♜

"MAX," A VOICE CALLS out, instantly snapping Max back to his senses. He looks to his right and sees Marcus looking at him with a concerned expression on his face.

     "Are you okay? I've been calling your name but you weren't responding," Marcus explains, making Max sigh and massage his temple in frustration.

     "Nothing, I'm just a little tired," Max answers before looking out of the car window.

     Marcus instantly knew that Max was lying just by the way he answered him. Max is usually hard to read, and you don't really know what he's thinking at times, but when it comes to something like this, he becomes transparent. When there's something bothering him, it shows in his face. But even though Marcus wanted to know what's on his mind, he decides that its best to just let him be.

     "Well, I heard from Ari that you drank at the Mask last night. I'm glad you were able to unwind even for a while," Marcus says instead.

     "Yeah," Max answers with a bored tone.

     Marcus takes a deep breath. He closes the book that he's holding and awkwardly scratches the back of his head before putting on a brotherly smile. "Brotherhoods rarely visit that place since we don't think mixing with the white uniforms is a good idea, but maybe we can go there together. We can invite Hans, Krist, and Brave too if you want," Marcus continues, hoping Max would say something with more emotions.

     "Okay," he answers next with his consistently bored tone.

     Marcus sighs and the smile on his face finally disappears. "Alright, what's going on? It's a beautiful Sunday morning and we're heading to our grandmother's house but you look like you won the lottery and then lost your lottery ticket."

     Max doesn't look back at his brother. He thinks about whether or not he'd share this concern with him, but when he realized that nothing will happen if he keeps it in alone, he finally looks back at Marcus and says, "You know there are times that when you're at this age and you forget some things about your childhood. It's like you remember bits and pieces of it, but you don't remember everything."

     "What are you implying?" Marcus asks.

     "Were I friends with someone when I was young? Did I have a friend, or did I talk to someone before? Because I feel like I did, but I fucking don't remember a thing," Max finally reveals, and the look on Marcus's face as soon as Max said those words made Max believe that his big brother knew something that he didn't.

     "I did, didn't I?"

     Marcus takes another deep breath and tries to avoid looking at Max's eyes. He then glances at the rearview mirror and sees Étienne looking back at him, practically telling him to be careful about what he's going to tell him.

     "Max...of course, you had friends," Marcus answers. "You always attended parties when you were a kid with your parents, so it's only natural that you'd meet other kids there too."

     "Do you know who they were? Did I mention about them when I was younger?" Max persistently asks.

     "I honestly can't answer you that. When we were kids I barely hung out with you, and madam Luna never allowed me to come to those parties," Marcus answers next, hoping Max would just let this go.

      So when Max got ready to say something else, Marcus immediately grabs him by the shoulder and adds, "What got you thinking about this all of a sudden? Did you suddenly remember something? Did someone tell you anything strange?"

     "I—" Max pauses before taking a deep breath and looking away from his brother again.

     "Nothing, just forget about it," Max says, and Marcus nods and gently pats his brother's head before continuing the chapter of the book that he's been reading since earlier.

     "Anyway, there's still a long way to go before we arrive at our grandmother's house. It's best if you rest before we arrive. The Sinclaire's who will be there will definitely make you restless," Marcus says without looking back at Max.

     Max takes a deep breath and looks back at the scenery outside the car window. As much as he didn't want to brush this thought aside, his brother was right. He needs to calm down instead of problematizing about his past because as soon as they arrive at their destination, he'll be faced with a family who greatly despises him, and that's something that he should be worrying about first.

...

The car starts slowing down as they approach a large mansion. Marcus removes the earphones that he's wearing and looks out of the window before looking back at his brother who has been sleeping for almost two hours now.

     "Max," he calls out, gently shaking his body to wake him up.

     Max slowly opens his eyes, yawning as he sees the mansion just meters away in front of them.

     "We're here?" Max asks, and Marcus scoots closer and fixes his bed hair for him.

     Étienne, who was finally approaching the gate with a large letter S in the middle, looks at the rearview mirror and says, "Your father requested that you both be at your utmost behavior during the lunch party. He won't be able to attend, but you will be representing his name in front of the family."

     Max almost laughs at Étienne's statement but he tries to suppress it.

     "I'm pretty sure he directly meant that for me. Marcus is practically as perfect as a prince. The Sinclaire's just adore him," Max teases, and Marcus wraps his arm around Max's neck and ruffles his hair.

     Marcus laughs as Max taps out so he could let go of him. So when Marcus finally lets go, Max immediately looks at his reflection through the window to fix his hair again.

     "It's not that they like me, they just hate your mother, which automatically translates to hating you," Marcus explains, making Max smirk in amusement because Marcus would never dare mention his mother before but now he's bravely talking about her.

     After making sure that his hair looked good again, Max leans forward to look at his brother slash driver. "Étienne, can you please come with us?" Max practically begs, which is surprising since he always fought with his butler and would even call him names like nincompoop and imbecile.

     "As much as I want to be part of such an elite group and mingle with them, I am only allowed to stay at the back where the other butlers and drivers will be," Étienne answers with a hint of sarcasm, instantly making Max cross his arms and sigh in frustration.

     After a while, they finally arrive at the front of the mansion. Cars were already parked outside, which means they were the last ones to arrive.

     "Here we are. Enjoy the party master Leigh and sir Marcus," Étienne says as a man opens the car door for them.

     Max takes a deep breath and heads out after Marcus. There were dozens of maids waiting outside to greet them, and Max only nodded his head to acknowledge them.

     The large entrance door opens, and another man leads them to what seems to be a hall that's filled with familiar faces. They were family members that had to be there since they were required to attend this birthday party so that they wouldn't be called out for it.

     "Marcus!" A woman shouts, and everyone in the hall instantly looks at the newly arrived guests, Max and Marcus.

     The woman who called out to Max's brother was 24-years-old Elizabeth Sinclaire, Max's cousin who is the management head of Sinclaire Italy, and yes, the woman Max mentioned during the director's meeting for buying bags worth millions using the company's budget.

     "I can't believe you made it! Uncle Denzel said that he wouldn't be able to come so I thought you wouldn't come too," Elizabeth says with a bright smile before grabbing Marcus for a hug and completely ignoring Max who was just standing right beside him.

     "Max and I had to come no matter what. This is grandmother's eightieth birthday after all," Marcus says as he gently pushes Elizabeth off him so he could stand closer to his little brother.

     Though Marcus was trying to make Elizabeth acknowledge Max's presence, Elizabeth continues to ignore him as more of their cousins and second cousins approach Marcus, forcing Max to step back to give them space.

     "Hey Marcus, it's good to see you," Brantley Sinclaire, another one of their cousin, greets as he pats Marcus's back like they're the best of friends.

     Marcus wanted to say something, but Elizabeth suddenly wraps her hand around Marcus's arm and says, "Come on, father would love to see you," she says before she started pulling him away.

     "W-Wait...I'm with—"

     "It's fine. Don't worry about me," Max says with a genuine smile so his brother wouldn't have to worry about him.

     As Marcus drifts away, Max takes a deep breath and looks around the hall. He knows everyone who's here and everyone knows who Max is too, yet not a single person dared approach him. Some would glance in his direction, while some would even start whispering at each other every time they catch a glimpse of him. But even with such an atmosphere, Max wasn't bothered by it. He was practically used to the cold treatment.

     "It feels like I'm back in J.S High," Max whispers to himself before walking away from the crowd to stand near a window by himself like he's some kind of undercover agent.

     While chatters could be heard in the background, and as Max continues to enjoy his own company, someone suddenly grabs hold of Max's shoulder and says, "Shouldn't you be mingling with the others?"

      Max - who instantly recognizes the owner of the voice - smiles and turns around. "I'll only end up getting disappointed if I did."

     "Looks like we're both outcasts then," a man named Janus Sinclaire says as Max gives him a quick hug.

     "You don't know how glad I am to see you uncle," Max says as he pulls away from him.

     "Oh, so it's uncle now? I thought I'll be president Janus for the rest of your life," Janus teases before standing beside Max while holding a glass of champagne. Both of them face the crowd in front of them. Like Max, everyone knows who Janus is, but no one dared approach him.

     "I love family gatherings like these. It makes me realize how smart I was for not wanting a family of my own," Janus says, making Max chuckle.

     "I can't argue with that," Max answered before looking back at his uncle who was taking a sip of his champagne while gazing at these people he's supposed to call family.

     Other than the time his uncle asked him to enroll in J.S High, Max wasn't able to meet Janus for years, or rather, he wasn't allowed to meet up with him. One of the main reasons is because Janus Sinclaire became a buzz back in 1999 for the wrong reasons. Due to his stupidity as a young businessman, Janus was sent to 11 years in prison for the crime of embezzlement, and none of the Sinclaire's helped him out during those years. And even after he served his time, none of his family supported him except for one person...

     "Where's aunt Janet?" Max asks.

     Janus takes another sip of his champagne and says, "Probably working on some paperwork regarding her sisterhoods. You know her, she actually has the guts to not come here like Denzel and still not get any backlash from it. Lucky bitch."

     Janet Sinclaire, as you may not know, is Janus's twin sister and the president of the sisterhood version of J.S High, House of Queens, where Cindy and Scarlet study. Max didn't know before, but apparently, he was the one who helped Janus create the Brotherhood Association.

     "My father is the reason why the Sinclaire's became well-known. Only a fool would call him out for simply not attending and that old man knows it," Max explains with a bitter look on his face.

     "But I'm surprised that you came. As much as I don't want to say this, I don't think anyone would mind if you don't come at all," Janus says with a cheeky grin, making Max chuckle instead of feeling offended.

     "You're right, but they'll also use that as an excuse to hate me even more. And besides, they're still family regardless of how they are, and I know you're aware of that because you came here too," Max says, looking back at his uncle who finally finished his champagne.

     "By the way, I never really really got a chance to talk to you again, but congratulations on winning Mr. Brains and Brawn. As the president of J.S High, I'm glad that you brought home the crown and rose our flag high against those other schools," Janus suddenly says, making Max nod his head and smile.

     But as Max was about to thank his uncle, he suddenly remembered what Nox and the other white uniforms said about the bombing incident at the greenhouse. They said that there were rumors about the bombing incident, and Janus and the Brotherhood Association already knows who the bomber was but they're not disclosing anything about it.

     Max was dying to ask his uncle about it. He opens his mouth to get ready, but as Janus continues to stare at the people in front of him, an old butler appears before them, holding a small bell. He then stands in front of the crowd and rings the bell. "Lunch is served," he announces.

     The butler heads out first, leading the guests to the dining room.

     "Look at those savages. They're all smiles, not even aware that I poisoned their food," Janus jokes as he and Max wait for everyone to head to the dining room first so they could follow behind them.

     Max laughs at the joke and looks back at his uncle. "I actually poisoned their drinks too."

     The two laugh and finally head to the dining room where the others are already found. An insanely large rectangular table could be found in the middle of the room, and on the table were dozens of different dishes that were made by the best chefs in the world.

     The Sinclaire's take their seats as Max and Janus try to decide on where they should take theirs. But as they were searching for an empty chair, Marcus suddenly approaches the two and says, "Max, I saved a seat for you and uncle."

     Max looks at Marcus who was gesturing at a seat that's beside their cousins. Max didn't want to sit with them, and he was tempted to tell his brother that he'll look for a different seat instead, but Max didn't want to hurt his brother's feelings so he gives him a smile and nods his head instead.

     "Uncle, shall we?" Max asks, looking back at Janus.

     Janus takes a deep breath. He had no choice but to nod his head, excitedly making Marcus walk back to their seats.

     "You're too nice to him," Janus whispers in Max's ear before taking his seat beside his brother's wife who is also not pleased to sit beside him.

     "He's my brother," Max answers as he takes his seat as well between his uncle and Marcus, who's seated beside their cousin Elizabeth. Marcus was about to say something, but then one of their aunts called out for him, forcing Marcus to excuse himself.

     As the seat between them becomes empty, Elizabeth glances at Max, making Max look at her with a bright smile. "Hello cousin, it's nice to finally see you again," Max bravely says.

     The sudden greeting surprises Elizabeth, but she tries her best to not look too bothered by it. "Heard you won Mr. Brains & Brawn, congratulations," she says instead of greeting him back.

     "Well thank—"

     "My brother Brant won it before too. He's from Lincoln International High School. I heard J.S High won it for the first time so I guess the lineup this year wasn't that great," Elizabeth suddenly says, cutting off what Max was supposed to say.

     Max knew that she intentionally opened up the pageant to specifically make him feel bad about winning it, but Max wasn't as gullible as she thought. In fact, this situation amused him.

     "Ah yes, Lincoln International High School, I remember them. I was able to kill him off since he was used as a human shield by another contestant. Can't believe he was used like that, but maybe students from Lincoln International are just easily manipulated," Max answers, and Max instantly notices Elizabeth clenching on the strap of her bag that's on top of the table, probably irritated from what Max just said.

     "I don't think that's the case for all the stu—"

     It was Max's turn to cut her off as he says, "By the way, your bag looks gorgeous. How much was it worth?"

     Elizabeth's eyes widen, and she instantly hides her bag on her lap. "It wasn't that expensive. My father gave it to me as a gift."

      "Oh, so your father gave it to you. How did you know that it wasn't expensive? Do you usually ask for the price of every gift that you receive?" Max continues to ask, trying to corner his dear cousin on the edge.

     Max has known about her using the company budget to buy these luxury items for a long time now, but he couldn't really do anything since Max isn't entirely in any position to do so. The least he could do is scare her a little.

     "You cheeky little brat," she says, finally showing the bothered expression on her face.

     Max smirks and leans closer to her. "Your father is a president, but that doesn't make you one. That company will still be mine, and as soon as I get a hold of it, you can kiss your precious bags goodbye," Max whispers, and to his surprise, Elizabeth grabs her glass of water and splashes it on Max's face.

     The guests gasp from shock and immediately look at Elizabeth and Max.

     "I-I'm so sorry Max, it slipped from my hand," she innocently says, and Max immediately grabs the table napkin to wipe his now wet face.

     Marcus runs to Max's side and grabs another table napkin to help dry Max up. "How could you do such a thing Eli?!" Marcus angrily asks while kneeling beside Max.

     "It was an accident! How dare you raise your voice at me," Elizabeth angrily defends.

     "Marcus, it's alright," Max tries to say, but it was too late; Marcus was already furious.

     Marcus clenches on the table napkin that he's holding and stands up to face Elizabeth. He then slams the table napkin on the table, startling everyone who's watching. "I've been tolerating your terrible attitude towards my brother, but this? You crossed the line Elizabeth," Marcus bravely says, surprising Elizabeth and her brother Brantley.

     As everyone becomes silent, Janus leans close to Max and whispers, "Bring your brother outside to cool him down. I'll handle it from here."

     Max nods his head and gets ready to grab his brother when suddenly, a man stands from his seat and looks at Marcus with an angry expression.

     "For an illegitimate son to speak to my daughter in such a way...Denzel must have not taught you proper manners," Dante Sinclaire - Max's uncle and Janus and Denzel's brother - says with full power in his voice.

     "You're just a bastard son. Know your place in this family," Dante continues, and Elizabeth couldn't even hide the prideful smile on her face as her father defends her.

     Marcus was lost for words, but Max finally had enough. Janus knew he was about to erupt, but he couldn't stop Max in time as Max stands up from his seat and bravely looks back at his uncle. "I can take all the insults and all this disrespect, but you do not talk to my brother that way."

     "What did you just say?" Dante asks back, but Max completely ignores him.

     "Why did you invite us here if you'll only treat us like this? Even the butlers and maids get better treatment than we do."

     "No one forced you to," Brantley suddenly answers, and Max finally loses it.

     "Max...let's calm down," Janus tries to say despite knowing that nothing will be able to stop Max now. 

     Max takes a deep breath and looks at everyone who's looking back at him with judgment in their eyes. These were the same people that Max was supposed to call family, but ever since he was young, they never treated him as such. They cared about nothing but their power and reputation.

     "You live in luxury from the luxury that my family left behind," Max starts as his hands trembled. "Everything you have, the clothes that you wear, the cars that you drive, the mansions that you live in, and even the delicious food that you eat are all from the hard work of my grandfather, great grandfather, and all of my ancestors. The Lemieux family is the only reason why you are here and yet you treat me like an outcast," Max tells everyone with full anger.

     He has never felt this much rage before, but finally, he was able to let it out.

     His cousin Jean once told him that he has to choose who he'll side with; if it's the Lemieux family or the Sinclaire family. But this reunion finally made everything clear. It was the answer that he already knew from the very beginning but he just couldn't admit it.

     "You acted like my mother was a monster..." Max says, his voice almost trembling now as well. "But this family drove her mad. Her biggest mistake...was to trust a Sinclaire."

     Everyone stares back at Max with empty eyes, almost as if everything that he said meant nothing to them. So when Max saw the look on their faces, he was honestly moments away from shedding a tear. Max tries to act composed, but then someone suddenly grabs Max away from their stares. It was his loyal butler, Étienne.

     "That's enough Leigh," Étienne whispers, hiding Max behind him so no one could look at him anymore. 

     The entire family was quiet as they look at Étienne. Their stare could be enough to intimidate someone, but Étienne remained calm. He grew up with the Lemieux family and was trained to protect his master. This isn't enough to scare him. "I sincerely apologize but my masters are just tired after a long ride here. I hope as their family members, you will understand."

     Everyone looks at each other after what Étienne said, but they didn't really answer him. Well, Étienne wasn't expecting them to either.

     "How could his sons be so disrespectful? Denzel will definitely hear about this," Dante says before taking his seat again.

     "Oh you don't have to..." Étienne suddenly says next as he gestures at the entrance. "He's already here," he then reveals. And the head of the family, Denzel Sinclaire, appears at the entrance of the dining room with two bodyguards standing right behind him.

     Everyone was surprised by his sudden appearance, but they immediately stand from their seats to bow at him to show their utmost respect.

     Denzel doesn't say anything and approaches his younger brother, Dante. With a serious expression on his face, he leans close to his brother and asks, "What did you say about my sons again Dante? I didn't quite hear you."

- END -