What had beco painfully clear during their exchange was this, Chad still had no idea Dipter had already been dealt with. The threat he once held over Max's head… no longer existed. All that cocky confidence? It was hollow.
But ironically, Chad was bluffing in his own mind, too. As far as he was concerned, Dipter had slipped out of his control. He believed the fear he'd planted in Max was still alive and well, unaware of everything that had happened since.
Instead of replying, Max turned toward Sheri. He gently moved her hand off his forearm, then took both of her hands in his.
"I want you, for just a mont, to forget what anyone else wants," Max said softly. "I want to ask you, what do you want? If you want to stay here, to stay with Chad, then I won't stop you. But if you want to leave this situation, if you want out, then I'll help you. I'll support you completely. This ti… I just want to know what you want."
"What I want…?" Sheri echoed faintly.
The words, so simple to Max, hit Sheri like a tidal wave.
The last person who had ever asked her what she wanted… had been her father. And ever since he passed, not once had anyone asked again.
It had always been her mother, drilling into her what was best for the family, for the business, for her father's legacy. But right now, her mother wasn't by her side, whispering commands in her ear.
Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was that brief space to breathe. But in that mont, sothing stirred inside her.
She lifted her head, just a little braver than before.
"I want to… get out of here," Sheri said, her voice trembling, eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
Without hesitation, Max gripped her hand and began leading her away, pulling her out of Chad's reach, out of the ballroom, and away from everything.
"Sheri!" Chad shouted after them. "I'll rember this! That decision you just made, it's going to affect you for the rest of your life!"
Max felt Sheri's hand tense in his. She shuddered, the weight of Chad's words hitting her, but he didn't stop. He held her hand tighter and kept walking until they were gone from the room.
Back inside, Sanna finally managed to push past Aron by physically forcing her way through. But it was too late. She arrived just in ti to see the sour expression on Chad's face.
"Chad, please! Don't be upset!" Sanna pleaded. "Sheri's young, she's just being manipulated by that awful Max. She'll understand… eventually. She will!"
She reached out to grab his hand, but Chad snapped his arm away, flicking her off and storming off without a word.
Outside the manor, on the stone patio of a sprawling garden, Max and Sheri stood alone. The area, often used for weddings, was quiet now. Just stone under their feet and moonlight on their shoulders. Hedges frad the back garden and led out into open fields beyond.
Sheri leaned forward onto a small balcony railing, staring out into the open dark. The air was cooler out here, and for a second, it felt easier to breathe.
"Max… what did I just do?" she whispered, turning around.
And then the real tears ca. She didn't even realize she was falling until her head gently leaned against his chest.
Max didn't push her away. He didn't embrace her either. He simply stood there, letting her lean on his chest.
"You were just honest with yourself," Max said quietly. "You did what you wanted to do."
"I know… I know." Sheri sniffled, rubbing her head before pulling away slightly, her cheeks flushing as she realized what she'd just done.
"I… I never wanted to do any of it," she said, her voice shaking. "I never wanted to talk to Chad, or suck up to him. Everyone can see how much of an a**hole he is." She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "But… I had no choice. I don't have a choice. If we don't get money soon, the business will fail. We'll lose our house, all our belongings, everything my father built, it'll all be gone."
"If our family loses the business," she whispered, turning her back to him as she sobbed again, "it'll feel like I've lost everything I had left of him."
Max walked over and stood beside her, resting his hands on the cool stone railing as they looked out at the empty fields.
"Stupid adults," he muttered. "They've put all this weight on your shoulders and don't even realize it. This isn't sothing you should have to deal with, not like that."
"I don't know who your father was… what kind of man he really was," Max continued, his voice steady. "But if he loved you, if he really cared, then I bet he'd rather watch the business fall and burn to the ground than see his daughter being dragged through all of this."
"He wouldn't want to save his legacy by selling his daughter."
Max's words had settled sothing deep in her heart. Maybe that was how her father would've seen things. But she couldn't say the sa for her mother, the only family mber she had left.
Still sobbing, overwheld by the emotional storm inside her, Sheri walked over to a nearby bench just outside the manor. She asked Max to co with her, just to stay close, for the company, for the comfort.
She cried until there were no more tears left. Her body felt heavy, but lighter at the sa ti. Eventually, she leaned her head against Max's shoulder.
"Thank you, Max," she whispered at last. "Thank you for getting out of that… You know, I used to think you were kind of a dweeb. But now… that's twice you looked kinda cool."
"Twice?" Max chuckled.
"Yeah," Sheri said, her voice soft and drifting. "Back when you were fighting in the classroom that day. I saw it all happen. I didn't really think too hard about it then… but I rember thinking you were kinda cool."
Her voice began to fade as the mix of alcohol, emotions, and exhaustion started to catch up with her. Her eyes fluttered shut, and within seconds, she had dozed off on his shoulder.
"You really helped back then at school," Max said quietly. "So I wanted to get you a gift, even if Aron hadn't ntioned anything. I know I showed up empty-handed, but now I think I've just co up with the best gift I could possibly give you."
Max reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
"It'll be the kind of gift that makes sure you'll never have to deal with Chad… or situations like that again."
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