Chapter 71: My Bloodline Max had stood still the entire time. Ever since he and Aron had shared a particular conversation, he’d begun to notice something, he actually felt safe around him. Since the moment they’d entered this place, Aron hadn’t been more than a foot away from Max. And for the first time, Max truly felt like he had a real bodyguard. One worthy of the Stern family name. Part of the reason Max hadn’t moved was simple, his shoulder was still heavily sore, and he didn’t exactly want to fight. But beyond that, he knew it was better for his position right now to look defenseless. To let his people speak for him. Aron is more talented than I thought, Max admitted inwardly. He took down two armed opponents with barely any effort... and without a hint of fear. It’s hard to know what to expect from someone given the title "Head of Security," but clearly, he didn’t get it just because he’s my brother. It made Max wonder, did the rest of the Stern family know how dangerous Aron really was? If they did, they’d try everything they could to separate them. To isolate Max. Because someone like Aron was a threat, to them. School’s the key, Max thought. If I can fix what’s happening there, then everything else will fall into place. "STOP!" a voice suddenly roared. It was Wolf, rising from his seat for the first time. Immediately, the rest of the gang halted their attacks, pulling back and gathering around him. One of them even went to retrieve the man whose arm had been broken. "How the heck did you end up like that?" one of them grumbled, half in disbelief. "It was that arsehole in the glasses," the injured guy groaned as he was eventually dropped onto a pile of old tires. "You want to make a deal, and then you hurt my people?" Wolf asked, his tone calm but edged with warning. Out of everyone present, Max only had eyes for him. Wolf. He was the only one Max truly cared about in this situation. He’d heard of Wolf before. In his past life, he’d even seen the guy’s fighting skills firsthand. The rest? Fodder. No better than the delinquents back at school. But Wolf, if Max could get him on his side, that would change everything. Because once Wolf joined the fight, that’s when the real test would begin, for Aron, for Steven, and for everyone else. "You were the ones that attacked us," Max replied, keeping his voice steady. "You can try and take what I’m offering by force, but as you’ve seen, a lot of people will get hurt in the process." Wolf smiled, slowly reclining back into his seat. "The fact that you’ve got those people around you, and still came asking for help, tells me this isn’t going to be an easy job," he said. "I can tell... just from the size of the payment." He brought his hands together, elbows on his knees, leaning forward slightly. He was thinking it over. And then, he spoke again. "Tell you what," Wolf said. "Why don’t you tell me how you managed to find this place? Throw that in, and maybe I’ll be more inclined to help." The situation was beginning to grate on Max. Fighting them would be pointless. Forcing them into anything was even less likely. He needed Wolf to agree, voluntarily. But what would convince him? Max could raise the money if needed, but that wasn’t the issue. The whole reason he came to a street-level gang instead of a higher-tier organization was simple, there’d be less risk of the Stern family finding out what he was doing. Then something hit Max, something he might actually be able to use. "This relationship," Max said slowly, clearly, "will allow us to strengthen our bond in the future. If you do me this favor now, I promise it will be the beginning of a path that leads all the way to the top." Everyone standing behind Max stared at him, eyes wide. Even Aron looked confused. Because none of them understood a single word that had just come out of Max’s mouth. "Wait... is he speaking another language?" Joe whispered. "Yeah... kinda sounds Russian?" Steven replied, thinking back to some of the opponents he’d fought in the ring. "You have any idea what he just said?" "No clue. Total guess on my part." Back in his previous life, Max had worked through all kinds of business deals, some local, some international. During that time, certain phrases and foreign words stuck with him. In particular, he’d always found it more respectful, and effective to learn bits of the language spoken by his partners. Now, he’d just used a phrase that had once been spoken to him. "You know how to speak my mother tongue?" Wolf asked, responding in the same language, one that left everyone else in the room completely lost. Max shook his head. "Only a few words. Not enough." Then he switched back to English. "But I meant what I said." Wolf sat in silence, deep in thought. The others around him didn’t understand what had just happened, but they could feel something shift in the air. Finally, Wolf nodded. "For some reason," he said, "I feel like interesting things are going to happen with you." He stood up, extending his hand. "Fine. Let’s start our partnership, between us, The Pit, and... who? Who even are you guys?" This was an important point in Max’s journey. In the underworld, names carried serious weight. A name wasn’t just a label, it was a symbol, a banner that others could rally behind or fear. The weight of a name could make other groups take you seriously. Sometimes, the right name could win a battle before it even began. The name White Tiger... that one was off-limits now. It belonged to a past life. A life Max couldn’t step back into, not yet. But if he was going to build something new, if this was the beginning of his next empire, then it was time to create a name of his own. He hadn’t thought much about it until now, but he had always planned to form his own group eventually. And maybe... this could be the place it started. My life has changed a lot... Max thought. Let’s choose a name that reflects that. "We’re the... Billion Bloodline," Max said.