One Hundred and fifty nine

CHAPTER 159

Ace sat in front of a long table with a young girl sitting opposite him. It was a long table for two people only. The girl in front of Ace raised her wine glass in the air, then grinned and said, "Shouldn't we make a toast to celebrate our reunion?"

"I didn't come all the way here to have a reunion with you," Ace denied, but he still took the glass of wine in front of him and gulped it down without a toast. "I need you to do something for me, Amanda."

Amanda took a small sip of the wine in her glass, just to wet her lips before she finally went back to talking to Ace. "You asked Selena to come to me, carrying a message that I heard was from Ace. Well, I was impressed to hear that you sought me out for help. But unfortunately, you're not being very friendly. Can't you relax a little and enjoy the meal I've prepared? I even prepared a suckling goat to welcome you here. This is my new palace, don't you want to give me some appreciation?"

Ace took a deep breath, then exhaled quickly. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, the young man continued his purpose for coming. "Hiding from the police after you were released is not something to be appreciated."

"So you think it's your success in escaping from prison that should be appreciated?" Amanda quipped. She laughed amusedly, then pointed at Ace who was quite far away from her due to the long table separating the two of them. "You impressed me with your escape. Welcome to the tough city, wanted fugitive Ace Blake!"

Applause rang out in the room. Amanda had completely transformed into a crazed psychopath with her new physique. She had cut her hair into a man-like, very short length and dyed it red. Amanda exhaled a loud-sounding breath, then placed both hands on the table. "I don't like discussing business at the dinner table. Can we eat first, then talk about business?"

"I'm being chased by someone stronger than the police," Ace said without being asked. He didn't want to linger there and chose to get to the point.

Amanda looked uninterested. She cupped her face in her hands, then rolled her eyes lazily. "So? What does that have to do with me?"

"I need a place to live, a car, and a weapon."

Silence greeted. There was an awkward pause between them, until Amanda's laughter echoed throughout the room. Amanda laughed so much that her back hit the top of the chair she was sitting on. Amanda's eyes widened, she said, "What did you say? You asked me for all those things, do you think I'm your errand boy, hm?"

"I'll give you money."

Amanda's face turned serious. "Your money doesn't work here."

"One million dollars."

Amanda was surprised to hear Ace mention such a fantastic figure. It was a huge amount of money. Where was she going to get all that money from. Amanda's eyebrows furrowed, she made an enthusiastic face. One eyebrow raised and she started talking again. "Can you give me that much? What is your purpose?"

"I need a place to hide for a while, there's someone after me."

Amanda leaned back in her chair, looking at Ace with amusement and skepticism. The room was decked out in luxury, yet the aura of danger was still present as Ace and Amanda engaged in tense negotiations.

"One million dollars? You must be pretty desperate, Ace," Amanda said, still chuckling. "But money won't convince me. I need to know who's after you and why I should get involved."

Ace hesitated for a moment, contemplating how much information to reveal. The dim lights flickered, casting shadows across the room, adding a tense atmosphere to the already intense atmosphere.

"I'm being chased by my mom."

Again, Amanda's laughter broke out instantly. She was amused at what she considered a 'weird' and nonsensical excuse. "Are you involved in some kind of parent-child drama, um? Your mom is mad at you because you escaped from prison?"

"I'm serious. She's going to use me for something, then kill me."

Amanda raised one eyebrow. "Too dramatic. But, considering you're an important person... I can trust you a little." She lifted her face, then looked at Ace with a challenging expression. "Can you give me a guarantee?"

"What do you want?"

Amanda squinted. She pressed her mouth with her tongue, then leaned her back against the chair. "Uhm... how about fifty percent of the money you promised. I want to see the money."

"Okay."

"That easy?"

"I deposited my money with someone, and I just took it," Ace said frankly. "I want a place to live that won't be traced by the police, and a weapon that I can use against the police."

"Wow, you sound very serious. Are you going back to prison to fight those cops?"

"Can you provide it or not?"

A sigh could be heard from Amanda, she was really annoyed that Ace didn't want to have a long talk with her. It was their reunion after several years of trial.

"You can't pretend to like our meeting, huh?" Amanda criticized. She was excited to meet Ace, but he was ignoring her. "After putting me in juvie, you act like I don't exist. I had a hard day in there, can't you sympathize with me a little?"

"No, I don't. I told you at the beginning that I didn't come to visit. I was on the run, and... I was running to save someone."

Realizing that Ace said that in a disappointed tone, Amanda jumped to conclusions. "Who are you trying to save? Ah, I know! Alicia, right?"

Hearing Alicia's name mentioned, Ace looked at Amanda straight on.

"Alicia perth, my missing foster sister. Um, it turns out you still like her a lot, Ace? Even after all these years you wanted to kill her, the feeling remains the same. Didn't she already leave you, do you think she'll forgive everything, Ace? Don't dream!"