Reborn in America: I Have an Equipment Slot

Chapter 117 This script seems familiar...

"Chicago's South Side?"

Upon hearing the other person's answer, Irving was slightly taken aback. "Then how did you two end up in Miami?"

"Sigh, it's all because of our father," Fiona explained. "My father was arrested by the Miami Police Department for smuggling marijuana, and we stayed in Miami to raise bail money."

I never expected Miami to be so chaotic. When I was in Chicago, I was able to earn money by doing multiple part-time jobs.

But I never expected there to be so many gangs in Miami.

Half of the money earned from working has to be given to gangsters —

"Half?" Upon hearing this word, Irving immediately frowned, subconsciously sensing that something was wrong.

Seeing Irving turn to look at him, James quickly explained, "Impossible. Although there are several gangs in Miami, these gangs at most collect protection money from businesses. It's impossible for them to demand half of your salary as protection money."

"If that's really the case, that gang will definitely incur public wrath and won't last long before it's wiped out."

Irving nodded, indicating that James was right.

He had been in Miami for more than half a month and had seen many strange things.

But he had never heard of deducting half of his salary to hand over to the gang.

With James's assurance, Irving quickly realized that the matter of handing over half his salary was purely a fabrication by those unscrupulous bosses to deceive Fiona.

Handing over half of one's salary... Even in the old society, they didn't do that, did they?

It's no longer capitalism; it's practically no different from robbery!

"Really?" Fiona asked, somewhat incredulous.

Seeing this, James immediately asked, "Who did you give half of your salary to? Tell us and we'll help you get it back!"

"That's right." Irving nodded. "You can call the police for something that's clearly against the rules."

"I'll leave it to the restaurant where I work," Fiona said, biting her lip, her expression complicated. "But never mind, that Korean restaurant isn't a legitimate one. They hire waiters under the guise of a restaurant and then offer 'special services.' I quit as soon as I found out."

So I brought my brother along, thinking we'd sell some things at the auction house to see if we could raise enough for the bail.

But what we didn't expect was that the situation here was even more complicated.

The auction house bought our items at a low price and then resold them at a high price at the auction.

Upon hearing Fiona's words, Irving and James exchanged a glance, both showing a sense of helplessness.

Unfortunately, although it defies common sense, there's nothing wrong with the auction house's practice.

Generally speaking, auction houses in Miami have two ways of acquiring items.

One type is consignment, which is equivalent to you putting your item in an auction house, where the auction house helps you get a high price and then takes a substantial cut.

This is essentially a win-win situation for both the seller and the auction house, and most auction houses and sellers choose this method.

However, this consignment method has obvious drawbacks: it takes a long time and there are certain price requirements for the consigned items.

The second option is direct recycling, just like other pawnshops and brokerage firms.

However, it is clear that there is no uniform standard for buyback prices among different auction houses, so the buyback prices offered by auction houses are usually relatively low.

Having been scammed twice in a row, it's no wonder that Fiona and her brother ended up in this predicament.

Seeing that Irving and James didn't seem like bad people, Fiona took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind.

"Um—" She glanced cautiously at the handsome Owen, her tone sounding nervous: "My father is short $1000 for bail. Can you lend it to me first?"

"7

"Borrow?" Irving was taken aback.

Fiona nodded, biting her lip. "I...I know the rules, I won't let you help me for nothing."

She roughly calculated that the hourly wage at some restaurants in Miami is about $13, and it can double during holidays. If she works hard, earning $100 a day is not a problem.

I can pay off the $1000 myself in as little as one week or as long as two weeks.

Sigh, I just don't know if this handsome guy with yellow skin will lend me the money. I hope he's not too greedy and that the interest isn't too high.

Seeing Fiona biting her lip, fidgeting with her fingers, looking pitiful, with her brother Karl kneeling beside her.

Irving immediately wanted to help the other person, but even so, he still wanted to tease him first.

"How do you plan to help me?" Owen asked deliberately in a lewd tone, looking Fiona up and down.

"Uh—" Feeling the other person's blatant gaze, Fiona immediately became speechless, standing there extremely embarrassed.

She felt that the other person must have misunderstood something. Fiona wanted to explain, but she didn't know how to start.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you." Looking at the somewhat shy young girl in front of him, Owen thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I won't take advantage of you. I can give you the $1000, but you have to work in my shop, and your brother has to help out too."

"This $1000 will be your first week's pay. You two can stay and eat at my shop during this period. If you perform well, you can continue working here, and I'll consider giving you a raise. What do you think?"

"Really?" Fiona's eyes widened upon hearing Owen's terms. "You're not kidding me, are you?"

"I'm not kidding. If you agree, you can come with me. I can also teach your brother some fighting skills for self-defense," Owen said calmly.

In his view, it would be better for his pawnshop to have Fiona and Carl, the siblings, work there rather than spend the effort to hire a full-time employee with a decent salary.

At least the two of them had only recently arrived in Miami and were destitute, so he had no reason to worry about their loyalty.

"That's wonderful! You're like an angel sent by God to save me!"

After confirming that Irving wasn't joking, Fiona jumped up excitedly and quickly pulled her younger brother Karl beside her to thank him.

Unlike Fiona, seeing Owen's kindness—not only giving his sister a job but also promising to teach him fighting skills—Karl immediately recalled some Chinese Kung Fu documentaries he had previously watched.

Without saying a word, he immediately kowtowed three times to Irving.

"Get up, get up." Seeing how obedient Karl was, even with his forehead bruised from banging, Owen quickly stepped forward to help him up.

Fiona, who was standing nearby, stepped forward and looked at the injury on Karl's forehead with concern. After confirming that it was not serious, she realized that she did not know her benefactor's name and immediately asked, "By the way, handsome, I still don't know your name."

"My name is Owen." Owen smiled. "Owen Tyson."