It was a completely bizarre feeling. Why did every single high-stakes family matter these days seem to revolve entirely around Max? Or maybe it just meant that Max was the only person in the dynasty who was actually making massive, terrifying moves while the rest of them stood still.
Either way, before they committed to anything, they needed to make one thing completely clear. What exactly was Donto proposing?
"What are you actually getting at here?" Chad asked, crossing his arms to mask his nerves. "Are you claiming you have a definitive way to beat Max? You’re going to have to give us a lot more details than just a vague threat."
Donto let out a smug, condescending smile, slowly folding his arms across his chest.
"I have always won at every single thing I have ever done in my life," Donto stated, his voice dripping with an intense, quiet confidence. "And a massive part of that success is knowing exactly when to pivot. I don’t pick a fight when I know I’m going to lose. So, you should know right now that I have something incredibly big up my sleeve to completely break Max.
"In my eyes, looking at the three of you right now, you have already decided to submit to his authority. And choosing to submit is the exact same as choosing to be on his side. So, this is my final baseline offer to this table: are you going to support my ascension, or are you going to continue to play submissive to Max?
"I’ll tell you right now—when I successfully build my kingdom, I will remember the exact names of those who stood by my side, and I will absolutely remember those who didn’t."
A wave of incredibly tense, nervous smiles rippled across the table. In the Stern family, there had always been a strange, suffocating feeling that everyone got whenever they were around Randy. Just like with Grandfather Dennis, the entire family had to be exceptionally careful with their words around him. And a terrifying part of that genetic trait had clearly slipped down to Donto as well.
At first, Chad and Bobo had thought it was just the residual fear of Randy affecting their judgment, but looking at Donto now, they could feel it clearly. This heavy, crushing aura—this absolute presence—was radiating straight off Donto’s frame. He wasn’t just an ordinary rich kid anymore. He was a predator.
Karen thought to herself, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of her neck as she stared at her nephew.
"So," Donto urged, his eyes narrowing as he locked his gaze onto the three of them. "What’s your final answer?"
The three of them fell into a deep, heavy silence, thinking about the choice for a long time. It was an incredibly important, irreversible decision for them; they were permanently linked to the fate of the Stern family whether they liked it or not, and a wrong choice here could mean total ruin.
For Chad, though, he possessed the deepest insight into the situation. He had been embedded with the Billion Bloodline group the longest. He had personally watched ordinary street kids train within the facility, and he had seen them continuously evolve, sharpening their claws as they grew from one massive conflict to the next under Max’s leadership.
"You know, Donto, I know exactly what people think about me in this family," Chad said, his voice completely steady as he stood his ground. "A lot of people think I’m the complete idiot of the generation. We just didn’t see it as clearly before because everyone automatically put that title on Max instead. But the grim truth is, I think for a long time, all of us have been the idiots.
"If I were to choose to join your side right now, after everything I’ve personally seen Max manage to pull off—everything he has survived and conquered—then I would be the real idiot. I think out of every single person in this dynasty, Max Stern is the only one who will actually become the Heir of the Stern family. So, I choose to stay on his side."
Both Bobo and Karen stared at Chad, completely stunned by his statement. It was arguably the first time either of them had ever heard him speak with such absolute, unshakeable confidence. It was a completely new side to Chad they had never witnessed before, and the sheer weight of his conviction caused Karen to make her choice immediately.
"I’m afraid I will have to completely agree with my son on this one," Karen said, turning her sharp gaze to Donto. "Max is entirely different, Donto. He is not like the other traditional members of the Stern family. When I look at him, and I analyze everything that is currently taking place in this city, it’s almost as if the rest of us are just small pebbles on his journey. That is the massive, insurmountable difference between us and him."
Just as Bobo opened her mouth to speak and add her refusal, Donto aggressively raised his hand, cutting her off before she could utter a word.
"Save your breath. I don’t need you useless people anyway," Donto snarled, his face contorting into a mask of pure arrogance. "I honestly viewed the three of you as one single, collective failure to begin with. I will remember this rejection. And all of you should make sure to remember your choice very carefully as the event takes place tonight."
Without another word, Donto turned his back on them, marching across the VIP gallery to take a seat in a completely separate sector. He sat down at a large reserved lounge where several other individuals were already waiting—figures that Chad and his family had never seen before in their lives. The people Donto was sitting with looked like a completely bizarre, mismatched gang, all wearing completely different styles of clothing.
"I’m getting an incredibly bad feeling about all of this," Chad whispered, his eyes tracking the strange group as they laughed in the shadows. "Maybe... I should call Max right now and tell him exactly what’s going on."
Before he could pull out his phone, the stadium lights suddenly dimmed, signaling that the first event of the night was ready to start. Down in the gallery, a massive man stood up from Donto’s table. He was wearing an oversized hoodie that barely contained his incredibly broad shoulders and monstrous frame. Moving with a heavy, deliberate stride, he stepped over the barrier and walked directly into the center of the fighting ring.
Donto leaned back into his leather sofa, a dark, lethal grin spreading across his face as he stared down at the mat.
"Show my stupid family exactly what kind of mistake they just made, Hugo," Donto mumbled under his breath.