♝

I CAN'T BELIEVE UNCLE kept this from me. And the fact that I wore that brooch so proudly too. I should have—"

     "Don't think like that Max," Krist quickly says. "To be honest with you, one of the reasons why Jokers didn't accept you before was because of that same brooch. We thought that you were another Sinclaire that was going to cause problems for us, but knowing you better made it clear that we were wrong."

     "I can attest to that as well," Hans adds, and Cj nodded his head to agree with it too.

     "I've only heard a few things about Paradox since the kings were already Busters when I arrived in J.S High, but I never expected that their leader would be a Sinclaire," River says, glancing at Max who looked at him like he was guilty of something.

     River sighs and grabs hold of Max's hand. "Why are you looking at me like that? Just because you're a Sinclaire, it doesn't mean that you were involved with what happened to my sister."

     "He's right, Leigh. Whatever Donato did has nothing to do with you." Cindy assures him.

     Max takes a deep breath and nods his head. "Thank you, everyone, but now that it has come to this, what do we do now? River, what's your plan after finding out about what happened to your sister?" Max asks, and River pulls his hand away from Max and looks out of the window to properly think about it.

     "For years all I've done is look for the truth. I've followed Siren and did all kinds of things for her, but now that I know everything..." River pauses and takes a deep breath. For a quick second, his soft expression changed, and that frighted the people at the table a little.

     "I...I want to know where those members are now. I want them to pay. They can't continue living so happily after doing such a thing to Serenity. I won't allow it," River then reveals.

    The others were honestly unsure, but at the same time, they couldn't help but agree. The Paradox wasn't just some high school bullies. With what they did in the past, especially with Serenity, they're considered criminals now.

     "What should we do? The members of Paradox are from very powerful families. Even Max would have a hard time going against them, considering how their leader's his cousin. Directly going against them is like Max going against his family." Hans points out, making Max sigh in frustration because he was right.

     "Even though I'm not really on good terms with the Sinclaire family either, I don't think they'd just let me take Donato and send him to jail like that. If worse comes to worst, they might even change the situation and turn things around. As disgusting as it may seem, someone with loads of money can turn any situation to their advantage. I've learned that the hard way," Max says with a dishearted expression.

     "Well, like what you said, money and power can do a lot of things. And lucky for us, we have both," Cj suddenly says, making the rest of them look back at him with their right eyebrow raised. "There's actually a reason why I wanted all of us to meet here." He then adds, now grinning at his friends, an expression that showed that the fearsome count was back in the game.

     "With that look of yours, it's pretty obvious that you already have a plan," Krist comments, and Cj chuckled before saying, "The owner of this restaurant...they're connected to one of the members of Paradox."

     "What?!" Everyone shouted in unison.

     "Are you fucking crazy? We just talked about all sorts of things in this room. What if someone heard us?!" Hans angrily shouts, but Cj didn't look fazed at all.

     "I got this restaurant checked for any bugs. I also did background checks on all of the employees here. Some of the customers outside are also my people, and there are lookouts around the building, so we're safe here...for now," Cj reveals, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

    "What? did you forget? I'm still a son from a family who rules the underground business world. I have a lot of connections," Cj says with a proud look on his face that almost made Krist punch him because of irritation.

     "So do you mind telling us why we're really here?" Max then asks.

     Cj takes a deep breath and adjusts himself in his seat before saying, "Going against Paradox as a whole could be difficult, so we'll strike them one at a time. As I said before, the owner of this restaurant has a very rich investor, and that's Mr. Kierspe."

     "Wait...Mr. Kierspe? That's the chairman of one of the biggest food and wine companies in the world," Cindy reveals, and Cj nods his head to confirm it.

     "That's right, he is. But other than that, Mr. Kierspe is the father of Augustus Kierspe, one of the members of Paradox."

     Everyone in the room because quiet. This was getting serious now.

     "And what do you plan to do with Mr. Kierspe?" River then asks.

     "Well, we're very important guests here, aren't we? Then what do you think will happen if we made a scene?" Cj asks with a playful look on his face. Everyone looked at each other, and for a second they didn't want to do it, but when they saw Max smiling too, everyone knew that making a scene was going to be a piece of cake for these two.

     "So Mr. Mills? What do you want us to do exactly?"

...

"Le Trésor, a famous restaurant found on the 5th Avenue of St. Bernard street was surrounded by a huge crowd yesterday when famous heirs such as Hans de Vries, Krist Hyusen, and even Maximilian Sinclaire—just to name a few—decided to have lunch in the said restaurant. But what was supposed to be a peaceful afternoon lunch turned into complete a complete disaster when one of the dishes served sent Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire to the hospital. The situation is not yet clear, and we have no reports on whether or not the Sinclaire family would press charges. Tim, back to you."

     Max turns the television off and started laughing out loud before shoving chips inside his mouth, enjoying his time in a hospital bed like he was on vacation. He then looks to his right and found Étienne and Marcus looking at him, both with their arms crossed.

     "Hans told me everything, but I can't believe that out of everything you guys could have done, you decided to do something so childish," Marcus angrily says. "Do you know how many reporters are outside this hospital right now?"

     "We also had to pay the hospital a huge sum just to keep them quiet about the fact that you had no illness whatsoever." Étienne then adds.

     Max takes a deep breath and puts the bag of chips on the side before saying, "Relax, this is just the beginning. With the media's help, it won't be long before someone takes action. Mr. Kierspe would be too scared that we'd sue them, so I'm sure he'll show himself to us sooner or later."

     "Mr. Sinclaire, someone is here to see you." A voice says from outside the door.

    "Right on time."

     Max smirked and snapped his fingers, and in an instant, Étienne quickly cleaned the room while Marcus helped Max put on the fake IV tube in his hand. When everything was now settled, Étienne fixes his tie and finally opens the door. To his surprise, an old man welcomed him, and standing behind him were two bodyguards, and a man holding a suitcase who seemed to be his lawyer.

     "I apologize for coming here without any notice, but I would like to speak with Mr. Sinclaire," the old man says. Étienne doesn't say anything, so the old man quickly adds, "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Roland Wester, Mr. Kierspe's representative. I'd hope to—"

     "Let him in," Max then says, and Étienne finally moves aside so they could come in. The guards were also about to follow, but Étienne stopped them and said, "My master is not feeling well and seeing as though you came here without any notice, it would be better if only Mr. Roland comes inside so it wouldn't stress him."

    The guards and the lawyer didn't know what to do, but Mr. Roland had no choice but to let them wait outside, so they did.

     When Mr. Roland was finally facing Max, he quickly bows to him and says, "Mr. Sinclaire, I just talked to the doctors and I would like to sincerely apologize for the incident that occurred yesterday at one of our restaurants. We will cover the hospital bills, and if you need anything else, we would—"

     "Do you really think I have a need for your money?" Max asks, and that single sentence instantly made Mr. Roland gulp in terror.

     "I felt like I was going to die yesterday, do you know that?" Max lies, making Mr. Roland bow even deeper.

     "We are truly sorry Mr. Sinclaire. If there is anything you need, anything at all, just let us know," he says, and Max glances and Marcus and Étienne who only shrugged their shoulders, unsure of what to do next.

     Max takes a deep breath and massages his temple. As much as he's enjoying doing these things, he doesn't enjoy tormenting people who aren't really involved.

     "Stand," Max commands, and Mr. Roland immediately did what he was told. "Though what happened yesterday was unfortunate, my family and I have no plans to sue," Max reveals, and that instantly made Mr. Roland's face brighten up.

     "But..." Max then says.

     "B-But?"

     "I have two conditions. One, everyone who worked at the restaurant will not get fired. If I hear even one chef or server losing their job because of this, I will immediately file a complaint, is that understood?" Max says, and Mr. Roland immediately nodded his head to agree to it.

    "Yes, of course. That wouldn't be a problem at all."

     "Good. And don't worry, I'll leave an official statement regarding this matter tomorrow. It seems like nothing was really wrong with the food. My stomach just didn't like one of the ingredients they used. As you already know, I am very particular with my meals especially when we have professional chefs making all our meals at home. I hope this incident won't tarnish your reputation," Max then says, and Mr. Roland bowed again, but this time, it was because he was thanking Max.

     "That would be enough, thank you very much, Mr. Sinclaire."

     "Now, as for my second condition...I would like to personally talk to Mr. Kierspe," Max reveals this time, and with Mr. Roland's reaction, it's pretty obvious that his second condition could be difficult.

    "W-Well, Mr. Kierspe is actually on a trip with his wife in the Maldives since they're celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. I don't think I'll be able to arrange an immediate meeting. Perhaps if he returns?" Mr. Roland suggests.

     Max tries his very best not to laugh in excitement. Hearing that Mr. Kierspe wasn't in the country just made things easier for them. It looks like even the gods are helping them now.

     "Is that so? What a shame," Max says, pretending to be disappointed. Mr. Roland was about to say something, but then Max clears his throat and quickly tells him, "If that's the case, can I at least talk to someone like...his son, perhaps?"

     "His son? Mr. Augustus Kierspe? Well, he's currently on-training as a management head, but if you're okay with speaking with him instead, then I can immediately arrange it for you," Mr. Roland says.

     Max smiles and nods his head in satisfaction. "I really wanted to talk to Mr. Kierspe instead, but I guess Mr. Augustus will do. I'll send the address where I'd meet up with him. Thank you for your time, Mr. Roland."

    "N-No, thank you, Mr. Sinclaire. I promise, this incident won't happen again," Mr. Roland says with one last bow before finally heading out.

     As soon as he was gone, Marcus sighs and sits on the edge of the bed, still not convinced that they were deceiving people through something like this. "Looks like Cj really knows what he's doing, considering how he's done multiple Tobacco Deals in the past. Sometimes that man just frightens me."

     Max chuckles and pulls out the IV tube from his hand. "Like I said, this is only the beginning. If we get a hold of Augustus, we'd be one step closer to giving Serenity her long-awaited justice. But other than that, I'd also want to ask something to him."

     "What would that be?" Marcus curiously asks.

     "Grey...I want to know if he knows about Grey's death," Max reveals, and Marcus immediately looked away from him.

     "Grey died in an accident, you know that. Paradox might have been a part of our past, but it has nothing to do with what happened to him," Marcus quickly denies, making Max look at him with suspicion.

    "I hope you're right Marcus," Max says before lying down on the bed. "I hope you're right."

    Marcus clears his throat and quickly stood up from the bed. "Oh yeah, about Donato...I'm sorry if I didn't tell you anything about it before. There was no reason for you to know about it so I never opened it up, but I think you must have been surprised."

     "I was, but I'm more disappointed with uncle for not telling me about it either," Max says while looking out of the window. "Our family has so many secrets, and the more I dig deeper, the more I realize who the real monsters really are."

     "Max..."

     "You know, as much as I want to remember my past, I'm also very much afraid. What if I find out about who I really am, what would I do? Why was I so willing to forget my past? There has to be a reason, right?" Max asks with a sad expression before looking at Étienne and Marcus who couldn't even look him in the eye anymore.

    "I envy Cj that he can be able to face his fears head-on despite what happened to him, as well as River, Krist, and Hans. They're all trying their best in their own way, but here I am, still stuck in the very same spot." Max continues to say before finally closing his eyes.

     "Sorry, I'm just rambling. I probably just feel a little weird since I'm in the hospital. Let me just rest so we can leave right after," Max then says.

    Étienne and Marcus look at each other before looking at Max with a worried expression, but after a while, the two head out, leaving Max alone in the room with his thoughts.

    Max tries his best to fall asleep, but somehow, being in a hospital—like what he said—leaves an unpleasant taste in his mouth. Max wanted to just doze up, but before he could even do so, a bright light flashes in front of him, and he suddenly hears a loud crash.

     Max quickly sits up, gasping for air like he was drowning.

     He had quick visions before, but never like this. It's like diving deeper into J.S High's past is only making him remember his own past too. How are these two things connected? What really happened before Max's memories disappeared?

     Why does Max feel so afraid?

     What secret did Max have that he was willing to forget everything?

     "Fuck..." Max curses while massaging his temple. "I wish Gav was here."

- END -