12. Memories..
In Hollowmist City — Brooks Mansion
Maximilian walked through the marble halls of the Brooks mansion like a storm wrapped in a three-piece suit.
Even the guards kept a respectful distance.
He was Maximilian Brooks—
ruthless CEO of Brooks Global,
power ambassador with political influence spanning continents,
a man whose single glare made billionaires sweat and ministers tremble.
But tonight…
his steps were slower.
His chest tighter.
The image of his mother's trembling hands, the unnatural voice, the shadow—
it all played inside his mind like a nightmare on repeat.
Without realizing it, he pushed open a heavy door.
His father's room.
The one place he never entered because it hurt too much.
The lights flicked on, revealing the old regal interior—dark oak furniture, crystal lamps, velvet drapes.
And then… the walls.
The lavish golden frames filled the room like constellations.
His entire childhood, captured and frozen in time.
Maximilian exhaled, a long, shaky breath.
For the world, he was cold and unbreakable.
But here…
here he was simply Max, a little boy who once loved too deeply.
He walked to the first frame --
It showed him at age 6, covered in flour and chocolate.
His father beside him, laughing so hard he could barely hold himself up.
Maximilian pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered:
"…I told Dad I knew how to bake."
Another frame --
Age 7.
A garden birthday party.
Mini-Maximilian wearing a tiny suit, looking extremely offended.
He remembered this one clearly.
He had been furious—
because instead of a fancy business-themed cake,
his mother bought him a giant cake shaped like a cartoon lion…
with googly eyes.
He had crossed his arms, pouting dramatically.
Maximilian chuckled under his breath.
Young him looked like a furious hamster trying to be intimidating.
His father captured the moment when he tried to stomp away—
but ended up tripping on a balloon,
rolling into the cake
and splattering frosting everywhere.
His father laughed until he fell on the ground.
His mother panicked and ran to help.
Mini-Max cried, not because of the fall—
but because the cake "lost its corporate integrity."
Watching that memory in the frame, Maximilian whispered:
"…I was such an idiot."
Another frame.
His father pushing him in a small toy car—
fast, too fast—
while little Max screamed:
"SLOW DOWN YOU MANIAC!"
His mother in the background, laughing uncontrollably.
Maximilian covered his mouth, shoulders trembling with a laugh that quickly turned into a painful breath.
He touched the frame gently.
"Dad… Mom… why did everything fall apart?"
His cold, CEO mask dropped completely.
Here, alone with memories, he wasn't the king of the business world.
He was just a son.
A son who missed his family so badly it hurt to breathe.
He let his eyes drift across the room again.
Frame after frame.
Moment after moment.
His father carrying him on shoulders,
his mother fixing his tie for school,
family picnics,
sleepy mornings,
warm embraces.
All of it—
before Hollowmist became a nightmare,
before shadows whispered,
before his mother collapsed in the hospital.
His jaw tightened.
"But now something is after her…"
His fist curled.
"And it made a mistake touching my family."
He wasn't afraid.
He was furious.
Cold, lethal, CEO-level furious.
In the golden reflection of the frame, his eyes hardened—
the same eyes that brought entire corporations to their knees.
"If something wants a fight—"
he whispered, voice low and deadly,
"—it just chose the wrong family."
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