Kings On The Horizon (Vol. 4-6) ✓

228 | New Era

     "As always, you have exceeded my expectations, Maximilian. Well done," Denzel suddenly says, now surprising Max this time.

     When he heard his father's sincere compliment, something suddenly stung his chest, immediately making him look away. Was this the first time his father ever acknowledged his hard work? Or has he been saying it all this time, and Max just hasn't been paying much attention? 

     "O-Of course. This anniversary is important to the Lemieux family, after all," Max explains before grabbing his water and taking a drink.

     The room falls silent after Max's statement, making him realize what he just said. If you look at it, this anniversary isn't about the Lemieux anymore. After all, the company is now named and run by the Sinclaire family. This is supposedly more important to them.

     "Marcus, are you done with your dinner?" Denzel suddenly asks.

     Marcus, who is actually still eating, drops his utensils with no question and immediately stands from his seat. "Yes. I'll head to my room first. Thank you for the dinner, and good night," Marcus says as he walks to his little brother to kiss his head before walking out of the dining room.

     As soon as Marcus left, Étienne looked at the maids standing on the side and signaled them to leave the room as well. Without any hesitation, everyone leaves, and Étienne bows to his masters first before closing the door and leaving the father and son alone together.

     "Maximilian..." Denzel starts while cutting his steak with a gold knife, making Max sigh and look at him.

     The room falls silent for a couple of seconds, but soon after, Denzel tells him, "During the anniversary, I will officially announce my marriage to Edith."

     Denzel's words instantly made Max's chest ache, but he knew it was going to happen either way. Though he had a different reason why he took Max's inheritance in the past, it was still clear that he really wanted to marry Marcus's mother, and that was something that Max had no right to disagree with or control.

     "Really? Then congratulations, Father. When is the wedding?" Max asks with a fake smile as he looks down on his plate. He takes a bite of his food again while avoiding his father's eyes, but Denzel sighs and puts his knife down, forcing Max to look back at him again.

     "That's not the only thing I'm going to announce," Denzel then says, surprising Max.

     "What are you talking about?"

     Denzel stares at his son for a while. After taking a deep breath, he finally reveals to him, "Apart from my marriage, I'm also going to announce that I will now be stepping down as the chairman of the company."

     "What?!" Max asks as he drops his utensils, his reaction surprising Denzel because this isn't how he thought he'd react. "What do you mean you're stepping down? You may be a shitty father, but you're the chairman for a reason. You helped bring the company back on top, the people at the company respect you, and you—"

     "Maximilian," Denzel calls out, instantly making Max stop talking.

     "I appreciate your praise, but let's not act ignorant here," Denzel says, making Max gulp. "I know that you are aware of why things came to be. It is true that Luna almost made the company fall, but during her time as the chairman, I was also her CEO, yet I was not able to help her. It was clear that the board of directors only wanted to remove her, and Luna knew that, so she grabbed the opportunity to turn the tides. She gave the directors what they wanted and made me the chairman. She wanted me to be her puppet, and that was supposed to be my only role," Denzel explains, making Max furrow his brows in confusion.