Chapter 84 Created a legal nightmare.
Veronica's POV:
"You should care," Max said quietly. "You should run as far from me as possible. I'm just like him."
"Like who?"
"My father." Max laughed bitterly, taking another drink. "I'm competitive... controlling... violent. That's exactly the kind of thing he would do."
"That's not..."
"It is," Max interrupted. "I swore I'd never be like him. And look at me. I failed spectacularly. Got arrested. Created a legal nightmare. Made everything worse for everyone I care about."
I reached out and took the glass from his hand, setting it on the bar out of his reach.
"You're not your father," I said firmly, keeping my grip on his face. "If anything, Max, you're just self-destructive."
He tried to pull away, but I held on.
"Just look at yourself. The very reason you're in this mess is because you love your brother. You hit Chase because he threatened Theo. Everything you do comes from the love you have for your brother... But in reality, you're just hurting him."
He got angry in an instant. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Theo is really overworked lately," I said. "Managing his businesses, handling the legal fallout from your assault charge, dealing with Chase's threats, preparing counter-suits... he's drowning, Max. And you know what would ease his burden? If you were actually there helping him instead of drinking yourself into oblivion every night."
"So you're suggesting I should work for my toxic father?" He sounded bitter. "That I should go crawling back to Ashford Industries and please him with my hardwork like Theo does? Is that what you're saying?"
He stood abruptly, nearly knocking over his drink. People at nearby tables glanced our way, but I didn't care.
I glared at him. "And what exactly are you winning by not doing so?"
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking confused.
"You're hiding all your talents," I continued relentlessly, standing to face him. "All that brilliance from MIT, and your technical skills. You have the ability to code, to fix problems... you can actually contribute something meaningful. And for what, exactly?"
"To not give him the satisfaction..."
"I understand that you're getting revenge on your toxic father," I interrupted. "I get it, Max. I really do because my own father is no delight. But in reality, what you're doing is just... you're hurting the one person you love the most."
He went pale.
"Your brother," I said. "He's always worried about you, even if he doesn't show it. Every time you disappear into a bar. Or get into trouble... It really hurts him."
I watched his anger dissolve into something that looked like shame.
"Theo carries everything," I continued. "The business expectations. The family reputation. The responsibility of taking care of you from a distance while pretending he's not... And you could help him. You could actually share that burden. But instead, you hide and drink and destroy yourself, and call it freedom."
"Veronica..." His tone cracked.
"Do you know what Theo told me?" I asked. "When we were in New York? We were in some deep meditation, and he confessed his deep secret. He said he'd give up everything... the companies, the success, all of it... if it meant you'd be happy. If it meant you'd find purpose beyond rebellion. That's how much he loves you, Max."
Tears were streaming down Max's face now, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"And you repay that love by spiraling," I said. "By making choices that hurt yourself and hurt him. By letting your father win... because that's what's happening, Max. Your father wanted you two to compete and destroy each other. And even though you're not competing directly, you're still letting him destroy you both. Just in a different way."
"Stop," Max whispered.
"You think you're free because you don't work for him. You think you're winning because you refuse to play by his rules. But you're not free, Max. You're trapped... in reality... just like your mother was..."
"Veronica... don't get there..."
But I couldn't stop. Not now. Not when I'd finally found the words that had been building inside me for days.
"You are guilty over being the naturally talented one. You fear that if you actually try, you might outshine Theo and ruin everything."
His shoulders were shaking now, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"So you hide," I concluded. "You pretend to be less than you are. You drink and fight and self-destruct. And you call it protection. Call it love. But really, it's just another form of the same competitive destruction your father trained into you. Just turned inward instead of outward."
I grabbed my purse and stood, looking down at Max who seemed to have crumpled into himself.
"I love you," I said, and the words surprised even me. "Both of you. In different ways, for different reasons. But I can't watch this anymore. I can't watch you destroy yourself and call it sacrifice... And I certainly can't watch Theo work himself into the ground trying to manage everything alone while protecting your right to waste your potential."
I headed toward the exit, then paused and turned back.
"Just go ahead and keep hurting him," I said, now sounding cold. "Keep hiding, and keep drinking... proving that your father was right about you being the worthless one. I'm sure that'll work out great for everyone."
Then I left the bar, feeling like absolute hell.
The cool night air hit my face, and I realized I was crying. My hands shook as I fumbled for my car keys, barely able to
see through the tears.
I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have gotten between the two brothers' dynamics. I'd promised myself I wouldn't. This was their relationship to navigate, their patterns to break or not break.
But I'd had no choice.
That's what I told myself as I climbed into the car, as I sat there gripping the steering wheel and trying to catch my breath.
This was the only way to stop Max from spiraling completely. Someone had to shake him out of the self-destructive pattern he'd fallen into.
Sometimes love meant being cruel, saying the hard truths that no one else would say.
Theo couldn't say those things... he was too protective of Max... too worried about pushing him away. And Max wouldn't listen to anyone else.
So it had to be me.
I started the car, my vision still blurry with tears, and reminded myself again... This was the only way, even if it'd shattered him.
But as I drove back to the beach house through the dark night, I couldn't shake the look on Max's face when I'd said those final cruel words.
The way he'd looked broken... like I'd confirmed every terrible thing he'd ever believed about himself.
What if I'd gone too far? What if instead of shocking him into change, I'd just pushed him deeper into the darkness?
What if I'd just destroyed the man I claimed to love in an attempt to save him?
The questions haunted me the entire drive home, and I had no answers.