“That’s my mother’s hard-earned money. And I’m getting it back, today.”
The moment the words left my mouth, the two of them froze, their faces pale with disbelief.
“Are you insane?” Aria looked at me in shock.
“You want to go after Tiger Brother for money? Do you have a death wish?”
“He’s not someone you can mess with,” her friend added, stepping in.
“He’s powerful, just a flick of his finger and you’re done for.”
I let out a lazy stretch, completely unfazed.
“I don’t care who Tiger Brother is.”
“All I care about is getting my mom’s money back. Got it?”
Her friend’s expression turned serious.
“Mr. Robert, take my advice. Drop it. Even the police wouldn’t dare against him.”
“In all of Brooklyn, no one’s ever walked away with money once it’s in his pocket.”
I waved dismissively and pulled out my phone, holding it out to them.
“Enough stalling. Call him. Now.”
Aria and her friend exchanged a nervous glance. Hesitantly, they took the phone.
“You asked for this,” Aria muttered, trembling.
“Whatever happens next, don’t blame us.”
I gave a silent nod. Aria typed in the number with shaking hands.
The moment the call connected, I snatched the phone back.
“Hello, Tiger Brother?”
“I hear you took 10,000 dollars from me.”
“You’ve got twenty minutes to get to the restaurant you own. One second late and you’ll regret it.”
Before he could respond, I hung up.
Aria stared at me, dumbfounded.
“You... You actually dared to talk to Tiger Brother like that? Are you crazy?”
“If he really shows up, you won’t even have time to regret it!”
I sat down on the sofa, calm as ever and began peeling an orange.
“If he comes, perfect. I was worried he wouldn’t.”
The truth is, I’d been stationed at a military base for years and rarely had time to return home.
This leave was only approved because I’d just won second-class merit in the army-wide martial arts competition and the commander himself had signed off on it.
Otherwise, I’d still be on the training field right now.
“Mr. Robert, when Tiger Brother arrives, don’t say we didn’t warn you,” Aria said nervously.
“He’s got a temper. If you provoke him, all the three of us are dead.”
The moment his name came up, Aria’s entire demeanor changed.
It reminded me of how she acted the moment we first met, cocky and dismissive.
It made me realize something.
When you stay too low-key, people treat you like a doormat.
If I hadn’t stepped in today, who knows how many others they would’ve scammed?
My sense of justice began to burn.
Before I left, my commander had reminded me. “Avoid conflict with the locals during leave.”
But I believe a true soldier never turns a blind eye to injustice.
I’m confident the leadership would understand.
The seconds ticked down. Twenty minutes nearly passed.
Then, right on cue, Tiger Brother arrived.
A dozen gleaming black Maybachs pulled up in formation at the restaurant entrance.
At the front was a bald, middle-aged man, swaggering in with an air of dominance.
Behind him, a row of men in black suits followed. tall, stone-faced and clearly trained.
From a distance, the group looked like something straight out of a gangster film.
Before I could say a word, Aria Johnson and her friend rushed over to him like loyal subordinates.
“Brother, he’s the one who called you earlier!”
“He said if you didn’t show up, he’d tear this place apart!”
