LOGINPatricia looked like she was about to have a heart attack. "Leo! Have you lost your mind? That trip is worth more than you make in three months! Pick that up right now and apologize!""No, Mom," Karina said, her voice trembling but firm. "We aren't picking it up. And we aren't listening to Tristan anymore.”"I will not have this!" Patricia shouted, slamming her hand on the table. "I will not accept my future son-in-law being spoken to this way by his own family. Tristan is a man of substance. Maxwell is not.” Tristan managed to calm himself down despite wanting to put Karina and Leo in their place. “Mother in-law is right, he is a man of fiction."Maxwell checked his watch again."Seven minutes," Maxwell murmured. He picked up his whiskey glass and swirled the ice. "I’d suggest you start saying your goodbyes to your legacy, Tristan. It’s the only thing you have left that’s still free.”Tristan turned to him. “Shut up,”Maxwell didn't respond to that. And the place went quite as every
Maxwell didn't look offended. Instead, he leaned back, a thin, dangerous smile playing on his lips. He looked at Tristan with the detached curiosity of a man watching a clock count down."Tristan," Maxwell said smoothly, his voice cutting through the noise of the table. "Tell me something. What is the current market valuation of Mercer Holdings?"Tristan blinked, caught off guard by the randomness of the question. He scoffed, adjusting his cuffs. "What are you even talking about? Why would a bum like you care about the valuation of a multi-million dollar empire?""I'm just curious," Maxwell replied, his expression suddenly hardening into something cold and razor-sharp. "Because in the next ten minutes, I am going to reduce whatever Mercer Holdings is worth to less than ten dollars."Hearing Maxwell say that, the table went dead silent for a heartbeat.They had just seen Tristan expose Maxwell. And right now they should think Maxwell is pathetic, however something in Maxwell's voice, t
Tristan stared at him, his face completely blank. Not only did this man undermine Tristan's gift, but he also offered something better. How dare he do such a thing?“Bastard please, you make less than five hundred thousand a year.” Tristan scoffed. “Do you take us for fools to believe that someone like you has five million to spare? And is also handing out Italian estates like party favors?”Maxwell still was not paying any mind to Tristan. He simply turned to Natasha and whispered something to her. And while ignoring Tristan Maxwell didn't once look like he was being smug or arrogant, it actually looked like he actually could not hear Tristan which was the most enraging thing for Tristan but also embarrassing. "Another thing," Maxwell whispered into Natasha's ear, his eyes still calmly fixed on the sweetheart table. "How much is Mercer Holdings worth? Who are their majority investors, and exactly how much debt are they carrying?"Natasha didn't even need to look at her phone. She
An older woman near the window shook her head. A man at Table 4 muttered something to his wife. Cousin Laila felt second hand embarrassment for her cousin who was dating this guy.How could her cousin, as smart and capable as she was, how could she ever date this guy?!Robert unfolded his arms and looked away entirely, as if the whole thing was too embarrassing to continue watching.Patricia's expression transformed. She exhaled through her nose, the regret she had felt moments ago was replaced by something colder. Vindicated."A mother doesn't say something like that without good reason," Patricia said quietly, almost to herself."Exactly," Tristan replied, nodding gravely. He set his phone down with the careful satisfaction of a man who believed he had just won the most important battle of his life. "I didn't want to be the one to say it. But someone had to."He looked at Natasha. The fake sympathy was back in full force, his eyes wide and sincere."Natasha. You are a brilliant woma
The silence in the room wasn't the humiliating, mocking kind Tristan had expected.It was filled with awe and respect that was directed at Maxwell. Every head at every nearby table had turned. Guests were whispering with bright, curious eyes. Patricia and Robert were no longer looking at Maxwell like he was something stuck to the bottom of their shoes. They were looking at him like they had just realized the man they had spent the entire evening insulting was carrying a last name that commanded rooms.The Lexus family name. They might not be like the Sterling's, and far from it, but was that still one of the most powerful families in the entire city? The same family whose name appeared on skyscrapers, on courtroom plaques, on the lips of every high-powered attorney worth their salt?Maxwell had just been revealed as a member of that family. And this man had been sitting here all evening, eating his steak, sipping his whiskey, letting them talk down to him without saying a single word
Tristan was ready to expose Maxwell for who he was. However, he was interrupted."And now," the announcer said brightly, looking at his list, "the bride's sister, Natasha!"‘I guess I'll have to be patient. Plus it's good, because I need time to read through who this bum is, that way I can just tell them without having to read off my phone.’ Tristan thought to himself. Right now he could feel most of all his earlier negative emotions, going away knowing that it was over, Maxwell will never be a problem again, he will expose him and embarrass him in front of all these people. Natasha stood up and walked the short distance to her sister's table without even bothering with the microphone. She produced a sleek white envelope from her clutch and pressed it into Karina's hands."Maxwell and I are so incredibly happy for you both," she said warmly. "We love you guys.""Thank you, Nat," Karina smiled. "Thank you, Maxwell."Maxwell raised his glass from across the table in a small, easy ack







