News

It had become a habit of his, constantly checking the systems status of his businesses, checking for loop holes, opportunities to grasp at, things that should be done but weren't for whatever reason.

A smirk played across his lips, his businesses were thriving as they should, and ontop of that he had a really good evening with Lily, better than he had even expected. She had been shy and nervous, but there was something endearing about her honesty and the way she tried to put herself out there despite her awkwardness.

"Guess I'm not as rusty as I thought, I still got my charm!" he said to himself.

The streets were quieter now, the hum of the city mellowed under the soft glow of the streetlights.

Rounding the corner, his steps slowed when he noticed a figure standing by the restaurants entrance.

Or rather, two figures.

One of them was a woman he most definitely recognized her face. Her posture too, her dark hair falling over her shoulders, it was uncanny. It was his ex-girlfriend, Diana!

Standing beside her was another woman, her stance was tense and her eyes turned to lock onto Maximus. His stomach twisted as he recognized her too. It was his sister, Casey.

For a few, short seconds, none of them moved. The three of them stood frozen like actors in a high school play who were unsure about their lines.

His gaze darted between the two of them. Both of them looked surprised as if they hadn't expected to see him here, both of them staring at him like they had seen a ghost.

"Maximus?" Diana finally said, breaking the silence. Her voice was calm but tinged with intentional hesitation.

"Diana…" he replied evenly with a steady tone.

Casey's eyes narrowed, her hands balling into a tight fist at her sides. "What are you doing here?" she demanded with a cold voice.

Maximus shifted his sight, keeping his expression neutral, giving away nothing. "I was just leaving," he said as he shifted his gaze to new, shining and exquisite power bike seating close to the curb.

Diana glanced at the bike, then at Maximus and then at Casey. "You've been… busy, I see…" she said, attempting a stretch at a casual conversation but it ultimately failed, causing the tension between the trio to rise even more.

"Yeah, you could say that…" Maximus replied with a stern expression.

Casey took a step forward, tighting her jaw. "You have some nerve showing up here, after everything you have done."

Maximus felt the sting of her words in his heart, but he kept a straight face that showed no expression. He expected this from her, technically she still thought that he was the Maximus that was being charged with all those herendous crimes.

They hadn't spoken since the incident, and he knew she must have heard only the worst of it.

"Huh… I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm trying to move on."

"Move on?" Casey said with a loud scoff. "You destroyed your career, dragged our family's name in the mud, and now you're just doing what? Riding around the city in some fancy motor bike, only God knows where you got that from… did you steal it, perhaps?"

Maximus clenched his jaw out of annoyance, fighting the urge to throw back words at her. Who was to blame her, she didn't know the full story, she didn't know how hard he'd fought to climb out of the pool that had been drowning him.\

"I don't owe you an explanation, believe whatever you want… I don't care…" he said with a steady voice.

Diana stepped in then, placing a hand on Casey's arm as if to calm her down, "Casey, maybe …"

Swish!

Casey pulled her arm away from Diana's grasp, "No! He doesn't get to just walk away from this, not after all that he's done…"

Maximus noticed the rise in the tension again and let out a slow exhale, forcing himself to stay composed. "Think whatever you want, Casey, I'm not here to argue."

He spun on his heel, walking towards his bike. He could feel their eyes scrapping the back of his neck.

When he reached for the bike, he paused for a moment, gripping the handlebars tightly.

"Maximus!" Diana called after him, this time with a softer volume.

He glanced back over his hsoulder but didn't say anything.

"Take care of yourself," she said simply.

He nodded once before starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot, leaving them standing there.

As Maximus rode through the the city streets, the cool night air rushed past him, he tried to shake the encounter from his mind. But Casey's words lingered, echoing in his head.

The betrayal, the accusations, the way everyone had turned their backs on him. Even casey, who had once been his biggest supporter, had believed the lies.

By the time he reached his apartment, his mind was clearer, the weight on his chest a little lighter. He parked the bike and headed upstairs, determined not to let the past detect him mood.

As he stepped inside, he glanced at his phone, half expecting a message from lily. But there was nothing, not yet.

With a huge sigh, he set down his phone and sank into the couch. The encounter with diana and casey had been a harsh reminder of where he had come from and how far he still had to go.

»»»«««

Maximus groaned as his alarm buzzed.

He slapped his hand over his phone, silencing it, and let out a deep sigh.

His phone screen glowed faintly, idsplaying a timestamp that read 6:30 AM. It had been a long night.

He stretched, his body protesting after hours of staying up late texting Lily.

Their conversation had been surprisingly lively, full of jokes and stories he never thought he'd hear from someone so reserved.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, running a hand through his braided hair.

'Well, she does make it so easy to stay up late…' he thought to himself, releasing a chuckle afterwards as he climbed to his feet.

He grabbed his tootbrush, stuck it in his mouth, and shuffled down to the kitchen in his boxers and an old t cshirt.

Several minutes later, he plopped down on the couch, grabbed the remote and flipped on the television. The morning news was just starting, the headling music buzzed through the room.

He leaned back, absentmindedly brushing his teeth as he stared at the screen.

Then he froze.

The headline at the bottom of the screen read: LOCAL TECH GIANT EXONERATES FORMER EMPLOYEE OF ACCUSATIONS- EVIDENCE PROVEN TO BE FAKE AND FALSIFIED.

Maximus's eyes widened, his toothbrush hung from his mouth by mere foam of toothpaste, then it fell off and clattered onto the coffe table.

The anchor's voice filled the room:

"Breaking news this morning: The Company has issued a public statement retracting allegations against former employee. Policice investigations confirm that the harrasment video circulated last year was digitally manipulated. The company has terminated all individuals involved in the incident. The exonerated individual, once accused of embezzlement and harassment, is now free of all charges."

Maximus stared at the screen, his mouth slightly open in awe. He didn't need to hear his name to know he was the 'Exonetated' individual.

Leaning forward, he rubbed his face, processing the information he just received.

His former workplace had taken everything from him. His job, his reputation he worked so hard to build, and nearly his will to keep going.

And now, after all this time, they were trying to clean their hands by firing those responsible and making it seem like they were the heroes of the story.

"Figures…" he said to himself bitterly.