Chapter 72: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!

Chapter 72: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!

So it's Friday night and my buddy James was really bummed out that his anticipated date with Ashley had to be postponed due to the sudden chaos.

Though with the fact that Friday's business class was also officially canceled, it let everyone else on campus know that the Long family was currently dealing with some massive internal issues.

Hana told me earlier that most of the Long family's various side branch members have already stopped by the hospital for intense gloating, fake sympathy, or to permanently say their goodbyes to the traitor. Yes, a lot of the Long family members absolutely hate Laura for one reason or another, so stopping by the ward just to smile right at her while she was in such terrible physical shape brought a real sense of justice to them.

All of the branch families sitting under the main head's family are basically treated like second-tier garbage in some of these noble homes, but it's not like that everywhere you go in the city. For example, over in the Feng family, Jill and Tina actually get along very well with each other, while on the complete flip side of things, Helen and Scott do not tolerate one another at all.

Anyway, the bottom line is that Ashley asked James to wait around for a bit until the dust settled, and he was understanding enough to give her some space. I also received a direct apology call on my smartphone from Victoria.

She skipped over her sister's critical medical condition altogether on the line and knew perfectly well that I didn't want her to take any personal responsibility for Laura's crimes, so she only asked if we could reschedule our dinner plans for next Friday. When I told her yes, I actually heard her exhale a massive breath in pure relief from her phone, but she tried to keep it as quiet as possible so I wouldn't notice.

I had just wished her well, telling her that I would see her next Friday before clicking the line closed.

And that brings us right back full circle to my bummed-out buddy James.

So Mary and I are currently sitting in the front seats of my old white BMW to finally give the engine some proper use, and we are driving through traffic to pick up James and Akeno for a casual double date night. Mary, feeling incredibly bad for poor James being stuck at home, decided to squeeze a sudden date out of me and transform it into a fun couples night out. I actually really like this bold initiative Mary is taking lately, and as we cruise down the avenue, she looks over at me from the passenger seat.

"Akeno Minamoto sounds like a fun girl from what Hana tells me," Mary says, her eyes crinkling as she rests her chin on her hand. "She is 24 so we are in the same age range. Two older-sister types shooting for young boys, ha-ha."

"No, Captain said you're a Bro-con, right?" I counter with a wicked grin, keeping my hands steady on the steering wheel.

Thud! Smacking my arm with her knuckles, Mary squints her eyes tightly upon hearing my blunt joke and lets out a massive pout.

"When you and my boss joke about it it makes me feel creepy," she complains, turning her face toward the side window.

I smile warmly at the sudden red blush creeping up her neck and decide to hammer the final nail into the coffin.

"Well you did look at my sleeping picture when you used your toy back then, soooo?" I tease, giving her a quick side-eye.

With her face turning completely red, she reaches over to cover my mouth with her palm and raises her voice to drown out my laughter.

"You little bastard!" Mary yells, her eyes wide as she surrenders to the embarrassment. "What was I thinking about letting you read my diary?!"

I gently shake her hand away from my lips, softening my voice to calm her down as we approach the intersection.

"But reading that made me love you more Mary, don't forget we are partners till the end," I say softly, offering her a sincere look.

Mary clears her throat to hide her lingering embarrassment, shifting her weight in the leather seat before asking me a business question.

"So I was Harem-Chatting with Tina and she told me that the fight with that Alex fellow and that boy in your class is going on next week," Mary states, tapping her fingers against her purse. "Scott and his wives are going to watch as well. Will you go to watch it?"

I am completely surprised to find out that Tina is actively participating in the Harem-Chat network, but I am significantly more surprised that these underground fights are being openly talked about like this among the girls.

"That is news to me, when is it?" I ask, accelerating past a slow moving truck.

"Saturday Night at midnight," Mary answers, checking her phone screen for the details. "It will be a Star City Arena event fight. They apparently are going to broadcast it for underground gambling."

"Wait, that big time Arena run by Tony and Alex Deng?!" I mutter, my mind quickly analyzing the venue. "Wow, is this challenge becoming that big of a deal?"

Mary pats my arm gently, her expression turning a bit more serious as she looks at my profile.

"I was surprised as well, but my coworkers were excited because they had announced the winner would marry Tina Feng and the place exploded," Mary explains, leaning closer to the console. "Becoming in-laws with the big four is a really exciting prospect for us normal people. It's like a Cinderella tail. So you better win."

"Crap!" I groan out loud.

I finally pull up along the curb right in front of James's apartment building, noting that his place is a whole lot nicer than our old apartment used to be and features three full bedrooms, meaning that even with Akeno living there it's really no big deal at all.

I reach down to send him a quick text letting him know we are waiting for them down at the street level, and I make sure to tightly hold Mary's hand for a quiet moment before they can make it down to the car.

Soon enough, James and Akeno come walking out of the front glass lobby doors, moving toward the vehicle hand in hand. James is dressed casually in a pair of blue jeans while Akeno is wearing a nice flower-print one-piece dress paired with a soft white sweater over her shoulders. He steps forward and politely opens the back door for her to slide into the leather interior, and they both offer us a warm greeting.

"Hello, thank you for having me and Jim," Akeno says, sliding across the bench with a bright smile. "Right Jim?"

"That's right, Sugar plum!" James beams, closing the door behind him and buckling his seatbelt.

"So Mr Speed Racer, what will we do tonight?" Akeno asks, leaning forward between the front headrests to poke at my shoulder.

Mary looks back and notices my completely helpless face when dealing with this loud version of Akeno, so she immediately speaks up to rescue me.

"Hello James, and hello Akeno," Mary says, offering them a friendly wave. "Just call me Mary and we are going to the mall and to see a movie, if that is fine with you two."

Akeno's eyes light up completely the very second the word mall registers in her ears.

"I used to go to the mall a lot with Hana and Kim before I got knocked-up, so I like it, right Jim?" Akeno chirps happily, turning to slap James's knee.

James, apparently completely used to the chaotic way she speaks to him in public, just lets out a massive smile and nods his head. He always brags to me about how incredibly doting she is when they are alone in private, but there is no denying that she is a bit of a major talker when she gets around a crowd.

I turn the key to start the car and head off down the asphalt, checking the rearview mirror as I speak up.

"Alright, we will get the movie tickets first, then grab something to eat, and then watch the movie," I plan out, navigating toward the highway entrance. "If there is any time left over before or after the showing, we can shop around a bit."

Akeno Minamoto pumps her fist straight into the air in the back seat, letting out an excited cheer.

"I love shopping!" she exclaims loudly, making James chuckle at her enthusiasm.

Mary has me drive the BMW straight toward the massive Super Mall located in the northwest part of the city, right near the luxury Hilton International area where I had previously killed that hostile helicopter during our escape. This place is a massive, sprawling six-level mall complex that draws huge crowds every single weekend.

After navigating the busy ramps of the parking structure, I manage to find a really good parking spot right by the pedestrian walkway that connects directly from the concrete deck straight into the brightly lit interior of the Mall, and the four of us step out of the car to make our way inside.

When we made it to the bustling food court, I discreetly passed James a bit of folded cash because I know my buddy is absolutely broke right now, and this high-end mall is definitely not cheap.

The two pairs of us split up into the crowd to find the exact food we wanted, agreeing to meet back up at a single table after ordering. Mary told me she would go ahead and save our table while I went to bring her food back to her. Naturally, the food court layout was wide open and I could easily spot her from anywhere in this massive space, so it wasn't like some annoying, cliché novel trope was suddenly going to land on us out of nowhere.

Well, scratch that thought, because I think I seriously need to find Murphy so I can punch his stupid face!

Jim, Akeno, and Mary are all sitting together at the table when the two of them get their food back to the seats, while I arrive carrying Mary's and my custom Big-Burger order on a plastic tray.

But was it completely unexpected that Linda and her maid were standing right there talking to the three of them when I walked up?!

As I placed my and Mary's heavy food tray down onto the smooth surface, Linda looked up at me and offered a polite greeting, "Hello Rick, I am happy to see you four here. I didn't expect you all to like this mall, due to it being far away."

Not wanting to be rude in front of company, I gestured with my hand toward the two empty seats at the edge of the wood, since it was a total coincidence that Mary had chosen a six-top table for us to use.

"If you want, have a seat with us, and Mary wants to see a movie here in the nice theater," I say, pulling out a chair for Mary as I sit down. "But between you guys and me, she only wants the BBQ flavored popcorn. I like traditional butter and salt myself."

Mary lets out a cute smile, leaning over to elbow my ribs as she settles into her seat.

"Stuff it Rick, I am almost 3 months pregnant and I have needs!" Mary exclaims loudly, totally unbothered by the public disclosure.

Mercy and Linda quietly sat down in the remaining chairs but mentioned they had already eaten a full meal just before bumping into us. Then Akeno, her eyes widening with a massive dose of gossipy curiosity, leaned forward over her plate to ask Linda a very direct question.

"Hello Miss Linda, I am Akeno, Jim's fiancee, are you and Rick?" Akeno asks, her voice trailing off with a heavy insinuation.

Linda blushes slightly at the foreign girl who is acting incredibly over-friendly, keeping her posture perfect as she clarifies the relationship.

"Rick and I are friends, study partners, and seatmates in University," Linda answers smoothly, giving a small nod.

Akeno immediately drops her shoulders, looking completely let down by the entirely normal answer.

"Oh? I thought it was like some Eurasia soap and you had a secret crush or something, then you and Mary would fight over Rick and we would laugh at him being used like a tug-o-war, fufu," Akeno giggles, resting her chin in her palms.

Linda's face flushed bright red, Mary looked completely mischievous, Jim looked thoroughly embarrassed by his girl's lack of filter, and Mercy instantly locked on a severe look that screamed 'Not on my watch!' toward the table.

I swear, I think Akeno must be just like me and is probably a secret reincarnate of the old god Loki because she causes massive social mischief completely unintentionally wherever she goes. Linda tries to steer the conversation away from her burning cheeks, asking the rest of the group a question.

"So what movie are you guys going to see?" Linda asks, smoothing down the front of her outfit.

Jim, acting like the ultimate nerd he is, jumps right into the conversation as the perfect mood maker to rescue the atmosphere.

"A brand new foreign film from the UK of America called, The Princess Bride!" James explains excitedly, gesturing with his fork. "They say it's really funny."

Linda looks over at him, tilting her head with a look of slight hesitation.

"Is that a violent or bloody movie?" Linda asks, her conservative upbringing showing through.

Mary speaks up to reassure her, swallowing a bite of her burger before answering the girl.

"It is actually a movie even younger teens can watch and the violence is not the bad kind and has more comedy value to it," Mary states, offering a warm smile across the table. "Actually, if you and Mercy are interested, why not join us?"

Linda did not even hesitate for a single fraction of a second, blurting out her response before her protective maid could even open her mouth to object,

"I would love to, and if Mercy does not want to come, then she can leave and I can ride with you guys. Plus Mercy doesn't have to worry about my safety with Rick around, oh and a police woman."

Mercy lets out a heavy, long-suffering sigh, realizing she has been completely outmaneuvered by her young mistress.

"I would love to come, just let me put the bags in the car first, young Miss," Mercy grumbles, accepting her defeat.

Linda only offered a firm nod to Mercy, who carried a totally defeated smile as she stood up to handle the shopping bags left by Linda's sudden actions.

Mary then grins widely, pulling her smartphone right out of her purse and tapping the screen to dial a number on a private line.

"Mei Xia, it's me, can you make it 7 tickets for the back-row now?" Mary speaks into the receiver, her voice full of amusement. "We will have Linda Lang and Mercy Mu joining us. That is right, and thanks."

She clicks the call closed, sliding her phone back onto the table as she looks around at our surprised faces.

"She has been such a great help," Mary explains with a soft chuckle. "She offered to wait in line for us ahead of time, fufu."

I just shake my head at the realization; yup, Mei Xia was absolutely going to follow us in secret anyway if Mary hadn't given her a valid excuse to officially crash our double date by buying the movie tickets. Mei is seriously acting like that incredibly clingy ex-girlfriend I never actually had in either of my lives!

James looks across the table at me, his eyes wide with utter shock as he processes the expanding headcount.

"Your new maid is coming too? Dude!" James whispers loudly, shaking his head in disbelief at my crazy household.

Akeno looks around at the massive gathering of gorgeous women surrounding her fiancé's best friend, tilting her head to the side as a wide, chaotic grin spreads across her face.

"I will buy the biggest bucket of popcorn for this!" Akeno declares happily, clapping her hands together.

Some days I am just incredibly glad I did not fall for chaotic, unfiltered girls like her!

Jim, Akeno, Linda, me, Mary, Mei, then Mercy is the seating order from left to right in the dark theater right now. Linda had firmly insisted that Mercy should guard the outside edge of our row while Jim guards the other side to keep our position totally secure.

Mercy had initially suggested that both of the maids should take the very ends of the row, but all Mei Xia said back to her in response was, [ I don't fight, only warm beds. ]

No, she really went ahead and said that exact sentence straight to her face, and I immediately wanted to sink into my theater seat and die of pure embarrassment. Akeno, however, just laughed her absolute ass off right next to Jim. I think it may honestly be some kind of inside China and Japan Empire joke that went way over my head.

I quickly leaned across to Mercy to patch up the damage, whispering, "Her Eurasian is bad, she meant to make beds, sigh."

Mercy only smiled back at me gently because she can easily tell by now that I get constantly teased by this free-spirited maid, but I know for a fact Mei was never like that back when she served Scott. She was always perfectly docile and subservient with him, making me wonder if this chaotic attitude is actually the maid's true nature and the exact reason why she switched masters in the first place.

Mary suddenly flipped up the plastic armrest separating my seat from hers while holding her big bucket of popcorn, leaning her upper body in close to get comfortable right against my right arm.

Linda looked down at my own bucket of popcorn, then at the empty armrest remaining on my left side, before she spoke up to ask me a question, "Mind if we share some of your buttered popcorn? I can hold the bucket for you, Rick?"

While I contemplated how to answer her, Mary immediately spoke up for the both of us across my chest.

"Great idea Linda, then Rick can hold my BBQ popcorn for me, Thanks," Mary declares with a smooth grin.

So completely without my own say in the matter, Linda lifted the left armrest, took my popcorn bucket, and placed it right in her lap close to my side, while Mary simultaneously dropped her own heavy bucket straight into my lap. I just sit there looking down at this incredibly strange dual-popcorn setup, my gut telling me with absolute certainty that I am being played by these women somehow.

When I looked over to the right to see Mei Xia's reaction, she only rolled her eyes hard at me in the dim light. Every single time I reached down to grab a handful of my popcorn, Linda would happily tilt the bucket toward my fingers with a bright, cheerful look in her grey eyes.

When the movie finally started playing on the massive screen, I had a highly interesting realization. I had actually seen this exact film back on my last Earth, but the actors casting the roles here are completely different, with only some very minor script differences showing up. It seems all of these alternate Earths are connected together somehow across the universe to share such massive cultural similarities.

Then another deep thought came drifting into my mind; if the Yellow Emperor is truly one of the five Heavenly Emperors, or three depending on which ancient stories you read, does that mean there are other individuals who transmigrate across worlds exactly like me? And are those hidden individuals doing the exact same things as me in their own separate universes right now?

In the pitch dark of the theater, while I was busy both watching this alternate film and deeply contemplating the structural makeup of the cosmos, I was completely unaware of the frustrated fisherman working right to my left.

Linda, for the past couple of minutes, had been trying to carefully time an accidental hand meeting inside the bucket while I reached down to get some popcorn, but my natural reflexes meant her timing had been completely off a few times.

But as the popcorn neared the absolute bottom of the container, her target prey had become more and more trapped because my hand had to dive much deeper into the cardboard to scoop up the remaining kernels. Why was she struggling so much to make contact? For one thing, my movements are naturally fast, and for the second reason, she had to keep her grey eyes locked onto the screen the entire time so she wouldn't look completely obvious to the rest of the row.

[ Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die! ] the electronic audio system blasts through the theater speakers.

Then the big climactic sword fight with the main bad guy finally flashed onto the screen, and Linda found her perfect opportunity. She suddenly reached out and held onto my left arm tightly, acting exactly like she was both frightened by the action and intensely interested in the choreography of the fight.

Suddenly, my right arm was also firmly grabbed and held in the exact same manner as Mary got incredibly excited for the good part of the movie! Both of my arms are now being heavily embraced by gorgeous women, and I am stuck trying to navigate the sensory overload while watching the screen at the same time.

[ Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die! ] the actor lines deliver through the theater.

If you have never seen this classic film before, this specific line gets used a whole lot during the finale and it ends up being incredibly memorable in both of my lives.

Why exactly is it becoming so memorable for me in this specific life? Because Linda really has a solid, heavy hold of my arm right now, and I am feeling deeply conflicted in my heart because I am not entirely sure if this is just her personal security issues acting up, or if she has just grown that close to me now.

[ Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die! ]

Now the wounded foe on screen is actively running away from the hero, and right at this exact peak moment of tension, Linda slips her fingers down and completely interlocks her right hand with my left hand, keeping the grip perfectly hidden right under the shadow of the empty popcorn bucket.

I am mostly sure she is doing this completely intentionally now. My logical brain is screaming at me to immediately yank my hand back out of her grip, but my heart is just completely ignoring my brain's commands. I don't hold her hand back romantically or anything, but that line of comfort is officially established between us.

So just as I was about to say fuck it and accept the hold, she briefly rubs the back of my hand with her thumb and smoothly pulls her arm away, making me look up to realize that the credits are already starting to roll across the screen. My mind had been so deeply entrenched in my own thoughts that I had completely lost track of the time, and Linda is already acting perfectly normal, sitting there as if the two of us had never held hands at all.

I then glanced over to the left and saw Akeno still casually chewing on her popcorn, looking straight at me and Linda with a wild expression that let me know she was definitely not watching the movie on the screen, but was instead tracking the real-life drama happening to her right, damn it!

Mary then leans forward, breaking the silence to ask Linda, "So how was the movie Linda?"

"I really enjoyed it," Linda answers back smoothly, offering her a sweet smile.

I know Mary incredibly well by now, and she either saw the entire handholding interaction happen in the dark, or she actively orchestrated the seating arrangement to make it happen; either way, I am definitely going to have to use my powers of persuasion on her tonight at home to find out the absolute truth here.

Our group of seven eventually made our way out into the concrete car park, standing around the vehicles to say our goodbyes to one another for the night.

Linda looks over at me before stepping toward her door, asking, "Will you still come over for tutoring?"

"Sure, unless something comes up," I reply, giving her a nod. "I will see you tomorrow then."

Mercy and Linda got straight into their car and left the structure. Right after they pulled away, Mei Xia stepped up to us to deliver her own update.

"I will head back first while you drop off your friends," Mei Xia tells us, jingling her keys. "I will make a bath and food for Hana, see you later."

And with that, Mei Xia took off down the ramp in her own car.

Now that the group is sorted, Mary, Akeno, and James all climb into the seats of my white BMW, and we were off into the night traffic to send them straight back home.

Later on, I let out my buddy James and his girlfriend at their apartment building, and Mary and I were finally left completely alone in the front seats as we drove back down the quiet highway. I glance over at my sister turned into a wife, speaking up to grill her.

"Spill it lady, what's going on with you and Linda?" I demand, a smirk playing on my lips.

Mary does not try to deny her matchmaking actions at all, turning to look at me with a relaxed expression as she answers, "I have been in contact with Linda since we moved in with Hana, I knew about her when I became a detective, and I like that girl. I am not telling you to like her, but I did invite her to the movies tonight and the maid did not know."

I stay quiet for a moment, thinking carefully about her explanation before she continues to respond to my silence.

"Rick, I know you're still hung up on the past, and you have done a great job forgiving her," Mary states softly, reaching over to tap my knee. [ But don't cut off your leg to spite your foot. Just spend time with her and see where life takes you. I won't push you but don't regret it later. ]

"Fine, I will at least think about it," I mutter back, keeping my eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Mary smiles widely at my answer, her expression shifting into something completely playful as she covers her mouth to tease me.

"Sooo, should I give you another good blowjob for your forgiveness tonight?" Mary asks, her voice dripping with amusement.

My face instantly twitches hard upon hearing that familiar offer, vividly remembering all the regular forgiveness blowjobs she loves to give me around the house. I have thoroughly found out from my various lovers that Mary just absolutely loves to give them to me for basically any random reason under the sun, but I am definitely not stupid enough to say no.

"I think that would work, cough," I reply, clearing my throat as I accelerate down the lane.

"You're so bad Rick, Ufufu," Mary giggles, leaning back against the leather headrest.