♞

"YOUR GUARDIAN WILL BE here any minute. You should rest while you wait," the doctor tells Max before heading out of Max's room in the clinic.

     Max takes a deep breath and comfortably lies in bed. Krist and the others wanted to stay with him since he literally just returned and then this happened, but Max insisted that they head to class since he wasn't badly injured anyway. He just assured them that they'll see each other again tomorrow.

     Though Max has been trying to put up a strong front, what happened earlier terrified him. He couldn't tell his protectors about what Cj did not because he didn't want them to suddenly barge in Cigarettes' base and make trouble. He couldn't tell them about it because he was afraid of the outcome. He was afraid of what Cj was going to do if BND and Jokers do start a fight with him. Max has to think of an effective plan first before doing something rash.

    "Play with fire and I'll show you ashes," Max mumbles to himself, repeating the exact words that Cj told him before he left earlier. 

     He remembers the menacing expression that the count had when he was looking down on him. It was a face that Max would never be able to forget. For some reason, Viktor had the same expression too, but Max never found it terrifying, it actually almost felt familiar. Cj's was different. It was an expression of a man who fears nothing.

     With Viktor, he knows he's afraid of something. Viktor acts the way he does because he's afraid of something, just like Max; both of them have fears. Cj, on the other hand, fears nothing. It's like he acts recklessly because there's nothing else for him to lose.

    "I can't fix something that's trying to break itself," Max says before deciding to let the thought go so he can finally rest. As he was about to close his eyes, the door suddenly opens. He was expecting it to be Étienne, but to his surprise, the visitor was Gavriil.

     Max immediately sits up from his bed and asks, "What are you doing here?"

     "I'm an Elite. We're not required to attend classes," Gavriil casually answers as he approaches him.

    Max unconsciously moves away as Gavriil stood at the side of his bed. Unlike the time when they met each other at the Mask and at Viktor's apartment, Gavriil was once again wearing J.S High's famous white uniform. With his golden armband, Elite's brooch, and peak cap neatly in place, Gavriil looked like a proper vice president.

    "Leave," Max commands.

    "I'm not your butler, so get down from your high horse young master," Gavriil answers back, and Max crosses his arms and angrily lies back down like a stubborn kid, turning his body away from Gavriil so he wouldn't be able to see him.

     When he saw how Max acted, Gavriil takes a deep breath and removes his peak cap. "There is nothing for you to worry about. I'm not here to say something that will confuse you. I actually came here as the vice president and nothing more," Gavriil says, but Max still didn't turn around.

     "I'm here to inform you that we have identified the four white uniforms who mimicked the Ashes."

     As soon as Max heard about what the vice said, he immediately turns back around and asks, "Where are they?"

     Gavriil pulls out his phone in his pocket and shows him a picture of four students standing in line like it was their mugshot.

     "Those students were Smith, Vasquez, Hudson, and Williams respectively. We immediately caught them and they're already suspended. They said they followed Arthur around since he was a gaffer, and they were only forced to follow him when Arthur asked them to help him with his plans," Gavriil explains, and Max didn't even react since he somehow expected something like that to be the reason.

     "And what about Arthur?" He asks next.

     "Arthur will be sent to deliberation after what he did. Of course, he was sent to the hospital first after what happened to him," Gavriil answers, surprising Max even more.

     "Hospital? What do you mean hospital?"

     "An hour after we found the fake Ashes, we suddenly found Arthur tied and unconscious in front of the Elites' office. His body was covered in bruises, and he had a couple of fractures too. He was immediately sent to the hospital after that," Gavriil reveals, making Max's eyes widened from shock.

     "Have you caught Cigarettes then?" Max asks.

     Gavriil takes a deep breath like he couldn't believe what he's about to say himself. "According to the other members of the Elites, there was no evidence to point out that Cigarettes did it. Unless Arthur confesses, we can't do anything."

     Max takes a deep breath and shakes his head, "He'll never confess. After what happened to him, he'll never admit who did all that to him."

     "That's good that you're aware," Gavriil says before wearing his peak cap and hiding his phone back in his pockets. "Then I guess that's it. Rest well, Mr. Sinclaire."

     Gavriil was about to turn around to take his leave, but then Max clenches on the bedsheets and says, "You knew that Cigarettes is a dangerous brotherhood, yet you were the one who told me to conquer them next. Why?"

     Gavriil stops moving after hearing Max's question. He then looks straight into his eyes and tells him, "Busters is far more dangerous than you think. If you can't conquer the Counts, then you might as well give up on the Kings."

     Max, aware that what the vice president said was right, looks down on his hand, almost embarrassed for even asking such a question.

     Gavriil notices the reaction, so he sighs and moves closer to Max. "I know I told you that I'll only help you when you acquire two more brooches, but let me share with you something that you might want to think about," he says, and Max immediately looks back his way.

     "Cj makes the deals, not you. He rolls the dice, that's why the Tobacco Deal is always in their favor. They'll look for someone with a shitty life, use that to make a deal they can't resist, and then break you, just for the mere pleasure of it," Gavriil explains.

     "The only problem now is he will never make a deal with you, you know why?" He then asks next, and Max unconsciously shakes his head as an answer, curious to know what the vice president was about to say next.

     "He won't make a deal with you because your life isn't shitty enough for him. For Cj, you're just like everyone else, trying to save J.S High and being a hero. The only difference is that you have the power and the name to make it happen. Now, the real question is, what do you have to do to make yourself interesting enough for a heartless man like him? How fucked up do you have to go in order for him to take his chances in offering a deal with you?" Gavriil finally asks.

     "He wants me to be broken?" Max asks back, the hair on his skin suddenly standing for an unknown reason.

     Max thought that that was the case, but Gavriil shakes his head and corrects him. "No...he wants you shattered. He wants you to be so broken to the point where you'd look like-"

     "Ashes," Max finishes for him, finally understanding the last words that Cj left him.

     "But I can't just-" Max was about to add something, but then he got too excited. He suddenly winced in pain thanks to the cut on the side of his mouth.

     Gavriil stares at his lips and sighs when he realizes that the cut started bleeding again. Max was about to wipe it with his bare finger, but Gavriil immediately stops him. "Don't..." He says, and then he goes to a steel workbench to take some cotton and wetting it with saline solution.

     "May I?" He asks Max.

     Max stares at him for a second until he finally nods his head as a response, automatically making Gavriil sit on the edge of the bed so he could dab the cotton on Max's wound. The moment he got closer, Max instantly smells the perfume on him. It was so familiar that Max couldn't help but gulp, trying to ignore it as much as he can.

     "Thank you," Max suddenly tells Gavriil, and it honestly surprised Gavriil because Max hasn't really thanked him before like this.

     "F-For the advice," Max immediately adds, like he was clarifying that it was because of that and not because he was taking care of him again like last time.

      Gavriil chuckles at how Max was acting, but he doesn't comment about it so Max wouldn't feel embarrassed.

     "You just got back and you already got hurt," Gavriil says instead with an almost worried tone, yet Max decides to remain silent as Gavriil continues to dab the cotton on the side of his lips.

     "You even drowned yourself with alcohol and cigarettes for two weeks so it's expected that you'll still have constant headaches. Drink some medicine and take a break as soon as you get home," Gavriil adds. He was expecting Max to be annoyed by him again, but then Max answers instead, "I'm not planning to go home yet."

     Gavriil pauses for a second before going back to dabbing the cotton on Max's wound. "Where are you going to stay then? Are you heading back to Viktor's apartment?" He asks, almost like he was mocking Max since he's once again thinking irrationally.

     Max gulps and looks away from him. "No..." He then answers.

     Gavriil takes a deep breath and stops before putting his hand down. He then looks at Max and tells him, "You can't always run away from your father. Trust me, I've tried."

     "Tried running away from your father or tried running away from mine? Honestly, I wouldn't even be shocked if you meant the latter part," Max sarcastically says, making Gavriil chuckle.

     Max looks back at him and sees a small smile on the vice president's face. That smile alone made him look away again.

     "But if you're really not going home then why not stay in my apartment? I only have one though so if you don't mind sharing, it might work out for both of us," Gavriil bravely suggests before standing up from the bed.

     Max speculates that Gavriil was trying to flirt with him, but he immediately brushes the thought away and diverts the conversation somewhere else. "You live in an apartment?" He asks him instead.

     Gavriil walks towards a trash bin and throws away the cotton. "I live alone in an apartment to be more specific."

     "Your parents allowed you to live alone?" Max continues to ask, almost making Gavriil smirk.

     "Why? Are you curious?" Gavriil teases. "You know, the more you ask questions, the more you'll become intrigued. And trust me...getting intrigued by me is quite dangerous."

     Max gulps again, but thankfully, Gavriil doesn't say anything anymore as he walks his way towards the side table to grab Max's cap. He then looks at it and sees that there was a shoe print on top of the cap thanks to Cj stepping on it earlier. That print almost made Gavriil laugh.

     "It would be wise if you wear your complete uniform before your guardian arrives," Gavriil says while handing the cap to Max.

     Max looks at the cap and suddenly remembers the first day they met when he didn't wear his cap too because it had a tire print. Max couldn't help but hide his smile as he repeats the same answer that he gave the vice president before too. "I would be a fool if I wear it now. It has a shoe mark on it." He says while grabbing the cap from Gavriil's hand.

     Gavriil smiles back, but then he snatches the cap from Max's hand again before moving close and neatly wearing it on Max. He then pats Max's head, surprising Max as the action felt familiar. And as Max tries to remember why it felt so familiar, Gavriil suddenly leans close and whispers, "Wear it."

     The two look straight at each other's eyes in silence. There was barely any space left between them, but before anything could even happen, someone suddenly disrupts their moment by knocking on the door.

    Gavriil immediately pulls away and stood straight like the proper vice president that he is, while Max grabs hold of his crazily beating chest.

     The door then opens. Max was expecting it to be Étienne, which he suspects is also angry at him after hiding for two weeks, but when the person who knocked revealed himself, the shock on Max's expression instantly showed.

     "Father?" Max asks with his eyes wide.

     Gavriil, who was also there, froze in his place when he saw Denzel Sinclaire standing in front of them.

     Max thought that his father would ignore the vice president and walk straight towards him, but Denzel suddenly approaches Gavriil and stares at him, almost like he was trying to remember who he was.

     "Alexeev," Denzel finally says, surprising Max even more.

     "Y-You know him?" Max asks, but both Gavriil and Denzel ignore his question.

     Gavriil stood in his place with a respectable stance, but deep down he was frightened. But do not be mistaken, the Elite wasn't frightened by Denzel's presence. What he was frightened about was the knowledge that Denzel has of him.

     "You've grown," Denzel says as he continues to stare at Gavriil.

     Gavriil doesn't say anything, so Denzel glances at Max before finally looking back at him. "You disappeared after what happened. You have not shown yourself after that, which is why I was not able to thank you enough for-"

     "I-It's fine," Gavriil immediately says, stopping Denzel mid-sentence. His hands now trembled, while his eyes were on the ground, not daring to look back at Max's father. "It's fine," he repeats with a softer tone.

     Denzel doesn't say anything anymore as Gavriil deeply bows in front of him. And without anything else to say himself, he leaves the room.

     As the door closes behind him, Denzel sighs and finally approaches Max who was still in shock after what he heard.

     "How do you know him? What do you mean about thanking him?" Max asks, expecting his father to answer. But like how he should have expected, Denzel doesn't answer his question. In fact, he completely ignores it.

     "You hid from us for two weeks and now you get beaten like this. I'd say it's pathetic, but now that I'm looking at you, I realize that it's just depressing," Denzel tells Max, making Max clench on the bedsheets because of complete anger.

     "Why did you come here?"

     "What kind of father would I be if I didn't?" Denzel asks back, and the anger inside Max grew even more.

     "Don't talk about fatherhood now after what you did. You don't really care about me so stop acting as if you do. It's disgusting," Max says with venom in his words. He didn't want to see his father, and he especially didn't want to see him act like he cared about him.

     "Leave and call my butler. I am not coming with you," Max adds with hatred present in his voice.

     "I knew where you were. It's almost insulting how you've underestimated my abilities in being able to find you," Denzel suddenly tells him, instantly making Max calm himself down.

     "Just two days after you ran away, I immediately found out where and who you were with. If you stop acting like a child I won't interrogate you for it, and I won't press charges against that boy for hiding a minor. I might as well say it's kidnapping," Denzel threatens, and Max couldn't help but look back at his father with complete anger.

     "You're always like this...this is why I despise you so much," Max says, his hands now trembling too.

     Denzel takes a deep breath and puts his hands inside his pockets. "I love Edith," he tells Max out of the blue, surprising Max since he wasn't expecting his father to open up about that matter, especially here.

     "I don't care if you do love her or if you only desire her, but what I care about is-"

     "It's my turn to speak," Denzel immediately says before Max could even finish his sentence. "I allowed you to let out all your anger and frustrations last time, but this time, it is your turn to listen."

     Max, even if he wanted to speak now, couldn't say anything anymore after what he heard from Denzel. Denzel never demanded such a thing from him, so this was more of a shock to him than the fact that he knew Gavriil.

     "Max, you're old enough, which is why I expect that you fully understand why I married your mother," Denzel begins, making Max gulp as he continues to clench on the bedsheets, preparing himself for what Denzel has to say next.

     "I know that I was not able to love her enough as my wife, but there are a lot of other things that you do not know. I respected Luna as a woman, and I have given more than I have taken. We both tried to make this family work, and I am aware that she tried harder than I did," Denzel says, and Max couldn't believe that he could see the pain in his eyes, almost as if he genuinely regretted what he did to Luna.

     "I can let you and your mother damn me for all your lives, but know that I have not once spoken ill about her. I did not hate her for everything that she has done, so help me god, I could have done it a long time ago," he continues, his emotions now overflowing.

     "I am aware that I am your father, but I am more aware by the fact that you are her son. I never said anything to you because I knew how much you loved her, but even with that, I will still not apologize for not telling you about my plans to marry Edith. But what I will apologize for is this..." Denzel pauses and moves away from Max.

     Max couldn't quite understand what Denzel was about to do, but Max couldn't help but cover his mouth from complete shock when his father suddenly goes down on both of his knees to bow in front of him, a sight that no one else has ever seen him do before.

     "I sincerely apologize, Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire...but I formally renounce your title as the inheritor of Sinclaire Corporation," Denzel finally says.

     Max stares at his father as the room was consumed by the silence. As Max continues to stare at him, a tear suddenly falls from his eyes. And like the time where he was begging in front of his father back at the Sinclaire Household, Max couldn't say a single word.

- END -