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IT DIDN'T EVEN FEEL like a second when Max opened his eyes again. Max's head hurt, and so does his entire body. He repeatedly closes and opens his eyes to adjust to the light. And after a couple of seconds, he becomes aware of the fact that he's actually inside a toilet cubicle.

     Max tries to move, but he realizes that he couldn't even move his hand. He notices then and there that his hands and feet are actually tied up.

     Max isn't wearing his paint-stained coat anymore, but what surprised him the most was that the buttons of his shirt were now completely undone, and the words public toilet was written on his abdomen. His pants were also pulled down, giving anyone who would see him a full view of his boxers. To top it all off, his mouth was covered with duck tape.

     For a second Max thought he was kidnapped, but deep down he knew that no one else would pull a stunt as dangerous as this than the Jokers.

     The restroom is silent except for the annoying sound of water dripping from the faucet. Thankfully the silence helped Max concentrate and take deep breaths. Max remains calm despite his current state, which is commendable since anyone who would be in his position would immediately panic.

     Max wanted to know how far Jokers would go, but it looks like it was on a level that none of them expected.

     "Max!" someone suddenly shouts from outside.

     Max's eyes automatically widen as soon as he heard the voice that called out for him. There was no doubt that it was his brother, Marcus.

     "Max! Where the fuck are you?!" The voice continues to shout, but louder this time.

     The screaming continues for a couple more seconds before the restroom door finally opens. Max tries to say something, but words couldn't come out thanks to the tape covering his mouth.

     "This is the last restroom that we haven't been to. If Max still isn't here, we have to tell your uncle," the voice suddenly says, and Max was a hundred percent sure that it was Ari's voice.

     "No, he has to be here. Max! Answer me!" Marcus continues to shout.

     Max tries to make noise despite his situation. He screams his lungs out even though it was muffled, and that was enough to catch someone's attention.

     "I heard something!" Khian, Marcus's closest friend and a member of BND who decided to help look for Max, shouted.

     "Max?!" Marcus continues to call out.

     Marcus starts kicking each cubicle door open, and when they finally kicked the cubicle where Max is in, the door didn't budge.

     "It's fucking locked!" Marcus angrily shouts.

     "Marcus, calm down," Khian tries to tell him.

     "Calm down?! Did you not see the picture?!"

     Max pauses his thoughts for a second after hearing what his brother had to say. He assesses the situation and connects it with the picture that Marcus just mentioned. After connecting all the dots, Max takes a deep breath, finally realizing Jokers' intentions for doing this to him.

     "I'm gonna fucking kill that clown. I'm gonna fucking kill him!" Marcus shouts before kicking the door so hard the door was forcefully opened.

     Marcus, Khian, and Ari stood in front of Max with shock. They froze for a second before Marcus finally runs towards Max at full speed. And instead of helping him out of the binds, his brotherly instincts told him to hug Max instead.

     "I'm so sorry Max. This is all my fault. I knew Jokers was trouble, but instead of stopping them, I encouraged you to face them instead. I never thought Krist would go this far. He never did something as cruel as this before." Marcus says as he continues to hug his brother tightly. He said it so fast that Max didn't even understand most of what he said.

     Max tries to say something, but obviously, they couldn't understand him because of the tape that's covering his mouth. Thankfully Marcus finally got the picture and stopped hugging him for a second to slowly remove the tape off.

     "What were you saying?" Marcus asks the moment the tape was off.

     "Help me remove these binds first you idiot," Max says instead, and Ari sighs in relief.

     "If you can still talk like that then it means you're alright," Ari tells him as Marcus starts removing the binds on his hands and feet.

     "Found his coat," Khian says as he hands Max his uniform.

     Max slowly stands from the toilet as his brother helps him pull his pants up. When he got out of the cubicle, he notices Ari looking awkward, making Max walk towards him to punch his shoulder.

     "You want to say something gaffer?" Max asks.

     Ari awkwardly scratches the back of his head and looks back at Max with an apologetic expression. "We were guarding outside the locker room and we didn't even notice you were abducted. I'm sorry." Ari says, surprising not only Max but Marcus and Khian too.

     "The great Ari Faulkner is apologizing? I must be the luckiest person in the world right now," Max says sarcastically, making Ari hit Max back.

     Max laughs, and then he smiles and gently pats Ari's head to reassure him that he's okay before Ari pushes his hand away in embarrassment.

     "Anyway, it wouldn't even matter if you guys noticed. Jokers already planned everything. When I got to my locker I found a note, which only means they planned and anticipated me going there from the very beginning. I was too focused on the Jacks that I forgot how capable of a leader Krist Hyusen is," Max says, making Ari, Marcus, and Khian look at him with confusion.

     "What do you mean they planned everything?" Khian asks.

     Max takes a deep breath and tries to recollect everything that had happened to him earlier.

      "They made a mess on my chair, almost mocking me since I'm an omega. But the truth is, they knew I'd remember our club's power because of that mess, which means they anticipated us going to the security room to check the CCTV cameras, which is why we found the jack-in-the-box near that area. And after the paint explosion, they knew I'd have to change clothes and head to the locker room. That's when I found the note and got abducted," Max explains in detail, surprising everyone.

     "Isn't that way too far-fetched?" Ari asks, not convinced that the Jokers could be that smart.

     "No, that's possible. Krist wouldn't really be a baron if he wasn't that clever. And they've always been known for their pranks. That's why they called him Master Joker after all," Khian says after realizing it himself.

     "At least now you're okay," Ari then says, and the Dukes nod in agreement.

      "By the way, where's the picture that you guys were referring to earlier?" Max asks next, but the three avoid eye contact with him, making Max's face turn serious. "Show me." He tells them with a more commanding voice, and finally, Ari takes his phone out and shows Max a picture that was posted on the school's main website.

      The picture was Max, unconscious on the toilet looking like shit. Then the caption read, "If you're ever feeling horny, don't forget to visit the school's most expensive public toilet!"

     "Disgusting," Max says before giving Ari his phone back.

      "The Elites are already doing everything they can to remove the picture and track down the person who published it. But it might take a while since—" Ari pauses and scratches the back of his head, trying to think of a way to properly explain this to his friend.

     Max furrows his eyebrows before finally noticing something. "Where's Felix?"

      "A-About that..."

     Max's eyes widened from shock. They didn't even have to say anything because he already knew what was happening. "Don't tell me—"

     "Your friend was called as soon as the picture was posted. It seems like Jokers asked for a cleanup. And since it's your club's motto, you can't really decline. All the CCTV footage or any evidence that they found is gone." Marcus explains, making Max squat on the floor and massage his head in irritation.

     "They really planned all this. How could I have been so careless?" Max says to himself before looking up at Marcus and the others. "I'm guessing Krist didn't eat lunch then."

     "All the members of Jokers didn't show up. I'm pretty sure they know I'd kill them if they did." Marcus answers.

     "And Viktor?"

     "He was laughing like a mad man at the Great Hall when the photo got uploaded. He enjoyed it so much his pissed-off mood immediately changed." Khian then answers, making Max clench on my fist in more irritation.

     "That man is really something. He's just toying with all of us for his entertainment." Max says before standing up and walking towards the sink to wash his face since he saw that the word slut was written on his forehead when Ari showed him the picture.

     After washing his face, Max immediately looks at his collar. He sighs in relief when he spots the brooch his uncle gave him. It's funny how he didn't even want to wear it at first but now he's counting on it.

     "Do you want to press charges? I'm sure this is already—" Max immediately looks at Marcus through his reflection in the mirror and instantly rejects the suggestion. "No, leave it as it is. I want them to know I'm not backing out after such childish tactics."

    Everyone expected Max to have an answer like that, but actually hearing him say it still surprised them.

     "Max, you just got drugged and got tied down on a toilet! Our father will not let this go. He'll definitely do something about it." Marcus tells him with a worried tone.

      "Which is why I trust that you won't tell anyone, especially that old man. I'll believe in this school's motto. Whatever happens in J.S High, stays in J.S High. Others have faced far more embarrassing pranks than I have but they're not complaining, so why should I?"

     No one answers Max anymore. At this point, they might start thinking that he's as crazy as Viktor.

     "What are you planning then? You must have a plan since you're so confident," Ari then asks.

     Max takes a deep breath and thinks about it for a second before looking back at Marcus and Khian. "I have a little favor to ask from you," Max suddenly tells the two dukes, making the two of them look at each other before looking back at Max.

     "A little favor you say? Well, that's rare for a white uniform to ask to a rank 3 brotherhood. " Khian says with his right eyebrow raised.

     "I know this might be too much to ask, so I'm willing to pay the price for whatever the outcome may be. But the Jokers can't touch me except for their Jacks, and at the same time, I'm not ranked high enough to defend myself from them." Max says.

      "So what are you implying?"

      Max stares at the two powerful brotherhood members and says, "We're putting on a show that's going to leave even Viktor speechless. And I need BND, and vice president Gavriil to make that happen."

- END -