From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 656

Chapter 656: A Compulsory Event (Part 2)

The morning had been thick with a lingering tension that seemed to hover over the business department like a heavy fog. As Max moved through the corridors, his ears were constantly tuned to the low-frequency chatter of his peers. The topic of the evening’s senior-led event was on everyone’s lips, spoken about with a mixture of excitement and a very distinct, underlying dread.

’I really didn’t want to go,’ Max mused, his mind sifting through the strategic implications of his presence. ’If the seniors are hosting, it means Donto will be the guest of honor. While it’s the perfect opportunity to gather intelligence on his social standing and influence, I have no baseline for how Donto would react to seeing me here on his turf.’

He paused by a window, looking at his own reflection. ’I don’t even know how the previous Max Stern was treated by him. But if Donto is the one who authorized the hit on my life, seeing me walk around healthy and confident isn’t going to be good for my undercover status.’

Walking through the halls of June Stone University, Max had begun to notice a recurring pattern in how people perceived him. He had a certain "look"—a sharp, uncompromising edge that signaled to most people that they should keep their distance. The original Max Stern body had been a map of frailty, weakness, and fading bruises, a magnet for opportunistic predators.

But this new version was fundamentally different. He walked with a steady, predator-like confidence, and his hair—styled with a deliberate, sharp precision—marked him as someone who wasn’t afraid to stand out. In the world of delinquents and street toughs, this attracted two very specific types of trouble.

The first were the classic bullies who preyed on the weak to vent their frustrations or to feel a fleeting sense of superiority. Max no longer fell into that category. The second type, however, were those who constantly butted heads with anyone they perceived as a rival. These were the alphas looking to prove their strength by toppling anyone who looked like they might be a threat.

Although Max’s information on Donto was still fragmented, the rumors he had intercepted were consistent: the boy was a magnet for violence. Donto had been involved in a string of severe scuffles, some so violent that any regular student would have been expelled and banned from collegiate sports for life. No doubt the sheer weight of the Stern family’s wealth had acted as a shield, keeping him on the soccer team regardless of his body count.

And this aggressive streak wasn’t limited to the heir. The entire soccer team was infamous for their "enforcer" mentality. Seeing the visible fear in his classmates after a single visit from one of Donto’s cronies confirmed that the sports department was essentially a legalized gang within the university. Max knew that if he attended the party, he would stick out like a sore thumb to a pack of wolves looking for a fight.

He decided that the most tactical move was to decline the invitation through a middleman. He headed over to where Jono was sitting, the most approachable member of the class and the self-appointed social coordinator of the freshmen.

"Hey Jono, sorry to bother you, but I have a favor to ask," Max said, leaning against a nearby desk.

"Max?" Jono replied, clearly startled. He adjusted his glasses, looking genuinely surprised that the resident "ghost" of the department had actually sought him out. Since the first day, Max had kept everyone at arm’s length, so a direct approach was unusual.

"I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be able to make it to the senior gathering this evening. I didn’t want you to get in trouble with the organizers if I just didn’t show up, so I thought it was best to mention it to you directly."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify