Chapter 85: Life Goes On.

” Where did you get so much cash in so little time? ”

Jennifer gasped, the sound escaping before she could stop it, her eyes widening as she stared at the thick stack of money in Machina’s hands, the reality of it far louder than any explanation, because numbers spoken out loud were one thing, but seeing physical cash piled together like that carried a different weight.

While Machina stood there with a proud smile stretching across her face, shoulders slightly lifted as if presenting proof of something important, enjoying the moment a little too much, and Max, sitting there, showed little reaction to her shock, his expression unchanged, as if this outcome had already existed in his mind long before it appeared on the table.

” Well, I cashed it out, took me a few days to go around the city, but here we are, ”

Max said with a voice of certainty, like he was describing an errand rather than something unusual, the explanation simple, direct, leaving no room for further questions.

” I am sorry I doubted you… ”

Her voice softened at the end, guilt replacing the earlier disbelief, her gaze lowering as she spoke, the words careful, sincere.

” It’s alright ”

Max lifted his hands slightly with a faint smile, dismissing the apology without letting it linger, then gestured for Machina to go back and put the money where she found it, the motion small but clear, as if this was nothing more than a temporary demonstration, not something meant to stay out in the open.

” I think, with this we are clear ”

Jennifer commented after watching Machina walk inside the bedroom with the money, her shoulders easing as if a tight knot inside her had finally loosened, a small hopeful smile forming on her lips, the kind that came from wanting the problem to be over, wanting a simple ending after days of tension, relief flickering across her face as she allowed herself to believe that maybe things would settle now.

” No, it won’t be enough, he won’t just take it and smile like you, he’s way more trouble than you think, and we can’t be criminals like him ”

Max replied, his words landing without softness, not harsh but firm enough to break the comfort she had just stepped into, like cold water poured over that fragile relief, his gaze fixed ahead as he spoke, already looking beyond the moment, beyond the money, toward the kind of person Bronte was.

Someone who did not operate on simple exchanges, and Jennifer’s smile froze mid-expression, the warmth fading from her face as confusion replaced it, her eyes searching his, realizing that what she saw as an ending, he saw as only the beginning of something more complicated.

” Don’t worry about it, I will handle it ”

Max said it quietly, the assurance resting in his voice like something already decided, not a promise thrown into the air but a statement grounded in certainty, and he reached out, patting her head with a slow, familiar intimacy that carried comfort rather than display.

His fingers lingering for a brief second before he gently held her cheeks, guiding her to look at him, her breath catching as the distance between them shrank, the warmth of his touch traveling downward as his hand brushed along the side of her neck, light and deliberate, enough to make her face flush, not from embarrassment alone but from the way he made reassurance feel personal, close, almost protective, as if the problem had already moved from her world into his.

” Max ”

Her voice slipped out softer than she intended, his name carrying warmth, hesitation, and something unspoken lingering beneath it, the air between them narrowing as her eyes lifted toward him, searching, waiting.

” Jenny ”

He answered just as quietly, the way he said her name slower, heavier, like he was aware of the effect it had on her, his gaze resting on her face with an attention that made everything else around them fade into the background.

~ Max ~

Jennifer almost moaned when his fingers moved along her neck and near her ear with a gentle touch, tracing warmth beneath her skin, sending a shiver down her spine as her breathing changed without permission, her lashes lowering as she leaned into the contact, caught in the closeness.

In the quiet gravity he carried without effort, and just as the moment deepened, Machina’s entry broke the fragile romance, the shift in presence immediate, making Max withdraw his hand without abruptness, the warmth lingering even after the distance returned.

” I think I will need a personal lesson from you ”

Max said it with a small smile that carried quiet confidence rather than uncertainty, his eyes resting on Jennifer with deliberate focus, because she was, after all, his professor, the one person he was meant to turn to when something required deeper understanding.

” Alright ”

Jennifer answered after a brief pause, nodding her head seriously this time, the playful hesitation from earlier fading into something more professional, and she remembered now that he had taken her class before yet never asked questions, never lingered after lectures.

…

Max went back to his room and turned on the live TV to see the news, and when Saoirse appeared on the local broadcast, a small smile appeared on his face, the corner of his lips lifting with quiet recognition before his attention shifted back to what mattered.

The screen’s light reflecting across the room as he focused on his lesson, posture relaxed yet purposeful, the outside world fading into background noise as his attention narrowed to study.

Jennifer soon came in with a laptop in her hand, pausing for a second at the doorway before stepping inside, noticing that both of them had work to do, so they sat separately without discussion, the soft sounds of typing and page scrolling filling the room, each absorbed in their own tasks first.

The silence comfortable rather than distant, until eventually they moved closer and began studying together, Max asking questions this time with clear intention, not casually but with direction, and Jennifer answering them patiently, her tone shifting naturally into explanation, the dynamic settling into student and professor without effort.

Max even opened different subject PDFs one after another to ask her questions, moving across topics without hesitation, his curiosity visible in the way he followed each explanation, and she helped him through each point, clarifying, expanding, occasionally pausing to make sure he understood, and as the time passed and the quiet rhythm of studying continued.

Jennifer’s voice gradually softened, her posture loosening beside him, the long day catching up to her, until she quietly fell asleep next to him, laptop still open, the room lit by the gentle glow of the screen while Max remained there, focused, the steady presence beside him unnoticed until the silence changed.

When it was two at night, Max finally felt satisfied with himself and closed the laptop, the soft click sounding louder in the quiet room than it should have, then he looked at the sleeping Jennifer beside him.

Her head slightly tilted, strands of hair falling across her face, her laptop still open and resting near her hands as if she had fallen asleep in the middle of a sentence, the faint glow of the screen lighting her peaceful expression while he watched her in silence, the long hours of study settling into a quiet sense of completion.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep