"Oh, right," Max said, a weary sigh escaping him as he slumped his head into the palm of his hand. The weight of the day’s events was finally starting to press down on him. "I forgot. You did mention earlier that the reason you were able to systematically hit every single location the Black Hounds had moved to was because of the intel she provided. I guess you couldn’t exactly just pat her on the back and let her stroll back to their headquarters after she turned traitor. It makes sense that you brought her here."
It was an interesting situation, to say the least. It was becoming increasingly clear that not even Wolf, usually so decisive, knew exactly what the best course of action was regarding their captive. That uncertainty was precisely why she had been hauled back to their base of operations rather than being dealt with in the field.
"That bitch, Max!" Chad suddenly interjected, his voice rising with a mix of indignation and recognition. "She’s the same person who saw both of us before. You remember, right? When she was trying to shake us down for our money... I mean, your money. Anyway, she’s one of the highest-ranking members in the Black Hounds. She’s a major player. Surely we can find a way to use her as leverage, right?"
That was the crux of the issue they now faced. Having Vivian in their custody was a double-edged sword, a volatile variable that could be seen as both a massive positive and a crippling negative.
On one hand, keeping an important member like her captive gave the Black Hounds a definitive, high-stakes reason to launch an all-out assault on them. It provided a rallying cry for their enemies to reclaim their lost ally and restore their bruised pride. On the other hand, Max realized with a grim dry humor that they had already given the Black Hounds more than enough reasons to attack. They were already past the point of no return; the bridge wasn’t just burned; it was vaporized.
They could potentially use her as a bargaining chip to force a stalemate, but given the current volatility of the underworld, that didn’t seem like a reliable strategy. That left them with one final use for her: information.
The real question, however, was whether the information she provided could be trusted. A clever person, a tactician by nature, could easily feed them half-truths or poisoned intel that would lead them into a trap, doing them far more harm than good. And Vivian was exactly that type of person: calculating, sharp, and always looking for an angle.
"We can’t even trust the air she breathes, let alone what comes out of her mouth," Max explained, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the desk. "Whether it’s true or false will always be a gamble. But I think it’s worth at least having a conversation with her. After all, she did hand over the locations of all those Black Hound betting rings. Maybe they already view her as an enemy now. If she has no bridge to go back to, she might be more inclined to actually work with us out of self-preservation."
Wolf nodded in silent agreement and bowed his head slightly before turning to go fetch her. At the same time, Max decided he had heard enough from Chad for one session and that it was time for him to exit the conversation.
"Chad... you did a good job today," Max said, his tone softening just a fraction. "I’ll increase your allowance as a reward. But the rules haven’t changed: you still can’t go out without constant observation from The Pitt members. And remember, keep your head straight. If I go down, you’re going down right along with me."
To Max’s surprise, Chad smiled, a genuine, almost relieved expression, and actually bowed to Max. It was a strange sight. Chad didn’t even seem to realize how much his demeanor had changed, or how his body had become instinctively compliant, following Max’s lead without the usual friction. For a brief moment, he seemed genuinely pleased about something as simple as his allowance going up.
In a way, this structured life was more enjoyable for him. He no longer had to wake up every morning paralyzed by the crushing weight of his debts or the fear that a collector would end his life at the next street corner. He had simply decided to view The Pitt members as his own personal bodyguards rather than his jailers.
While he waited for Wolf to return with the prisoner, Max turned his attention to the one thing that never lied: the numbers. He began running the mental calculations of his current financial standing.
The investment into Bob’s company had officially been processed, which was another significant hit to his liquid capital. Simultaneously, he was funding the aggressive expansion of his gym franchise and the new clothing line he had been developing. Then there was the overhead: the cost of rewarding everyone for their recent hard work. Max wanted to ensure his people were taken care of, especially Wolf, whose loyalty was the bedrock of his operation. Between the bonuses and the high fees for hiring the mercenary guild, the expenses were piling up.
However, despite the massive outflow of cash, the day’s earnings had been astronomical. When Max finally tallied the figures, a small, satisfied smirk played on his lips. His total net worth was back above the billion-mark, and it didn’t look like it was dropping back down anytime soon.
1,139,380,000
The number was accurate, give or take a few smaller variables. Even with money constantly flowing in and out of his various business ventures, he was firmly in the black. This was higher than his previous peak when he first crossed the billion-dollar threshold. It was no wonder he felt a tangible, surging rise in his physical strength.
’Although I’m not really gunning for the title of Heir,’ Max thought, staring at the glowing figures on his screen, ’looking at my numbers like this inevitably makes me think of the others and their fortunes. It makes me wonder... if I did manage to absorb the entire Stern family fortune, would that actually make me the richest person on the planet?’
The thought was intoxicating. ’That level of wealth would surely be enough strength to finally take out the White Tigers and uncover the truth behind everything that happened. Heck, with that kind of backing, I might even be able to stand toe-to-toe with Hercules himself. I wonder what people would start calling me then?’
In the middle of his silent calculations, the heavy door to his office creaked open again. The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. Wolf walked in, and following closely behind him was Vivian. The once-proud tactician of the Black Hounds looked different now, she was no longer the hunter. She was the hostage, and the look in her eyes suggested she knew exactly how precarious her situation had become.