Chapter 86 Brothers Reunited
Veronica's POV:
A week went by.
I spent most of my time on the seashore behind the beach house, sitting in the sand with a book I wasn't really reading, trying to forget the fact that my father had never contacted me. Not a single call, text, or email. Not even a single acknowledgment of my successful expo presentation.
The silence hurt more than I wanted to admit.
Theo came and joined me on the beach that afternoon, settling into the sand beside me. He looked better... the dark circles under his eyes had faded, his shoulders weren't quite so tense, and there was color back in his face.
"I don't know what exactly you did," he said, gazing out at the ocean. "But you've changed him for good."
I'd refused to give Theo the full details of what I'd said to Max that night in the bar. It felt too personal, and honestly, I was still processing it myself.
"He must really love you," Theo continued quietly, "if he's willing to do all this."
That's when I saw it... the sting in his green eyes. The resignation. The look of someone acknowledging defeat.
"Theo..." I started, but I didn't know how to finish.
What could I say? That I didn't know who I loved more? That I was still confused?
I was just confused. About everything.
Theo gave me a sad smile. "It's okay, Veronica. You don't have to say anything."
But it wasn't okay. Nothing about this situation was okay.
Max came home that night around seven, still in his suit but with the tie loosened and sleeves rolled up. He looked passionate in a way I'd never seen before... like he'd discovered something he was genuinely good at and enjoyed.
He walked into the living room where Theo and I were sitting, and immediately launched into a discussion about the day's accomplishments.
"Closed the Singapore deal," he said, dropping his messenger bag on the coffee table. "The investors were skeptical at first, but I walked them through the projection models and addressed every concern. They signed this afternoon."
Theo's eyes widened. "The Singapore deal? The one I've been working on for three months?"
"Yeah. Also renegotiated the terms with the legal team on my case. Chase's lawyers were trying to push for a settlement that would include a public apology and admission of fault. I told them to fuck off... more diplomatically, of course... and threatened to countersue for harassment and defamation. They backed down."
"You... what?" Theo looked bewildered.
"And I went through the Q3 financial projections," Max continued, pulling out his tablet. "Found some inefficiencies in the supply chain that could save about two million annually if we restructure. I've drafted a proposal... want to take a look?"
Theo just stared at his brother like he'd never seen him before.
"Where were you all this time?" Theo finally asked.
Max paused in pulling up his documents, looking confused. "What do you mean? I've been here. At the beach house."
"No, I mean..." Theo stood up, his hands clenching and unclenching. "All this time. All these years. While I was covering your legal tracks from bar fights and bailing you out of trouble, where was this intelligent Max? The one who closes international deals and negotiates with lawyers and analyzes financial projections?"
Max went very quiet.
"I got some information while handling your recent case," Theo continued. "From MIT. They had no record of a Maxwell Ashford. But they did have record of a Max Chen who graduated top of his class in Computer Science and Engineering seven years ago."
Hearing that, Max looked so troubled.
"Tell me it's a lie," Theo said. "Tell me you didn't go to MIT under our mother's maiden name. Tell me you didn't purposely hide an entire achievement, from everyone."
Max said nothing. Just stood there, his jaw tight.
"I'm hungry," he finally said, turning toward the dining room. "Can we talk about this over dinner?"
"No!" Theo followed him, his careful composure cracking completely. "We talk about this now. You don't get to just... casually drop that you've been lying to me for years and then go eat like nothing happened!"
Max stopped walking, his back still to Theo.
"Don't tell me you were acting dumb on purpose," Theo said, his voice breaking. "All this time. The parties, the fights, the wasted potential... tell me it wasn't all an act."
He turned around slowly, and I could see tears in his blue eyes. "It was the only way," he said quietly.
"The only way to what?"
"To keep Father from ruining both of us!" his voice rose, and the years of pent-up emotion finally breaking through. "To keep him from using me as a weapon against you... I didn't want to become another pawn in his games!"
Theo took a step back, stunned.
"You were already carrying so much," Max continued. "The expectations, the pressure, the constant comparison to me when we were kids. I saw what it was doing to you. I saw you drowning under the toxic pressure of trying to be perfect enough for him."
"So you just..." Theo asked. "Hid who you were?"
"I protected you!" Max shouted. "I made myself into the disappointment so you could be the success. I gave him a son to dismiss so he'd have to acknowledge the one who actually tried. Don't you see? If we were both competing at that level, one of us would have destroyed the other. And I couldn't... I couldn't be the reason you broke. And I had no fucking intrest in impressing that toxic man..."
A long silence.
Then Theo closed the distance between them and pulled Max into a fierce hug.
"You idiot," he said, sounding muffled against Max's shoulder. "You absolute idiot."
Max's arms came up around his brother, and I watched as they both started crying.
"I love you," Max said. "You're the only family I have that matters. I'd hide myself forever if it meant keeping you safe. Seriously, I don't care about external achievements..."
It became too painful to watch them both cry...
I felt tears streaming down my own face watching them.
This connection. This was what they needed. Not competition over me, or trying to win or prove anything.
Theo's phone buzzed, interrupting the moment. He pulled back from Max, wiping his eyes, and checked the screen.
His expression immediately darkened.
"Great timing," he said bitterly. "If it isn't the man who ruined it all."