♜

MAX WAS STARING AT the ceiling with an unreadable expression on his face. It's been thirty minutes since he woke up but he still hasn't left his bed since then.

     The young heir was exhausted. After everything that happened to him, he couldn't believe that it's only been two weeks since it felt like a month has passed since the House Assembly. In fact, this is the first time where he actually wants to just relax and take a break. That's a big deal considering how Max has been working almost all his life and he never in a million years have thought of taking a break until now.

     "Master Leigh? Are you awake?" Étienne asks from outside Max's room.

     Max doesn't say anything as his butler continues to knock on the door. When the knocks got even louder, Max finally sits up. He aggressively scratches his head before shouting, "How the hell am I going to answer you if I actually am asleep you imbecile!"

     Étienne doesn't say anything about the offensive comment and goes inside the room without his master's permission. "I noticed that you turned your lamp off so I had a hunch that you'd be awake," Étienne says, but Max ignores him before rolling his eyes in annoyance and lying back down on the bed.

     Étienne walks towards Max and looks down at him. The two stare at each other, but after a while, Max looks away and covers his face with a pillow. Étienne sighs and walks towards a cabinet before taking out a first-aid kit. "Will it be alright if I ask the young master why you still don't want me to call the family doctor?" He asks as he approaches the bed.

     "I'm fine. How many times will I have to tell you that?" Max says, his voice muffled since he was still hiding under the pillow.

     Étienne sighs again and takes a seat on the edge of the bed. He gently grabs Max's injured arm and slowly removes the bandage.

     Max's battle with Krist happened three days ago, and even though Krist tried his best not to shoot Max, his wounds still weren't normal wounds. It would have healed faster if Max had gone to the hospital.

     "If you're afraid that the doctor will tell your father about this then I can request a different doctor for you," Étienne continues, but Max doesn't answer him anymore.

     Étienne doesn't say anything either and starts cleaning the wound on Max's arm. Thankfully J.S High has complete equipment. They were able to patch his injuries up before they could get any worse, but the school doctor said that he has to clean it every day until it completely heals, and there was no other person who could do it except for his butler.

     "I hope this was worth it," Étienne tells his master.

     Max finally removes the pillow that's covering his face and looks back at Étienne who was concentrating on putting antibiotics on his wound. "It was," Max answers in a surprisingly calmer tone.

     "You're not wearing the Lemieux necklace anymore." Étienne suddenly adds without even looking back at Max.

     Max unconsciously touches his chest before looking away from his butler. "That doesn't concern you."

     "Are you sure?" Étienne asks, and when Max looks back at him, he was surprised that Étienne was already looking straight back at him as well.

     "I'm sure."

     Étienne wanted to give an additional comment, but he decides to just stay quiet as he finally puts a clean bandage on the wound. Max slowly lifts himself up so he can sit on the edge of the bed while Étienne kneels on the floor. He then grabs Max's leg to clean his leg wound next.

     The room was quiet as Max stares down at his butler who was thoroughly cleaning his wound. Étienne doesn't say anything, but when he was finally covering it up, he breaks the silence and asks, "What am I to you, master?"

     Max continues to stare at Étienne. He waits for at least a couple more seconds before giving him an answer. "My butler," he tells him.

     "That's right, I'm your butler," Étienne says before finally looking back at Max. "I know where I stand and I know what my purpose is to you. But if you ever come home wounded again..." He pauses and moves closer to Max before continuing, "The people who will dare touch you will need more than just bandages."

     "How frightening," Max whispers with a smirk, and Étienne finally stands and puts the first-aid kit back to where it was originally found.

     "Breakfast is ready. Your brother is already waiting for you downstairs," Étienne says before bowing. He was about to head out when Max suddenly called out for him.

     "Are you going to tell father about this?" Max asks.

     Étienne grabs the doorknob. Before turning it, he answers Max's question, "When have I ever disappointed you...Master Leigh?" Then he leaves without saying anything else.

     Max gulps and touches his arm as soon as the door closed. He almost forgot how scary Étienne could be whenever he was mad. He was like that too when Max's mother died.

     Étienne is eleven years older than Max, but he has taken care of him more than his own father. When Max's mother died, Étienne was also the only person who was willing to help him look for evidence that she was murdered. Everyone said that it was a car accident, but Max never believed it. And when he told Étienne about his speculations, Étienne didn't question him and even helped him.

     They both stayed up day and night, looking for possible answers to his mother's death. This was also the reason why Max stopped studying for a year. And even when he finally gave up, Étienne didn't say anything. He only patted his back and told him he did his best.

     Étienne has been beside the young heir for as long as he could remember. You could say that he's the closest one he could label as family, aside from Marcus of course.

     "I have to get ready," Max says as he slowly lifts himself, wearing his silk robe and heading out to join his brother for breakfast. When he got downstairs to the dining room, Max immediately heard people talking. In an instant, he stopped.

     "The old man's back? Why the hell didn't Étienne tell me?" Max mumbles to himself. And without any second thought, Max turns around and starts walking back to his room.

     "Maximilian," a low voice calls out, making Max stop walking as if a spell was cast on him. He tries his best to ignore it, but the man clears his throat, and Max is forced to walk his way to the dining room with an annoyed expression on his face.

     As soon as Max got there, he instantly spots his brother Marcus, and an older man who was busy reading a newspaper. Without even looking, he says, "Let me just pretend that you weren't going to walk away from me again before you could even greet me."

     The maids and butlers who were there greeted Max, but Max's eyes were focused on the man sitting in the middle of the unnecessarily large dining table.

     Chairman Denzel Sinclaire, the man who was dubbed as the most successful businessman at Times Magazine for three consecutive years, is the father of none other than Max and Marcus. He's good at what he does - Max wouldn't even deny it - but as great of a man that he is, he's an equally terrible father.

     Denzel is in his fifties, but like their uncle Janus, he's still got the charm that can fool anyone into agreeing with him, which is great for negotiations. But the only person he can't seem to fool is Max. For some reason, Max is well-aware of all the lies that come out of this old man's mouth.

     "You're not even going to say a word to your father who has been gone for two weeks? The audacity," Denzel says, finally putting the newspaper down.

     Max clenches his fist in anger, but he instantly fakes a smile and answers, "How rude of me. Did you have a business trip to France again? Japan? Or is it somewhere far like Alaska? I apologize if I haven't noticed that you were even gone because you're never really home in the first place."

     Max's voice got louder and louder as he finished his sentence. He wanted his father to know that he wasn't someone he could simply scold for merely not greeting him. Max did everything that his father should be doing for the company while he was away on his business trip. Max couldn't enjoy living a normal teenage life because of him. Even actual CEOs have more free time than he does, so the least Denzel could do is thank him for it.

     "Did you inherit such disrespectfulness from your mother? What kind of son answers their father this way?" He asks, and that question finally broke Max's fake smile.

     "The kind who knows that his father's business trips involve trips with women, and not the business itself. You give more money to your whores than to some of your employees and it's sickening," Max answers with an angry tone, making Marcus's eyes widen from shock. He couldn't believe Max would actually say that out loud. Even Étienne, who just arrived a minute ago, couldn't help but show his shock too.

     "What did you just say?" Denzel asks, his anger obviously growing after hearing what Max has to say.

     Max was about to answer, but Marcus immediately stood from his seat and deeply bowed to their father. "I greatly apologize for his behalf father. I will scold him for you so you don't have to say—"

     "Of course, who else is going to kiss his feet other than his loving son?" Max says, almost as if he was spitting on those words. Max was too consumed with his emotions that he didn't even think about what he said. But when he saw the look on Marcus's face, he immediately felt regret.

      "Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire! You apologize to your brother this instance!" Their father now shouts, slamming his fist on the table as he said it.

     Max grits his teeth and clenches his fist, trying to contain his emotions so he wouldn't be able to say any other hurtful words.

     "I can never win in this household," Max says instead before finally taking his leave.

     Étienne takes a deep breath and faces Denzel so he could bow to him. Before taking his leave to follow Max, Denzel tells him, "I know you're a butler from the Lemieux family, but I hope you're not corrupting his mind with these useless speculations."

     "Rest assured Mr. Sinclaire that the only thing that is corrupting him is—" Étienne immediately makes a halt. Before he could even finish his sentence with a "you," Étienne composes himself and bows at Denzel again. "I'll talk to him and properly remind him of keeping his manners and etiquette in check. Please enjoy your breakfast."

     Étienne doesn't even wait for Denzel to answer as he takes his leave. Because just like Max, all he wanted to do was run away from such a terrible man they call father.

...

"I rescheduled your meeting with Mr. Zhao. Since your father is back, I don't think you need to sign the contracts for him anymore," Étienne says while following behind Max down the hallway.

     Max, who was now wearing a formal suit, glances at the tablet that Étienne is holding to get a glimpse of his schedule for the day. Not like other teenagers his age, Max doesn't get to enjoy his weekend. He couldn't even complain because this is the norm for him. At the early age of eleven, they were already teaching him tax and income. At thirteen he was helping at the company with his father, which is why Max didn't have time to have fun.

     "Max," someone suddenly calls out, but Max didn't stop even though he heard it.

     Marcus, the person who called out to him, chases after Max and grabs his arm.

     "So now you're going to ignore me like this?" Marcus asks, and Max finally faces him.

     Marcus thought that Max was going to say something that would make him leave, but to his surprise, his little brother says, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

     Marcus slowly lets go of Max's arm and seriously looks at him. "I apologize if I didn't side with you. You know what I am Max; I'm the illegitimate son of Denzel Sinclaire. One wrong word and he can send me away. And I don't want to be away from you."

     "I know, I just got irritated. I'll be careful with my words next time," Max says with sincerity, and Marcus smiles and pats Max's head like how he always does.

     Marcus then looks at Étienne's tablet before looking back at his brother. "Well, it looks like you're free for a couple of hours. Want to eat breakfast somewhere? Since we both weren't able to eat properly."

     Max wanted to decline, but he nods his head anyway. "Alright. I think I can put you in my schedule."

     As soon as Max said those words, the two head out to a local diner that's thirty minutes away from their house. Max was surprised because, for some reason, he was expecting Marcus to bring him to some fancy restaurant.

     The diner was old, which is pretty obvious thanks to the wallpaper that you could hardly see on the walls. The wooden floor was a bit squeaky, and jazz music could be heard from an old jukebox on the side. Regardless of its current state, it was no doubt comforting. Just perfect for Max's current mood after clashing with his father earlier.

     The two - including Étienne - went inside. There were at least eight customers, and they instantly look at them as soon as the bell at the entrance chimed. Not only did they park their luxury car in front of this old diner, but Max and Étienne were also both wearing formal suits while Marcus wore casual clothes. They almost looked like they didn't belong.

     "You eat here?" Max asks as he awkwardly looks at the people who were staring at them.

     Marcus, who didn't mind the stares, happily takes a seat near the window and gestures at the seat in front of him, signaling his brother to take a seat as well.

     "I've been eating here since I was in middle school. It's not much, but the food here tastes better than those fancy food you eat. Who even gets full eating that?" Marcus says as Max sat down.

     Étienne stands on the side with his hands behind his back like the proper butler that he is. Everyone looks at them with even weirder looks, even the owner of the diner who was at the counter. So Marcus clears his throat and softly tells him, "Why not sit beside Max? It would be weird for people to see you stare at us eat."

     "I am not in the position to sit beside the master, let alone eat with him," Étienne stubbornly says.

     Max, who isn't an idiot, sighs and tells him, "Just sit down for heaven's sake. It's obvious that we're already making a fool of ourselves here."

     Étienne nods his head and obediently sits beside Max. Soon after, a waitress arrives and hands them the menu and a glass of water each. Since Marcus is the expert, he ordered for everyone. And the three waited for their meals in peace.

     "So, how are your injuries?" Marcus asks.

     "They're fine. Hopefully, on Monday, I could remove the bandages."

     "Well, it could have been worse."

     Max chuckles to himself and nods his head in agreement. Out of everything that he's been through, his two-week experience in J.S High was the craziest thing that ever happened to him. With the brotherhoods, the Omega Society, the Welcome Ball, and everything else that happened with Jokers, Max couldn't help but feel exhausted yet proud at the same time. Who would have thought that he'd be able to experience all that just by enrolling in a school he hated when he was younger?

     "You've done more compared to a white uniform who has been in J.S High for three years. Your plan was crazy but...I'm proud of you. For once I saw the real Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire and not the boy that keeps on standing behind our father." Marcus tells me.

     "Well, I got shot twice so I don't think that's something you should be proud of. But regardless, thank you. And thank you for trying to convince your brotherhood."

     Marcus sits up straight and takes a sip of water. "You do know that wasn't for free."

     "Of course it wasn't. That's what Ren Adachi told me too. Looks like I have a lot of debts to pay."

     "You're an idiot for having a prince's debt, but I guess it was worth it, right?" He asks, and Max nods his head as an answer.

     "Anyway, I'm pretty sure Hee-joon wouldn't be doing anything drastic yet. I know him. With an opportunity like that, I'm sure he'll only use it when it's really needed. So you don't have to worry about it for now." Marcus explains to him. "But I can't say the same thing for my brotherhood." He then adds with a playful grin, making Max roll his eyes in annoyance.

     The food arrives shortly after, and the three started eating like a normal family, excluding the fact that two of them are wearing luxury-brand suits.

     "By the way, what do I have to do with Jokers now? After everything that happened at the Great Hall, I wasn't really able to talk to Krist after getting his brooch. He told me I could use them, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth for some reason."

     Marcus takes a bite of his bacon before giving Max an answer. "To tell you the truth, I don't know myself. Nothing like that ever happened before. I guess if someone tries to touch you, they'll be there to help? Or if you have another crazy plan, just ask for their help. You don't have to feel guilty for using them. It's not like you forced authority on the barons."

     "I guess so. But I have another question. Have you been classmates with Krist before? I mean, before any of you became brotherhoods at least," Max asks.

     "Well, BND was formed first before Jokers, but yeah, I've been classmates with him since he and Brave were 1st years. Why'd you ask?"

     Max puts down his spoon and fork and tells Marcus about what Krist said to him before when they were talking on the rooftop. "He mentioned about someone he calls...president."

     Marcus, who was about to put his spoon in his mouth, suddenly drops it, startling not only Max but Étienne as well. He immediately takes some napkins to clean his mess up. Marcus instantly looked flustered by the mere mention of a president. His reaction only made Max curious even more.

      "Are you okay? Did I scare you or something?" Max asks as Marcus continues to wipe their table with the spilled food.

     "H-How could he tell you that? Is he fucking crazy?" Marcus nervously mumbles to himself, making Étienne and Max look at each other with confused expressions before looking back at Marcus.

     Max knocks on his brother's head when he noticed that he wasn't paying attention anymore. Marcus almost jumped in his seat, but when their eyes met, Marcus sighs and massages his temple before saying, "Never mention this to anyone, do you understand me? Don't even think about it, not even once. Just completely erase that idea in your memory."

     "You saying that makes me want to think about it even more," Max says with a chuckle. But then Marcus looked like he was dead serious, so Max just nodded his head in defeat.

     "Alright, I'll try to avoid that as much as I can, but I want you to answer something else in exchange," Max says instead.

     "Okay, what is it?"

     Max leans closer to his brother and asks, "Boys Next Door...what do I have to do to conquer you guys next?"

- END -