CHAPTER 283: BLOODLINE REVEALED

"This person in front of you is the leader of the Bloodline group."

The moment those words left Wolf’s mouth, Chad froze. His ears turned a deep shade of red, and in disbelief, he raised his hand and stuck his pinky finger into one ear, as if trying to unblock it, certain he’d misheard.

"Sorry... what did you just say?" Chad asked, blinking rapidly. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"It seems you know our boss pretty well," Wolf replied, his tone sharp. "And no, I’m not joking. That’s exactly what I meant when I said we were waiting for him to wake up."

Max, still sitting upright in his hospital bed, didn’t say a word.

He wasn’t sure what to say to Chad anyway. After all, this wasn’t the noisy chaos of the KTV lounge, or the tension-filled backrooms of a betting venue.

No, this was something else entirely.

There were no flashing lights, no loud music, no distractions to hide behind. Now it was just the two of them, face to face. Chad stood in front of Max with nowhere to run, no gang members to shield him, no Stern family name to hide behind.

Max stared at him.

This was the same guy who had once sicced bullies on him, who had mocked and manipulated him, and who, whether directly or indirectly, was partly responsible for Sam’s death.

And yet... Max didn’t feel the urge to shout. Or lash out.

He realized something strange.

He was enjoying the silence.

Watching Chad’s reaction unfold in real time, watching his lips tremble as Wolf’s words sank in, was more satisfying than anything he could’ve said.

"He’s... he’s... he’s the boss?" Chad stammered. "Max is... Max is the leader of this Bloodline group?"

He was visibly rattled, his whole demeanor cracking like glass under pressure.

Chad’s mind raced, trying to piece it all together.

He remembered what had happened at the Black Hounds event, how Wolf had approached him and handed over Max’s jacket.

Would a group like this do that for just any member? No, probably not.

The realization was setting in, layer by layer, and the fear that came with it was crawling up Chad’s spine.

Did Max use all his money to do this? Chad thought in panic. Did he hire powerful fighters, form a gang... not just to train him, but to protect him, to handle situations like this?

Then he turned to look at Aron, the towering bodyguard in his sharp uniform.

Of course, Chad thought bitterly. Even his damn bodyguard was part of it. Wearing the same uniform. Max actually built a group strong enough to take on the Black Hounds. He used his money this way? Damn it... damn it!

Chad had considered hiring people too.

When he was drowning in debt, he’d reached out to several local gangs and offered cash for protection.

But every time he mentioned the Black Hounds, the deals collapsed. No one wanted to go near them. No amount of money could convince them.

What Chad didn’t know, what no one had told him, was that the Black Hounds weren’t just a powerful group.

They were backed by a syndicate.

A shadow organization that even the boldest criminals didn’t want to cross.

And somehow, Max... Max had taken them on, and won.

Besides, most of the groups capable of handling the Black Hounds already had their own streams of income. They didn’t need to take risks for someone else’s sake.

Chad had already been burned once, scammed by a gang that took his money and then vanished without lifting a finger. He’d waited, paid upfront, and received nothing in return. Not even a broken promise.

His own private security team? They weren’t strong enough to retrieve the money, and they certainly weren’t willing to challenge a syndicate-backed group like the Black Hounds.

So how?

How had Max managed to build something like this? How had he gotten people to risk their lives for him?

It couldn’t just be money, Chad thought, eyes darting between Max, Aron, and Wolf. Building a group like this... it’s not something you can just buy overnight.

The thought lingered in his head like a haunting echo, but that wasn’t the only thing crowding his mind.

There was something else now, something much worse.

What’s going to happen to me?

He thought back to the threats, the intimidation, the pressure he’d tried to put on Max. How he’d attempted to use Abby, how he’d pushed Max toward the Black Hounds, forcing his hand, bullying him into handing over cash.

And now?

Now Max had a gang behind him. A real one.

My life is going to be hell... Worse than it ever was with the Black Hounds.

That realization sent a jolt through Chad’s body. Panic seized control.

Acting on pure instinct, he spun on his heel, lunging toward the door in a desperate attempt to escape.

But he didn’t make it far.

Sandra, who had been standing silently by the door, moved faster than Chad could process. She raised her leg and, with a heavy thud, drove her foot into his gut. Chad let out a gasp as the wind was knocked from his lungs, collapsing onto the floor.

"If you scream or try to run again, I’ll cut your tongue out," Sandra said coldly, her tone like ice.

Max finally spoke.

"Even if you did scream, I doubt it would help you," he said. "Aron’s made sure everyone here knows how to keep things quiet."

He rose from the bed, tossing the hospital sheet aside, standing tall on both feet. There was no hesitation in his movements now.

"Unlike you, Chad," Max continued, "I didn’t waste my fortune. I didn’t party it all away. I still have my money. The same money you tried to take from me."

Chad flinched.

"You used Abby to corner me. You made that deal with Dipter. All of it, every single move, was yours."

Max’s voice grew louder with every sentence, his fury rising like a storm ready to burst.

"And this whole mess with the Black Hounds? That started because of you!"

Chad stared up at him from the floor, eyes wide. The fear in his expression was unmistakable. He could see it now, Max wasn’t just aware. He knew everything.

Everything Chad had tried to hide.

The youngest member of the Stern family... wasn’t a weakling.

He wasn’t the sheep Chad had always assumed he was.

As he looked at Max now, standing tall, eyes burning with fire, Chad could almost see it. A shape, a presence, something terrifying behind him.

A massive red dragon, looming.

Its wings outstretched.

Its gaze filled with wrath.

Max took a step forward, his tone now heavy with purpose.

"I want the truth," he said, voice low but commanding. "Did you really have nothing to do with me drowning in Cure Lake? And if it wasn’t you... then which member of the Stern family was it?"

Max wasn’t alone anymore.

He had the Bloodline group at his back.

And now, nothing would stop him from dragging the truth out of Chad, and deciding his fate afterward.