Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 448: Max’s Secret

Chapter 448: Max’s Secret

In the hospital room, Emma Hart tightly held Max’s hand. Though she usually found her younger brother annoying, the bond of family was unbreakable. Max ending up in this state couldn’t entirely be blamed on him.

Meanwhile, in the hospital corridor, Damien Sterling gazed out at the greenery. A plainclothes officer approached him with a folder in hand.

"Mr. Sterling, I’ve completed the investigation you requested. Everything you need is in here," Officer Harrison said, handing over the folder.

"Thank you, Officer Harrison," Damien Sterling replied calmly.

"No problem. Contact me if you need anything else," Officer Harrison said before tactfully leaving the hospital. The folder contained details about Max, including his academic records, social circles, and minor offenses that had been expunged.

Upon reviewing the contents, Damien Sterling let out a cold chuckle. As expected, Max hadn’t improved at all; if anything, he had gotten worse.

Back in the hospital room, Emma Hart continued to hold Max’s skeletal hand tightly. At that moment, Max’s eyelids seemed to flutter.

Noticing this, Emma Hart quickly pressed the call button and shouted into the intercom, "Nurse, my brother is waking up! Please come quickly!"

Within three minutes, doctors and nurses arrived at Max’s room. Damien Sterling, hearing the commotion, also entered. The doctor shone a flashlight into Max’s eyes.

The light caused Max to frown and slowly open his eyes.

"Max, how do you feel?" Emma Hart asked anxiously.

Max’s lips were cracked, and his throat felt parched. "Water," he managed to croak out. Emma Hart immediately got up and walked to the water dispenser, pouring a cup of warm water.

"Don’t let him drink too much at once. He can only have a little," the doctor gently reminded. Suddenly consuming large amounts of water could upset his stomach, especially after such a long period without food.

Emma Hart poured half a cup of warm water and brought it to Max. The nurses adjusted the head of his bed so he could sit up. Too weak to hold the cup himself, Emma Hart had to help him drink.

"Doctor, how is Max’s condition?" Damien Sterling asked.

"He’s recovering quite quickly. To alleviate your concerns, I recommend he stays in the hospital for a while for further tests. If everything checks out, he can be discharged soon," the doctor replied.

Damien Sterling nodded. "Alright, I’ll make the necessary arrangements with the nurses." The doctor gave a slight bow to Damien Sterling before leaving the room with the nurses.

Now only Emma Hart, Damien Sterling, and Max remained in the room.

"What’s going on with you? You need to explain yourself," Emma Hart demanded, her face dark with anger.

"I... I’m really fine," Max stammered, refusing to say more.

"Nothing’s wrong? Look at the state you’re in! Do you know how worried I was when I couldn’t reach you yesterday?" Emma Hart angrily slammed the remaining half cup of water onto the bedside table.

Seeing his sister’s fury, Max trembled slightly with fear.

"Max, if you don’t come clean, I’ll have no choice but to hand this over to the police," Damien Sterling said in a calm but firm tone. It wasn’t surprising—after all, Max wasn’t directly related to him.

Seeing his sister’s expression and his brother-in-law’s stern words, Max felt a bit guilty. He slowly began to speak, "Here’s what happened..."

It turned out that after being falsely accused of drug dealing last time, Max did try to straighten up and focus on his studies at school. However, his grades remained terrible, and in his frustration, he went to a bar to drown his sorrows.

There, he met a beautiful woman with whom he felt an instant connection. But it was a setup—he fell into a honey trap. Later, a group of burly men began to blackmail him, forcing him to do shady things.

If he didn’t comply, they would beat him and use inhumane methods to torture him if he failed to meet their weekly financial demands. To protect his grandmother from further harm, Max decided to run away and cut off all contact with the outside world. Unfortunately, Emma Hart and the others still managed to find him.

"Why didn’t you tell me about this?" Emma Hart cried, tears streaming down her face. She might not like her family much, but you can’t choose your family. If they had told her, she would have found a way to help, no matter how reluctant she was.

"It was too embarrassing. I didn’t know how to bring it up," Max said in a low voice.

In reality, Damien Sterling had already found out everything Max had just revealed a few minutes earlier.

"Don’t worry about this issue, I’ll handle it. Since you haven’t been going to school, there’s no need to go back. Stay at the company and work hard. I’m heading back to the office now; you stay here and take care of him," Damien Sterling said before turning and leaving.

Emma Hart didn’t blame him for being so dismissive because their relationship had been unstable lately, or perhaps it had always been that way.

"Alright, you rest up. I’m going to talk to the doctor," Emma Hart said, then turned to leave the room. As she opened the door, she suddenly turned back and pointed at Max, "Stay put and don’t wander around!" With a slam, the door closed, leaving Max alone to ponder.

In the afternoon, someone must have leaked the news because their grandmother also arrived at the hospital.

She walked straight to Max’s room, pushing open the door and chattering, "Kai Kai! My dear grandson, how could you end up in the hospital? Do you know how worried I was? Why didn’t you reach out to your sister?" She sighed and stomped her feet in frustration.

"Grandma, what do you mean by that?" Emma Hart felt a surge of irritation at her grandmother’s words. Why should she be the one always expected to fix everything? Did they think she was at their beck and call?

Hearing Emma’s response, her grandmother wasn’t pleased either. She clicked her tongue and said, "Look at your life now, so glamorous and respectable. And look at your brother, he can’t accomplish anything. Are we supposed to just leave him to die on the street?" In her heart, Max would always be more important than Emma.

"Whose grandson is he? Who failed to raise him properly, making him the useless person he is today!" Emma Hart grew increasingly angry. It was clearly their neglect in his childhood that had led to Max becoming the person he was now.

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