"Why are you buying apples?"

Fanny shrugged.


"I like them."

"You can buy apples at home."

"Yes, but I prefer to buy them myself."


Michel didn't answer for a moment, just stared at her without blinking.

"Are you telling me you spent an hour buying apples?"


Blushing at the comment, Fanny didn't reply, but instead just bowed her head and took a few steps to the car.

With her back to Michel, she didn't notice that he was actually trying to suppress a small smile.

Out of all the things she could buy and do, she went to a supermarket to pick apples... What a freak.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard a car screeching to stop right next to him and Fanny.

Michel immediately realized what it was and reacted.

"Boarding." He yelled at Fanny as bullets began to fly past him while he was getting inside the Mercedes.

Fanny screamed as she jumped in, covering her ears while Michel pulled out his gun and started shooting back.

"Damn it."

He fumbled with the keys as he put the gun down between them.

He pressed the gas to run away.

Fanny curled into a ball in the passenger seat, sobbing.

Reaching over, he brushed Fanny's hair aside to get a good look at her as he flew down the driveway.

"Are you okay? Please talk to me."

She flinched when he touched her.

"What happened? Why are they chasing us?"

"The Phoenix gang. Damn, they're getting closer and closer..." Michel said, throwing a glance in the rearview mirror, and pressing the accelerator harder.

She shook her head frantically, unable to cope with the overwhelming situation.

"But why would they do this?"

Michel swung the car down the main road.

He didn't know what to say anymore.

He tried to focus on the road, but something caught his eye through the rearview mirror.

The black car from earlier rushed towards them.

"Damn it!"

Fanny glanced behind them.

"Oh, man!"

"Fasten your seat belt." He told her, without even thinking about it.

She froze for a second before fastening her seat belt.

Michel wanted to say something to comfort her, but he wasn't sure if the words existed.

The vehicle quickly approached as gunfire cut through the air again, bullets hitting the rear of their vehicle.

The right rear tire exploded on impact, and the car shook, but Michel managed to keep it on the road.

Moments later, the left tire crumbled, and the squeal of metal rims on the highway drowned out the gunfire.

Sparks flew, and Michel's panic deepened when he realized he couldn't get past them now.

He grabbed the steering wheel to brace himself and looked at Fanny, the unparalleled devastation reflected in her eyes.

If only she wasn't with him.

It's all his fault.

He should never have taken her out. He put her in danger.

If he was alone now, he would just do what he always did.

Michel knows how to defend himself, especially when he's not afraid to put himself in danger.

But now he has to keep an eye on her.

"Michel." Fanny's trembling voice tore through his thoughts, the sound of his name on her lips making his chest vibrate with a strange sensation he didn't know how to put.

He stared into her deep brown eyes, and time seemed to stop.

"Close your eyes, okay? You don't have to see this." He said, trying to suppress his emotions so as not to scare her.

"What? See what?" The moment she finished speaking, the black car crashed into the back of their car.

They slid off the curb toward some trees.

Even so, the two darted forward and hit the steering wheel, and lunged forward, pain ripping through his chest as the air left Fanny's body.

Darkness stole her in an instant.

—

The next time Fanny woke up, seemingly within seconds, Michel and another man of similar height were standing in front of the car she was still in, reaching around for her hand. others.

They appeared to be fighting, cursing loudly as Michel tried to push the man with the gun pointed at his head away from him.

"Michel!" She cried out in panic even though she knew he was too distracted to hear her.

But before she could unbuckle her seat belt and run out, she witnessed Michel take his own gun out of its holster and stuff it into his mouth.

And suddenly, there was a loud bang, followed by a sea of ​​blood covering the windshield of the car.

A scream came from Fanny's throat and for the second time that day, she passed out.

---

Charles poured the whiskey into the glass and wordlessly slid it across the table toward Michel, who reached for it, drinking it immediately.

He had washed his hands and face, but the blood was still splattered all over his white shirt, tie, blazer, and pants.

Quietly observing him, Charles noticed that for the first time, Michel looked truly affected after an incident.

He couldn't count how many times their second-in-command had taken someone's life but he was certain that this had nothing to do with the actual murder but the girl in the car, Watch it all happen.

Charles also has a feeling that Michel called him because he didn't necessarily want Vengo to know that he took the girl out of the house when he wasn't supposed to.

He himself is usually against anything that could harm the organization, but he also has great respect for Michel, so he just decided to quietly help, hoping that by quickly resolving the subject, it will disappear as quickly as it appeared.

"So at your request, Andy is with her, but she's still out. I assume you don't want Vengo to know?"

Michel nodded as he quietly set the glass back to Charles to refill.

"Then I don't understand why you got involved with Andy." He poured whiskey again.

Clearing his throat, Michel fired a third shot before slamming the glass on the table.

"They're close so she'll tell him anyway. Besides..." He stopped suddenly, not knowing how to form his next words.

"Besides what? Besides, you're not sure if you should be with her now?"

Michel's eyes locked on Charles at the honest words.

He knew that Charles would understand the situation without difficulty explaining it to him.