From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 708

Chapter 708: Unexpected Face

Max had to admit that the name Donto Stern wasn’t one he was expecting to hear. He’d figured the whole situation back at the university had been resolved pretty easily. If Donto really had no connection to his father or whatever the other high-ranking Sterns were plotting in the shadows, then the entire matter should have ended right there on campus.

Maybe he’s just holding a petty grudge? Max thought, a cold calculation settling into his eyes. If his little circle of rich college friends couldn’t handle the fallout, and no street gang in Notting Hill was stupid enough to listen to his orders anymore, it makes sense that he’d resort to hiring muscle from completely outside the city limits.

While that train of thought was plausible and likely the exact case, it still left a massive, glaring question mark on the board. What was Donto’s connection to a ghost like Hercules?

"It couldn’t have been a random occurrence that Donto hired these out-of-towners and specifically told them to wait by the ruins of this cabin to ambush anyone who visited," Aron said, his boots crunching against the dirt trail as they neared the bottom of the mountain.

"You’re reading my mind, Aron," Max replied, his voice dropping into a dark, frustrated whisper. "But why would a spoiled kid like Donto even know Hercules exists in the first place? A titan like that isn’t part of his high-society world. Why go through all this trouble just to take him out? And even if Donto has the money to finance a hit, who the hell could he even find to actually fight a monster like Hercules? The elite mercenaries we hired to protect our borders last time were supposed to be the best of the best, and even they would have struggled."

Aron didn’t answer right away. A very specific, dangerous group of shadow operatives had just flashed through his mind—killers who could actually be bought if the price tag was high enough.

"Even if there is an elite syndicate out there that he managed to hire," Aron said, shaking his head, "why the hell would he send them after Hercules instead of directing them straight to you? None of this blueprint is making any sense."

Max had to agree, and he absolutely hated that so many strange, unaligned events were happening all at once. Leaving the rest of the broken gang groaning in the dirt behind them, the two continued their descent toward the car.

"I know one thing for certain," Max muttered, his fingers curling into tight fists. "I should have forced that damn kid’s hand and stripped him of every single penny he owned back at the school. If I had bled his bank accounts dry, I wouldn’t have to deal with him coming back to bite me a second time."

"Under normal circumstances, I would heavily discourage you from going up against the core Stern family so directly," Aron said, keeping his eyes on the path. "Mainly because we are still entirely unsure how your Grandfather would react to you breaking family lines. But in this case... I have to completely agree with you."

"Right," Max said, a lethal calm taking over his face as they reached the vehicle. "Don’t worry, Aron. I don’t make the same mistake twice. When I see him again, I’ll finish it."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify