From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 228

Chapter 228: The Secret Behind the Name

Joe had tagged along with the girls instead of heading to the gym for training. Everything still felt raw. Jay’s death lingered on his mind like a shadow that wouldn’t fade. And on top of that, his personal training with Stephen always started after the other students had already left.

Most of the time, Stephen was pretty lazy when it came to leading the class. He usually asked Joe to take over the session anyway, so Joe preferred to waste the first couple of hours elsewhere before getting into the real training with Stephen one-on-one.

"Hey, you haven’t said anything about your drink," Sheri said, tilting her head. "Don’t you like it?"

"Oh, it’s great!" Joe replied, flashing a smile. "Honestly, I’m always amazed how often you bring these things for the group. You must’ve spent a fortune by now."

"Right? That’s what I said," Cindy added. "She’s bought us so many milk teas since we’ve known her. She probably owns shares in the company at this point, right?"

Sheri laughed nervously. Unlike Max, she didn’t use a fake name. But still, no one would expect someone who went to a public high school like hers to actually run a milk tea business.

Although she had mentioned it once or twice when people asked, most just assumed she meant her parents owned one of the local franchise stores, not that she actually owned the whole company herself.

At the same time, unlike the Stern family, who were well-known thanks to their unimaginable wealth, even though people knew about the Bubble Tea chain, they wouldn’t recognize who the actual owners were just by hearing the name.

"Anyway," Cindy said, sipping her drink, "if you want to break away from us, it’s fine. We know hanging out with three girls probably isn’t your ideal way to spend the evening."

"Ah, it’s not that," Joe said, sounding nervous. "I actually like hanging out with girls more than guys. It’s just... I’ve got a lot on my mind, that’s all."

The girls didn’t press him further. They figured he was thinking about Jay, because they were too. But none of them realized the real reason Joe seemed so distracted. They had no idea about the secret he’d just uncovered moments before.

Eventually, after hanging out with the group for a little while, Joe decided it was time to leave.

"I’ve gotta head to my training. I’ll see you all at school tomorrow. Stay safe, and stay on guard!" he said, giving them a wave as he jogged off.

The three girls waved back, watching him go. When they’d first started hanging around Joe, they’d found him kind of annoying, loud, awkward, always joking around. But over time, they’d come to enjoy his presence. Just like everyone else had.

Still, today, they all noticed he was quieter than usual, but no one could guess why.

As Joe walked toward the gym, he found himself nervously biting at his thumb. Soon, his walking turned into running. He needed to move.

I couldn’t stand being around them anymore, Joe thought. How the heck was I supposed to stay quiet?! With all their gossiping, how was I meant to keep a secret like this buried inside?!

When Joe finally made it to Stephen’s gym, he tried to distract himself with training. He needed to get his mind off things.

But in the middle of pad work, Stephen began tapping him lightly on the head with the pads, once, twice, then several more times.

Eventually, Stephen stopped.

"I can tell you’re not into this at all, Joe," Stephen said, lowering the pads. "Something’s weighing on your mind. I know it’s hard losing someone. None of us expected what happened to Jay."

He exhaled slowly.

"There are two ways you can deal with that kind of pain," he continued. "You can drown in it, or you can use it to drive you forward. I honestly thought you’d be the second kind."

Joe shook his head, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

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