s place. I left it in the car just now.”

As he spoke, he hurried out.

Chris sat down on the sofa and looked at the uneasy Mia, saying, “Mia, are you okay?”

Mia was quite good-looking, with a nice figure.

However, there was some bruising at the corner of her eye. Although she had tried to cover it with makeup, it didn’t escape Chris’s notice.

“I’m fine!”

“Do you need any help?”

“Huh?”

“Yesterday Bruno told me you ran into a bit of trouble. Looks like it hasn’t been resolved. Do you need my help?”

As Chris spoke, he pointed to the corner of his eye.

“I…”

Mia immediately became flustered.

At that moment, Bruno came back with the pizza.

Seeing Mia like that, he immediately caught on and put the pizza on the table.

“Mia, did you tell Chris?”

“I…”

“She didn’t say, but I can tell she seems to be in trouble.”

Chris answered for Mia, opened the pizza box, and took out a slice.

“Chris, can you help her?”

Bruno sat down and pleaded, “Mia’s boyfriend owes Melissa from West 6th Street some money—you know, Melissa from the West 6th Street Dog Gang. Her boyfriend asked her for money, but Mia doesn’t have any, so the guy hit her. He even said if she doesn’t find a way to get the money, he’ll kill her grandmother. I don’t have enough money, so I wanted to borrow some from you.”

Chris took a tissue and wiped his hands.

“How much is missing?”

“Still short twenty thousand.”

Chris nodded, got up, and went upstairs into the study.

He took two stacks of cash from a drawer, returned to the living room, and placed them in front of Mia.

Mia was a bit surprised; she hadn’t expected Chris to be so straightforward.

“Chris…”

“Mia, you and Bruno have been at Ghost for years. I remember even before I went to college, you two were already at Ghost.”

“I’ve been at Ghost for seven years. Bruno joined two years after me.”

Mia glanced at the money on the table, then at Chris, and answered softly.

Chris said gently, “Seven years—you see, even family members rarely see each other so regularly for seven years straight. So, I want to say something from the heart, though you might not like it. I can lend you the money, no interest. Pay me back whenever you can. What I want to say is, this time you’re basically spending money to avoid disaster, but what about next time? You can’t guarantee there won’t be a next time, right?”

“I know, but I have no choice. Jimmy and Melissa are together. If I break up with him, he’ll definitely kill me.”

“Then find a way to deal with him.”

“How?”

Chris didn’t answer, just looked at Mia.

“Chris, you don’t know what kind of person Melissa is. That guy is vicious.”

Mia seemed to have made up her mind and stopped Bruno.

“Chris, I’ll break up with Jimmy. If he dares threaten me again, I’ll call the police.”

“As long as you’ve thought it through. If you need help, just say the word.”

“Thank you!”

Mia thanked him and put the money away.

“Mia, you’d better be careful. If you need my help, don’t hesitate.”

Bruno spoke up from the side, full of concern.

Chris looked at him, then at Mia, and couldn’t help but smile.

He stood up and said, “If you’re both okay now, come with me to the funeral home. I want to go take a look too.”

“No problem.”

Bruno patted his chest.

Chris told him to bring the remaining pizza, then took the car keys from the living room wall.

It was a classic black Ford Mustang, a gift from Thomas when he graduated from college last year.

The original owner loved this car and even had it modified by an expert.

He just hadn’t expected…

“Chris, are you okay?”

Seeing Chris standing motionless at the living room door, Bruno, who had already reached the front door, couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m fine!”

Chris smiled, pulled himself together, and walked out the front door.

A fiery red Mustang Shelby GT500 appeared down the street, roaring over and stopping by the curb.

A head poked out of the car window and shouted at Chris, “Chris, damn it, why didn’t you tell me you were discharged? I made a wasted trip yesterday. And why was your phone off? I’ve been looking for you all day.”

As he spoke, the car door swung open and a big guy squeezed out.

This guy was white, half a head taller than Chris.

He strode over aggressively, spread his arms, and gave Chris a big hug, saying, “Bro, I’m really sorry. A few days ago, my uncle and I went to the military base near Phoenix for training. I only heard about what happened to you when I got back yesterday.”