Semua Bab From Trash to Titan: Bab 181 - Bab 190

She remembered the sound of Bron's fist connecting with that face. She remembered the way Maxwell hadn't stayed down. She remembered him standing over Bron in her small, wrecked living room, breathing hard, knuckles bleeding, asking if her family was okay before he even checked himself.He got that bruise for her. For her parents. For people he had known for less than a week.Something warm shifted in her chest. Before she could stop it, before her brain had any chance to intervene, a soft smile spread across her face. This time she didn't have the usual polite and professional smile. Not the forced kind she put on for clients. It came from the depth of her heart. The kind that reached her eyes.Maxwell looked up and their eyes met.And Hazel realized, with a sickening jolt, that she had been standing there staring at him and smiling like an idiot.Maxwell's pen stopped moving. He looked at her with a slightly puzzled expression. He was not suspicious or smug. He was just... confused

The words sucked the air right out of the room.Clara's smile froze, slowly crumbling at the edges.It didn't need to be said that both her and Daniel didn't expect this answer from the young boy.Beside Camille, Kate let out a quiet sigh. She had expected this to happen. Theo absolutely adored this place and he would hate to leave here.Camille leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees to get closer to his eye level. "Theo."Turning towards her, Theo met her gaze. There was no fear in his brown eyes, no tantrum brewing. Just pure, stubborn certainty."I don't want to go," he said simply. "I want to stay here. With you and Miss Kate and everybody.""Theo, no one is taking you away. Clara and Daniel just want to give you a home. A real one. With a family all to yourself." Camille said calmly."But, this is my home," Theo stated."I know it feels that way," Camille urged. "But wouldn't you like your own room? Your own bed? People who wake up every day just for you?"Theo considere

Maxwell walked out the sliding glass doors, leaving the Vertex Systems building behind him. The fresh and warm midday air did nothing to melt away the amount of annoyance sitting in his chest.Now, not only was he annoyed for one reason, but two reasons and one of them was Camille. Whatever her issue was with him, she always thought it was a good idea to mess with him. He really had to deal with this, because he couldn't stand this anymore.But right now wasn't the right time. Maxwell didn't have the time for that. The more important matter was finding a way to convince Vertex Systems.He crossed the parking lot and slipped behind the wheel of his car. Shutting the heavy door cut off the city noise, leaving him in total quiet. He sat there for a second, staring at the modern glass building.Coming here looked like a waste of time, however to him it wasn't. It had made it even more clear. Driana Garcia wanted to play games. Fine.He pressed the ignition, bringing the engine to life, an

The drive to the West End took about thirty minutes. When Maxwell pulled through the iron gates of the Fairview Golf Club, he immediately saw what kind of place this was. The parking lot was filled with Mercedes, Range Rovers, and the occasional Bentley. The grounds were perfectly manicured, and the massive clubhouse looked more like a private mansion than a sports facility.He parked his vehicle and walked up the wide stone steps, and stepped inside.The clubhouse was impressive to say the least and it made Maxwell think he should join one. A young woman in a crisp uniform stood behind a polished mahogany reception desk. She offered him a polite, casual smile as he walked up."Good afternoon, sir," she said. "How can I help you?""I'm looking for Richard Garcia," Maxwell said. "I was told he might be here."The receptionist's fingers hovered over her keyboard. Her smile remained in place, but her gaze turned a little more calculating. "Mr. Garcia is here today, yes. Is he expecting

Maxwell was shocked.What was this? A joke?He stared at Richard for a long moment, waiting for the old man to laugh it off. Surely he wasn't serious. There was no way this man had just told him to take his daughter on a date in exchange for a business deal. That was insane.But Richard didn't laugh. And the longer the silence stretched, the clearer it became. He was dead serious.Maxwell was surprised. But not completely. He was a Sterling now after all. People would always find ways to try and attach themselves to his family. He had seen it before with Isobelle trying to set him up with Camille, and now here it was again. A different family, a different person, but the exact same game.Without a word, he pushed his chair back and stood up."Thank you for your time, Richard," Maxwell said, his voice flat. "But I didn't come here looking for permission to date your daughter."Without hesitation, he turned around to leave."You're misunderstanding me," Richard said calmly from behind h