Looking at it then, I guess things turned out for the best.
I had not heard a peep from Gregory about heading to the border. No job, no friends, no place to go—I was stuck in Maxwell's house day in, day out, just zoning out with a book.
He could tell I was climbing the walls with boredom, so one evening, he finally said, "I've never seen anyone so good at doing nothing. Let's go. I'm taking you out for some real food."
Nothing could spark my interest, though. All I could think about was how to get back to the border, to risk everything for a shot at justice for the lost.
However, Maxwell was not having any of my brooding. He hauled me off to a place he said was a new restaurant, ordered a bunch of delicious-looking dishes, and made me promise to try them. I barely had an appetite, and after a few nibbles, I just could not eat anymore.
He gave me a look, resting his chin in his hand. “Come on, eat up. I didn't drop a small fortune on this meal for nothing. If you're not going to eat, at least pay me back, so I don't feel like I'm throwing money away."
As if I had any money to my name! He knew that. He was just trying to get me to eat something.
I got the message. I picked up my spoon and managed a few more bites.
Then, a voice broke the silence from the entrance. "Mr. Sanchez, fancy seeing you here!"
It was some middle-aged guy sporting a beer gut that I didn't recognize. Maxwell glanced over, one eyebrow cocked. "Mr. Lacava, decided to grab a bite here too?"
The middle-aged man nodded and stepped inside, eyeing us before saying, "I was just hashing out some stuff with the chairman. Mr. Sanchez, is this... your girlfriend?"
He was obviously talking about me.
Maxwell shook his head.
"My bad, my bad." The man gave an apologetic gesture, a little bow with his hands together, and made small talk with Maxwell. They seemed to be on familiar terms from the way they interacted.
Once the man had left, I turned to Maxwell. "A friend of yours?"
He nodded. "We've crossed paths on business overseas. I only found out he's back in the country recently. He's heading up an R&D project at Young Corporation. We've bumped into each other a couple of times since he's been back. He's still getting the lay of the land here."
The guy from Young Corporation... Was the chairman he was talking about Idris?
I just hummed, not wanting to dive deeper into that topic.
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