My Darling Ex-Wife Is Unaware I’m Rich

Chapter 5: Breaking Point

“Kneel, Max,” he had said. “Beg for my mercy, and this can all go away.”

The glint in James's eyes was unmistakable. He stood there, towering over Max with that smug smirk on his face, his words still hanging in the air like a foul stench.

Max’s breath caught in his chest, a tightness squeezing his ribs. He had kept his composure since the moment James walked into the hotel. He’d bitten his tongue through every insult, every sneer. But now, standing face-to-face with this man who had ruined his life, the calm he’d maintained began to slip.

“Kneel?” Max repeated, his voice low but seething with anger. “You think I’d kneel to you?”

James’s grin widened, a cruel glint in his eyes. “It’s your choice. Kneel, and I’ll make all this disappear. Or don’t, and see what happens.”

The room around them seemed to close in, the luxurious chandeliers and soft music fading into the background. Max could hear his heart pounding in his ears. His hands clenched into fists, his body trembling with rage.

He took a step forward, his eyes locking with James’s. “I’d rather drink out of a basket than beg for your mercy,” Max spat, his voice steady but burning with the fury that had been building inside him.

James’s smirk faltered for a moment, but then he shrugged, as if Max’s defiance was nothing more than an inconvenience. “Suit yourself.”

Max turned on his heel, the decision made. This hotel wasn’t worth his time or his money. He was done playing this game. His footsteps echoed loudly in the now-silent lobby as he headed toward the exit.

But just as he reached the door, a sharp voice called out behind him.

“Stop right there!”

Max froze, his hand hovering over the door handle. Slowly, he turned back to see the receptionist, her expression now hard and accusatory. She was pointing at him, her voice commanding.

“The guards, now!” she shouted.

Two security guards who had been standing near the entrance immediately moved toward Max, their eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“What the hell is this?” Max demanded, his voice rising.

The receptionist, her eyes cold, crossed her arms. “You’re a thief,” she said bluntly. “That card you have? There’s no way someone like you could have it legally. You must have stolen it.”

Max’s mouth dropped open in shock. “What? That’s ridiculous! It’s my card!”

The guards reached him, each grabbing one of his arms, their grips firm. Max yanked his arms away, his pulse racing. “Get your hands off me! I didn’t steal anything!”

James stepped closer, his voice dripping with fake concern. “Max, Max… just admit it. You’re in way over your head. Do yourself a favor and make this easy.”

Max shot him a glare that could burn through steel. “You set this up, didn’t you? You and your pathetic games.”

James shrugged, his smile never fading. “Why would I need to set anything up? You’ve always been your own worst enemy.”

The receptionist stepped forward, her lips curling in disdain. “We don’t tolerate thieves here,” she said coldly. “You either admit how you got that card or we’ll have you escorted out in handcuffs.”

Max’s heart pounded in his chest. This couldn’t be happening. His mind was reeling, trying to make sense of the chaos around him. He had never stolen anything in his life, and yet here he was, being accused, surrounded, trapped. His head spun with disbelief.

“I didn’t steal it!” Max said, his voice louder now, desperate. “This is all a misunderstanding. That card—it’s mine!”

The guards closed in, their grips tightening on his arms again. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” one of them muttered, his voice cold and indifferent.

Max struggled against them, trying to pull free, but their strength overwhelmed him. His breath came in short, ragged bursts as panic began to claw at him.

James leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper, but loud enough for Max to hear. “You can still end this, Max,” he said softly. “Just kneel. One word, one moment, and all of this can go away.”

Max’s chest heaved as he stared at James. The world around him seemed to slow, the noise of the lobby fading into a dull hum. Every fiber of his being screamed against what was happening, the injustice of it all. He felt the weight of every humiliation he had endured, every moment of weakness that had led him to this point.

But kneel? Beg James for anything?

Never.

“I won’t do it,” Max growled through gritted teeth.

The guards pulled him tighter, forcing him down to his knees against his will. His face burned with the shame of it, but even as they held him there, Max refused to give in.

“Admit it!” one of the guards barked in his ear. “Admit you stole the card, or we’re calling the police.”

Max shook his head, his voice shaking. “I didn’t steal anything. This is a setup. I’m innocent.”

James’s eyes sparkled with twisted satisfaction as he watched, enjoying every second of Max’s humiliation. “You’re really going to go down like this, Max?” he asked, his voice dripping with mock pity. “Over something as simple as pride?”

Max looked up at him, the room spinning around him in a blur of anger, disbelief, and frustration. He had nothing left to say. Words wouldn’t help him now. No one here cared about the truth.

The pressure from the guards increased, and Max could feel the cold marble floor pressing into his knees. His chest tightened as he tried to fight back, his mind racing for a way out.

“Last chance,” James said softly, stepping so close that Max could feel his breath. “Kneel. Beg. And I’ll call them off.”

The world seemed to freeze in that moment, the noise of the lobby fading into an unbearable silence. Max could feel everyone’s eyes on him, waiting for him to break, to give in. His throat tightened, his body tense under the weight of it all.

But even now, even with everything against him, Max couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t. He looked up at James, his face set with steely determination.

“I’d rather rot,” Max said, his voice barely above a whisper, but filled with all the defiance he had left.

James’s expression darkened, the smirk falling from his face. For the first time, he seemed rattled, unsure.

And then, without warning, one of the guards yanked Max to his feet and began dragging him toward the back exit, away from the lobby, away from the lights, away from everything.

“Let me go!” Max shouted, but his words fell on deaf ears.

James watched from behind, his face a mask of cold satisfaction. The receptionist turned away, already dismissing the entire scene as nothing more than an inconvenience.

Max’s heart pounded in his chest as the guards dragged him toward the door. His mind spun with disbelief, with anger, with the bitter taste of injustice.

This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening.

“I didn’t do anything,” Max whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding in his ears.

But no one was listening.

As the guards took hold of him, dragging him toward the door, Max’s world tilted sideways. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening.

Yet it was. And the cold, harsh reality hit him like a punch to the gut.

He was alone in this.