章 28: In each other's arms

Warning! This chapter included a slight lemon scenes, if you don't want it, skip!

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As Adam was discharged from the hospital, he went to the factory to see the person who had recruited him, with Lorenzo tagging along.

They made their way to the factory, where they met Thomas, the foreman who had recruited both of them out of pity and due to their mothers' past relationship with him. Thomas eyed Adam up and down and asked, "You here to return to work, son?"

Adam nodded, mustering a determined expression. "Yup."

Thomas stroked his chin thoughtfully and inquired, "It's about those medical bills, ain't it?"

Before either Lorenzo or Adam could respond, Thomas continued, "I know, son. The factory management didn't cover most of your hospital bills, did they?" He sighed. "Unfortunately, I can't hire you back again, but I can give you five dollars as a support." Thomas reached into his pocket, took out five dollars, and under the incredulous gaze of Adam, he offered the money.

"This is all I can do for you, son." Thomas said, holding out the five dollars.

Adam felt torn, grateful for Thomas's kindness, but he shook his head. "No, thank you, boss. My hospital bills have been settled with the help of my friend here." He said, patting Lorenzo on the back.

Thomas was quite surprised and looked at Lorenzo. "You helped him with the bills, boy?"

Lorenzo nodded, prompting a further question from Thomas. "How did you manage that, son?"

Lorenzo smiled and replied, "I have my ways, boss."

Thomas chuckled and leaned in, whispering to both of them, "Is it because of that little side business you're running in the factory, right, Lorenzo?"

Lorenzo feigned ignorance, "What business, boss?"

Thomas chuckled again, "Come on, I know about your smuggled sugar racket."

Lorenzo's expression didn't change, but he was impressed that Thomas knew. "You gonna rat me out to the higher-ups, boss?"

Thomas fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm the one who hired you, so if you're doing something small like that, I'll be questioned too. Besides, as long as it's not drugs, I don't mind. Just keep it under wraps, alright, kid?"

Lorenzo smiled, "Don't worry, boss. I'm not into that stuff."

Thomas nodded, relieved. "I just had to make sure, son." He then leaned in and whispered, "You wouldn't happen to have two pounds of sugar on you, would you? I'd pay you 35 cents for it."

Lorenzo smirked, "Well, since it's for you, boss, I'll let you have it for that price."

Thomas grinned, "Thanks, kid."

As they negotiated, Adam interjected, "Um, boss, any chance you could hire me back?"

Thomas sighed, "I'm sorry, Adam. The higher-ups don't want you back here."

Adam sighed, disappointed, as he and Lorenzo left the factory.

On their way to the train station, Lorenzo said, "Since you're out of a job, might as well work for the gang."

Adam nodded, resigned.

As they returned to their neighborhood, they headed towards their tenement building. Adam couldn't help but notice the respectful greetings the young men in the area gave Lorenzo.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lupo," one of them said, tipping his hat.

"Yeah, yeah," Lorenzo replied with a casual wave.

"Why do they call you Lupo, Lorenzo?" Adam asked, confused.

Lorenzo smiled, realizing his family name wasn't "Lupo" in this life. "Well, since my parents abandoned me, I changed my last name to Lupo."

Adam's eyebrows shot up. "You can do that?"

Lorenzo chuckled. "Well, I did it, so I guess so."

Adam considered this, then said, "If your last name's Lupo, I'll change mine to Lupo too!"

Lorenzo was taken aback. "You want to change your last name to Lupo?"

Adam nodded. "What? Can't I name myself after your chosen family name?"

Lorenzo chuckled. "No, it's fine… But if we're both Lupos, doesn't that make us… brothers?"

Adam thought about it and grinned. "I guess it does! We're brothers now!"

As they walked to their tenement, Adam noticed even more young men and children greeting Lorenzo with respect.

"What's going on? Why are all these thugs respecting you now?" he asked, surprised.

Lorenzo grinned. "They're part of the gang, and they see me as their boss."

Adam looked at him in awe. "Wow…"

Lorenzo continued, "I joined a gang led by Max, but after just a few days, because of my charm and kindness, even he and his friends started seeing me as their boss."

"You're amazing, Lorenzo!" Adam exclaimed.

Lorenzo chuckles. "It's no big deal, really."

Lorenzo didn't mention how he had taken down the Kaplan gang and taken in their members and even some of their young prostitutes.

As they neared their apartment, Lorenzo asked, "Want to have some fun, Adam?"

Adam was curious. "What kind of fun?"

Lorenzo smirked. "Ever been with a girl, Adam?"

Adam blushed and shook his head. "N-no!"

Lorenzo grinned, leaning in. "I know some young, pretty girls I can introduce you to."

Adam blushed even more but couldn't help but ask, "Really? Where are they?"

Lorenzo grinned and led Adam to the fourth floor of the tenement. The moment they stepped out of the stairwell, they saw young men and women socializing or engaging in various activities. The moment they noticed Lorenzo, everyone stopped and straightened up.

"They're quite disciplined around me, huh?" he said to Adam with a smirk.

Adam was taken aback by how much Lorenzo had changed.

Lorenzo then addressed the group, "Ladies, if you're available, step forward. I'd like you to meet my friend here."

The young women blushed and stepped forward, one of them saying, "I'll do my best to serve you, Boss Lupo!"

Adam whispered to Lorenzo, "You… you haven't been with them, right?"

Lorenzo shook his head. "Of course not. I wouldn't cheat on Deborah unless she agreed to it…"

Adam felt a pang of jealousy. "So, you and Deborah…"

Lorenzo nodded. "We're going to be married someday."

Adam sighed, clearly hurt by what he heard.

Lorenzo noticed Adam's pained expression and knew he had to break the news to his friend—somehow, he had to tell him that he and Deborah were growing closer.

Lorenzo placed a hand on Adam's shoulder and said, "That's why I brought you here—to choose from among the girls here…"

Adam scanned the room and pointed to a young woman who was slightly shorter than himself.

Lorenzo nodded in acknowledgment and gestured to the chosen girl.

The young woman, Tiffany, thought she was being selected to be with the boss, Lupo, but her excitement faded when she realized it was Lorenzo's friend instead.

Disappointed, she heard Lorenzo say, "This is Adam. Please serve him to the best of your ability."

Hiding her disappointment, Tiffany introduced herself with a forced smile, "Adam, my name is Tiffany. Pleased to meet you."

Adam blushed and stammered, "My name is Adam. It's nice to meet you, Tiffany…"

Tiffany then clung to Adam, and reluctantly, he glanced at Lorenzo, who nodded in encouragement. As Adam was led to a room by Tiffany, Lorenzo smiled and waited outside, smoking a cigarette.

After a few minutes, moans from the room filled the air. Deciding to give them some privacy, Lorenzo left the scene.

Ten minutes later, in the dimly lit room, Adam lay on the bed, his heart pounding fast as he hugged and groped Tiffany. He looked into her eyes, lost in thought, "Is… Is this love?" he wondered to himself.

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Meanwhile, Lorenzo was making his way to the Gelly family's delicatessen, unaware that Adam had just fallen for a prostitute.

Lorenzo strolled in and casually made his way to the room where Deborah was. Fat Moe, who was at the entrance, didn't even bother to acknowledge him this time.

As soon as Lorenzo entered the room, Deborah was dancing, but she stopped as soon as their eyes met.

Lorenzo could see the disappointment in Deborah's eyes, though she tried to hide it. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong, wife?"

"Don't call me that," Deborah snapped, shrugging off his touch.

Lorenzo frowned, noticing that their relationship percentage in the [Relationship Tab] had dropped from 67% to 66%. "What's got you so sour, honey? We were just getting along fine."

"Please, tell me what's wrong," he pleaded.

"Why are you associating with those people? Aren't they your enemies?"

"Who?" Lorenzo asked, feigning ignorance.

"Max or Noodles friends!" Deborah said, exasperated.

"So, it's about them," Lorenzo sighed.

"Yes, why are you with them?" Deborah asked, her frustration evident but concern for him clear in her voice.

Lorenzo took her hands in his, "I know it's hard to believe, but we've put our differences aside. We've even become… friends."

Deborah pulled away from him. "If you really care about me, leave them."

Lorenzo sighed, gently holding her by the shoulders. "I'm doing this for us, for our future."

"So, you're involved in their illegal activities?" Deborah asked, her expression unreadable.

Seeing the concern in Deborah's eyes, Lorenzo sighed. "Alright, I'll leave the gang and the illegal activities for you…"

Deborah's eyes lit up with surprise. "Really? You mean it?"

Lorenzo nodded and caressed her cheek. "But I'll only leave after three weeks…"

"Why? Why wait three weeks?" Deborah frowned.

Lorenzo sighed and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I need to finish what I started in the gang. After that, I'm joining the war."

Deborah's eyes widened in shock. "War? What do you mean?"

"I was going to tell you later, but… I've been in a rush to save money, so I got involved with them," he explained.

Deborah's face fell. "No! You can't go to war!"

"I have to… our country needs more men," Lorenzo tried to reason.

"Do you know how many people are dying out there? Do you honestly think you'll make a difference?" Deborah argued.

Lorenzo sighed, "I've made up my mind, Deborah—"

"No, don't leave!" Deborah shook her head, hugging him tightly.

"Don't worry, I'll be here for three more weeks… After that, I'll join up—"

"No! Don't leave in three weeks or even a year!" Deborah clung to him, her grip desperate.

Seeing Deborah's concern, Lorenzo's heart swelled, and he noticed their relationship percentage had risen from 66% to 69% in the [Relationship Tab].

"Deborah…" He tilted her chin up with his fingers. "I'll be fine, I promise."

Deborah protested, "War is dangerous… Don't believe the propaganda!"

Lorenzo's face drew closer to hers, and before she could say more, his lips met hers.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but soon, she melted into the kiss.

As their lips met, Deborah's surprise gave way to a different kind of shock. Her eyes fluttered closed as Lorenzo's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. Their bodies pressed together, and she could feel the heat radiating from his skin.

Lorenzo's lips were firm yet tender on hers, and she found herself responding in kind. Her hands moved up to his broad shoulders, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. The kiss deepened, tongues dancing together in a sensual tango.

Lorenzo's hand slid up her back, fingers entangling in her hair, while his other hand rested on her hip, pressing her body against his.