Chapter 78 The Extraordinary Robert
In the blink of an eye, five days had passed.
During this time, Alexander's life wasn't disrupted by Luke's sudden intrusion. He continued being busy with work handovers, managing the drug line, and dealing with Robert's case while Luke stayed home to recuperate. Every day, Alexander would give him some money for lunch before heading to work, and they would usually have breakfast and dinner together.
Ever since Alexander's conflict with David became public in the office, he had faced no further obstacles at work. William's group had started to ignore his presence, and the drug business was managed by Benjamin, with initial profits being acceptable. Overall, the streets were unusually calm during this period. Not only were there no face-to-face conflicts among drug dealers, but even other illegal activities had quieted down.
In such a peaceful environment, Robert was finally released from prison.
Benjamin hired a lawyer and, following Alexander's instructions, subtly hinted to Daniel to take the blame. Daniel, valuing Benjamin's loyalty, took full responsibility for the core parts of the case without much hesitation. Robert, understanding the situation, used his connections to clear his name. In the end, he was only sentenced to three months of community service and a $1,000 fine for assisting in hiding illegal drugs.
While Robert was released, Daniel faced a harsher fate, being thrown into a maximum-security prison, awaiting a sentence of at least fifteen years.
Alexander's previous impression of Robert was that he was impulsive, often acting without thinking and speaking without consideration. However, he knew that despite Robert's flaws, he was loyal. When Robert was first arrested, Alexander, then aligned with William, had tortured him to force a confession. But Robert never revealed the truth, not wanting to cause trouble for Daniel and his uncle Benjamin.
So, Alexander didn't see Robert as entirely bad but just someone who was too high-profile and possibly difficult to get along with.
Unexpectedly, the day after his release, Robert called Alexander, inviting him out for a meal. Alexander hadn't planned to get close to Robert due to their past conflicts, fearing awkward. But since Robert took the initiative, Alexander couldn't refuse. After all, their interests were now tied together. If the relationship could be eased a bit, it would certainly be more comfortable for both parties.
After some consideration, Alexander called Andrew, John, and Matthew to join them, hoping to formally introduce everyone and make future dealings smoother.
Around 7 P.M. on Friday, they gathered at a well-known restaurant in the Black Street District. During their meal, the atmosphere was somewhat tense. Except for Andrew and two others, most of them had previously beaten up Robert, making the interactions polite but superficial.
After a few drinks, Robert, slightly drunk, insisted on taking Alexander and the others to Maple Street for some fun. Reluctantly, they agreed and left the restaurant. But at the entrance, Robert did something that surprised Alexander and the others.
As they were chatting and waiting for Matthew to driving the car around, they noticed an argument between a scruffy old man and a young waiter.
On the left side of the steps, a tall young man in an apron was shoveling snow while the old man stood nearby, saying, "I want to order some food. Why won't you let me in?"
"You come here every day just to buy bread. Who wants to serve you?" the young man shouted, "Look at your shoes, covered in snow. You'll track it all over the place, and I'll have to clean it up. Get out of here. We're not selling to you."
The old man, at least in his sixties, turned red with anger and was about to leave.
The waiter kicked a ragged bag off a low windowsill, shouting, "Take your junk with you. Don't leave it here. It's leaking oil, and it's hard to clean."
"You could have just told me not to put it there. Did you have to kick it?" The old man trembled with anger. "I may be an eyesore, but I still have to live. You can't just get rid of me."
"You're talking too much. I told you to leave. Can't you understand?" The waiter glared. "If you keep wasting time, I'll beat you up!"
The old man sighed, bent down to pick up his bag, and brushed off the snow.
At that moment, Robert, who had been chatting with Alexander, suddenly turned and slapped the waiter on the head. "Don't you have parents? Didn't they teach you how to talk to elders?"
The waiter was stunned. "What did I do?"
"I've been listening to you for a while. You're being very rude." Robert grabbed the waiter's collar. "You're just a waiter. What makes you think you're better than anyone else?"
"This old man comes here every day just to buy bread. He's dirty, and his shoes are covered in snow. I'm just trying to keep the place clean for everyone."
Robert, losing his temper, slapped the waiter twice. "Apologize. Apologize now!"
The waiter, too scared to argue with someone like Robert and being naturally timid, almost cried after being slapped. "I'm sorry. I just yelled at him a bit. I didn't mean to..."
"I said apologize!" Robert shouted to the waiter, pointing at the old man.
The waiter swallowed hard and, looking at the old man, said softly, "I'm sorry."
"Everyone gets old someday," the old man replied calmly.
Robert, with his thick eyebrows and crew cut, looked fierce. He glared at the waiter, getting angrier. Finally, he shouted, "Go inside, set a table, and order four dishes. I'm treating this old man to a meal. And you, get a mop and follow him around, cleaning up after him. If it's not clean, I'll beat you up!"
"Thank you, but I don't need the bun anymore," the old man said with a smile.
Robert raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? I helped you get revenge, and you don't want to eat with me?"
"I appreciate the gesture, but I can't afford to eat here every day," the old man continued to smile. "My grandson had stomach surgery and can't eat hard food. This place has good soft bread, so I come by every day to buy some for him."
Robert thought for a moment, then pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and said generously, "Then today, I won't treat you to a meal. I'll treat your grandson to a year's worth of buns."
The old man was stunned, and so were Alexander, Andrew, and the others.
Robert handed a hundred dollars to the waiter and said, "From now on, have buns ready for this old man every day at this time. If I find out you didn't do it, you'll be shoveling snow on Maple Street."
"Got it." the waiter nodded.
At that moment, Matthew and the others arrived in the car. Robert waved to the old man with a smile. "We're leaving."
The old man, still in shock, bowed to Robert. "Thank you, young man."
"No need to thank me. I'm young and make money fast," Robert said, getting into the car without further conversation.
Andrew, having watched the whole scene, shook his head and sighed. "Robert is really generous. He gave away a hundred dollars without blinking."
"He is worth befriending deeply," Alexander said with a smile.
On the way to Maple Street, Alexander jokingly asked, "Robert, that old man clearly needs money. Why didn't you just give it to him if you wanted to do a good deed?"
Reeking of alcohol, Robert thought for a moment and said something profound, "I can afford to buy his grandson bread for a year, but I can't save him. Those are two different things."
"You're an interesting person," Alexander said with a thoughtful smile.
At a mid-range entertainment venue on Maple Street, a few of Terry's men were having a great time.
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