It didn't take long for Aron to notice Max as he approached, and not just notice him, but notice the bruises swelling across Max's face.
Part of his cheek was puffed up badly from the number of hits he'd taken, and even now, Max wasn't walking properly, limping slightly from the blows to the back of his leg and other places.
"Young Master, are you okay?!" Aron called out, rushing toward him.
Max kept his head low, his body swaying slightly where he stood.
"Do you always ask such obvious questions?" Max replied, his voice dry and flat. "You can see what state I'm in."
Thankfully, he'd changed shirts at the small clinic, otherwise, Aron might've completely lost it at the sight of all the blood.
"I got your message, but you didn't send anything back. I searched everywhere for you," Aron said, speaking fast. "I had the whole security team combing the school, but they couldn't find a single trace of you!"
Aron looked genuinely frantic as he continued, "While they were looking, I decided to head back to the apartment, hoping maybe you would return. I called you, constantly, but there was no answer at all.
"Young Master… I have no idea what happened. Do we need to go to the hospital? Do you need treatment? Please, just tell me what I can do."
Max let Aron spill out all his worries without interrupting, quietly listening, trying to pick apart his voice, searching for anything, anything at all, that would hint if this worry was real or just a well-rehearsed act.
Was it genuine? Was this just part of the job? Or worse, another setup?
But no matter how hard Max tried, he couldn't tell. Aron sounded real. It felt real.
Then again... so had the people in the White Tiger Gang once upon a time.
There was always a chance Aron could be just like them.
"How long have you been standing outside?" Max asked, his voice low.
Aron pulled out his phone to check.
"Three hours and forty-three minutes," he replied without hesitation.
Max turned toward the apartment, saying just a few simple words.
"Then come in and sit down. If you really mean what you're saying... I'm going to need you to answer some questions. And I expect you to answer them honestly."
Aron gave a small nod and followed closely behind. Together, they climbed the worn metal staircase leading up to Max's apartment on the second floor.
That's when Aron noticed it, the faint smear of blood on the back of Max's once-white shirt.
It must've happened when Max was testing just how bad his shoulder injury really was.
As they continued to climb the stairs, Max caught the faint sound of Aron grinding his teeth.
Once inside the apartment, Max made a slow, heavy move toward the bed. Aron rushed to help, but Max stiffened and shoved him away with a weak hand, making it clear, don't touch me.
Eventually, Max slumped down onto the bed, his body protesting every movement.
"I guess if you really were working with them," Max said, his voice dry and low, "me being in this condition would be the perfect chance to take me out, right?"
He leaned back against the wall and nodded toward the table.
"Don't just stand there. You can sit, but not here. Use the chair by the dining table. I've got a lot to ask you, so you should probably get comfortable."
Without arguing, Aron did as he was told. He pulled the chair out, sat down, and straightened his back like he was reporting for duty.
"Master, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about right now," Aron said, his hand pressed tight against his chest like he was trying to physically hold his emotions together. "What happened today? For you to end up like this... Please, share it with me. If I know what went wrong, then we can make sure it never happens again. I swear it, I don't want you to be in pain anymore."
Looking at him, Max couldn't help but notice, Aron had this look, almost like a kicked puppy, eyes wide and pleading.
Max let out a big, heavy sigh.
"It's not a big issue," Max replied, his voice low and tired. "Just... school stuff. But based on everything you said, I thought you'd come running the moment I messaged you."
He shifted slightly, grimacing from the pain in his shoulder.
"Didn't you have the phones bugged or something? Or keep track of Max's location at all times?" he asked.
Aron immediately shook his head. "No, Master," he said firmly. "All of those things, you specifically forbade them. We listened to your request. You were the one who made it clear: no tracking, no bugging. You said if we didn't comply, you'd ask your grandfather to get rid of us completely... so I complied. I followed everything you asked, to the letter."
Max stayed quiet for a moment, letting the truth settle. Once again, it wasn't Aron's loyalty that was hurting him, it was the actions of the old Max.
But understanding the situation now, Max couldn't exactly blame him. Especially if the feelings between Abby and the old Max had been real...he knew how the old Max acted, and judging by her reaction earlier, they definitely were.
"But you knew, right?" Max pressed, narrowing his eyes. "You knew that Max... that I was going through this every day. Getting bullied at school. Going to a public school instead of a private one. You even knew that I wasn't spending any of the money, right?"
Aron hesitated for only a second before giving a solemn nod
"Then why didn't you ask Max, damn it. Why didn't you ask me?!" Max shouted, frustration boiling over. "I'm talking about me! Why didn't you ask why I did all of this? If protection and helping the Stern family is your top goal, then you should've still acted, right?"
Now, Max could see it clearly, Aron was biting down on his bottom lip so hard that it tore, a thin trail of blood dripping down his chin. His fists were clenched tightly by his sides, gripping at his trousers like he was trying to stop himself from shaking.
Max let out a long breath, pushing himself up from where he was lying and staring Aron dead in the eye.
"I think... we need to reset our relationship," Max said. His voice was calmer now, but every word carried weight. "From now on, I want you to forget everything the old me told you."
He leaned forward slightly, not looking away for a second.
"We're starting fresh, right here, right now. If you're really on my side, if you're really here to help me, then you need to prove it."
Max paused, letting his words hang in the air before he asked the question that had been gnawing at the back of his mind since the beginning.
"First, tell me what happened to me. Why was I in that hospital bed? Did I give you any reason, any hint, about what happened that day?"