From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 284

Chapter 284: Confessions in Blood and Money

Although Max had asked Chad a few questions here and there before, the truth was, the two of them had always been on completely different levels.

Back then, Chad had believed he was dealing with a useless Stern family member. One who didn’t have his parents backing him. Someone weak. Easy to manipulate. He thought Max was just another name in the family tree, a powerless relative he could bend to his will.

The crazy part? Based on everything Chad had done so far, he genuinely believed he’d succeeded.

Which meant that whatever answers Max had gotten before, if any, they likely hadn’t been the truth. But now, that was about to change.

"I found out a lot about you, Chad," Max began, his voice calm but cold. "About how you lost all of the inheritance you gained. How you gambled it all away at those events the Black Hounds put on."

He leaned in slightly, eyes sharp.

"No wonder they treat you like some kind of VIP. You basically handed them your fortune."

Chad’s eyes twitched at the mention of it, but Max wasn’t finished.

"I want to hear it from you," he said. "Is it true? Is that really how you lost your money? And is that the reason you hired Dipter, to try and control me?"

There was a brief pause. Too long of a pause.

Before Chad could decide whether or not to respond, Sandra stepped forward and, without hesitation, kicked the back of his knees. The force made Chad buckle, crashing to the ground with both knees slamming against the floor.

A small grunt escaped his mouth, but he didn’t protest. Not anymore.

Wolf, standing nearby, observed it all. He’d already learned who Max really was. But this, this was the first time Max had openly acknowledged his family ties in front of everyone.

It seemed like he’d reached a point where he just didn’t care about hiding it anymore.

"You’re right," Chad finally said, his voice low, shaken. There was no use denying it. The situation had flipped entirely.

He was no longer the older sibling lording over the Stern manor, looking down on the younger generation. Not anymore.

Now, he was on his knees, staring up at Max, the same Max who now held all the power. Power that could rival even part of the Black Hounds.

"I lost all of my money," Chad admitted, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "I thought... I thought I’d get a chance to win it back. But that chance never came."

He took a breath, his hands clenched into fists against the floor.

"The harder the losses hit, the harder I partied. I didn’t want to think about it. I surrounded myself with people who only wanted one thing, money. And I gave it to them. Everything they wanted. Cars. Hotels. Fancy vacations. Private jets flying all over the world."

He paused, shaking his head.

"But I always came back to the Black Hound events. Always. I kept telling myself, if I could just win big, win once, I could enjoy life again. I could keep going."

His voice cracked slightly.

Max stood without a word, the silence more dangerous than anything Chad had just said. In one swift motion, he grabbed a fistful of Chad’s hair and yanked his head up, forcing him to look him dead in the eyes.

Max’s other hand pulled back, fist clenched tight, and then,

Crack!

The punch landed hard against Chad’s face, snapping his head sideways. His skull even bounced against the floor with a dull thud, but somehow, he stayed conscious, groaning in pain, his lip bleeding.

Max’s voice thundered, shaking the room.

"I don’t care what happened to you, but because of your actions, you dragged everyone else down with you! Your selfishness didn’t just ruin your life, it ruined lives you don’t even know about. Sam died because of you, Chad! Sam!And I bet you don’t even know who the hell that is!"

Max’s glare was furious, almost feral.

"Chad, everyone around you left because all you ever were, all you ever cared about, was money. From the second I met you, that’s all you were. When you lost it, you lost everything.

"If you went on the news tomorrow and told your sob story, no one would pity you. Not one person! You didn’t live a hard life, you were handed everything on a silver plate, and you threw it all off a cliff while dragging innocent people down with you."

Max tightened his grip on Chad’s hair, his words like fire.

"I’m not letting you drag me down with you. Not anymore. Now, " Max leaned closer, his voice razor-sharp. ", you’re going to tell me straight. What do you know about me drowning at Lake Cure?"