Once again, Max had decided to stay at Aron's place for the night. The apartment felt less like a friend's home and more like a fortress, but at least it gave him peace of mind. When he woke the next morning, he knew he had quite the day ahead of him.
The papers had already been signed on the Billion Bloodline's side. The contracts were finalized, the agreements stamped, and the amount, ten million, had been transferred directly out of his account.
The moment the funds vanished, Max felt it physically. The connection between his strength and his money was always there, and even though he was used to it by now, that sudden dip still made him feel slightly weaker, as though his body had lost a layer of vitality. He clenched his fist a few times to test it, yes, there was still plenty of power inside him, but the balance had shifted.
'With the current sales, with the gyms expanding, with the new signups and merch moving… I'll make that back quickly enough,' he reassured himself. Still, the sensation wasn't pleasant. My grade will keep fluctuating as long as I use money so freely. Even if I'm technically wealthy, I can't just spend like a fool. Each purchase chips away at my strength.
As Max dressed, Aron stood leaning against the doorway, watching him. Max had chosen comfort over image: a simple hoodie and tracksuit bottoms, the same kind of clothes he would have worn in his White Tiger days when he wanted to move freely.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Aron asked, voice even but carrying that edge of concern that never left him.
Max shook his head. "You stick out like a sore thumb. You walk in there, and everyone in that building will peg you for what you are, security. And if a private security company can sniff you out immediately, it defeats the whole point of this visit."
Because today, Max wasn't visiting the Fortis Group as the owner. That was something that he wasn't even sure he would ever reveal to them, at least not willingly.
There were a couple of reasons for that. First, if they knew the Chairman was coming, the staff would polish their boots, plaster on their smiles, and show him only the best side of the company. He didn't want that. He wanted to see how they operated naturally, to see the cracks that didn't show when the spotlight was on.
Second, anonymity was a shield. If he wanted to weed out the troublemakers, if he wanted to identify the weaknesses inside the company, he needed to walk in as a nobody. Just another representative of the Billion Bloodline.
It had taken long discussions with Warma to settle on this approach. Warma had wanted Max to be seen. Visibility gave legitimacy, and if Max didn't step forward, the burden of representation would fall entirely on Warma's shoulders. Already, Warma had been cornered by too many questions at Sheri's party.
When would Max reveal himself as the head of the Billion Bloodline Group? When would he step out of the shadows?
Max's answer had been simple. Not yet, and there was a reason behind it.
With every business they bought, every investment they made, they were going to ruffle feathers. Big corporations weren't innocent, many of them had deep connections to the underworld. At some point, someone would come after the Billion Bloodline Group, and Max was ready for that. He had the Bloodline Gang, his hidden blade, and when that time came he'd let it strike.
But if his family discovered that he was behind it all? That was a different story. Declaring his position now would make him a target before he was ready. The Sterns were dangerous enough when they thought he was useless. If they realized what he was building, his life would be in more danger than ever.
'When I looked at Dennis's list of wealth, I was surprised at how many still had huge fortunes at their disposal. Karen, Chad, I expected them to be low. But the others? I can't stop wondering which one of them wanted Max dead.'
With those thoughts circling, Max called for a taxi.
'Man, I really need to get my license,' he muttered to himself as he climbed in. 'Buy myself a nice supercar, something fast and loud. Treat myself a little. A couple hundred grand wouldn't hurt too much… or maybe I'll just borrow one of Aron's cars.'
The taxi pulled away, and in the rearview mirror Max saw what he already expected: a black vehicle a street behind, keeping its distance but not far enough to be invisible.
Na.
It seemed Aron had decided to make Na his replacement shadow. It explained why Aron had been so willing to let Max go alone today, he'd just outsourced the surveillance.
'Well, at least Na's not completely useless. If something happens, he can handle most people, right? He's ex-military. It'd actually be interesting to see how he compares to Fortis's so-called "best of the best." If they're worth their reputation, maybe I'll pit them against each other and see who comes out on top.'
The taxi rolled to a stop on the opposite side of the street, and Max stepped out. His eyes rose to take in the sight before him.
The Fortis headquarters loomed like an iron fortress. The thick outer walls stretched wide, topped with cameras and watchpoints. The main building gleamed in the sunlight, its mirrored glass façade giving it the look of a modern citadel.
For ten million, he hadn't just bought a company, he'd bought this. The land, the facilities, the infrastructure, the fortress itself.
Max couldn't help but smile.
'This is better than anything I had with the White Tiger. For ten million… it's a steal. I kind of like it.'
He tugged his hoodie tighter, stepped forward, and prepared to walk into the empire he had just bought.