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"MEIRION MARCH MENTIONED SOMETHING to me when I met up with him. He said a member of his is held captive by Viktor. Someone told me it could be because they lost in a Russian Roulette game, which is Busters' Brotherhood Custom," Max explained, looking at Martin who was sitting on a hospital bed, tears in his eyes as Max hoped for a miracle that would save both of them in this terrible situation.

     "Based on that alone, I can assume that the captive is inside J.S High. Viktor performed a custom, so anything related to his brotherhood would stay inside the walls of our school. I don't know about the other members, but that Revel...he's definitely still in the House of Kings. There's no doubting it," Max explained, hoping that was enough.

     Martin doesn't say anything, obviously listening to the person talking in his earpiece.

     "Who is it?" Martin then asked.

     "Who is what?"

     "The name of that member, who was it?" Martin clarified, making Max furrow his brows in confusion. This was a question he did not expect to hear,

     "I don't know," Max lied. There was no way for him to forget the name that Meirion mentioned to him before they parted ways. But considering how Martin is asking for a name, Max felt that it might backfire if he revealed it too soon.

     Max is already confused about why they're looking for the Revels, but now it seems like they're only interested in one person. And as much as Max hates to admit it, he's starting to think Viktor had a reason for locking that member up, and Joon was right for telling Max not to intervene. There's no doubt a deeper meaning behind all this.

     "You're lying," Martin stated. "Who among the members is Viktor protecting?"

     "Protecting?" Max thought to himself, his assumption slowly being turned into the truth.

     "Viktor isn't the type to protect anyone," Max said instead, not sure if he was even bluffing or not. "And I already told you where one of them is. Considering you have a spy in J.S High, I'm sure you can find them easily."

     "You don't under...AH!" Martin suddenly shouted, clenching on his stomach, leaving Max stunned.

     "Martin! Are you okay?" Max asked, running towards Martin and holding onto him. As soon as he did so, he stopped and cursed under his breath. He wasn't supposed to show concern. He wasn't supposed to show that he knew what was going on to him.

     He took the bait.

     Martin, while still holding onto his stomach, slowly removed his earpiece and handed it over to Max with his shaking hand. Max stared at it for a while before putting it in his ear.

     There was silence, but then, someone finally spoke.

     "So you did realize that we were threatening him," an unfamiliar voice stated, making Max gulp. "You can pretend like you have everything under control young heir, but you can't fake compassion. I expected nothing less from a Sinclaire."

     "Who the hell are you? Why are you doing this?" Max asked while clenching his fist in anger.

     "I'm not important at the moment, but these pawns have been troublesome lately. First, it was Payton, but she got too confident. And then Magnus McKay who was discovered so fast by that Campbell I almost shot myself. And now Revels..." the voice said

     "If I find Meirion March, I'm going to kill him. He was supposed to hide his identity, but Viktor Stepanov found it first. That heir really is such a pain. Why couldn't he just stay dead?" he continued, and Max's heart started to beat fast. This person knows so much about what's been happening to them. He even knows that it was Felix who realized Magnus was the traitor who left the aluminum case in J.S High.

     They know too much.

     And the fact that they know too much only meant one thing...

     This person was definitely the mastermind.

     "Hide his identity?" Max asked even though he wasn't expecting an answer. But somehow, it was a question the person on the other line was happy to entertain.

     "So you don't know as well? I guess that's the disadvantage of being so secretive. You bunch should be like the heirs before you. They flaunted their power and made people worship them, but you've broken that image and ruined everything," he said to Max.

     "Hide whose identity?" Max insisted with a much more commanding tone, and the mastermind chuckled.

     "How do you not know this, Lemieux? I'm talking about one of the members of Revels. Crème de la Crème's Rank 12, Ersin Çagri. Why the fuck do you think we chose them? Because we knew they could win the reranking? Of course not! They had someone valuable. And that fucking Stepanov just had to take him," the mastermind suddenly revealed, leaving Max in complete disbelief. He couldn't even say anything anymore.

     "The name's familiar, right?" he then added. "He's the one Stepanov has locked up, am I correct? You didn't have to lie. I knew it would be him."

     "Since you've been such a good sport, let me give you a little fun fact, Lemieux. Six of the twelve members of  Crème de la Crème are studying in the Brotherhood Houses. Well, I think five now, but that doesn't matter at the moment. While three are in the Sisterhood Houses. If you include Viktor Stepanov and Vesper Cinna, eleven of the most powerful heirs in the world are in the protection of Janus and Janet. Don't you think that's strange?"

     "W-Why are you doing this to us?" Max asked instead, the only question he could ask after what he just heard.

     The person on the other line laughed but didn't say anything.

     "We'll get Ersin no matter what. He might only be ranked 12, but he's enough for now. Anyway, thank you for your participation today. To be honest, I didn't really need to know where Ersin was. I just needed to know if Stepanov hasn't killed him yet. Now I know he's still alive," he stated, angering Max even more.

     "I haven't had this much fun since...well, a long time. But Lemieux, before we part...let's see how good Vestper Cinna is compared to his father. Can he really save all of you? I can't wait to see it." As soon as he said that, static was suddenly heard on the other end, immediately making Max remove the earpiece in pain and throw it to the ground.

     He didn't know what happened, but right after, the door swung open, revealing Joon and the others, the Lemieux guards standing right behind them.

     "Max! Let's go!" Justice shouted, but Max was still too out of it to even move.

     When Max didn't react, Joon took a step forward and said to the Saints' president, "Take Martin and drive away from here as fast as possible. Max and I will ride in the van. The guards said it's bulletproof, so the snipers won't get us. We'll be the decoy so you can escape."

     Justice nodded his head and wasted no time as he grabbed Martin who started crying when he realized they were there to save him. Killshot also helped assist the injured Saint outside.

     "W-Wait! Sinclaire..." Martin called out before they left.

     Max snapped back to his senses and looked at Martin who handed him something. "Thank you," he said, and he, Justin, and Killshot finally ran out of the room to escape.

     Max was about to check what Martin gave him, but Joon immediately stopped him. "We're on a tight schedule. You can do that later, " Joon says, grabbing Max's hand and dragging him out of the room. The two then started running with the rest of the guards who were covering them in case someone started shooting. It was also a tactic so they wouldn't know that Martin wasn't with them.

     They eventually got into the van. And as soon as they were driving off, Joon pulled his phone out and put it on speaker mode for Max to hear.

     "Max? You there?"

     "V-Vesper, thank you. Oh god, thank you."

     "Don't thank me yet. Martin and the others are still in range. The signal will be back soon so they have to hurry. If they're still within the vicinity when the signal returns, they're dead," Vesper explained.

     "Guys! We're here!" Justice's voice then appears. "Martin and I are in the car that Joon bought from one of the doctors at the hospital earlier. Killshot used another car for an extra decoy. We're already heading to the location Keigo sent us."

     "Keep driving," Vesper replied, and as soon as he said those words, someone shot toward the van Max and Joon were in.

     "Cover the young master!" Someone shouted, and a guard grabbed Max and pushed him down with no hesitation. Thankfully, the tinted windows didn't break or budge.

     "Shit, they're on to us," Max says, his heart beating fast again. "They think we have Martin, but they'll realize he's not when the signal comes back."

     "Justice, you're still in range. Drive faster!"

     "Wait! Don't pressure me!"

     On the other car, which wasn't bulletproof like the van Max was in, Justice was sitting on the driver's seat, Martin Osborn lying at the back, covered in a black sheet so no one would see him, even though the car windows are tinted.

     Justin stepped on the gas, going so fast that the other drivers were honking at him for driving like a madman.

     "Keep driving..." Vesper reminded him.

     Justin swerved and beat every red light that they drove past. If he was going to get caught by the police, it didn't even matter anymore. If he stops or slows down even just for a second, it would be the death of them.

     "Faster!"

     "I can't go any faster!"

     "You can do it! Just a little more!" Keigo shouted this time, sweat streaming down Justice's face as he gripped the steering wheel for dear life.

    The car drove faster and faster, the engine getting pushed to its limit every mile. Justice glanced at his co-council member, looking at him with fear and sadness. Martin was so weak. The sins he did in the House of Bishops shouldn't be repented like this. No one should suffer like this. So when Martin turned back to him, he forced a smile, reassuring him.

     "Don't leave me...I'm sorry, Justice. I'm sorry. I'll be a better person from now on. Just don't leave me to die," Martin says, crying.

     "I-It's okay," Justice said, trying his best to sound confident. "I won't let you die, do you understand me, Martin? While I'm still your president, and while you're a white uniform in the House of Bishops, I won't ever leave you."

     "Thirty seconds."

     "Fuck! Can you stop pressuring me?!"

     Justice also pushed himself to the limit, the car practically flying because of how fast he was going. When he saw that there was a traffic jam upfront, he gritted his teeth and drove across the sidewalk instead, honking at all the people who were jumping out of the way.

     Vesper then started counting down, every second making Justice's chest tighten to the point he thought he was gonna have a heart attack.

     "5 seconds...4 seconds...three...two..."

     As Justice was getting close to the safe zone, a bunch of kids were about to walk past the pedestrian lane just right in front of them. Justice's face turned white. There was no way he could avoid them without crashing. So, with no other choice left, he shouted at the top of his lungs and stepped on the brakes.

     The car skidded against the road and stopped just inches away from the students who stared at him with terror. The moment the car stopped, Justice immediately turned to the back seat, grabbing Martin's hand and squeezing it tight.

    "I tried my best. I'm sorry," he whispered, closing his eyes and waiting for the inevitable.

     Justice's heart was beating fast, and soon, siren sounds could be heard in the background, the police finally chasing after him after causing havoc in the city. But just when Justice was trying to accept the fact that he was going to die, Vesper's voice was heard.

    "Good job, President Justice. That was excellent driving."

     As soon as Vesper said those words, Justice opened his eyes back and broke down.

     "Yes! Fuck yes!" he celebrated with tears in his eyes, looking back at Martin who was now crying as well. "We're alive...you're alive! I can't believe it!" he exclaimed as the police surrounded the car with their weapons drawn.

     Justice pulled his hand away from Martin's and patted his shoulder, reassuring him again that he'd handle it. But even if he did, Justice had no choice but to wipe his tears and step out of the car. He raised both of his hands over his head. The people passing by were also on the scene, surprised to see a familiar white uniform emerge from the vehicle.

     Justice was about to explain himself, even though it would make no sense if he said the truth. But as the officers were approaching him, the phone inside the car started ringing again.

    Martin grabbed the phone and answered it before handing it over to Justice, surprising the police even more since Martin was wearing a hospital gown. Thankfully the police were cautious. They weren't as aggressive, considering how these were a bunch of students. The best they could think of was that Justice was a drunk driver, not a council president who risked his life driving his co-council away from the people who wanted to make him explode.

     "Justice," a voice says through the phone.

     Justice recognizes it in an instant.

     It was Max.

     "Hand the phone to the police," Max explained, and without asking any other questions, Justice gave the phone to the police.

     The officers looked at each other, uncertain, but one took the phone and pressed it against his ear. At first, the officer looked confused, but then his eyes widened in complete shock, surprising the two Saints, as well as the other officers they were with.

     "Y-Yes. Understood, Sir Sinclaire," the police officer said before handing the phone back to Justice. He then looked at the other police officers and told them, "Clear the area! And escort Mr. Thorndyke and Mr. Osborn to the station."

     As soon as the officer said those words, Justice sighed in relief and almost fell back against the door while the police helped Matin out. He then looked at the phone and realized that Max hadn't ended the call yet.

    Without saying anything, Justice pressed the phone against his ear. There was silence for a while, but then...

    "That's what I call a fucking house president," Max said to him, and Justice laughed, tears pouring out of his eyes again as the police escorted him too.

...

The events that happened in the city were never shown in the news, and the people in the scene were paid to keep quiet. There are a lot of negative aspects when it comes to being rich but handling things like this was definitely the better side of it.

     Justice was escorted back to St. George Academy, while President Janus and Mother Margaret accompanied Martin Osborn to a private hospital where they checked his stomach. They didn't want it to be true, but lo and behold, there really was something inside him. And it was, in fact, a bomb.

    The surgeons had to operate on him immediately, and as strange as it was, an expert bomber had to be with them to make sure they didn't trigger anything. They also found signs of poisoning, but they couldn't tell what type, adding more to the box of mysteries.

     When the tiniest-looking bomb was safely removed from Martin, Janus took it for examination, hoping to get a clue on who might have created it. They're also going to compare it to the identical bullet that shot Joon during the Annual Reranking.

     After everything that went down, Janus also talked to Max who told him everything that happened in the hospital, as well as the person who Martin was talking with the entire time they were held "hostage". According to Martin, he never directly saw him. He only received a recording that also exploded after it was played.

     Martin explained that the mastermind threatened to kill him and his family if he didn't listen to their instructions. As for when the bomb that was implanted in his stomach...

    The Saint couldn't recall when it happened. He said he just woke up with so much pain and that's when he saw the stitches. It was cruel, and Janus couldn't say anything else but sorry.

     "I can't believe a member of the Revels is a member of Crème de la Crème. And I can't believe Viktor had him locked up in our school. We didn't even know about it," Marcus said, sitting on Max's bed after having dinner downstairs.

     Max took a sip of his tea and turned to his brother who had been humoring him for the past two days. "I couldn't believe it either, but the fact that we didn't even know scares me," he replied.

     After the incident, Janus declared that all students are not allowed to go to J.S High until further notice. The Elites explained that the school would be having renovations as a cover-up because the truth was, they were afraid that a threat might appear on their campus, especially since Max told the mastermind that Ersin Çagri was being held captive there.

     To make sure nothing happened, the Brotherhood Association raided the stadium to look for Ersin Cagri, but the heir was nowhere to be found. As well as Viktor Stepanov.

     "Father hasn't allowed us to leave the house since that incident with Osborn. I also heard from Étienne that your grandmother has been asking what happened, but father keeps going in circles so she doesn't worry," Marcus explains.

     "Where do you think Viktor is? And where on earth did he hide Ersin?" Max asked instead.

     "Who knows," Marcus replied, hugging a pillow. "But shouldn't you at least have a lead? I mean, you can ask Gavriil. Besides Joon, that Vice President would know where that king is hiding."

     "Gavriil and I haven't talked since the incident," Max answered, which surprised the prince.

     "He hasn't called you yet? That's a first."

     "No. It's more like...I haven't answered his calls...yet," Max explained further, surprising Marcus even more. "He's been calling me but I'm afraid of answering him. Since the beginning, he told me to be careful. But instead, I did the exact opposite. I should have known something was off with Martin when he asked for me. I should have been more careful and now Gav won't—"

     "You're an idiot," Marcus suddenly cut him off, and this time, it's Max's turn to be surprised. Marcus wasn't the type to be frank like that to his little brother, but if it's about relationships, this Boys Next Door knows more than Max does.

     "I can't explain it to you, but call him," Marcus says, now standing from the bed. "We've been stuck in this house for two days now so I think I'm losing my mind because I don't usually give a flying fuck about Alexeev, but I also don't want my brother to worry others, especially people who care about him. So give him a call, Max. It won't hurt."

     "Wow, thanks Marcus," Max replies, and Marcus couldn't tell if Max was being sarcastic or genuine.

     "Anyway, I'm heading back to my room to read some comics before I die from boredom. I wasn't really a big fan of going to school, but I would kill to go back to J.S High. This is literal torture," Marcus complains as he finally leaves the room.

    Max smiled, and then he thought about what Marcus said to him. When he finally made up his mind, he took his phone and stared at Gavriil's number. He contemplated for a while, but then someone suddenly knocked on the door, startling him.

     "Master Leigh," a voice called out.

     Max rushed to the door and opened it, revealing one of their maids. "My apologies for disturbing you, Master. But while we were preparing your clothes to wash them, we found this in your uniform. Rest assured, we have not unfolded it."

     Max looked down at the maid's hand and was surprised to see that it was actually the paper Martin gave him before they parted at the hospital. Max has been so preoccupied that he forgot all about it.

     "Thank you very much," Max says as he takes the paper. 

    The maid bows her head to the young heir and leaves. Max then closes the door and takes a sit on the edge of his bed. He didn't know what the letter contained, but whatever it was, Max needed to be seated before reading it.

    "What did you leave for me, Martin Osborn?" Max thought to himself as he finally unfolded the paper. 

     He wasn't expecting much, but what was written was something that Max was not hoping at all. Because in the paper were only two words. And those words were enough to leave Max completely speechless.

"Find Levi."

- END -