"I-um.... Rai, I think you can go home first." Angie seemed to hesitate as she said it. Maxime's arm around her waist tightened, and Angie could clearly see Rai's shocked expression at her words.
"W-What? What does that mean?"
Rai seemed ready to scold Angie at the sight of her proximity to the man. He couldn't help but think that not too long ago he had warned her that the man she found attractive could be dangerous.
"Okay, um... Maxime, I'm going to talk to Rai for a minute."
Angie tried to loosen Maxime's grip on her waist. Unfortunately, the effort was in vain. Maxime seemed reluctant to cooperate as he tightened his embrace around Angie's waist.
"Let her go!" Rai raised his voice. The situation between the three of them was getting really serious. Angie felt uncomfortable with people seeing them like a clown show. Come on, Angie had no problem with any image. She didn't care if other people judged her badly. The thing is, Rai is different from her. He is a member of the police. Behaving badly in a public place would ruin his reputation. Angie may have acted out and given her friend a hard time, but she still cared about Rai's life.
"Maxime..." Angie frowned. She looked at the man with a gesture to let go of his embrace. But Maxime didn't care. Instead, he grinned, as if to proudly show that he was happy with this chaotic situation.
"Angie!"
Angie forced a smile. "Uhm, now you better go home first, okay? We'll talk tomorrow, okay? Please."
Rai gritted his teeth. It was obvious that he was trying hard to contain the anger that was ready to explode at any moment.
Angie looked at Rai with a pleading expression. "Rai, you trust me, right?"
Rai finally took a deep breath and gave in. He looked back at Maxime, who was still faithful to his annoying grin.
"Okay, but you owe me an explanation."
Angie smiled broadly. "Yes! Yes! I'll definitely explain it to you."
Rai clenched his hands into fists. He hurried out of the nightclub before his anger got out of control. His head was full of questions and to be honest, he didn't trust Angie. It wasn't that he didn't consider Angie his best friend, it was just that he knew very well how Angie behaved, so he couldn't just trust her. This woman could easily put herself in danger. Rai couldn't stop worrying about her.
After Rai left, Maxime looked satisfied. He chuckled softly and immediately released his grip on Angie's waist. He sat down again and sipped his drink, not caring about Angie, who was still standing with a bad feeling towards Rai.
"Damn, you're really annoying." Angie grumbled. She took Maxime's drink and drank it without caring about the man.
Maxime laughed softly. It was obvious that he was pleased with the situation Angie was in. Seeing her in a difficult situation fascinated him and it was clear that Maxime was happy that he was the cause of her problems.
"Why? You kicked your friend out yourself."
Angie rolled her eyes. "I didn't kick him out!"
Maxime shrugged. "So what? It's obvious. You prefer me to your friend. Are you sure he won't get mad at you?"
"Well, Rai is always mad at me."
Maxime was silent for a moment. "Then why are you still with him? More importantly, isn't he a cop?"
"He's a detective, to be exact."
Maxime was surprised, but he managed to hide his expression and stay cool. To be honest, this was an unusual combination. A journalist full of madness, eager to uncover any scandal she could find, befriending a detective? How could the two of them maintain this friendship? Maxime wondered how the detective could put up with Angie being so curious about everything.
"Hey, say something. Why are you so quiet?" Angie asked.
Maxime cleared his throat. "No, it's nothing."
Angie snorted in annoyance. "So what did you mean before?"
"What?"
"Chasing Rai away like that. He's my best friend, you know!"
Maxime chuckled quietly. "I already told you that. You're the one who offered yourself to me as a 'payoff', so yeah... I don't want my stuff with anyone else."
Angie grumbled and elbowed Maxime hard in the waist.
Maxime was shocked. "What the hell?"
"How dare you call me stuff!"
"Oh? You still call yourself a person? Okay, let me tell you something, what kind of human would willingly give themself up to an unknown gangster just for a news story?"
Angie frowned. Maxime was right. Maybe Angie was too obsessed with the news company that had fired her some time ago. Her grudge was so great that she was willing to use extreme ways to get back at the company. Is she crazy? Well, Angie has never felt completely sane in her entire life. Maybe she was, or maybe Angie's interests were just different.
"You are silent."
Angie turned her head to look at Maxime. "What?"
"You think what I'm saying is right, don't you?"
Angie laughed softly. "Maybe. Honestly, I feel different than other people."
"Hah, so full of confidence."
Angie shrugged and took another sip of her drink. "What are you going to do after this?"
Maxime frowned. "Why do you ask?"
"Of course, I want to come with you."
"What? You're crazy, aren't you?"
Angie laughed. "You just said it."
"No. Don't follow me."
Angie scowled. She immediately wrapped her arms around Maxime's and hugged him tightly.
"Damn it, let go of your hands."
Angie didn't care. She knew that what she was doing was dangerous. The man standing next to her was no ordinary man. He was a mysterious gangster who apparently could kill her whenever he wanted. Angie didn't know where her fear was going.
"Why are you so reluctant to touch me? You must want my body, too."
Angie's words were so direct. The hostess who served them was surprised how easily Angie could say such a sentence.
Maxime chuckled. He violently pulled Angie's arm away from him until it fell off. Then he pulled Angie's chin. They stared at each other for a long time. Neither wanted to break eye contact first. It felt like they were two people competing to see who was the strongest through that gaze.
"What? You're fascinated by me already?" Angie teased.
Maxime grinned. "Maybe you need a mirror to see yourself."
Angie laughed. She hadn't expected to be so close to Maxime, even if the context wasn't intimacy. Meh, how could it be called intimate. In fact, Maxime and Angie were just using each other.
"I have to go," Maxime said suddenly.
Angie grinned. "Then I'll come with you."
Maxime sighed, but he didn't seem to refuse. "You might regret following me."
Angie nodded. "Well, let's see."
***
Angie leaned against the wall. She had come with Maxime after leaving the nightclub where they had been drinking earlier. Angie was not really expecting anything. But she did not expect to see a live abuse session. Maxime dragged two grown men into an alley and beat them unconscious. Absolutely insane. "Is that your job or what?" Angie was curious. Maxime turned to Angie. His fist was covered in blood, and some of the blood had even spurted out and stained his face. The smell of blood wafted out and made Angie's nose feel uncomfortable. "Why, do you mind?" Angie shrugged. Actually, she did not care. A scene of such brutal violence might be newsworthy, but not interesting enough for Angie. She was not a cub reporter. She craved big, phenomenal stories involving famous people. "Not really. I mean, are you poor enough to take a job as a bouncer like this?" There was a dismissive tone in Angie's sentence, and she knew that Maxime did not like to be put down. "Well, at least I don't h
Angie's body shuddered at the thought. Well, being threatened with death was nothing new to Angie. She had experienced it many times before. But this time it was different. Every sentence that came out of Arok's mouth was strange."Then why did you hide me? You know what my intentions are here, right? I'm sure you also know who I am."Arok chuckled softly. "Of course I do. Angie McAlister, I think everyone in this area knows who you are. Normally they would stay away from you, because they don't want to let out their bad secrets."Angie smiled proudly. "So why did you save me? It's not that I'm ungrateful, I'm just wondering."Arok looked at Angie intently. The look in his eyes showed absolute seriousness. "I need your help, Angie.""WHAT? What favor do you-mmp!""Sssshhh... don't shout, idiot!"Angie nodded. "Okay, sorry. I just didn't expect Arok to ask a poor journalist like me for a favor."Arok rolled his eyes. "Don't be so modest.""Okay, so what do you want me to help you with?
Tonight. Angie had prepared everything. Tonight, she would get the big news after she had made a deal with Arok. In her usual nightclub, Angie would see the faces of the other members of the Wolf Gang.Angie had not seen Maxime at all after talking to him that time. Frankly, she was curious. Why had Maxime bothered to warn her? Was there something that Angie did not know? Similar questions filled her mind, but she could not back out. How could she waste such a great opportunity? Besides, she had promised Arok."Tonight, will go well. I have a good feeling. Cheer up, Angie," she muttered.Angie left for the nightclub immediately after making sure all her equipment was in place. Rai had been calling Angie since the afternoon, but she ignored him. To ensure that Rai would not interfere with her mission tonight, Angie texted him that she had important business to attend to and would not be able to return calls for a while.As usual, Angie's arrival was immediately greeted by the same host
Angie swallowed her own saliva. No, it was nothing. A lot of people knew about her and it meant nothing. She's a journalist, it's only natural that other people know about her.Angie smiled, trying to erase the nervousness inside her. "Oh, so you know about me? How come?"The man grinned. "How could I not know. Your name is at the top of the list as someone who needs to be eliminated immediately."Angie widened her eyes. "W-What? What are you saying?"Angie's hand was suddenly gripped tightly. She tried to pull her hand out of the man's grip, but to no avail."What are you doing, damn it! Let go of me."The man's grin widened. "Why? Are you afraid?""Y-You..."Angie turned her head and looked at Arok, who was in an equally bad position. He was pinned down on the sofa. One of the Wolf Gang members had a choke hold on his neck."Shit! I was trapped."Angie quietly reached for the pen she always kept in her shirt pocket, then quickly jabbed it into the back of the man's hand."Argh! Fuck
"You have to come with us."Angie backed away. One of the Wolf Gang members grabbed Petal's hair, who was cowering in fear, and wrapped her arms around Angie."Aaaaaah...!" Petal screamed. She was forced to walk with her hair violently pulled. The Wolf Gang man casually kicked Petal in the back until she bounced off and hit the wall of the nightclub."What are you doing, asshole!"Angie growled angrily as she saw Petal's forehead bleeding from the impact. Unfortunately, Angie's anger was no match for him. Instead, the Wolf Gang man burst out laughing as if he was very pleased to see Angie angry."I'll say it again, come with us."Angie shook her head and spat in front of the man. "I'm not going with you.""Don't be so arrogant. You're just a lowly journalist. The Wolf Gang can kill you at any time."Angie grinned. She knew that the threat was no joke, especially coming from a member of the Wolf Gang. There had been many mysterious deaths over the years, suspected to be the crimes of W
Angie looked up, and as the Wolf Gang man's body collapsed, she saw Maxime and Rai running toward her.Rai immediately hugged Angie. "Oh my God, what are you doing Angie? Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?"Rai's questions were too much, but Angie did not seem to have the energy to answer them. Angie's gaze shifted to Maxime, who was standing near the body of the Wolf Gang man. Maxime's expression did not change at all. As if shooting someone was no problem at all.Maxime looked at Angie and their eyes met. Neither spoke to the other. Angie had no idea what he was thinking. The look in Maxime's eyes was always mysterious. Ah, everything about this man was always mysterious. Angie just realized that she knew nothing about him."Angie, hey!"Angie blinked. Rai's hands cupped her cheeks. Her best friend's face was worried. Angie felt guilty."Are you really not hurt?" asked Rai.Angie shook her head. "I'm fine."Rai breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I thought something had happened to
Angie looked at Maxime. They sat facing each other. Honestly, Angie had been waiting for this for a long time. She needed information. It had been a long time since she had followed Maxime to get information about the Wolf Gang, but instead of information she had gotten dangerous incidents."Max, you said we should work together, but so far I haven't felt the cooperation you meant?"Angie looked at Maxime. She was staying at his house for now. Maxime said that once Angie was involved with the Wolf Gang men, she would be hunted forever."I'm thinking of canceling our deal," he said.Angie's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean, don't decide so unilaterally!"Maxime looked at Angie. The woman's face was full of anger. Just a short time ago, she almost died because she was trapped together with the Wolf Gang men, and now Angie still wanted to find information about the organization?"I am not. I'm just thinking about your safety."Angie chuckled. "No need. I can take care of myself!""O
The next day, Angie woke up with a terrible headache. Some of the bruises on her body were starting to hurt. She quickly searched for her phone. She had not sent Rai a message last night. Her best friend must be worried.Just as Angie was reaching for her phone, she suddenly remembered something. The clock on her phone read seven minutes past five. It was still quite early."Where's Maxime?"Angie got up from Maxime's bed and went out of the room to look for him. But there was no sign of Maxime."Huh? Where's Maxime? Did he leave?"Angie looked in the kitchen and even the bathroom, but Maxime was nowhere to be found."Max? Are you out there?"Angie tried to call, but there was no answer. That meant it was true, Maxime was not home.Angie snorted quietly. "How could he leave without telling me?"Angie went into the kitchen to get some water and found a bowl of tomato soup and some slices of bread on the dining room table. A small piece of handwritten paper was tucked under the bowl of
It was really scary. By the time Angie and Rai got to the hospital, it was heavily guarded by the police. Rai immediately showed his detective badge to be let in, but Angie was immediately detained. Unauthorized people were not allowed in."Wait, she's with me." Rai interrupted.The guard frowned in surprise. "But, Mr. Kelleher. Isn't she a journalist?"Rai smiled. "No problem. She won't be recording anything. The deceased was a close friend of hers, so she came to see him. Besides, she was also involved in the riot at the club the night before."Hearing Rai's explanation, the policemen on duty inevitably allowed Angie to come in and see Arok's body, which was being handled by the forensics team.Rai soon met up with his detective partner. They discussed something. As for Angie, she saw Arok's body still lying on his bed, in a very bad condition.Angie's breath caught. Her chest felt tight. She was used to seeing death in an unnatural way. Her journey as an eccentric and controversial
The next day, Angie woke up with a terrible headache. Some of the bruises on her body were starting to hurt. She quickly searched for her phone. She had not sent Rai a message last night. Her best friend must be worried.Just as Angie was reaching for her phone, she suddenly remembered something. The clock on her phone read seven minutes past five. It was still quite early."Where's Maxime?"Angie got up from Maxime's bed and went out of the room to look for him. But there was no sign of Maxime."Huh? Where's Maxime? Did he leave?"Angie looked in the kitchen and even the bathroom, but Maxime was nowhere to be found."Max? Are you out there?"Angie tried to call, but there was no answer. That meant it was true, Maxime was not home.Angie snorted quietly. "How could he leave without telling me?"Angie went into the kitchen to get some water and found a bowl of tomato soup and some slices of bread on the dining room table. A small piece of handwritten paper was tucked under the bowl of
Angie looked at Maxime. They sat facing each other. Honestly, Angie had been waiting for this for a long time. She needed information. It had been a long time since she had followed Maxime to get information about the Wolf Gang, but instead of information she had gotten dangerous incidents."Max, you said we should work together, but so far I haven't felt the cooperation you meant?"Angie looked at Maxime. She was staying at his house for now. Maxime said that once Angie was involved with the Wolf Gang men, she would be hunted forever."I'm thinking of canceling our deal," he said.Angie's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean, don't decide so unilaterally!"Maxime looked at Angie. The woman's face was full of anger. Just a short time ago, she almost died because she was trapped together with the Wolf Gang men, and now Angie still wanted to find information about the organization?"I am not. I'm just thinking about your safety."Angie chuckled. "No need. I can take care of myself!""O
Angie looked up, and as the Wolf Gang man's body collapsed, she saw Maxime and Rai running toward her.Rai immediately hugged Angie. "Oh my God, what are you doing Angie? Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?"Rai's questions were too much, but Angie did not seem to have the energy to answer them. Angie's gaze shifted to Maxime, who was standing near the body of the Wolf Gang man. Maxime's expression did not change at all. As if shooting someone was no problem at all.Maxime looked at Angie and their eyes met. Neither spoke to the other. Angie had no idea what he was thinking. The look in Maxime's eyes was always mysterious. Ah, everything about this man was always mysterious. Angie just realized that she knew nothing about him."Angie, hey!"Angie blinked. Rai's hands cupped her cheeks. Her best friend's face was worried. Angie felt guilty."Are you really not hurt?" asked Rai.Angie shook her head. "I'm fine."Rai breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I thought something had happened to
"You have to come with us."Angie backed away. One of the Wolf Gang members grabbed Petal's hair, who was cowering in fear, and wrapped her arms around Angie."Aaaaaah...!" Petal screamed. She was forced to walk with her hair violently pulled. The Wolf Gang man casually kicked Petal in the back until she bounced off and hit the wall of the nightclub."What are you doing, asshole!"Angie growled angrily as she saw Petal's forehead bleeding from the impact. Unfortunately, Angie's anger was no match for him. Instead, the Wolf Gang man burst out laughing as if he was very pleased to see Angie angry."I'll say it again, come with us."Angie shook her head and spat in front of the man. "I'm not going with you.""Don't be so arrogant. You're just a lowly journalist. The Wolf Gang can kill you at any time."Angie grinned. She knew that the threat was no joke, especially coming from a member of the Wolf Gang. There had been many mysterious deaths over the years, suspected to be the crimes of W
Angie swallowed her own saliva. No, it was nothing. A lot of people knew about her and it meant nothing. She's a journalist, it's only natural that other people know about her.Angie smiled, trying to erase the nervousness inside her. "Oh, so you know about me? How come?"The man grinned. "How could I not know. Your name is at the top of the list as someone who needs to be eliminated immediately."Angie widened her eyes. "W-What? What are you saying?"Angie's hand was suddenly gripped tightly. She tried to pull her hand out of the man's grip, but to no avail."What are you doing, damn it! Let go of me."The man's grin widened. "Why? Are you afraid?""Y-You..."Angie turned her head and looked at Arok, who was in an equally bad position. He was pinned down on the sofa. One of the Wolf Gang members had a choke hold on his neck."Shit! I was trapped."Angie quietly reached for the pen she always kept in her shirt pocket, then quickly jabbed it into the back of the man's hand."Argh! Fuck
Tonight. Angie had prepared everything. Tonight, she would get the big news after she had made a deal with Arok. In her usual nightclub, Angie would see the faces of the other members of the Wolf Gang.Angie had not seen Maxime at all after talking to him that time. Frankly, she was curious. Why had Maxime bothered to warn her? Was there something that Angie did not know? Similar questions filled her mind, but she could not back out. How could she waste such a great opportunity? Besides, she had promised Arok."Tonight, will go well. I have a good feeling. Cheer up, Angie," she muttered.Angie left for the nightclub immediately after making sure all her equipment was in place. Rai had been calling Angie since the afternoon, but she ignored him. To ensure that Rai would not interfere with her mission tonight, Angie texted him that she had important business to attend to and would not be able to return calls for a while.As usual, Angie's arrival was immediately greeted by the same host
Angie's body shuddered at the thought. Well, being threatened with death was nothing new to Angie. She had experienced it many times before. But this time it was different. Every sentence that came out of Arok's mouth was strange."Then why did you hide me? You know what my intentions are here, right? I'm sure you also know who I am."Arok chuckled softly. "Of course I do. Angie McAlister, I think everyone in this area knows who you are. Normally they would stay away from you, because they don't want to let out their bad secrets."Angie smiled proudly. "So why did you save me? It's not that I'm ungrateful, I'm just wondering."Arok looked at Angie intently. The look in his eyes showed absolute seriousness. "I need your help, Angie.""WHAT? What favor do you-mmp!""Sssshhh... don't shout, idiot!"Angie nodded. "Okay, sorry. I just didn't expect Arok to ask a poor journalist like me for a favor."Arok rolled his eyes. "Don't be so modest.""Okay, so what do you want me to help you with?
Angie leaned against the wall. She had come with Maxime after leaving the nightclub where they had been drinking earlier. Angie was not really expecting anything. But she did not expect to see a live abuse session. Maxime dragged two grown men into an alley and beat them unconscious. Absolutely insane. "Is that your job or what?" Angie was curious. Maxime turned to Angie. His fist was covered in blood, and some of the blood had even spurted out and stained his face. The smell of blood wafted out and made Angie's nose feel uncomfortable. "Why, do you mind?" Angie shrugged. Actually, she did not care. A scene of such brutal violence might be newsworthy, but not interesting enough for Angie. She was not a cub reporter. She craved big, phenomenal stories involving famous people. "Not really. I mean, are you poor enough to take a job as a bouncer like this?" There was a dismissive tone in Angie's sentence, and she knew that Maxime did not like to be put down. "Well, at least I don't h