Suddenly, Chad's 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 Max's punch had landed. The pain, the shock… all of it.
It was the first time in his life he'd 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 don't 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 can't even remember where he is."
The moment Max's fist had connected with Chad's 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, he'd made sure everyone knew who he was.
"Isn't that a member of the Stern family? One of the heirs, right?"
"Yeah. Looks like he had a falling out with someone... but who? Who's the other guy?"
"I'm not sure. He looks young—like, still in high school. And what's up with his clothes?"
"Didn't 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 he'd 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. "That's Max Stern—he's 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 she'd tried to build from the ground up, and she'd 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.
Should've seen that one coming, Max thought dryly.
But before the thought even finished in his head—
SMACK!
She struck the other cheek.
"You're 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. I've seen far too many people in the underworld disappear because they underestimated a woman.
His fist began to clench again as he saw Karen's 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 that's exactly what I'm doing."
"If you don't move, I'll hit you too! I'm warning you!" she snapped, her rage showing no signs of fading.
But Aron didn't flinch. He didn't 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.
Aron's head jerked slightly, but he didn't budge.
"You damned dog!" Karen screamed. "You're 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, "it's my job to protect you. My duty is to make sure you don't get hurt… and lately, I've failed too many times."
He kept his eyes forward, unwavering.
"But I'm just a guard of the Stern family," he continued. "This is all I can do. The only way I can protect you."
Karen's slaps continued, her rage building with each swing. She wound her arm back and struck Aron hard across the face again.
He didn't move. He didn't react. He just stood there, absorbing every hit without retaliation.
This is insane, Max thought. Why is no one saying anything? Why isn't 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!
Karen's hand was raw now, red from slapping too much. Aron's 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.
That's it. I've 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.