Kings On The Horizon (Vol. 4-6) ✓

262 | Bow Down

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THE SERFS CONTINUED EATING their lunch as Max happily talked to his friends about everything that happened at last night's anniversary party. They congratulated Max on his grandmother's new position, happy about the transfer but, at the same time, worried about Denzel's retirement as it would change the company's dynamic a lot.

     "Your company is well known, but so is your father. I'm not saying Madam Estelle isn't capable, but aren't you worried that your grandmother might get manipulated by the board of directors?" Stefan asks, curious about it too since his father is a general manager of a famous company.

    "Indeed, she's not as business-oriented as my father, and this is the first time she's going to be handling the company, but grandma saw how my grandfather handled the business, so I think she'll be alright. My butler Étienne will also be with her, and Étienne knows more about the company than I do," Max answers honestly before sipping his tea.

     "But what I'm surprised about is Marcus," Keigo then opens up. "It was already a shock that you two are brothers, but he's now a shareholder too, and people are already saying that he's going to legally change his surname to Sinclaire now."

     "That's true. They'll probably do it once my father marries Edith," Max confirms.

     "But not to offend you or anything, Max, but aren't you...weird about it?" Stefan then asks. "I mean, I know nothing about your relationship, but Marcus is...you know...how do I put this—"

     "An illegitimate son?" Vesper continues for him, making Keigo glare at him. Thankfully, Max wasn't mad about the mention of such a word.

     Stefan takes a deep breath and awkwardly scratches the back of his head. "Well, if you put it that way, then yeah. I'm just trying to understand it, you know? Your father's engagement with Edith Thompson and how it was revealed that Marcus Thompson was his son became such a huge scandal to the public. Looking at the timeline, everyone discovered that Chairman Denzel cheated on Madam Luna. The fact your father gave his shares to him is kinda insulting to his late wife, don't you think?" Stefan points out, and Max can only take a sip of his tea again while Vesper, Xander, and Keigo wait for his response.

    Max has always been aware that his family is in the spotlight. The public is more updated with their affairs than he is, and having to talk to Stefan and the others puts that into perspective. He never realized how interested people are in his family because the people in J.S High aren't really allowed to talk about outside matters to the point where he forgot that they're always in the news, and people keep themselves updated with it. They're literally more famous than most celebrities.

    "You don't have to comment about it. Sorry, that was a bit insensitive," Stefan quickly says, but Max shakes his head and gives his friend a reassuring smile.

     "No, it's fine," Max answers before putting his cup down. "About what you said, well, you're right. My mother would have slapped that old man for giving Marcus his shares. She might have even made a scandal at that party. But..." Max paused, and then he looked at a distance before continuing, "She's dead. There's nothing she can do about it. Whether my father gives his shares to Marcus or a total stranger, the dead can no longer complain. And that's something I and my family must live with."

    Everyone at their table became quiet, but soon after, Vesper swallowed the dessert in his mouth and asked, "But what do you feel about it?"

     "Me?" Max asks back, looking down at his cup and staring at the little tea left inside. "What I feel about it shouldn't matter. Marcus is my brother. Whether he's a Thompson or a Sinclaire, or whether he receives shares or not, he's still my brother."