The room was quiet enough that Maxi could hear his own heartbeat pounding inside his skull.
Axel finally stood before him, calm but cold in a way that made Maxi’s stomach cramp as if freezing winds struck it.
His anger was always quiet but deadly. Loud outrage was predictable. But quiet anger? Quiet ant danger. Quiet ant death.
"You are reckless ti and ti again. You have always acted without thinking," Axel finally speaks.
His voice was steady, almost bored, as if he had said this a thousand tis and expected nothing better.
"And you always expect others to clean up after you...?"
Maxi opened his mouth to defend himself, but he only managed to inhale before Ethan cut him off with a sigh that carried the weight of a man who had already suffered too much stupidity today.
"Boss, if he cries one more ti, should I at least gag him?" Ethan suggested while rubbing his ear. "For the sake of our sanity?"
Axel humd thoughtfully. "Maybe later."
Maxi released a pathetic sound that was neither a sob nor a word, more like the whimper of a cornered animal.
"Brother, I didn’t give them anything," Maxi whispered desperately. Tears clung to his eyelashes. "I only saw them. Trust , I only made a deal with them."
Axel tilted his head, almost amused.
"Deal. Like they would give you a supply of drugs?" His tone sharpened. "Help you feel powerful for once. And offer a hand to ruin my company?"
The words struck Maxi hard. His body flinched as if Axel had slapped him. ’How did Axel know about that?’
"Max, I made it clear that night," Axel said quietly. "But you did not listen."
His voice was lower now, colder. The air seed to sink in temperature.
Maxi’s breath hitched. His shoulders shook uncontrollably.
"Br-Brother, please. To be honest with you... I regret it. I regret everything. I swear I will not do it again. I will change. I will listen. I swear."
Ethan leaned against the wall with crossed arms, watching the scene with the expression of a man who had seen this too many tis to feel sympathy.
Axel shook his head slowly. His patience had been thin for a long ti, and today it had almost gone. "Maxi, you talk too much."
Maxi’s mouth snapped shut. The fear in his eyes grew, spreading like ink. He finally understood that his biggest mistake was not the dashcam, nor the deal, nor the drugs. It was crossing Axel Knight.
Axel looked at him with the deep calm of a man who had already made his decision.
When he parted his lips to give the final verdict, Maxi suddenly whispered, "I am so sorry, brother... Seriously, I’m so sorry..."
Axel paused. His eyes narrowed slightly. The tone, the phrasing, the desperation. Sothing about it was... different.
He slowly turned his full gaze back to Maxi. He could see the tears, the red eyes. Maxi looked heartbroken, terrified, and pleading.
But was it real?
Was he finally showing honesty, or simply performing to save his own life?
Maxi swallowed and forced the words out. "Bro, I apologize for my mistake. Please allow to leave, and I promise I will never try to disappoint you again or seek information about Evelyn Walters or your son, Oliver."
Ethan straightened at once, his expression shifting from annoyed to furious. His eyes snapped to Axel.
Axel froze.
A single na had more power over him than any threat.
Oliver.
As if soone had struck his chest, Axel’s heartbeat slamd at full force. His breath turned sharp and heavy.
He had tolerated Maxi’s sses for years, given him chances, and cleaned up his disasters. He had even thought, sowhere deep inside, that Maxi might eventually learn.
But this?
This crossed a line Axel did not allow anyone to touch.
After a long, chilling mont, Axel slowly turned his gaze back toward Maxi. His eyes were cold enough to burn. A softness that had once existed for Maxi was gone without a trace.
"Who knows about Oliver?" Axel asked, his voice was dangerously calm.
Maxi’s lips parted. "I..."
"Your answer will decide your fate," Axel said. "So answer honestly."
"No one. I did not say anything to anyone. I swear, brother." Maxi trembled violently.
Axel stared at him without blinking. The silence stretched, suffocating. ’This motherfucker lies!’
Finally, Axel rubbed his eyebrow while exhaling slowly. A cold, humorless smile curled on his lips as he looked at Ethan.
"Lock him in the punishnt room. No food, no drink, until he dies."
Maxi let out a horrified gasp.
"Brother, Axel Knight, you do not dare. You would not kill . My parents will know. They will co for you."
Axel chuckled softly. Not kindly, not warmly. It was a laugh that mocked Maxi’s foolishness.
"You think I do not have a way to make you die naturally?" Axel asked.
Ethan’s eyebrows rose. Maxi’s skin was drained of color.
"Oh, I have many ways," Axel continued. "For example, I can arrange a party for you on a yacht. There will be drinks, drugs, and laughter. And then the yacht will explode."
Maxi’s jaw dropped. He stared at Axel as if he were looking at a devil. Axel’s tone was too casual, too smooth. It sounded real. Too real.
Axel smiled. "You have always wanted a dramatic death, have you not? Maybe I’ll burn your house? Well... I will decide later."
Maxi did not respond. He could not. His voice had abandoned him.
Before turning to leave, Axel paused and asked, "Do you have anything you want to say to your parents?"
For a mont, Maxi tried to breathe. His lips trembled. Vulnerability flashed. Regret flickered. But all of it shattered into anger when pride just took over.
"Fuck you," Maxi hissed. "I will drag you to hell. I will—"
Axel did not stay to hear the rest. Maxi’s curses were aningless now. Futile. Useless. Nothing he said mattered anymore.
Axel patted Ethan’s shoulder once, steady and silent, then walked out of the room without looking back.
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