It’s been a month since the incident with George Lucas. She had not seen Doug since he left Purple Spade, and Maxine was relieved that he did not put his threat into action.
Maxine stopped by the road next to Purple Spade and lit a cigarette. It has been her routine since she started working as a stripper.
She was about to flick the cigarette butt when a silver Chrysler Pacifica stopped next to her. Before she could react, a burly man jumped out, grabbed her arm, and covered her mouth.
She tried to fight back, but the man overpowered Maxine, and she lost consciousness. The man dragged her into the vehicle and drove off.
In a little apartment back at Grayson, Lottie received a call from Randy. The man was looking for her sister.
Worried sick, Lottie tried calling her, but to no avail. She tried to get in touch with Maxine until dawn, but her phone was still off.
Unbeknownst to her, the woman she was trying to call was still asleep. She was sitting on the cold floor and leaning on the equally freezing wall.
“Open it.”
It was Sean Hartmann, the most powerful man in Virginia. A billionaire CEO in charge of one of the largest corporations worldwide, the Hartmann Group.
Sean is one of the youngest CEOs and among the eligible bachelors globally. He took over his grandfather’s place as soon as he returned from studying in London.
The security guard hurriedly followed his command. He unlocked the cell to let the man in and introduced him to his brother’s murderer.
Still groggy, Maxine raised her head. Rubbing her eyes, she let them adjust to the light. Meanwhile, Sean sat on the bed in front of her, arms crossed over his chest.
He was scrutinizing the woman from head to toe. However, no matter how he looked at her, he couldn’t figure out how she killed his brother.
'How could she be a murderer?'
“Who are you?” Maxine asked, placing a hand over her eyes to see the man perfectly.
“I’m your long lost husband.”
“Tss, in your dreams!”
Sean gave the guard a nod, and just like a robot, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up. The man sitting on the bed clenched his jaw. He didn’t like what the guard did, but he didn’t say anything.
“Introduce yourself!” The bellied man ordered.
“What?” Maxine shot her brows up. Then she turned to Sean, “I thought he said he was my husband. Then he’s supposed to know me, no?”
The guard gripped her arm tighter, and she felt pain, but he didn’t care. “Introduce yourself, or I’ll have you whipped 50 times!”
The woman stomped her, annoyed by the men’s stunts. She stood up straight, looked at Sean, and smirked.
“My name is Maxine Whinter. I’m 22 years old, and I live in Grayson. I have a sister and a mother waiting for me at home.”
Sean scowled. The woman was starting to annoy him. But instead of paying attention to her, he glared at the guard.
In a state of panic, the guard pulled Maxine close to him. His nostrils were flaring in frustration. “You’re not Maxine Whinter. Tell us your real name!”
Maxine looked at him, confused. She creased her forehead, unable to comprehend. “I’m Maxine Whinter! What are you saying? Do I have to show an identification card? My birth certificate?”
“That wasn’t the name your club manager gave us!” the guard yelled.
Maxine pressed her lips to a thin line, brows knitted. She was baffled by what was happening. After a while, she snapped her fingers.
“Oh! I get it!” She giggled, “If I’m not Maxine Whinter, then maybe I’m Sasha!”
The eyes of the rude guard twinkled. She just said the magic word. The exact name he wanted to hear. It was the name he gave to Sean Hartmann.
Even the authoritative man immediately stood up after hearing the name ‘Sasha.’. “Sasha,” Sean muttered before facing the woman. “I have a deal for you.”
Maxine smiled at him. She reached out for his tie and lightly pulled him closer, “What is it, husband?”
The guard pulled her away from Sean. She felt like a virus that could infect him. “Don’t touch him or else…” he warned.
She raised her hands and backed up. Leaning on the wall, she asked the man, “Fine! Fine! What deal was it? And by the way, where am I?”
“You’re at an asylum,” the guard responded.
Her pupils dilated. The guard was just next to him, but he looked so far, and the words he said seemed to have come from miles away.
All along, she thought she was in jail. Now she knows why it was so quiet, and she doesn’t have a jailmate.
“Why am I here?” she yelled. Her hands started shaking involuntarily, and tears welled in her eyes.
“Because that’s part of the deal,” Sean replied.
Maxine crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the man, holding back her tears. “Let me hear it,” she bravely asked.
“You owe me something, and you can only pay for it if you marry me,” the young Hartmann started.
“What is it?”
“Stop asking!” he yelled. “Can’t you let me finish?”
Maxine was startled when the man’s voice raised. To calm him down, she nodded so he could continue with what he was saying.
“You killed my brother,” Sean stated nonchalantly. But it froze her into place. “So, in return, I’ll have to take your mother and sister.”
Maxine’s tears started to act on their own. One by one, they ran down her cheeks. She had no idea who she killed and why her family was involved.
“That’s why you’re locked up here. And the key to going out is a marriage certificate. Marry me or stay here for as long as I want.”
“What kind of stupid deal was that?”
“You’re the one who’s stupid!” Sean snapped back. He clenched his jaws and balled his fist. But he eventually calmed down. “What you should be asking is, ‘Who was your brother?’, ‘Why did I kill him?’ Those should be your questions!”
Maxine clenched her fists. Right there and then, she wanted to smack the man’s face to knock some sense into him.
“Why would you want to marry your brother’s killer?” she asked, her voice breaking.
The man smiled and walked up to her. He touched her cheek with his thumb, but she didn’t let it linger.
“Because I want to avenge my brother's death. It’s as simple as that.” He told her, ignoring the weird feeling when he touched her.
“How can I be certain you won’t hurt my family?”
Sean started pacing back and forth with both hands in his pockets. “I’m not taking them as hostages,” he began. “In fact, I’ll give them a good life. You’re living in Grayson, you said? I’ll take them to my estate in Scottsville. The place has a nearby hospital, and I can hire a doctor to check on your mother. As for your sister, I can give her a job at one of our headquarters there. Isn’t that good?”
After saying all that, he stopped with his back facing the woman. Biting his inner cheek, he tried to process everything he said. ‘Why did I say those?’
Maxine raised her fist, acting like she was about to smack his head. But then she quickly withdrew and pretended to be wiping her tears when Sean turned to face her.
“What do you say?” the man asked.
She could not respond, as she had a hard time comprehending. With everything Sean said, it was not like he was giving her a choice. He just wanted her to go with his plan.
Maxine sniffed, stood up straight, and placed her hands on her side. She looked at the stranger who was exuding power and charisma and asked, “What are the rules in this marriage?”
Sean chuckled because he did not expect such a question. ‘Rules?’ He does not abide by the rules. To him, he was the rule.
However, just one look at the woman and his disposition changed. Suddenly, he was open to hearing and dealing with the rules the woman wanted for their marriage.
“We have to go. I have already wasted a lot of time here. We can talk about your rules on our way.”
When she entered the car, she closed its door with a bang. The man glanced at her before looking out the window. He couldn’t help but smile, ‘She's got a temper,’ he thought to himself.
Bored, she turned the other way, facing Sean. “Stop watching me! We’re not married yet,” she snapped when she caught the man eyeing her.
Sean chuckled and shook his head, “You wish!”
“We’re here,” Salvo announced. Sean turned to Maxine, but she wasn’t moving. He poked her arm to try to wake her up. But she just let out a soft moan, and he stiffened. Still unable to wake the woman up, Sean shook her shoulder. Maxine moved but slipped sideward, and her head landed on Sean’s lap. “Sir?” The driver called again, wondering why Sean was still in the car. But the man just raised a finger to hush him. The man in the front seat nodded, opened the door, and went out. Sean, on the other hand, stared at the woman’s face. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and ran his finger to her nose bridge. Maxine scrunched her nose, and he chuckled. Maxine was beautiful. There was no doubt about that. Her eyelashes were long, casting shadows on her cheeks. Her nose was slender with a high nose bridge. She has olive skin, and her cheeks have a natural blush. When Sean saw her at the asylum, Maxine was a mess. She wore an oversized tee with holes everywhere, fitted ripped jeans,
“You, whore!” Jim was furious. He was in disbelief that the woman who killed his grandson was standing right before him. Raising a cane, he tried to hit her, but Sean stepped in. He got hit in place of the murderer. “Oops! Grandpa! What are you doing?” “What are you doing, Sean Andrew Hartmann?” the old man growled. “She killed your brother. Why are you protecting her?” Sean raised his hands in surrender. Then he grabbed his grandfather’s cane to put it down. “She may have killed Scott, but she's still my wife. Gramps, we just got married? Can you at least let me spend a few more hours with her before you murder her?” Jim was about to say something when someone else spoke, “Where is my son?” It was Emilie, his stepmother. “You’re stepson!” Sean corrected. “Whether I gave birth to you or not, the moment your father married me, I became your mother!” Emilie scolded. “Enough!” the old Hartmann yelled. “If you want to be considered a mother, make sure you learn how to discipline yo
Maxine was mad.She could feel her hands shaking violently and her head throbbing. Looking at the man, she couldn’t identify what type of monster he was.He came to her nicely at the asylum, only to tell her that she was a murderer. He introduced her to his grandfather and stepmother only to let them know that she was the one who killed Scott.Now, they were talking about what was causing all this, yet, he won’t listen to her. ‘How stupid is he?’ she thought to herself.After a moment of silence, Sean let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, continue your story.” Maxine glared at him, and he smiled unknowingly. “I swear I won’t say anything. I’ll just listen.”Convinced by what he said, she sat properly to continue her narration. “As I said, he was friendly to everyone. He’s a regular customer of the club, and he’s known as ‘The Young CEO.’ To be honest, we really thought he owned Mystic.”“That night, he was already drunk when he came. A waitress named Verna welcomed him, and he requested a VIP
Sean walked to the stairs, his hands crossed over his chest. He nodded at the door under the stairs, and then he turned to the woman, “You’ll sleep there. I already asked Martha to have it cleaned. Just ignore the books. They won’t bite anyway.”Exhausted and frustrated all at the same time, Maxine just nodded at him. When he headed upstairs, she quickly crawled inside.The walls were bookshelves. Inside was a desk and chair pushed up to the wall to give space for the mattress.The young Hartmann may seem like a monster, but he was kind enough to add a pillow and a blanket. They were already spread on the floor, waiting for her.Maxine crawled to the mattress and pulled the blanket to cover herself from head to toe. She was worried as she had not spoken to her sister or their mother yet.Meanwhile, inside the master’s bedroom, Sean covered his lower body with a towel after showering. He looked at the mirror and smiled, weirded about everything that happened.Everything Maxine said mes
“Good morning, Mr. Hartmann,” a middle-aged woman greeted Sean, then her eyes landed on Maxine, and the man noticed that.“Let’s talk in the office, Lucile.”Maxine and the woman called Lucile followed Sean. When the door closed, the woman positioned herself next to Sean.“My schedule,” he asked, and Lucile quickly opened the tablet and read everything from there. Sean nodded and pointed at Maxine, “Give her a black card. I need her to buy something for me.”“Yes, sir!” Then Lucile excused herself and headed out of the office.Sean looked at Maxine. She was standing near the door, looking at her feet. With the light shining through the glass wall, she looked like an angel. But a frail one.He first saw her from the pictures shown to him by his private investigator. Maxine looked lovely in them.In one picture, she was wearing hot pink, three-piece booty shorts. She also paired it with hot pink high heels. She’s not wearing any makeup, but her beauty stands out.That was the Sasha embe
Emilie froze after hearing that awfully familiar voice. She slowly turned around, praying she was wrong, but her soul almost left when she confirmed it was her stepson.She wanted to run away and leave the scene, but it was too late. All the guards at the mall had already surrounded them.“Who gave the two of you the right to make a scene on my property?” the young Hartmann asked in his most authoritative tone.Maxine looked, surprised by what he said. She did not even know the entire mall belonged to the man.Even the salesladies who assisted her earlier were surprised to know that she was Mrs. Hartmann. Both girls were suddenly envious of her.“S-Sean, I-I’m sorry,” Danielle’s voice was shaking. Everyone could tell the man’s presence spelled danger for her.He clenched his fists, not taking his eyes from the woman. Thankfully, Danielle was a woman. If not, he would have punched her. He was fuming mad because he saw how she hit Maxine.Letting go of his wife, he slowly turned to the
Maxine sat on the wooden bench near the elevator. After a while, Lucile joined her with a cup of coffee. “How are you feeling?”She sighed before smiling lazily, “I’m okay. I just didn’t like the idea of slapping Danielle because of what they did.”“Young lady, you’re being too nice,” Lucile commented. “Those two were children of the devil. They don’t deserve anyone pitying them.”“Really?” she asked, and Sean’s assistant nodded incessantly. “Have they done something to you before?” She asked out of curiosity.However, before the assistant could respond, the boss emerged from the office. “I’ll tell you some other time,” she whispered before she walked up to the man. “You’re leaving now?”Sean nodded in response and headed for the elevator. Maxine quickly followed, but he raised a hand at her. “Use the stairs. I can still smell you from here.”Embarrassed, she pushed the door to the fire exit. Maxine ensured she washed off the stink from the water earlier. But if Sean could still smell
After parting with her family, Sean asked Salvo to drive back to Villa Vita. He decided not to return to his office, as his wife looked exhausted.On their way back, Sean couldn’t sit still. He was still thinking about the events at Maxine’s house earlier.He can’t get rid of how the place looked, the mattress, the corners of the walls, and above all else, their father.“Who was that man?” he asked. Maxine turned and creased her forehead at him. The man glanced at her and smirked, “Who was Henry?”“Who was Henry?” she parrotted and sighed. “He’s Stella’s husband.”Sean straightened up and glared at her. “Who is Stella then?” He asked again.“Stella?” she repeated. “She’s our adoptive mother.”The man sighed as he crossed his legs. He was getting annoyed as she kept repeating her questions and her one-line answers.“Maxine, can you please give me a backstory? How was your life in Grayson? How are you in Maryland?”“I thought you had someone investigate me?” she asked.“Not as far as ho