24 Upcoming Deal

In the deli backroom, Lorenzo strolled in, and Deborah spotted him right away. However, she chose to ignore him and continued dancing.

Lorenzo noticed her cold shoulder and said, "Deborah... Why the long face? Aren't you happy to see me?"

Deborah kept dancing, but she couldn't help but respond, "After what you did last time, why would I be happy to see you?"

Lorenzo grinned, feigning innocence, "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb," Deborah stopped dancing and glared at him, "You kissed me out of nowhere and then ran off!"

"Ah, that?" Lorenzo casually sat down next to her, "You're upset because of that?"

"You stole my first kiss!" Deborah exclaimed, annoyed.

"Hey, don't act like it's your first kiss too," Lorenzo countered, "It was my first kiss as well."

"I doubt that," Deborah scoffed, unconvinced.

"I swear, you're the only girl I've ever kissed in this life," Lorenzo swore, trying to sound sincere. Although in his previous life, he had been with many women, this new life and body had never experienced a kiss before hers.

Deborah studied his expression, sensing his sincerity, but still played hard to get.

"Come on, don't be upset," Lorenzo pleaded, "Remember, last time we were about to dance together before Max and his friends interrupted us? How about we try again?"

Deborah raised an eyebrow, "Do you even know how to dance?"

Lorenzo flashed her a charming smile and stepped onto the dance floor, "Do you know the Tarantella?"

Deborah's eyes widened, "That's an Italian folk dance, right?"

Lorenzo nodded, and without warning, he began to dance the Tarantella with graceful steps and fluid movements, leaving Deborah speechless.

As she watched him in astonishment, she couldn't help but feel impressed.

"Well, I must admit," Deborah finally said, "I didn't think you had such skills on the dance floor."

Lorenzo chuckled, "What do you think? Care to dance with me?"

Deborah couldn't help but smile, "You can only do the Tarantella, right?"

"You're underestimating me," Lorenzo said with a grin, "I know many more dances."

"We'll see about that," Deborah teased, but she still took his outstretched hand.

As they began to dance, Deborah was surprised by how skilled Lorenzo was, effortlessly keeping up with her every move.

He guided her through spins and dips, their bodies moving in perfect harmony. Deborah felt her heart flutter as he held her by the waist, her legs floating in the air. Their faces drew closer, their breaths mingling, and for a moment, it seemed like they might kiss.

But they didn't.

Instead, they pulled away, still breathless and flushed, their bodies still close.

Lorenzo gently supported Deborah as they stopped dancing, their bodies still close.

Their eyes locked, and he smirked, "Now… do you still think I can only do the Tarantella?"

Deborah blushed, "Don't be too cocky."

Lorenzo grinned and held her even closer, "Hehe, you can't deny your husband's got moves."

"Your not my husband…" Deborah retorted playfully.

"Your future husband," Lorenzo corrected, their bodies still close enough to feel each other's arousal.

Lorenzo could feel Deborah's breasts through her clothes, while Deborah blushed, aware of the growing bulge in his pants.

"Umm... I think we should separate for now..." Deborah said, blushing furiously.

Lorenzo held her close for a few more seconds, admiring her flushed face, before finally letting go and stepping back.

Deborah sighed in relief, but her heart raced and her cheeks burned. To her surprise, she realized she was developing feelings for Lorenzo. She wouldn't admit it yet, but she couldn't deny the attraction.

What she didn't know was that Lorenzo was well aware of her feelings thanks to the [Relationship Tab] in his system. He planned to deepen their relationship when the time was right.

After dancing with Deborah, Lorenzo received his [Daily Task] reward.

They talked for a while longer before Lorenzo left the deli.

After noticing Max and the others were gone in the alley, Lorenzo decided to check out the gang's hideout.

Since joining the gang, Max had told him their base was in a secluded room in their tenement.

Lorenzo found the tenement and made his way inside.

He knocked on the door, and when it opened, a young woman appeared and looked him up and down.

The young woman's eyes widened in surprise, "How can I help you?"

"Is Max and the others here?" Lorenzo asked. As she hesitated, he added, "You're Peggy, right?"

Peggy's jaw dropped, "How did you know that?"

Lorenzo smiled, "Don't worry, I'm already part of the group. No need to be so cautious."

Peggy still seemed skeptical, but she reluctantly said, "Wait here." She then went inside and closed the door.

Lorenzo chuckled, amused by Peggy's caution.

After a while, the door opened again and Peggy gestured him in, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Lorenzo."

Lorenzo entered the room, surprised by its luxury compared to the run-down exterior.

He spotted Max and Patrick lounging around.

"Where's Philip?" he asked, taking a seat.

Max shrugged, "Out making some cash from a break-in."

As they made small talk, Max poured him a glass of alcohol, which Lorenzo accepted. "So, do we still have suppliers for our smuggled goods? Or did they all get poached by other gangs in the neighborhood?"

Max smirked, but it was Patrick who answered, "Of course we do. Don't underestimate us. We're meeting them in two days, late at night."

Lorenzo smiled, "That's a relief. I thought this gang was losing its grip on the neighborhood."

Max interjected, "What did you find out about the Kaplan gang?"

"I met with three of their main guys: Albert, Randall, and Norman," Lorenzo said, sipping his drink.

Max nodded, "Kaplan trusts those three the most."

"I have a plan to take them down for good," Lorenzo said confidently.

Patrick scoffed, "You're ambitious."

"Tell us more," Max urged, intrigued.

"First, let me share what I've learned so far," Lorenzo said, deciding to build up the suspense.

Afterwards, Lorenzo revealed to Max and Patrick that the Kaplans were meeting their sugar supplier late at night.

"How do you know that?" Max asked, surprised.

Lorenzo smirked, "You don't need to know."

Max and Patrick exchanged glances, curious but annoyed by his secrecy.

Lorenzo couldn't help but smile at their expressions, knowing they were dying to know how he'd learned such a sensitive piece of information so quickly.

As for how Lorenzo knew about the meeting, it all started when he overheard his neighbors in the tenement talking to a Kaplan underling.

They discussed smuggled goods openly, with one neighbor expressing a desire to purchase smuggled sugar. Although the underling initially stated they had no smuggled sugar available, he reassured the neighbor, saying, "We don't have any smuggled sugar at the moment, but don't worry. We expect to receive a shipment and can provide you with some by early morning. You can pay us now, and I assure you the sugar will be delivered by early morning."

Lorenzo vividly remembered those words—it was this conversation that had provided him with such crucial information.

Although there was a chance that the details he overheard might not be entirely accurate, there was no harm in Lorenzo, along with Max and the others, taking a chance to make their move. They saw an opportunity to disrupt Kaplan's operations and decided to seize it, aiming to intercept and take over the sugar supplier from Kaplan themselves.

"All you need to know is that there's a high chance of a transaction happening tonight, and since it's with their sugar supplier, Kaplan himself might be there," Lorenzo explained. "But remember, there's an 80% chance the deal will go down, and a 20% chance it won't."

Max and Patrick nodded. This time, they chose to place their trust in Lorenzo. After all, sugar was a rare smuggled commodity that even Max couldn't easily obtain. If a transaction was indeed happening late at night, they needed to plan in advance to catch Kaplan off guard with an attack.

Lorenzo stayed with the gang's base, discussing Kaplan, and he said, "Philip should know this as well, when is he going to come back?"

Max and Patrick exchanged glances as Max said, "I don't know, that guy must be using heroin after break-in."

Lorenzo was a bit surprised, "That guy is already using heroin?"

Max and Patrick chuckled, with Patrick saying, "Haha, that guy is a loyal customer to those drug dealers. He's been using too much drugs, but let's not worry about it."

Lorenzo stroked his chin thoughtfully, remembered a scene from the movie "Once Upon A Time in America" where the older Philip looked dumb, and hearing that the young Philip now was using drugs, it's to be expected that he'll become mentally weak in the future.

Afterwards, Lorenzo stood up and said, "There's still time before the deal between the Kaplan gang and the sugar suppliers." He paused and added, "Just relay the plan to Philip. And wait in lay just near the base tenement of Kaplan."

Max and Patrick nodded in agreement, watching as Lorenzo left the apartment. Patrick couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "That guy is already acting so bossy. I can't stand him." Max responded with a smile, "Well, let's see what he's got up his sleeve."

Meanwhile, Lorenzo returned to the tenement where his apartment was located and headed straight to his place.

Once inside, he locked the door behind him and began to pace around the room, lost in thought. He knew that the upcoming deal between the Kaplan gang and the sugar suppliers was crucial, and he needed to execute the plan to a success.