When the Dead Still Call novel Chapter 309

The Tuschs: 1 Bak

Chapter 309: Not Playing Hard to Get

Maxwell sat in Marcelo’s office, tears streaming down his face as he stared at the latest gossip headlines. The words on the screen felt like a cruel blow, and he couldn’t hold back the flood of emotions any longer. The pain was raw, and he felt utterly overwhelmed.

Marcelo watched him with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. “Are you seriously losing your mind?” he snapped. “Those words came from Patience, not Amelia! You’re blaming Amelia for something you messed up with your girlfriend. How does that make any sense?”

The tension in the room thickened as Marcelo’s voice grew sharper. He wasn’t holding back his criticism, and it was clear he was fed up with Maxwell’s self-pity. “You’re the one who screwed things up, and now you want to pin it on Amelia? That’s just ridiculous.”

Maxwell’s face flushed with anger. “How dare you talk to me like that? You drove Isabel away too, and you still have the nerve to lecture me?” His voice cracked with bitterness and hurt.

Marcelo’s expression hardened. If anyone had the right to criticize Maxwell, it certainly wasn’t him. But he didn’t back down. “Fine, let them tear each other apart,” he muttered under his breath, clearly exasperated.

Maxwell’s voice softened, but his frustration remained. “I’m nothing like you. You never appreciated Patience; you treated her like a servant, always ordering her around. I never treated Isabel that way. We just had some misunderstandings.”

Marcelo refused to admit that he had made the same mistakes as his foolish brother. Sure, he had been a little distant with Isabel at times, but he had always treated her well. He never saw her as anything less than his equal. Their relationship had been solid, and his mother was delighted with Isabel. Unlike Maxwell, Marcelo didn’t cling to Gianna every single day. He acknowledged that he spoiled Gianna a bit, but as the eldest son, he thought it was justified. Despite his busy schedule and limited time with Isabel, Marcelo believed he was doing a decent job.

Maxwell rolled his eyes in disbelief. “You really don’t get it,” he said, exasperated.

The crew smiled as they read the comments, clearly pleased with the positive reception. With such high ratings from the start, everyone was confident the show would be a hit. The mood was light, and everything seemed to flow smoothly.

Then, Gianna and Vincent appeared, holding hands as they faced the cameras. Were they trying to present themselves as a couple? Having real couples on a variety show could be a big draw, potentially winning over more fans. This was a carefully crafted script arranged by Gianna and the Nygards, designed to guarantee success.

Unfortunately, the audience wasn’t convinced. If it weren’t for the previous scandals surrounding them, maybe it would have worked. But one was a homewrecker, and the other was widely disliked. Their blatant display of their relationship on the show came off as desperate, and viewers weren’t buying it.

Vincent’s expression was particularly telling—he looked as if he had just tasted something bitter and unpleasant. He didn’t seem happy at all. Forced onto the variety show by his mother, he was stuck with Gianna again, and any enthusiasm he might have had was completely drained. Smiling through this charade would have been a miracle.

More than that, Vincent was painfully aware that Amelia no longer cared about him. This wasn’t just a game of playing hard to get—her indifference was real, and it cut deeper than he wanted to admit.