Chapter 85 The transformation
Veronica's POV:
Theo came home at nine in the morning, looking completely wrecked.
He hadn't come home at night at all. I knew because I had stayed up waiting, dozing on the couch... jumping at every sound that might be him returning.
But he never did. He'd just sent a brief text around 3 AM... Still working. Don't wait up.
Now he stood in the doorway of the beach house, with his shirt wrinkled and untucked... his usually neat blonde hair a mess, dark circles under his green eyes.
Poor thing! He had too many sleepless nights in a row, making him look like he'd aged five years in the past week.
"Theo," I said, rushing to him. "You look terrible."
"Thanks," he said with a weak attempt at humor. "That's exactly what every man wants to hear from a beautiful girl..."
I wanted to chuckle at that... but I just couldn't...
I guided him to the kitchen, settling him at the dining table while I rummaged through the fridge.
I found some orange juice and mixed in electrolyte powder, creating something that looked unappetizing but would help restore some of his energy.
"Drink this," I said, pressing the glass into his hands.
He took it obediently, too tired to argue.
"You need to cut yourself some slack," I said, sitting across from him. "You can't keep going like this. You're going to burn out completely."
"I can't," Theo said, his voice flat with exhaustion. "There's too much to handle. The legal team needs constant oversight on Max's case. Three different investor meetings this week. The product launch timeline is accelerating. Chase is making threats that we need to stay ahead of. The..."
"Why don't you just delegate some of it," I interrupted. "You have assistants... employees... and people whose literal job is to help you manage this."
"I can't trust them with the sensitive stuff," Theo said, rubbing his temples. "The legal strategy, the negotiations with Chase's lawyers, the family business matters. And no one else can do it the way I need it done."
"Theo..."
"It's fine, Veronica. I've handled worse."
I didn't believe him. He looked like he was barely holding himself together... He was just too stubborn to admit it.
Then the front door opened.
And Max walked into the dining hall.
I froze.
He was wearing a black suit with a crisp white shirt, a blue tie that matched his eye color exactly, bringing out the depth in them.
His dark hair was styled, not the usual artful, badboy-like mess, but actually professional. His face was clean-shaven.
He looked every bit the CEO one would expect from an Ashford heir.
Theo, who had been mid-sip of his electrolyte drink, jumped to his feet so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor.
"Tell me, Veronica," he said, sounding strange and high-pitched. "Tell me you're seeing this too."
I just nodded, unable to move... unable to speak.
"Yes," I finally managed. "This is for real. He's really all suited up. For real."
Theo turned back to Max, then started laughing... a slightly hysterical sound as if he couldn't believe what he saw.
"Fine," he said, shaking his head. "Just tell me you're going somewhere formal to impress hot chicks. Or attending some charity gala you forgot to mention where you can pick up girls. Or..."
"No, brother," Max interrupted.
He stepped further into the room, and I could see he was carrying a leather messenger bag... that was also new... and expensive.
"I've decided not to be a burden on you anymore," Max said, looking directly at Theo. "Let me share your workload."
Theo spat his electrolyte drink across the floor.
"Shut up," he said. "You can't prank me like this, Max. I'm already very tired. This isn't funny."
"I'm very serious," Max replied calmly.
He set his messenger bag on the table and pulled out a legal pad, already covered in notes written in his distinctive scrawl like handwriting.
"I'm ready to take on whatever you need," he continued. "Just give me your damn schedule. Show me what's on your plate. I'll handle everything I'm qualified for, and we'll work together on the rest."
Theo still looked bewildered, frozen in place, like he couldn't process what was happening.
But Max stepped forward decisively and took Theo's MacBook from where it sat on the table, along with the tablet that was probably synced with all his calendars and documents.
"You can relax today," Max said firmly, tucking both devices under his arm. Then he looked straight at me. "Veronica, make sure he doesn't escape from here. He looks like a nightmare already. He needs rest."
Max turned and headed toward what I assumed was Theo's home office.
Max... who moved like a partyboy until yesterday, was now moving very formally...
Once he was gone, the dining hall fell into stunned silence.
Theo stood there, staring at the doorway Max had disappeared through, his mouth slightly open, the spilled electrolyte drink pooling at his feet.
Then he slowly turned to look at me.
"Tell me what you did," he said quietly.
"I didn't do anything," I lied, keeping my expression neutral.
"Veronica," Theo looked down at me. "My brother doesn't just wake up one morning, put on a suit, and volunteer to take on corporate responsibilities which he hates to his core... not after years of deliberately avoiding exactly that. You must have said something to him. Just tell me the truth."
I looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
The truth was, I'd confronted Max last night. Told him he was hurting Theo, wasting his potential, hiding like a coward. I'd been purposefully cruel on him in hopes of shocking him into change.
But I hadn't actually expected it to work.
I hadn't expected him to show up looking like this, acting like this... all ready to completely transform his approach to life.
"I might have..." I paused, choosing my words carefully. "I might have pointed out that his rebellion was hurting you more than helping anyone."
"What exactly did you say?"
I caught Theo's eyes then, and saw that he already knew it had been harsh. He could probably guess from the expression on my face.
"I told him he was being selfish," I admitted. "That hiding his talents and drowning in bars wasn't freedom... it was just another form of self-destruction. That you were carrying everything alone while he could actually help but chose not to."
"Veronica..." Theo let out a sigh, clearly looking disappointed. "You shouldn't have done that... you don't know him like I do..."