Marcella was Max’s younger sibling, and upon reading the earliest pages on the tablet, he realized she had run away from home shortly after he left for his in-laws. Ryan sighed before explaining, “Well, you know she takes a lot after you. She has always wanted to live an ordinary life, and she took up the opportunity the moment she got it. No one can stop her except you.” “What was Blake doing when she left?” He asked curiously. Ryan suddenly burst out laughing, “News flash, Blake was family zoned.” He announced, confusing Max. “Family zoned as in?” He asked curiously. “How can I possibly love you, Blake? You’re like a brother to me.” Ryan mimicked Marcella’s statement. “That’s what she said to Blake when he finally summoned the courage to ask her out. You should have seen how embarrassed Blake was. We teased him endlessly for days...” Unfortunately for Ryan, Max was offended by his joke, “You think being rejected is funny? Just because ladies come easily to you doesn’

Max’s jaw ached as he gritted his teeth. His movements were stiff, but eventually, he found his way back to his seat again. “Tell me about your marriage.” Williams requested. Max scoffed, “What more do you want to hear from me? Direct from the source? Because I know you already got all the juicy details.” He said. “Well, I don’t know what goes inside your house…I mean your in-laws, but I’m sure by now you know you don’t have a son.” He said. Max had to hold his breath for a while, his muscles stiffened as he tried his best to hold back his anger. “You…” He started to speak but stopped to hold back the angry tears that were threatening his eyes. “You had no idea what goes on inside my ‘in-laws’ house, yet you know even the secrets I just found out. How funny.” He scoffed. Williams Stratford understood Max’s anger and quickly replied, “I promise I don’t know what is going on in your in-law’s place but after I confirmed she was really pregnant, I asked someone to keep an eye on her

“You should hurry and finalize it. Those people are sneaky as f@ck.” Miguel suggested, before standing up to make the calls to the media stations.Max forced a smile, remembering they were supposed to finalize the divorce today. “Don’t worry guys. I can’t be fooled twice.” He reassured them. “So what do you plan to do with them now?” Carl asked curiously. “I am going to ruin every single member of that family. I am not going to limit the punishment to just Aria…”Max was interrupted by Miguel whom he heard scolding someone around the corner. “What’s up Miguel?” Blake inquired. Miguel eventually walked back to the men, “It’s Bryce. He was eavesdropping again. I had to make sure he returned to his room.” He explained. The men quickly started to complain about Bryce's incessant interruption in their conversation, causing Max to have a good laugh. “Guys, free this kid. He is already an adult. Let him have fun.” He suggested but no one agreed with him, especially Ryan. “By the way,

“Of course not. I don’t have a son. I just need to teach that kid’s mother a lesson. A mother who can sell her child’s image for a few dollars can do much worse for more money.” Max explained, ridding them of their worry. “We are going to set a date to meet amidst our busy schedule now and then to discuss our progress.” He added. Ryan was confused by his uncle’s arrangement and had to ask, “What about me?” “Oh, Ryan, you already have your plates filled with advancing your career. You should focus on that.” Max suggested. “No! I can manage. And my career is already at the top. I decide what I want to do next, so I can definitely take a break and help. I might not even need to take a break.” Ryan complained. Max knew he would never be able to convince Ryan otherwise, so he decided to give him something to do. “Fine, keep an eye on Arabella. Those people might try to hook her up with some nasty man if she persists.” He said.Everyone became quiet as they dwelled on the thoughts of t

The room was sent into an awkward silence for a good minute, and while Max stared into her eyes with the thoughts of the pain he’d subject her to once she was finally his, Aria was swept off her feet, mesmerized by his bright blue. Max was handsome, and no doubt Aria felt attracted to him, looking into his eyes so up close. She has always felt attracted to him. In fact, she had feelings for him, just that he was way too broke that the feelings quickly died. “Replace me?” Tate yelled, pushing him off his shoulder. “Do you think it’s that easy? Aria and I are in love. Don’t think the little change you have now means anything. I am signing a contract with PetroVista soon. I can easily have you fired as one of my terms in the contract. Max scoffed at his statement as he asked, “Love? We were in love, too. But I lost my wealth.” “Yeah! You lost your wealth because you don’t even own it. As a company owner like myself, I can never lose mine. Especially not upon cooperating with bi