Chapter 533: Chapter 533

I walked closer to the stage, the low hum of the bar fading out a little as the sound of metal taps and drum adjustments took over. Melvin was already there, standing awkwardly to the side, mumbling something about a band. His hands moved too much when he talked, like he didn’t know where to put them.

Isabella barely looked at him.

She was focused on the drum set, leaning forward slightly as she tightened something on the snare. When she finally did turn, her eyes slid past Melvin and landed on me instead.

"Oh," she said, a faint smirk forming. "The almighty hero himself. Hello, Evan."

I gave her a small nod. "Hey."

Up close, her outfit stood out even more under the stage lights. She was wearing a loose, cropped tank top that hung just enough to tease what was underneath whenever she moved. The fabric was thin, clinging slightly, and the neckline dipped low enough to draw attention without trying too hard. Her shorts were just as bold—short, frayed at the edges, riding high on her hips. Combined with the way she moved, it all felt deliberate without looking forced.

Then there was Melvin.

Clean jacket. Buttoned shirt. Everything neat, ironed, in place. Like he was heading to a job interview instead of a bar. The difference was almost painful.

"Hey, uh," I began, keeping my tone steady. "Were you here when those guys came in yesterday?"

"I was," she replied, spinning one of the drumsticks between her fingers. "One of them was speaking in a different language. I don’t know." She shrugged. "You should’ve seen Sophia, though. She wrecked them. It was almost funny."

"Yeah," I said. "She’s tough."

"For real, for real."

"They were here for Eleanor, right?" I asked. "What was going on with her?"

"She was terrified," Isabella said, her expression flattening a little. "Like, actually shaking. Poor thing." She absentmindedly scratched just under her top, the fabric lifting slightly before falling back into place. "One of the waiters and I grabbed her before things got worse. We dragged her into the bathroom and locked the door. Figured it was the safest place until it was over."

"And then?"

"Cops showed up. The usual mess after that." She shrugged again. "Not exactly a fun night."

"Yeah," I muttered. "Sounds like it."

"You have no idea," she added, giving me a look.

"I—" Melvin suddenly cut in, stepping forward. "We’re actually going to deal with that guy today."

Isabella turned her head slowly toward him. "Deal with him?"

I already felt where this was going. "Melvin..."

"Sophia, Evan, and I," he continued, completely ignoring me, "we’re going to his place. Brok, right? We’re gonna beat him up."

Isabella raised an eyebrow and looked back at me, clearly waiting for confirmation.

I cleared my throat and clapped my hands once. "We’re going to talk. That’s all."

Melvin frowned. "No, we’re going to—"

"Let’s go, Melvin," I cut in quickly. "We’re going to be late."

"But—"

"Let’s go."

He hesitated, then his shoulders dropped. "Yeah... okay."

He gave Isabella a small, awkward wave. "Uh... see you."

She didn’t respond to him. Just turned back to her drums.

I gave her a nod. "See you."

"Bye, Evan," she replied casually, already back to adjusting the kit.

We turned and walked away from the stage, Melvin dragging his feet a little as we headed for the exit. The cold air hit us again the moment we stepped outside.

"I didn’t even get to talk to her properly," Melvin groaned.

"Because you went off-script," I said, unlocking the car. "I told you to talk about music. Keep it simple."

"I did!" he protested. "I mentioned this band I like. Their song was in an anime, so I thought—"

"Anime?" I looked at him. "Does she look like she watches anime?"

"You never know," he said defensively. "She called me a weeb, though."

"Yeah, I wonder why."

He sighed. "Man... I messed that up, didn’t I?"

"Gah... well, uh... a little," I admitted. "But it’s fixable. Just don’t overthink it next time."

Sophia straightened up as she approached. She had clearly been waiting.

"We’ll try again another day," I added.

"Yeah..." Melvin muttered.

"Come on. I’ll drop you off."

"If he wants to come," Sophia muttered as she opened the passenger door and got in, "let him."

The door shut with a solid thud. I stood there for a second, then exhaled and walked around to the driver’s side.

"God..." I muttered under my breath as I got in. "What am I going to do with these two..."

⟁ ⟁ ⟁

The pawnshop looked completely out of place, like it had been dropped into the neighborhood and left to rot. The buildings around it were clean enough, small businesses with proper signage and decent lighting, but this place was different. The paint on the exterior walls was chipped and faded, the sign above the door barely hanging on, with a few letters missing from its name. The windows were dusty, cluttered with random items that didn’t seem to belong together.

Across the street, there was a small grocery store with bright lights and people casually walking in and out. A couple of parked cars lined the curb, and further down, a café had people sitting outside like it was just another normal day. The contrast made this place stand out even more. It felt like a stain in the middle of something otherwise ordinary.

I closed the car door and took a slow breath, my eyes scanning the inside through the dirty glass. There were a few customers moving around, browsing shelves, talking quietly.

"This is the place," Sophia muttered beside me. "So what’s the plan, Evan?"

I glanced at her, then at Melvin. "Melvin, I get why you’re here. But you?" I looked back at Sophia. "Why’d you come?"

Her expression hardened. "That bastard took a swing at one of my girls. I’m not sitting this one out."

"Wow..." Melvin muttered, looking at her like she was some kind of superhero. "That’s actually cool."

"Alright," I said, exhaling slowly. "We go in, we talk to Brok. Ask about Eleanor’s brother and the debt. If we can settle this peacefully, we do that."

"And if we can’t?" Sophia asked.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Then we’ll figure it out."

"What a plan," she muttered.

We walked up to the door and stepped inside.

Sophia pulled the door shut behind us with a quiet click.