The heart Killers ( English translation)

*CHAPTER 17*

...

Fadel removed the “Closed” sign that had been hanging on the burger shop door for several days.

He pushed the door wide open to let fresh air in and started moving the piled-up supplies outside back into the store. He had only requested that the suppliers stop delivering on Fridays, but because he ended up closing the shop for several extra days, the supplies had gathered in front of the store like this. There was nothing he could do except organize them properly. As he nudged the boxes with his foot, wondering how best to handle them, the black cat that Bison had been feeding meowed loudly.

Fadel looked down at the kitten. Glancing around, he realized he was alone here. The little black cat seemed a bit wary of him, showing its distrust as it cautiously approached to sniff and inspect him.

Fadel lowered his gaze. His stern eyes made him look intimidating as he stared down, but he did nothing more than stand still and allow the cat to weave around his legs. Eventually, his cat allergy flared up.

The tall man knelt down, extending his long fingers to scratch the neck of the soft black kitten. Realizing he wasn’t going to hurt it, and instead was touching it gently, the cat became even bolder, rubbing up against him affectionately.

Fadel accidentally let a small smile slip, allowing the cat to nuzzle against him for a while. His gentle expression and demeanor didn’t go unnoticed; Style had been watching him for quite some time, though he hadn’t made any attempt to interrupt or even approach.

“What brings you here so early?”

Fadel’s question caught Style off guard; he hadn’t expected Fadel to speak first. Scratching his forehead, Style wondered how Fadel even knew he was there.

Since his presence had been discovered, Style walked over to where Fadel and the cat were. He held a bowl of cat food in his hands, and as he got closer, he crouched down next to them.

“Brought food for the cat.”

“Feeding the cat?”

“Yeah. You’ve been away from the shop for a while now, so Kant and I got worried the cat might starve. We usually come together, but Kant’s busy today.”

It seemed Style was telling the truth because as soon as he crouched down, the black cat left Fadel’s hand to rub up against Style instead. Fadel looked up, his gaze blank and emotionless.

“Every day?”

“Yes, every day. By the way, how’d your business go? All taken care of?”

“Not exactly. Someone nosy decided to get involved, making a mess of my plans.”

Style swallowed hard, feeling uneasy with Fadel’s tone. Even so, he tried to act normal, doing his best to appear cheerful and keep his feelings hidden.

Fadel set the cat bowl down, and the black cat immediately began to eat. However, Fadel interrupted its meal by lifting it by the scruff.

“Make it eat somewhere else, not in front of the shop.”

“Harsh.”

“Harsh, how? I’m just training it to eat in a proper spot. The front entrance is where customers come and go. If it gets used to eating here, it might take food from anyone passing by, which could make it sick. Sure, stray cats usually eat anything they find, but...since Bison’s been feeding it, it should learn to eat only good stuff and eat in the right place.”

Style blinked in surprise. Fadel’s thoughtfulness caught him off guard; he still couldn’t quite understand how someone like him ended up becoming an assassin.