Max pedaled furiously, his heart pounding as he arrived at the pool party fifteen minutes later. The sound of loud music and laughter filled the air, but he had no time to focus on that. His only mission was to find Amanda. Pushing through the crowd, he tried to keep calm, but a group of familiar faces spotted him."Hey, look! It's the campus charity case," one of the guys sneered, pointing at Max like he was a circus act."What's up, Rags-to-No-Riches?" asked someone else with a mean grin. Are you here to bring us food or take away our trash?"Everyone in the group started laughing. A third person spoke up and said, "Nah, man. I think he's just here to look through the trash himself." "You need to get dressed, right?"He clenched his hands and ground his teeth, but Max didn't stop. He had to find Amanda. Even though the words hurt, he wouldn't back down.At that very moment, Johnson's words boomed over the loudspeaker, making everyone pay attention. "You look more beautiful than an

Max's head was spinning from the drinks when he felt someone grab his arm. A beautiful woman was holding onto him, shaking."Who are—" Max started to ask.BAM! The bar door flew open. Five big men rushed in, and their eyes locked onto the woman."Let her go," the biggest man growled, walking toward them. He had mean eyes and a nasty smile.Max's brain felt fuzzy from the alcohol, but he could tell something was very wrong. The woman grabbed his shirt tighter."Please help me," she whispered. "These men... they want to hurt me. My enemies sent them.""Hand her over," the big man said again.Max looked at the scared woman. Even drunk, he couldn't just give her to these thugs. "No," he said."Wrong answer." The big man reached for the woman.Max pushed his hand away. "I said no!"The leader took a step forward, his tone sharp. “I said, let her go. Don’t make me repeat myself.”“Please, don’t let them take me. They’ll do horrible things to me.” The woman pleaded him.Max hesitated, his pr

The black sedan slowed to a halt before an impressive golden gate. Max pressed his face against the window, his eyes tracing the ornate "Montgomery" inscription that gleamed in the afternoon sun."Is this really the place?" Max whispered to his companion."Indeed, sir," Harrison replied, lowering his window as a security guard approached."Good afternoon," the guard said crisply. "Identification and clearance papers, please."Harrison handed over a thick envelope. "We're expected. Mr. Max is here to see Mr. Montgomery."Max watched nervously as three different guards scrutinized their papers. Finally, the head guard nodded."Everything appears to be in order. Welcome to Montgomery Estate, sir," he said, stepping back as the massive gates began to swing open."This is insane," Max muttered, his eyes widening as they drove through. "I've never seen anything like this."Harrison chuckled. "Wait until you see the rest of it, sir."As they rounded the curved driveway, Max's jaw dropped. A

Max sat in the big wooden chair, holding its arms so tight his hands turned white. His grandfather Richard had just told him he would inherit everything, and it felt like too much to handle."I... I can't do this," Max said quietly. "It's too much, too fast."Richard watched his grandson carefully. "It's okay, Max. Take your time. I know it's a lot to take in."Max thought about his college studies. "Grandfather, I have a question.""What is it?""I've been studying business for three years. We learned about all the big family businesses." Max looked confused. "But I never heard about the Montgomery family. Why is that, if we're so rich?"Richard smiled, looking proud. "That's a very smart question. You think like a true Montgomery."He got up and walked to a bookshelf. He pressed something, and the shelf moved to show a hidden room. "Come and look, Max."Max followed him into a room full of computers and files."Look at this," Richard pulled out a thick folder. "These are all the co

As Max was overwhelmed with his life changing from poverty to rich heir. For a brief moment, his mind wandered back to Amanda. She’d left him without hesitation when she found someone who could provide the wealth and status she desired. The memory still stung, but now, with his life turned upside down, he couldn’t help but think about how much things had changed.With a faint, ironic smile, Max let himself imagine the idea of telling Amanda he was wealthy now and that he could afford to give her the luxuries she’d always wanted. May be she comes back to him and loves him more. But the thought only lasted a second, fading as he realized the futility of it. Even if he could have everything she wanted, she never truly loved him. Money couldn’t change that fact.“Max?” His grandfather’s voice brought him back to the present.Max turned to see his grandfather watching him, a knowing look in his eyes. “I’d like you to come by the company next week,” Richard said. “There’s a lot you nee