All Chapters of From Trash to Titan: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Victoria's expression shifted. The warmth she'd shown Maxwell immediately turned into something more professional. She glanced at her watch and let out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry, Maxwell." She turned to him, and for a moment the softness returned. "I wish I could spend more time with you today. There's so much I want to tell you about your father, about the family. But work doesn't wait.""It's fine," Maxwell said. And he meant it. She'd already given him more in one hour than Debra had given him in twenty-seven years.Victoria stood, smoothing her jacket. "Kieran will take you to the penthouse whenever you're ready. Get some rest, get used to your new life and you'll let me know when you're ready to start learning." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome home, Maxwell."The words hit him harder than he expected. Home. He'd never really had one of those. And he was also glad that she was giving him time to settle into this life before he can start learning the ropes of the family

When Maxwell stepped out of the steakhouse, the air outside was fresh and calming. He buttoned his jacket out of habit. It was the same jacket with the fraying cuffs he had worn for years. It feels different now. Lighter.Although he could have called a cab to drive him where he wanted, Maxwell didn't and just walked, He wanted to feel the pavement under his worn-out sneakers one last time.The walk back to his apartment took thirty minutes. As he crossed the boundary from the downtown district into his neighborhood, the scenery changed. The clean sidewalks turned into cracked concrete. The streetlights flickered. The smell of expensive perfume from the city center was replaced by the smell of exhaust and old trash.He stopped at the corner store, ‘Sal’s Market.’This was his nightly ritual. Usually, on his way back from work, Maxwell would walk in, count the coins in his pocket, and buy a single bottle of water or maybe a generic soda if he had a good tip day delivering food.The b

"Not you," Maxwell said, cold as ice. He turned to the younger salesman. "I was asking him. Phil, is my car ready?"Vin froze, his smile dying on his face. Phil stood up straighter, a grin breaking out."It sure is, Mr. Sterling. Follow me."Maxwell followed Phil to the back of the showroom, leaving Vin to stew in his regret.And there it was.A McLaren 720S. Matte black. It was low, wide, and aggressive. It looked like the Batmobile's meaner cousin. Maxwell stopped in front of it. It was beautiful."Fully fueled, detailed, and ready to go," Phil said. He held out the key fob, his hands shaking just a little. "We... uh, we saw the payment clear last night. Instant transfer. Very impressive."Maxwell took the key. It felt heavy in his palm. He pulled out the black card again and handed it to Phil."Charge a ten percent tip," Maxwell said calmly.Phil froze. He blinked, trying to do the math in his head. Ten percent of two hundred thousand. "Sir... that’s twenty thousand dollars. Are yo

“I mean, your training starts soon. And you will be so busy that you won't have enough freedom to do fun things, " Natasha said, her tone shifting slightly. More serious now. "Victoria doesn't half-ass anything. If you want to run this empire, you need to know how it works. And Kieran's teaching you. He's good at what he does, but he doesn't go easy on anyone.”"I'm ready," Maxwell said."We'll see." She winked. "The code for the door is the same as the gate. 4201. Don't lose your keycard.""I won't.""See you around, Mr. Sterling."She walked out, the heavy door clicking shut behind her.Maxwell was alone.He stood there for a long time, just breathing. Then, he walked over to the kitchen. He opened the cabinet she had pointed to.There it was. A bottle of amber liquid with a label he couldn't pronounce. He found a heavy crystal glass and poured a small amount.He took a sip. It burned, but in a good way. Warm and smooth.He carried the glass to the stairs and walked up to the master

Maxwell changed back into his old clothes after the stylists left. The navy blazer hung in the closet upstairs with the other samples they'd brought for reference.Cherry and Lia were coming back tomorrow with his full wardrobe. But that wasn't what stuck in his head right now.The way they'd acted around him. The lingering looks. The extra smiles. Maybe he was reading into it, but it felt like they were interested in him. Which honestly wouldn't surprise him because it wasn't new for him. Even when he was broke, Maxwell never had trouble attracting women. He'd had relationships. Some good ones, actually. He'd even been engaged once.Her name was Tatiana.They were supposed to get married. Then Debra asked him to quit his high-paying job and come save Lexus Corporation. Tatiana told him not to do it. Begged him, actually.He did it anyway.He thought if he saved the company, Debra would finally see him as something other than a mistake. That she'd stop looking at him like he was trash