From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 146: Pulling Off The Impossible

”Wait, why am I the Pink Ranger?” Jay asked suddenly, jabbing his thumb into his chest.

Joe grinned like heʼd been waiting for that question. ”Come on, man. You know Max is obsessed with that old show, what was it called? Bower Bangers? No, wait, Bower Rangers? Ugh, that sounds wrong…”

He scrunched up his face and shook his head. ”Whatever. You get what Iʼm saying. There were only so many colors, and you, my friend, are Pink. Because deep down, youʼre a big softie.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. ”Iʼve seen that show. And arenʼt the Pink and Yellow Rangers, like… always girls?”

Joe shrugged. ”And? Theyʼre just colors, man.”

”But, ”

”And even if they are girls,” Joe cut in, ”you just told us about your little sister. I bet Pink was her favorite. So, being the Pink Ranger? That just means youʼre the one sheʼd look up to. Her hero.”

Jay blinked.

The logic was weirdly solid. Weird… but kind of sweet.

”Ease up,” Max said. ”Youʼre putting too much pressure on him.”

He turned to Jay, his voice softer now. ”I told you, I understand why you fight. And Iʼve got a way to fix your problem.”

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out something small and square, a card. Not like the others he usually passed out. This one was different. It wasnʼt sleek or flashy. It was a rough beige color, with just one name embossed into the surface like a brand:

Warma.

Max slid it across the table like it weighed a hundred pounds.

”Send all your sisterʼs hospital bills to this guy. Heʼll handle them. Doesnʼt matter what it is, medications, specialists, equipment, house repairs, send everything. You donʼt have to live like this anymore, Jay.”

Jay stared at the card, unmoving.

”Iʼm serious,” Max said. ”No strings. Iʼm not going to sit here and watch a friend suffer if I can do something about it. Iʼm paying for it. For as long as I can. And you donʼt have to lift a finger. This isnʼt a loan. Itʼs yours.”

He paused.

”I told you Iʼd pay you back for saving me that day. This is how I do that. This, ” he tapped the card ”, this is your reward. Spend it however you want.”

Jay didnʼt speak right away. He didnʼt even blink. His throat tightened like a rope was being pulled around it, but he swallowed hard and forced the lump back down.

”No,” he said finally. ”I mean, yes, Iʼll take it. Iʼll take the help. Pink, Yellow, whatever Ranger you want me to be, Iʼll be there.”

He looked Max in the eye.

”I meant what I said. Iʼll help you with whatever you need. And you donʼt need to feel guilty for even a second. Because I never wouldʼve had this chance without you. You didnʼt just give me a card. You gave me hope.”

He paused, and his voice cracked again.

”Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Jay kept saying it over and over again until the school bell finally rang, pulling them back to reality. He barely noticed he was being ushered back to class. He didnʼt care. None of them had eaten lunch that day, but it didnʼt matter.

The day had already fed something deeper than food.

Later that afternoon, Max sat at his desk, pretending to listen to the final class of the day.

His mind was somewhere else entirely.

It felt good, back then… fighting with my friends by my side, he thought. Back when we were just a bunch of kids in the White Tigers trying to make a name for ourselves.

But somewhere along the way, we stopped fighting for each other, and started fighting for power.

We wanted more. More territory. More influence. More control.

And in chasing all of that… we lost what made us strong in the first place.

He stared out the window, half-seeing the clouds drift by.

Now that I look back… the arguments, the splits, the betrayals, it was always about growth. Expansion. Control.

Not about us anymore.

His fingers curled into a loose fist.

We hurt a lot of people in the process. The White Tigers… we were strong, but we were never kind.

But this? Helping Jay? Itʼs different. It feels good. Right.

For me, itʼs nothing. For him, itʼs his entire world.

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling now.

And somehow, without trying… Iʼm building something better this time. A real team. A family. Loyal people whoʼd follow me not out of fear, but choice.

After school, Max and Joe met up at the gates. Jay joined them soon after, and for the first time in a long time, the three of them were heading to the gym together, just like old times.

As they walked toward the Bloodline Gym, Max noticed something odd.

Several students were wearing branded hoodies and jackets, emblazoned with the Bloodline logo.

Jay noticed too. ”Wait… Iʼve never seen them at the gym before. Do they even go?”

”Youʼre right. They donʼt,” Max said, smirking. ”Turns out the clothes have become a fashion thing. Seatonʼs been pushing the brand outside school, and itʼs catching on.”

Joe raised a brow. ”Isnʼt that exactly what you didnʼt want?”

Jay nodded. ”Yeah… wonʼt people get confused about whoʼs actually in the gym and whoʼs just wearing the gear for style?”

Max shrugged. ”Nope. This is perfect. If we start a trend, we build hype. And if we build hype… we build profit.”

He grinned to himself, the wheels already spinning.

”I was trying to build something solid from the ground up, and now it might actually pay off.”

Jay just shook his head.

He thought Max was crazy sometimes. The guy had more money than he could ever spend in five lifetimes. So why was he still trying to make more?

But somehow… it was working.

Maxʼs phone buzzed.

He pulled it out, glanced at the screen.

[Big job for you tomorrow. Be ready.]

, The Rejected Corps

Max swore under his breath.

Crap. Not now.

Tomorrow was the weekend.

And weekends meant Aron.

Wherever Max went, Aron would be with him. No excuses. No skipping.

And now the Rejected Corps was handing him a mission?

How the hell am I supposed to pull this off, with him following me around?