From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 12 - Stupid Loyality

Suddenly, Chadʼs world felt a lot smaller. His view had dropped to knee-level with the other guests, and a sharp stinging sensation pulsed through the right side of his face, numb and burning all at once.

Then came the faint taste of iron on his tongue.

Slowly, he lifted a trembling hand to the side of his face where Maxʼs punch had landed. The pain, the shock... all of it.

It was the first time in his life heʼd ever been hit.

”M-My glasses... where are my sunglasses?” Chad muttered, scrambling awkwardly on the ground until he spotted them. He grabbed them and hurriedly put them back on, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Then he looked up. Right at Max.

”What just happened? I... I donʼt understand. Did Max really just hit me?”

Max smiled faintly as he looked down at him.

”Did I hit him so hard his brain rebooted?” he muttered. ”Guy looks like he canʼt even remember where he is.”

The moment Maxʼs fist had connected with Chadʼs face, a wave of gasps had rippled through the crowd.

Some guests had seen the punch firsthand, and now the entire party was turning, every head swiveling to stare at Chad, crumpled on the floor.

Of the two men watching, both recognized Chad immediately. He was a regular at events like this, and with how talkative he was, heʼd made sure everyone knew who he was.

”Isnʼt that a member of the Stern family? One of the heirs, right?”

”Yeah. Looks like he had a falling out with someone... but who? Whoʼs the other guy?”

”Iʼm not sure. He looks young—like, still in high school. And whatʼs up with his clothes?”

”Didnʼt you see what happened earlier?”

In this particular situation, not many people actually knew who Max Stern was. As the youngest heir, he barely drew attention. Hardly anyone believed heʼd be the one to inherit the Stern family business, and no one outside the inner circle knew about the secret competition happening between the heirs.

”Do you know who the younger one is?” Kete asked, eyes fixed on the scene.

”Ah... yes, I believe I do,” the man in the business suit beside him replied. ”Thatʼs Max Stern—heʼs one of the youngest members of the family.”

”So... an internal conflict. And right in the middle of the party,” Kete muttered, eyes narrowing. ”Interesting.”

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement, someone stomping through the crowd with heavy, purposeful steps.

”And I have a feeling,” Kete added, ”this is about to get worse.”

”My boy, what did you do to my boy?!” Karen shouted, storming through the crowd.

Karen was a well-known figure among the guests. As one of the older heirs of the Stern family, she had a reputation. She ran a few fashion brands sheʼd tried to build from the ground up, and sheʼd worked with several of the people attending the party.

She rushed straight to Chad, inspecting his swollen, red cheek, and the moment she saw the damage, rage began to boil behind her eyes.

”How dare you, how dare you lay a filthy hand on my son!” Karen screamed as she turned toward Max.

Before anyone could react, she marched right up to him, her hand already raised.

SMACK!

The slap echoed through the suddenly silent garden.

Shouldʼve seen that one coming, Max thought dryly.

But before the thought even finished in his head—

SMACK!

She struck the other cheek.

”Youʼre lucky to even be part of this family,” Karen hissed. ”After everything Chad has done for you... after he looked after you when your parents died... this is how you repay us?”

Her voice rose higher, raw with fury.

”You make me sick. Sick!Sick!”

She raised her hand again, for the third time.

Unfortunately for you, Max thought, in the world I come from, men and women are treated the same. Iʼve seen far too many people in the underworld disappear because they underestimated a woman.

His fist began to clench again as he saw Karenʼs hand rise into the air, until someone stepped between them.

Aron.

”What are you doing, Aron? Why are you standing in my way? Move!” Karen shouted, her voice sharp with fury.

”It is my duty to protect the young master,” Aron said calmly. ”And thatʼs exactly what Iʼm doing.”

”If you donʼt move, Iʼll hit you too! Iʼm warning you!” she snapped, her rage showing no signs of fading.

But Aron didnʼt flinch. He didnʼt move. He stood his ground in silence.

With a glare, Karen raised her hand and slapped him across the face, just as hard as she had slapped Max.

Aronʼs head jerked slightly, but he didnʼt budge.

”You damned dog!” Karen screamed. ”Youʼre not even part of this family—we hired you! So MOVE! MOVE!”

She launched into a frenzy, slapping him again and again, her long, sharp nails raking across his face.

Scratch marks began to appear, and soon, blood dripped from his nose.

”What are you doing? Get out of the way,” Max said, trying to move past him.

But Aron shifted, planting himself even more firmly between Max and Karen.

”I told you,” he said calmly, ”itʼs my job to protect you. My duty is to make sure you donʼt get hurt... and lately, Iʼve failed too many times.”

He kept his eyes forward, unwavering.

”But Iʼm just a guard of the Stern family,” he continued. ”This is all I can do. The only way I can protect you.”

Karenʼs slaps continued, her rage building with each swing. She wound her arm back and struck Aron hard across the face again.

He didnʼt move. He didnʼt react. He just stood there, absorbing every hit without retaliation.

This is insane, Max thought. Why is no one saying anything? Why isnʼt anyone stepping in?

His eyes drifted to Chad—who was watching it all unfold with a smug smile.

He was mouthing the words: This is what you deserve.

This damned family, Max thought, fury burning in his chest. Their stupid rules, their fake image of loyalty... Why are you so loyal, Aron? Just move. Let me hit her!

Karenʼs hand was raw now, red from slapping too much. Aronʼs face had swelled visibly, his right eye starting to droop slightly from the bruising.

And still, he stood there.

”You fool! You fool!” Karen shouted, her voice shaking with rage.

She stormed over to a nearby guest and yanked the walking stick right out of their hand.

”You really want to do this? Right here, in front of everyone?” she yelled, marching back toward Max, stick raised.

Thatʼs it. Iʼve had enough!

Max tensed, ready to use all his strength to shove Aron aside and put an end to this himself.

But then—

”WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?”

The voice boomed across the garden like thunder, silencing the entire crowd.

Everyone turned to look.

Standing there, commanding the attention of the entire party, was Dennis Stern.