008

Max brushed Jacob’s hand away from his collar, then calmly straightened the wrinkled fabric. His gaze turned cold as he looked at his best friend.

“Are you trying to make a scene here?” he asked flatly. “If you have something to discuss with me, come outside. You should choose an appropriate place to confront me.”

Jacob clenched his fists.

His jaw tightened as he clearly struggled to contain his barely restrained anger. However, after glancing toward Xena’s bedroom door, he finally clicked his tongue and followed Max without arguing.

Max led the way to the outdoor dining area of the hotel restaurant, which was not far from there. At this hour, several guests were still seated, enjoying their meals, while waiters moved back and forth with their orders. Max chose a table in a corner, slightly removed from the crowd, then turned to face Jacob.

As soon as they arrived, Jacob no longer tried to hold himself back. He stepped forward with a furious expression and swung his fist, nearly striking Max in the face.

But Max was quicker. He caught Jacob’s wrist before the punch could land, then shoved him away.

“Does talking to you always have to involve violence now?” he asked sharply.

Jacob yanked his hand away and clicked his tongue in irritation. “I told you to know your limits. She’s my wife, Max!”

Max smiled faintly, as though he found the remark rather amusing.

“Yes, your wife.” He paused briefly, giving Jacob a moment to process his answer. “But you let her share a bed with me.”

Jacob’s jaw tightened. “You know what I mean!”

“What do you mean?” Max replied calmly. “I’m an ordinary man, Jacob. I’m not some saint who can suppress his desires and passions in a situation like that.”

Jacob slammed his hand against the nearby table, making the objects on it rattle. He pointed at Max, his gaze filled with fury.

“You’ve gone too far!”

Unlike Jacob, who had lost control, Max leaned back casually. He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and lit it. After exhaling a thin stream of smoke, he looked at Jacob again without showing the slightest hint of fear.

“I haven’t crossed any boundaries.” His voice remained calm, but every word carried a firm emphasis. “Even though Xena lost her memory, what happened between us was done with both of us fully conscious. She knew what she was doing.”

“Because she thinks you’re her husband, Max!” Jacob shouted. “She wouldn’t have done that if she knew who you really were!”

Max raised an eyebrow, then let out a small laugh that held not the slightest trace of amusement.

“Then who was the one who offered me to her?” he asked casually. “Who was the one who told her I was her husband?”

Jacob fell silent for a moment.

Max took another drag from his cigarette before continuing, “You were the one who asked me to take care of her until her memory returned. You were also the one who told her I was her husband. And now you’re angry because she believed the lie you made up yourself?”

“Don’t twist my words!” Jacob shot back angrily.

“I’m not twisting anything.” Max stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, then leaned forward slightly. His faint smile disappeared, replaced by a sharper gaze.

“You dragged me into Xena’s hospital room, Jacob. You asked me to take on the role of her husband because you wanted to spend your time freely with Hazel. You didn’t even care how Xena would feel when she discovered that the man she trusted as her husband was kissing another woman right in front of her.”

Jacob clenched his fists. Hearing Max mention Hazel made him even more uncomfortable, but he refused to admit that his own actions had brought him into this situation.

“That’s between Xena and me,” he said curtly. “It’s no excuse for you to sleep with her!”

“Really?” Max tilted his head, looking at him as though he were trying to understand such contradictory reasoning. “Then you should have remembered that before asking me to take your place.”

“Max!”

“What?” Max leaned back again. “You want me to take responsibility for something you created yourself? While you still want to do whatever you please?”

Jacob stared at Max, his chest rising and falling. He had come here convinced that Max had crossed the line as a friend, but the longer their conversation continued, the harder it became to find a reasonable justification for his own anger. Max had never forced him to hand Xena over. Jacob had been the one to lie to her and ask Max to take his place as her husband.

Yet admitting his own mistakes was far more difficult than blaming someone else.

Jacob scoffed, then snatched the pack of cigarettes from Max’s hand. He took one out and lit it, as though the act might help ease the irritation still simmering in his chest.

“I’ll forgive you this time,” he said as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. “If you touch my wife again, I won’t stand by and do nothing.”

Max didn’t respond to the threat. He simply finished his cigarette calmly, as though Jacob’s warning wasn’t even worth arguing about.

A short while later, Hazel approached them. The moment she saw Jacob, she smiled sweetly and moved closer to his side. She wrapped both arms around his arm, then rested her head on his shoulder in a clingy, affectionate manner.

“Darling, so this is where you are.” Hazel tilted her head up to look at him. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Jacob, who had looked ready to explode just moments earlier, now greeted Hazel with a faint smile. He slipped an arm around her waist, allowing her to cling to him affectionately as though nothing had happened.

Max watched the two of them with an irritated expression. Jacob’s sudden change in attitude only made him even more reluctant to get involved in their affairs.

“Oh, by the way,” Hazel said, as if she had just remembered something. “There’ll be a fireworks party tonight. Take Xena to see it, Max. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Max turned his gaze toward Hazel. He studied her intently for several seconds before finally asking the question that had been bothering him for a long time.

“I’ve actually been curious about this for a while. How close are you and Xena, really?”

Hazel blinked, slightly surprised by the sudden question. However, she quickly put on her usual smile.

“I’m her best friend. You know that, don’t you?”

Max smiled bitterly. “I’ve only just realized that friendship is worth so little.”

Hazel’s brows immediately furrowed. Her smile faded as she tried to understand what Max meant. “What do you mean?”

Max had no intention of explaining. He rose from his chair and straightened his shirt. “Nothing.” He glanced briefly at Jacob and Hazel, who were still standing side by side.

“Enjoy the rest of your time together. I need to go back. My wife is alone.”

“She’s my wife, Max,” Jacob corrected sharply.

Hazel’s expression immediately turned displeased. Though the change lasted only a moment, it was clear enough for Max to notice.

Max gave a faint smirk. “If she’s your wife, then go back to her. Help her recover her memories.”

Jacob let out a restrained growl. He didn’t like Max constantly reminding him of the responsibility he had deliberately neglected. What made it worse was that Max said it with an attitude that made him seem far more deserving of being Xena’s husband.

Noticing the change in atmosphere, Hazel quickly lifted her face. She studied Jacob for a moment before tracing her fingers along his arm.

“Would you do that, Jacob?”

Jacob turned to her. “Do what?”

“Stay with Xena and help her remember everything.” Hazel paused briefly, as though choosing her words carefully.

Then she looked at Jacob with a faint smile. “If her memory starts coming back, will you return to her?”