132. Just Responsible
BROOKS MANSION — LATE EVENING
THE DINNER THAT BECAME A CROSSROAD
The Brooks Mansion carried a different kind of silence after nightfall — not empty, but dignified. The long hallways breathed with quiet authority; portraits of ancestors watched from the walls, and the polished marble reflected the dim golden lights like old memories.
After a long day at SolarVex, Maximilian and Assistant Kyron stepped through the entrance.
One walked with the weight of a dynasty.
The other walked with the sharp, alert presence of a man constantly evaluating threats.
Because of the new strict surveillance around Eleanor's room, Kyron had been officially instructed to stay inside the mansion.
It wasn't just a job anymore.
It was a responsibility he carried like a second skin.
---
DINNER HALL — WARM LIGHT, SHADOWED HEARTS
The long dining table was already set.
Aunt Liana sat beside Uncle Adrian, both waiting patiently.
Aiden was already there, messing with his fork absentmindedly.
As Maximilian took his seat at the head of the table, the conversations began normally — business, new deals, economic trends, SolarVex progress, upcoming international investors.
He answered everything calmly, confidently — the way the world saw him.
Strong.
Collected.
Untouchable.
But then Adrian shifted the topic in the smooth, subtle way only family could do.
---
Adrian (casual tone, but eyes sharp):
"So, nephew… President David invited you personally?"
The table grew slightly quieter.
Maximilian glanced at Kyron — the silent signal to speak when needed.
Kyron stepped forward professionally.
---
Kyron:
"President David proposed a marriage alliance, sir."
Aiden froze mid-motion.
Liana stopped cutting her food.
Adrian's eyebrows lifted slightly.
The atmosphere didn't become tense — but it deepened.
Like everyone inhaled at once.
Maximilian didn't flinch.
His expression remained steady, unreadable, almost too calm — the calm of a man used to difficult conversations.
---
Liana (careful, gentle):
"Marriage…?"
She didn't sound surprised.
More like someone who had been waiting for the topic to finally surface.
---
Adrian (soft sigh, leaning back):
"Well… it was bound to come someday. You're nearly thirty-two now."
Maximilian continued eating as if nothing extraordinary was said.
But his silence itself had weight.
Kyron watched him closely — no insecurity, no discomfort, no visible crack.
Just a man with too many responsibilities to show emotions casually.
---
Liana (voice gaining warmth, realism):
"Max… your uncle and I talk about this often.
You've carried everything alone since you were so young."
She paused, eyes softening — not pity, but admiration.
"You're capable, responsible… but even the strongest person needs someone to share their nights with. Someone to understand the parts of you we never see."
Maximilian listened, but not a single flicker crossed his face.
He sat straight, poised — a man used to bearing storms silently.
---
Adrian (steady voice):
"Your aunt and I won't always be here.
Sooner or later, we'll have to move to the other country to manage our own company full-time."
He said it gently, but the truth was heavy.
---
Adrian continues:
"You need someone who stands beside you when life grows heavy.
Not for business.
Not for politics.
But for the man you are away from the world."
Maximilian set down his glass with a soft clink — the only sign he acknowledged their words.
---
Liana (smiling through seriousness):
"Marriage is not a burden.
It's companionship.
A partner.
Someone who sees you… even when the world doesn't."
She glanced at Adrian affectionately.
"You know, even he has nights where he can only talk to me.
Not to his employees, not to his friends — to me."
Adrian chuckled softly, squeezing her hand.
Kyron watched silently.
He had never seen Maximilian "open up" to anyone.
Even his breathing seemed disciplined.
---
Aiden (shy, unexpectedly serious):
"And… honestly… having someone you like around…
It makes the days feel lighter."
He blushed faintly.
Everyone knew he meant Marcelline.
---
Maximilian finally responded — voice steady, tone respectful, perfectly controlled.
Maximilian:
"…I understand."
No promises.
No resistance.
Just calm acknowledgment.
He didn't defend himself.
He didn't show irritation.
He didn't show interest either.
Just the firm, stoic presence that made him Maximilian Brooks.
The table slowly relaxed again, conversation drifting elsewhere.
Aiden cracked a joke. Adrian laughed.
Liana smiled wistfully.
Only Kyron noticed that Maximilian ate slower than usual — lost in thought, but never visibly emotional.
--
MAXIMILIAN'S ROOM —
THE TRUTH HE NEVER SAYS OUT LOUD. ...
The mansion slept under a blanket of silence.
Servants were in their quarters.
Aiden was probably listening to music in his room.
Chloe had fallen asleep early after finishing her assignments.
Kyron was still awake somewhere, doing quiet rounds like a shadow with purpose.
But Maximilian…
He sat alone in the dimness of his large room, the soft yellow lamp touching only half of his face.
His posture was straight.
His eyes were calm.
But inside, thoughts churned like storms locked behind steel gates.
He wasn't affected by the marriage talk during dinner —
he hadn't shown even a crack in his composure.
But alone…
Aunt Liana's words lingered.
"You need someone to share the burden…"
"You deserve someone beside you…"
He leaned back against the headboard, closed his eyes, and exhaled through his nose — slow, controlled, almost irritated.
Not irritated at them.
Irritated at the topic.
At the concept itself.
Love.
He hated that word.
Not mildly.
Not disinterestedly.
He detested it with a cold, layered bitterness.
And he had his reasons — reasons carved into him since childhood.
---
FLASHES OF MEMORY
His parents.
A love story so grand that people envied it.
His father adored his mother with a devotion that felt legendary.
His mother lived for him with a gentleness that melted even the sternest hearts.
Maximilian grew up watching two people who believed love could conquer anything.
And then—
His father died.
And with him, his mother's soul cracked.
Day by day… year by year…
She faded.
Her laughter disappeared first.
Then her appetite.
Then her strength.
Now she was… alive, but not truly here.
A breathing shadow of the woman he once knew.
Love didn't save her.
Love destroyed her.
Love didn't give her strength.
It drained her.
Love didn't fill their home.
It left a permanent vacancy.
So Maximilian built walls — thick, unshakable walls — because he refused to end up like his mother.
Because deep inside, he knew:
If he ever fell in love, he would fall too deeply.
Too dangerously.
Too completely.
And he refused to give anyone the power to destroy him that way.
---
WHY HE DOESN'T WANT LOVE--
He stared ahead at the dark curtains as his thoughts lined themselves with brutal clarity.
He didn't want a lover.
He didn't want softness.
He didn't want passion.
He didn't want hearts and emotions and that messy, unpredictable attachment.
He hated the idea of being vulnerable.
Instead—
He wanted someone:
Responsible.
Independent.
Mature.
Someone who didn't cling.
Someone who didn't expect grand affection.
Someone who could manage things in his absence.
Someone who could keep Chloe and Aiden safe.
Because those two children —
Chloe and Aiden —
had been neglected too much already.
Two brilliant kids who practically raised themselves while their parents chased business success overseas.
He had watched Chloe cry quietly when she thought no one saw her.
He had found Aiden eating alone too many times.
Maximilian stepped in.
He became their shield, their stability, their silent comfort.
And he would not let anyone enter this mansion unless they could love Chloe and Aiden like family —
not for obligation, not for show —
but because they deserved it.
He didn't need romance.
He needed reliability.
A woman who could become a steady pillar, not a fragile heart waiting to be broken.
Someone who could support his world, not collapse inside it.
He wasn't searching for love.
He was searching for strength.
---
PRESENT — BACK IN HIS ROOM
Maximilian rubbed his forehead lightly — not out of stress, but out of calculation.
President David's proposal, Circe's name, and the sudden pressure of marriage all floated in his mind…
But none of it shook him.
He was too firmly built for that.
Yet…
For the first time, the idea of choosing a partner wasn't entirely repulsive.
Not for romance.
Not for filling a void.
But because life… genuinely required another backbone standing next to him.
Someone who wouldn't break.
Someone who wouldn't drown.
Someone who wouldn't fade like his mother.
Someone who could help him keep Chloe and Aiden safe and grounded.
Maximilian opened his eyes, gaze sharp and steady again.
His decision was not made —
but the door he always kept sealed…
…had opened a fraction.
Not for love.
But for responsibility.
For family.
For the legacy he needed to protect.
---