章節 16: New Task and Trio's resentment
In Room 201 at Mount Sinai Hospital, Adam was acting unusually shy around Deborah. He kept avoiding her gaze, and his heart raced.
"What's wrong with you, Adam?" Lorenzo quickly noticed his friend's behavior. He had a hunch it was because Adam's crush was present, but he was there to give him a gentle nudge.
Snapped out of his nervousness by Lorenzo's words, Adam managed a stuttering, "Nothing, nothing." Eager to change the subject and ease his own tension, he turned to Lorenzo and said, "So, Lorenzo, you mentioned before that you knew someone who could help with my medical bill. Indeed, it was paid by someone who wished to remain anonymous. I'm really curious about who it was."
Lorenzo smiled and replied, "Since the person didn't want to be named when they paid the bill, I don't think I should reveal who it is."
Adam felt a twinge of disappointment but responded, "Is that so? It's a pity. I really wanted to thank them personally."
While Lorenzo chose not to reveal to Adam who had covered his medical bills, Deborah, standing beside him, shot Lorenzo a knowing glance. Lorenzo had confided in her that Don Corleone was the benefactor.
'Maybe he doesn't want Adam to be shocked to learn that a Corleone family don helped with his bills,' Deborah mused silently, observing Lorenzo with a thoughtful expression.
As time passed, Adam found it difficult to engage with Deborah and spent most of his time talking to Lorenzo instead, using the conversation as a diversion to avoid addressing his nervousness around her.
Then a hospital staff member approached Lorenzo and Deborah, "Sir, ma'am, visiting hours are over. Please, let's not disturb the other patients."
Upon hearing this, Lorenzo and Deborah exchanged glances and nodded to the hospital staff. Turning to Adam, Lorenzo said, "Well, Adam. I'll come visit again soon. Take care of yourself, alright?"
Adam nodded and replied, "Of course." His gaze briefly met Deborah's before he quickly looked away.
He felt a pang of sadness as Lorenzo and Deborah prepared to leave, despite their brief visit. Yet, the mere presence of Deborah, though he hadn't managed to speak much with her, left him feeling contented.
"Alright, bye Adam," Lorenzo said, nodding his farewell. Deborah echoed the sentiment, "Bye Adam."
Adam returned the gesture, managing a quiet, "Bye..."
Then, Lorenzo and Deborah left the room together.
Watching them go, Adam felt a swirl of complex emotions. It was clear that Lorenzo and Deborah were close, and Adam was aware of Lorenzo's feelings for her. He noticed the difference in how Deborah treated him compared to Lorenzo, which led Adam to suspect that Deborah's visit might have been motivated more by Lorenzo than by a direct interest in him.
Lorenzo hadn't explicitly stated it, but Adam sensed that Deborah was there because of Lorenzo, who likely hadn't mentioned it out of consideration for Adam's feelings.
Despite these revelations, Adam felt a deep sense of gratitude towards Lorenzo. Even though Lorenzo was growing closer to Deborah, Adam appreciated his friend's care and consideration.
---
As Lorenzo and Deborah exited Mount Sinai Hospital, they walked and talked together.
"I can see that your friend is especially shy around me..." Deborah observed.
Lorenzo chuckled. "You should have realized by now why he's like that, right?"
Deborah smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he likes me, right?"
"Right," Lorenzo affirmed with a grin, then playfully prodded, "What do you think? Do you like my friend Adam?"
Deborah's smile widened at Lorenzo's teasing. "Well, he seems nicer and kinder than you."
"So... you like my friend?" Lorenzo asked, still smiling.
Deborah, still smiling, wasn't actually interested in Adam but decided to tease Lorenzo back. "Well... I think he might have a chance with me—" she began, only for Lorenzo to cut her off.
"Okay, then. I'll tell my friend you like him," Lorenzo said with a smile. Under Deborah's astonished expression, he added, "Just make sure you're not playing with my friend's feelings, okay? Once I tell him, he'll definitely think he has a chance—"
Deborah, slightly pouting, nudged Lorenzo. "Enough. I don't have feelings for him."
Lorenzo chuckled at her quick surrender. "Well, good. It's always best to be honest with yourself."
"You're a terrible friend," Deborah retorted.
Lorenzo, still chuckling, replied, "How am I terrible? I even helped him pay his bills, dealing with a dangerous, powerful don—the most powerful in New York..."
Deborah couldn't argue with that; Lorenzo had indeed gone to great lengths to help his friend, even risking a meeting with the notorious Don Corleone.
Despite this, Deborah countered, "You're taking advantage of his absence to pursue me, even though you know he likes me, right?"
Lorenzo laughed softly. "What's wrong with pursuing you? Let me ask you this," he paused, meeting her gaze intently, "If you really liked a certain person, but your friend liked that person too, would you give up on that person for your friend?"
Deborah pondered the tricky question for a moment before responding, "Of course, I'd give up that person for my friend." She chose her words carefully, not wanting to fall into what she perceived as a trap set by Lorenzo.
Hearing her response, Lorenzo laughed again, "You're not in that situation, so it's easy to say that. Or maybe you just don't want to give a real answer."
Flushing slightly, Deborah replied, "There's no right answer to that."
Lorenzo chuckled, "If that's really your answer, you might as well marry your friend if you love them so much."
Deborah, nudging him playfully, retorted, "I'm not into the same sex."
They shared a soft laugh as they conversed on their way to the train, changing subways before finally arriving in the Lower East Side of New York. Stepping out of the train station, they walked together toward the Jewish neighborhood.
Approaching Gelly Deli, Lorenzo said, "Well, Deborah, I'll see you again."
Deborah nodded in acknowledgment as she entered the deli. Inside, Lorenzo noticed Deborah being scolded by her parents, with Fat Moe apparently having tattled on her.
With a smile, Lorenzo walked away, heading to the market where he picked up some potatoes, eggs, and bread before returning to his apartment in the tenement building.
Lorenzo cooked a simple meal of potatoes, eggs, and bread. The bread was hard, so he cut it into pieces and forced it down with water, helping the food settle in his stomach.
After eating, he checked his status and with his 1 Attribute Point, chose to add it to his "Strength," which then increased to 2.
Lorenzo didn't feel any immediate changes but shrugged it off, trusting that the system would do its work. He glanced at the system interface to check the date and time. Realizing it was already 5:40, he decided to go to sleep.
---
Early the next morning, Lorenzo left his apartment and jogged to the train station. As he was about to board a train for work, he spotted Antonio and a group of men in a nearby alley engaging in illegal activities.
"These guys are doing heroin out in public..." Lorenzo thought. He was itching to take revenge for his friend Adam, but he knew it wasn't yet time to act.
Lorenzo was certainly eager to take his revenge, motivated not only by justice but also by the 30 XP he would receive from the system upon completion. However, the time wasn't right yet.
He headed to work, where he spent hours assembling weapons. After his shift ended at 3 PM, Lorenzo made his way to the train station and returned to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, specifically to the Jewish Neighborhood.
After jogging back to his apartment in the tenement, Lorenzo received another system reward.
As he completed his daily task, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind, announcing, [You receive another daily task!]
Curious, Lorenzo checked the new task and was surprised by what he saw, his eyes widening in astonishment.
[Join Deborah to dance in the deli room where Deborah usually dances! Reward: 1 Attribute Point, Bonus: You'll receive 10 dollars and 0.5 Charm point!]
Lorenzo was thrilled by the reward. Without hesitation, he smelled himself and immediately headed to the tenement shower to clean up before changing his shirt and pants. As he did so, he realized his wardrobe options were limited. "Maybe I should buy new clothes... It's not very charming to wear the same, smelly clothes all the time," he thought.
After freshening up, Lorenzo left his apartment, exited the tenement, and walked toward the deli.
Looking crisp and clean, Lorenzo paused to check his reflection in the transparent glass of the deli's window. He adjusted his hair and straightened his clothes before entering.
Unbeknownst to him, Patrick, Philip, and Max were watching from a distance, observing him with cold eyes.
"He's about to visit Deborah! Let's go beat him up!" Patrick urged Max.
Philip seemed to agree, but Max, still bearing bruises and a wounded lip from his previous brawl with Lorenzo, held them back. "Wait for him to come out, then we'll deal with him," he cautioned.
Patrick and Philip exchanged glances, aware of Max's deep resentment towards Lorenzo. They decided to follow Max's lead and waited to see what he had planned.
Max watched resentfully as Lorenzo entered the deli. His injuries from their last encounter had forced him to step back from the neighborhood's illegal activities, and now someone was threatening to take over the smuggling business he ran with his friends.
Unbeknownst to the trio, Lorenzo was actually keen to meet them again. He was interested in their business and had plans to take over by becoming their leader.
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