C.E.O x C.E.O

Ch. 27 - Maximilian Hart

The industry is full of atrocities and injustice. Max would know. He's seen it unfold so many times.

The list in unbearably endless. Cheating spouses, sugar relationships, friends with benefits, harassment, assault, drug involvement, rude behavior, stalking, cyberbullying, unhealthy work ethics, unsafe work environments, drama baiting, rumor-spreading, and... were anyone to read every single thing on the list, they'd never see the end of it.

Celebrities and those who should be grateful they've been grazed with fame, each week or day or second, some tabloid media would appear online and expose them for who they really are. It's often someone you never expected, someone who've used their popularity for what seemed like the greater good on the surface, someone you genuinely thought was a nice person. Perhaps a singer you're a fan of, or a businessperson who's made a name for themselves, or a model known for their iconic walk.

Nothing seemed to make Max feel more dumbfounded than finding out his favorite celebrity is not who they first seemed to be. It's happened so often to him. It's made him hostile to fame, he's aware. It's caused him to always look at celebrities with a scornful, pessimistic first impression. Well, he isn't about to make the same mistake again.

Though, the truth is, it's the fact he can't (and didn't) do anything about it that leaves a bitter taste on his tongue. He knows he's capable of it. Hell, he's a technician and he's worked with numerous big names.

He's even managed to snake his way into dating one! The incredible supermodel Selene Star, a heavensent sung by the angels themselves, the woman with a perfect body and a perfect smile, someone Max could only dream of ever being with beforehand.

And finally, the opportunity presents itself to him, in the form of one James Artino, the arrogant C.E.O with an unpleasant face, and Selene's ex-fiancé, whose means of breaking up had never truly been specified, but Max has seen this sort of thing unfold so many times, he knows what to expect. James cheated on her, he presumed. Maybe abused her when they were together. Maybe took advantage and manipulated her into getting what he wanted. Who wouldn't when your spouse is a supermodel who's both loaded and hot?

Max remembers meeting James for the first time. He remembers the friendly way he spoke to Selene, but Max knows it's all just a façade, just a trick. He remembers his polite posture and his clearly forced smile. He remembers shaking his hand, and he could practically feel the blood he had spilled upon them before.

Max has done his homework. When he'd first started dating Selene, he's researched all about this James Artino, to get the latest scoop on him, to make sure he never hurts Selene ever again. He knows they were going to meet again sometime soon, and Max isn't about to let James get his cake and eat it too. He's searched up all sorts of things about him: his birthdate, the college he went to, his real estate ordeals, his private life. He's even looked into the confidential files Selene coincidentally had and told him not to look at them, but of course he did. It's for her own good anyway.

And he never thought to uncover so much. It turns out James wasn't any different from those cancelled celebrities. There's an article that speak of rumors involving his love life, for he'd never seem to date anyone else after Selene. That would only mean he's sleeping around, or that he's still obsessed with Selene. And another piece of tabloid media states his rising real estate prices. Though the C.E.O claims it's due to the current economic state, Max knows better. The man was simply getting greedy. And then there's the trend James has been up to lately, and that is collaborating or merging his company with other small time companies, evidently to feed off the success of small-timers because being at the top isn't enough for him.

Max's hand balled into a fist. He could just punch the screen. James Artino had earned his hatred.

And this time, Max can do something about it. At last, he can be the one to save others from a celebrity's backstage atrocities. He can save Selene. He has to save her. He has to save everyone who thinks James Artino is more than just an egocentric prick with a greed for everything he already has.

Max has to take him down.

That is when another C.E.O becomes a problem. He's always in the picture, always in the way for some reason, always there to foil his plans.

Dmitri Reen. Dmitri fucking Reen.

It's happened on every occasion. When Max attempted to drop those spotlights on James, Dmitri had been there to save him. When he attempted to drug James at that club, Dmitri was there to prevent that bartender he paid from getting the fun she wanted.

What, did James pay Dmitri a good sum of money to get him to act like his reluctant bodyguard? Did he threaten his company and said the only way to recover it was to go around taking bullets for him? Did he give him head that was so obscenely great that he now has to devote himself to him in hopes of another?

Conclusion though, Dmitri is an obstacle, and a knucklehead. For a guy who has a reputation for sleeping around with a whole lot of different women, he sure is close to James now, whatever they're up to, but Max only sees that as another opportunity to strike.

From what he's gathered, James has developed some kind of attachment to that knucklehead. Why else would be around each other so often? Why else would that Dmitri always be around to rescue him?

So, he'll use that piece of information to his advantage. He'll provoke him with it, and finally he will get the proof he needed to prove that James is the monster he really is.

And then, he finally got it. A clear bruise on his cheek. He's got it. It hurt, a lot, but Max couldn't stop smiling at the presence of it.

The first person he told is Selene. He told her everything: about his schemes, his plans, the things he's done or have attempted to on James. He tells her who he thinks James really is, and what he will do to expose him and make him suffer, and how Max is doing this for her, in honor of her, because he loves her.

However, Selene doesn't return those three loving words. Instead, she runs away crying. Max clicks his tongue. Ungrateful. But he still loves her. She simply struggles with grasping the fact that James Artino is a monster. Because she's like that. She sees the good in everyone. Max will soon make her see the truth. This is for her own good after all. It's what a good boyfriend should do, something James would've never done for her, to her.

The authorities would love to hear about this. As he walked, people turn their heads looking at the clear bruise on his cheek. It's already getting attention. Wait till they give attention to the reason behind it as well. And Max can finally save everyone from James Artino's torment, before it even happens.

"You may not know it yet, James Artino, but your career is over," Max could almost taste the sweetness of karma.