Chapter 14 Breaking Cameras
Veronica's POV:
Max frowned, fixing his piercing blue eyes on the reporter who had been shouting at him.
“So, you want to file a lawsuit against me?” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “Fine. But be ready to face the consequences.”
Theo immediately stepped in. Max, enough. Don’t argue with them. They are just trying to provoke you,” he warned, glancing between his brother and the reporters. He was trying to defuse the situation before it spiraled further into something more serious.
But the reporter wasn’t done. Straightening his tie, he turned to his camera-person with a smug grin. “Record this,” he said. “The world should see what kind of dynamics these Ashford brothers really have.”
That was the final spark.
Before Theo could stop him, Max strode forward, grabbed the camera-person's equipment, and slammed it onto the pavement with a single, powerful motion. The camera shattered, pieces scattering across the driveway... and the moment, ironically, was got caught by another lens that was still rolling nearby.
The crowd gasped, with a collective hush falling among them.
Max glared at the line of reporters, and his jaw tight with his deep voice echoing like thunder. “Which one of you wants to test me next?” he snarled, no less than a predator. “Go ahead... I’ll start breaking your cameras next.”
And just like that, a pin-drop silence settled in there... which was too heavy and tense.
Then, one by one, the reporters started retreating. Within seconds, the entire crowd began to disperse, rushing back to their vans.
The lead reporter, still red-faced, shouted over his shoulder as he climbed into his car, “We’ll be filing charges against Maximilian Ashford!”
But Max didn’t even flinch. He just stood there, his chest rising and falling, his fists clenched, and his blue eyes burning like storm clouds ready to split open.
Theo exhaled slowly beside him, rubbing his temple. “Brilliant,” he muttered under his breath. “Another PR disaster. Just what we needed.”
As soon as Theo and Max stepped into the house, I hurried down the staircase to speak with them, but before I even reached the last step, their arguing voices were already echoing through the living room.
“Do you have any idea what you just did out there, Max? This is going to be a nightmare to fix. And when Father hears about it...”
Max cut him off sharply. “What the hell do you mean us? Dad’s not going to be mad at you, Theo. He’ll be mad at me, like always. You’ll just walk in, calm and composed, clean up the mess, and he’ll call you his perfect little son again.”
Theo’s jaw tightened. “Not this again, Max…” he sighed, dragging a hand over his face. “I’m always trying to help you. But you make it impossible when you keep throwing yourself into chaos. Just tell me — what was the point of smashing that camera?”
“Oh, I don’t know — maybe because the guy wouldn’t stop recording us like we’re animals in a damn zoo?!”
Theo did look mad... despite that his tone stayed steady. “No, it wasn’t okay,” he said. “But we could’ve handled it differently. There was no need for violence.”
"Yeah? And by the time you handled it differently, that video would already be all over the internet. So forgive me for saving our asses the fast way.”
"You know what, Max?” Theo exhaled sharply, running a hand through his perfectly styled blonde hair. “I’m done trying to talk sense into you. Go ahead — and keep acting like King Kong if you want. Maybe that’ll finally make Father proud.”
The silence that followed was too suffocating to stand, even for me.
Max glared at him as his jaw tightened with his blue eyes blazing with something far deeper than anger — it was hurt.
And standing on the staircase, I suddenly realized… this wasn’t just a fight about cameras or reporters.
This was years of resentment and rivalry spilling out — these were two brothers trapped in the same legacy, fighting not each other, but the expectations from their father that had chained them both.
Max stormed out of the house, the front door slamming behind him with a thud that echoed through the quiet living room.
Theo let out a long sigh and sank into the couch, his shoulders dropping as if the weight of the world had just landed on them. He leaned his head back against the cushion, his pretty green eyes fixed blankly on the ceiling.
I hesitated for a moment before walking over and sitting beside him. “That didn’t seem to go well,” I said softly.
He turned his head slightly, his tired gaze meeting mine. “You watched everything?”
I nodded silently.
And suddenly, guilt hit me like a sharp ache in the chest.
Whatever was happening between them — this endless tug-of-war — I was the reason it exploded today.
The reporters came for me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “They came because of me. And now you’re stuck dealing with the fallout. Thank you for trying to protect me… even at this cost.”
“Veronica, you don’t have to apologize. You’re not responsible for this. I knew you were hiding out from your father — that’s not your fault. Max just… doesn’t always think before he acts.”
I gave him a small, sad smile. “Maybe. But he’s not entirely wrong either,” I said quietly. “If he hadn’t acted fast, that video might’ve already been everywhere.”
“Maybe so. But violence shouldn’t be the first answer,” he too soothingly. “There’s always another way to handle things, even when it feels like the world’s against you. Breaking a camera might stop one video, but it creates ten more problems. Now we’ll have to cover this up… and yes, Father will hear about it.” He exhaled, "Violence always leaves a scar, Veronica. Not just on others — on yourself, too.”
The way he said that really made me think. His words weren’t just about Max or the press… they carried something like that of experience.
I found myself watching him... For a moment, I wasn’t thinking about the chaos outside or my father’s wrath.
I was just mesmerized by Theo’s quiet strength, admiring his wisdom and handsome face.