Before Marco could come to a complete stop in the Porsche, the front door of his grandma's mansion flew open. Lady Roslyn remained in place, her expression marked by concern, but upon seeing Max, a surge of relief enveloped her. She hurried ahead, wrapping him in a firm embrace. “Oh, Maxwell! My dear boy! Look at you!” she cried, her voice thick with emotion. She pulled back, her hands cupping his bruised face, her eyes scanning his torn suit, the dark circles under his eyes. “What have they done to you? Those… those bastards! I’ll have their badges! Their pensions! Their… their kneecaps!”Max winced, a small, pained laugh escaping him. “Grandma, it’s… it’s okay. Really. I just… I really need a shower.”She pulled him closer again, her embrace fierce. “A shower, yes, of course. But first… oh, my poor boy.” She patted his back gently. “That girl, Maxwell. She called me. She was so scared. So, so scared.”Max’s head snapped up. “The girl? Is she okay? Is she here?”“Yes, yes, she’s her

Max awoke slowly, a little weight on his side as he tries to figure what was happening. He turned his head and his eyes went out. Lena. There she was, curled up next to him, face asleep, a scruff of hair flutting on her cheek in a sudden wave.His heart beat hard against the metal of his ribs. He freaked out silently. How did she get here? What… what happened last night? He racked his brain, but nothing. He remembered the bath, the tears, her name. That was it. He hadn’t… he hadn’t done anything, right? He was sure he hadn’t. He’d just held her.He looked at her again. She was so small, so vulnerable. And, yeah, kinda cute, in a sleeping, innocent way. He just couldn’t help but smile a little. He carefully slowly kicked himself out of the bed, trying not to disturb her, and he threw his head back on the edge of the toilet, grateful for the silence.He took a long soaking in the hot shower and washed away the crippling pain from yesterday. He felt… lighter. Despite everything, he was a

Roland’s eyes widened slightly. He caught Max’s eye, a knowing look passing between them. ‘Aha! A date!‘ Roland’s mind raced. This was it. Max and Trisha. Alone at last. He had to help this along.Trisha turn to Roland and Sarah, “Do you guys wanna come as well.”“Oh, man, a museum, huh?” Roland said, scratching his head, trying to look disappointed. “That sounds… really cool, Trisha. I wish I could. But, uh…” He looked at Sarah, who was happily munching on a cookie, completely oblivious. “Sarah and I actually… we have this thing. A secret date. Yeah. Super secret. Can’t tell anyone.”Sarah paused mid-chew, looking at Roland, her brow furrowed. “We do?”Roland quickly put an arm around her, pulling her close. “Yeah, babe! Remember? That super secret thing we talked about? Just us. Top secret.” He winked at Max, who almost choked on his water.Sarah still looked confused, but she smiled, shrugging. “Oh! Right! Our… secret thing. Gosh, I completely forgot! Sorry, Trisha! I’d love to see

Bucky stepped forward, a remote in his hand, and the main screen at the front of the room lit up with a detailed presentation.“Gentlemen, ladies,” Bucky began, his voice calm and precise. “As you are aware, our recent investment in prime Los Angeles real estate has been substantial. We acquired thousands of properties, strategically located for future development. However, over the past 48 hours, a coordinated attack has been launched against these assets.”He clicked the remote, and a new graph appeared, showing a rival company’s logo. Langston Corp.“Langston Corp,” Bucky continued, “has been systematically acquiring shares of these properties, often at inflated prices, only to then dump them back onto the market at significantly undervalued rates. This rapid, artificial devaluation is designed to crash the market for these specific assets, causing a ripple effect that impacts our overall stock value and, indeed, the entire real estate market in the region.”A murmur went through t

Max stepped out of the cab. He started to run up into the grand entrance of the mansion, his heart beating violently in his chest. He refused to push up on the revolving door, just pulled up the main door, the hard wood pounded against the wall. He looked panicked around the magnificent entrance hall, his eyes searching for even one ripple of disorganization, a crisis.A maid wiping the vase was looking up suspiciously. “Mr. Luckey! Is everything all right? ”“Lena! My grandma! Are they all right? What happened? Lena called me and said there was an emergency! ” Max gasped, all his breath coming out of his nose.The maid blinking and curious expression on her face. “Miss Lena, emergency sir? No. Everything is all right. Lady Roslyn is in her study and Miss Lena... Miss Lena is in the kitchen. ”Max stared at her, dumbfounded. “The… kitchen?”“Yes, sir. She said she would like to cook something for you.” The maid gave a little courteous smile.Max didn’t wait. He ran at a snail’s pace t