Chapter 29: Robbery
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Did you know? I was very angry during the scene at the restaurant. I finally grasped a bit of the feeling, but Dan ruined it. I really wanted to kill him!” As Kate expressed her anger, she stabbed the smoked meat on her plate with a fork as though it was Dennis.
“I must remind you, Kate, you can’t eat it anymore if you keep stabbing it,” Adrian mentioned calmly.
“Even if I turn it into minced meat, I’ll eat it!” Kate scoffed, then cut a small piece of meat. It was chewy and delicious.
As they conversed, they talked about the shoots, Kate’s problems, and naturally something that she resented the most. The few scenes at the restaurant were actually the simplest scenes for her and required the fewest shots, thus Kate wanted to finish them smoothly to prove her acting skills. This was because some of the crew mentioned that she only got the role because of Adrian.
Unfortunately, in a slightly long semi-rotating shot, Dan suddenly sneezed at the end, so they needed to repeat the scene. It would be fine if that was all, but somehow, minor problems kept occurring after that. For instance, Kate forgot her lines, the lighting produced by the lighting technician deviated from what was needed, the cameraman did not shoot from the right spot… All in all, numerous problems arose during that shot and only passed after ten takes.
Therefore, Kate was mad. She complained and reproached Dennis to Adrian a number of times.
“Looks like I should’ve arranged that to be shot in the end,” Adrian teased.
Kate was slightly startled, then she quickly glared at him after realizing what he meant. There was a scene at the bar where Kate played a trick on Dennis by spitting into his drink on purpose and was going to give it to him after he forgot about it. In the end, Dennis really drank it. Clearly, this was why Adrian teased her earlier.
“Are you planning to remember that forever?!” Kate gritted her teeth.
“Why should I forget? Isn’t that the truth?” Adrian laughed out loud, but he quickly changed the topic. “Don’t be calculative over those shots, Kate, your improvement is actually very obvious. I’m still learning too, and I learned a number of things this time.”
“I’m not being calculative, I just… I just feel frustrated.” Kate put her fork down and pouted. She supported her cheek with her hand as she looked outside. Her short hair which she cut for the film made her look innocent and adorable.
Adrian chuckled and shook his head, then caressed her face. “Don’t overthink, it’s Thanksgiving. Let’s go home after we eat, I’ll think about where I should bring you to tomorrow.”
“Okay…” Kate replied by dragging out the word, then rubbed her high nose against Adrian’s palm playfully.
It should have been an enjoyable and sweet afternoon if not for what happened next.
“This is a robbery! Everyone, stay in your seats! I repeat, this is a robbery! If you don’t want to die, then be good!” Two white men suddenly hopped down from their seats and began yelling while swinging their pistols in the air.
‘I knew it!’ Adrian rolled his eyes immediately. This area was near to Los Angeles’ slum, and its public security was not as good as other areas. If it was not because of the famous flea market, he would not have brought Kate here.
‘I thought that it’ll be fine for us to dine here since it’s still early, but it turns out that… Are these fellas out of their minds? This is daylight robbery, and they’re robbing a restaurant.’ Adrian frowned, then grabbed Kate’s hand, whose face was pale at that moment.
1
“Don’t be afraid, nothing will happen,” Adrian whispered. “Just do what they say later. Since it’s daytime, they won’t stay here for long.”
Kate trembled as she nodded and held Adrian’s hand tightly.
“Quick, quick, sirs! Take your wallet out, and throw it into this bag. Quick!” One of the robbers approached the customers table after table. Although he looked skinny and frail as if the wind could blow him away, and that he only had a revolver with 6 bullets, the other customers surrendered their wallets.
It was normal in America because the most important rule during a robbery was to do as the robber said. In such situations, the robber was the boss, and everyone had to obey him. Only a hot-headed person would act like a hero, but real life was different from movies because one would die.
“It’s your turn, sir. Your wallet.” The thin robber was at Adrian’s table.
‘Sir?’ Adrian raised his brows, then pointed at his shirt’s pocket. “May I?”
“Quick, we’re not that patient.” The robber smirked while pointing his gun at him, which made him look even more hideous than he already was.
“Can we discuss this?” Adrian said calmly as he retrieved his wallet, “Apart from some cash, I have a few credit cards and items in my wallet, which I believe will be useless to you. How about I give you the cash, and I get to keep my wallet? You still have time anyway.”
Adrian spoke so fast that the thin robber could not catch what he said, who only reacted after some time. “How much do you have?”
“1,400 dollars,” Adrian answered, then took his notes out and turned it upside down to shake it.
The robber whistled. “Wow, we’re going to be rich. You actually carry so much cash with you.”
Adrian smiled bitterly as he could feel the looks around him. He only carried so much cash due to his habit in his past life, but he did not expect to be robbed one day.
“Alright, you may keep your wallet—it’s your turn, lady.” The robber threw the green notes into his bag, then turned to look at Kate.
Kate, who was rather nervous, put all the notes she had on the table without saying a word. Perhaps the robber was in a good mood after gaining 1,400 dollars, he swept her notes into his bag without even taking a look at them. Before he walked away, he even tapped Adrian on his shoulder in a friendly manner. “Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.”
It was true. As long as the robbers were not people with mental issues or were high on drugs, and that the customers were cooperative, they would leave without overstepping the boundary. After all, a robbery offense was different from an intentional assault or a first-degree murder. Nonetheless, accidents could happen.
“Stop her, Stan!” Another robber suddenly shouted.
A girl who was 13 or 14 years old fled in any path she could out of panic, and the robber whose name was Stan was startled, so he quickly tried to stop her. In the end, the nervous girl fell onto Adrian.
Adrian was stunned for a few seconds before he hugged the girl tightly.
“F*cking b*tch!” The other robber walked over furiously and pointed his gun at the little girl in Adrian’s arms. “Give it to me! Do you hear me!”
The girl stared at the black muzzle with a pale face, but she bit her lips without uttering a word.
“I said, give it to me!” The robber who was enraged pulled the trigger of his gun.
Kate could not help but shriek, and Stan was shocked as well. “Quincy, you don’t have to do that.”
“Shut up!” The robber, whose name was Quincy, roared angrily. “This f*cking b*tch bit me! She bit me!”
He kept moving his gun up and down as he was agitated, and Kate had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from screaming again. Although Adrian was slightly concerned, he still remained calm.
“Can you please remain calm, sir?” He comforted the shivering body in his arms.
“Why? What do you want to say? Are you trying to teach me a lesson, fella?” Quincy was irritated.
“No, I don’t want to cause trouble, sir. I just want to remind you that,” Adrian stood up and let the girl stand behind him, then continued, “you don’t have much time. If you delay this any further, the cops will be here.”
“You’re threatening me!” Quincy who was infuriated pointed his gun at Adrian’s head.
“No, sir. I told you, I’m just reminding you.” Adrian kept a straight face. “You’re not being wise. It’ll be fine if this is just a robbery, but if someone’s injured or dead because of this, you’ll be in a terrible spot. Why don’t you leave with the money before the cops are here? It’ll be good for all of us.”
For someone like him who was reborn, death was not a fearsome thing. Besides, a robber who used the word “sir” could not be very vicious.
As expected, Quincy began thinking. Right then, Stan suggested, “He’s right, Quincy, the cops are coming. We’ve got enough for today, so let’s leave as soon as we can.”
When Quincy finally put his gun away a few seconds later, Kate sighed a deep breath of relief.
“Alright, we should go, but,” Quincy said as he pointed at the girl behind Adrian, “that b*tch must give what she has!”
“No!” A low voice was heard. Though the girl was shivering out of fear, her stubbornness could be clearly seen through her eyes.
“Listen to me, girl.” Adrian gestured to the robbers to hold their horses, then turned to hug the girl. “Give them your money.”
“No!” The girl bit her lips and shook her head hard. She began looking at Adrian differently and pushed him softly as if she wanted to leave.
“Listen to what I have to say, okay?” Adrian quickly went up to her ear to say to her gently, “Think about what’s more important, think. I know the money means a lot to you, but you can just earn it again if you lose it, whereas getting yourself hurt isn’t worth the money. They’re bad people, and they’re impatient. If you get hurt when they try to snatch your money, think about how upset your parents will be.”
He held the girl’s arms softly. “Trust me. Whatever it is, your difficulties will eventually pass, and things will get better.”
The girl looked at Adrian hesitantly with her teary eyes. Although she was still reluctant, she finally surrendered her cash. It was at that moment when Adrian finally understood why the robber insisted on getting her money, because she definitely had more than 1,400 dollars.
‘How can a child like her carry so much money? What exactly are her parents thinking?’ Adrian furrowed his brows. ‘Her parents haven’t appeared since the robbery happened too, what’s happening?’
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