For a second I feel a sense of eerie discovering that my dad knows about Max. Of course, he knows him. Because when Christopher disclosed everything about the Cobra to my father, he also explained about his gang members using their pictures, which obviously included Max. And if I am not wrong, I remember Max seemed to get a glance at my father when he visited me weeks ago in LA. So I guess he recognizes him too.

But something doesn't feel right. The way he is looking at my dad right now makes me wonder if there's more to it. I can't forget how icy his tone was while he said those words seconds ago, and it just made a wild chill run down my spine.

I hold my breath and wait for my father to respond to what he just said. I feel restless as I gawk at them with my heart pounding hard against my chest. However, when a frown appears on his face, I silently pray to God that it shouldn't be what it looks like. He looks at Max and asks. "What?"

I let out a sigh of relief.

When Max doesn't say anything, dad begins to speak again. "You have a problem with Christopher. He is right here. You can do whatever you want to do with him but let my daughter go." My eyes pop out of my sockets as soon as I hear him say that.

"Dad, what the hell are you saying?" I ask in disbelief. How the hell he can say that? Is this what his plan was? To trick Christopher into all this and get me out? That's fucking unbelievable.

Max takes a step back and tilts his head to assess him. And then he looks at me. I notice him having an amused smile on his face. He then turns and makes his way towards us.

"I am having so much fun in this..." He laughs, shaking his head, and I purse my lips and look at Christopher. He doesn't turn to look at me, but it doesn't go unnoticed that his body stiffens. He keeps looking straight at Max with a murderous look on his face. I feel embarrassed. I don't know what he must be assuming about my father right now. After everything we did together in the last few days, he wouldn't have expected him to say that.

"You think she is here because of her relationship with Christopher?" Max shakes his head in denial. And when he looks back at dad, his face hardens. "No. She is here because of you."

A look of confusion crosses my dad's face as he gazes at him, and I take a minute, struggling to grasp his words.

I scan around the room as an array of thoughts run through my mind. Suddenly my eyes land on Peter, who is standing across from Max, and I observe him. I don't know why, but he seems a little disturbed by now. My eyes leave his form and roam around the room again. I take in the number of men present here. There are four surrounding Christopher and me, and two holding my father. I look up and see more standing in the hallway upstairs. And not to forget the ones guarding at the front door. Fuck! They are really a lot and they all have fucking huge guns.

"Max, we need to hurry up. I don't find this guy right. What if..." I look back when Peter speaks. Before he can display his concern, Max glances at him and shuts him off again.

"Don't you be a pussy, Peter? They all are going to fucking die in no time. So just chill and let me enjoy my show." He says, with irritation seeping in his tone. Peter purses his lips and doesn't protest, but he still looks unsettled. From his body posture, I could make out that he has grown really anxious since after my dad's arrival.

I feel irritated sitting in this chair now. My arms have been tied for too long and I try to wriggle my hands, to sense them back, feeling as if the blood supply has been cut off from them. I let out a frustrated sigh, looking back at Max, and then I am reminded by what he just said. What does Max have to do with my father? Then suddenly something strikes my mind.

I slowly try to recall. "You were present at Mr. Smith's party? So it was you who gave me the note." I say, finally putting the pieces into the right place and widen my eyes at him. He shrugs and grins in response, confirming my doubt.

"Actually, that note was intended to kick some senses into Christopher's head so he could realize not all misfortunes that came on his way were laid by Richard...sadly his idiotic brain couldn't take the hint." He laughs and then says. "You guys were so pathetic. But I must say, I really did enjoy playing with you two. I would have still gone on with it but unfortunately, all good things come to an end."

"What do you have to do with my dad?" I ask him with a sick feeling rising in my stomach. His revelations to Christopher had already wrecked our brains and I feel like I don't have enough strength to listen to his other evil confessions, but at the same time, I can't refrain myself from knowing the truth.

"What do I have to do with your dad." He repeats slowly.

I watch him as he goes back to stand in the middle so that he is looking at both of us and then he says. "I am so happy to finally meet your father...but I am also a little disappointed that he doesn't remember me.."

He then walks past me and stands right in front of my dad. "Do you remember me, Mr. Mark Johnson?" He asks in a calm yet threatening tone. I couldn't comprehend what's going through my dad's mind because his face carries no emotions at the moment.

"Okay, fine. At least you should remember a woman called Sammy Flores?" Max asks casually again, and this time I could witness the color drain from my father's face. Who is that? That name sounds oddly familiar. It seems like I have heard it somewhere. But where? I try to remember and then I realize hearing that name from my mother when she used to fight with my dad. It was the same woman with whom he had an affair. What the hell Max had to do with her?

I frown when my father looks horrified, trying to respond to him. "No.... you can't be.."

Resentment drips out of Max's tone as he barks. I am not able to get a view of his face but from the way, the veins over his neck are popping I can say that he is very angry. "Answer me? Do you remember that woman? The woman you made fake promises to? The woman you always kept in dark. The woman who could never be anything more than a mistress to you. The woman that you gave an unwanted pregnancy. The woman you left behind with a three-year-old son and never bothered to fucking come back."

I keep looking at both of them in astonishment, unable to comprehend what is happening as the room echoes with Max's roar.

"Yes, I am exactly who you think I am." He clenches his jaw and declares. "I am her son."

"Maximus?!" my dad exclaims in terror. He seems to be at the loss for words and that's when realization dawns upon me. Fuck no! Does that mean Max is my brother? This is fucking crazy!

He turns to glance at me with his bloodshot eyes before looking back at my father. "You fucking never wanted me, right? You never loved me the way you loved your other kids. The way you loved Nicole. Do you have any idea how I survived all this time? How many times I was bullied by being called a fucking bastard?" I flinch at how bad that sounds and then look at Christopher. He has a look of surprise on his face as he listens to Max. I try to catch a glance at my father who seems to be stunned by Max's revelation. How could he keep something as big as that from us?

"The day your wife came and took you back with her. I was there...you just left us like we never meant anything to you. I knew you never wanted me, but my mother? At least she thought you loved her." His voice cracks and my chest tightens. My father drops his gaze down, giving me the indication that Max has been telling the truth.

My body goes rigid with shock. I could realize that night it wasn't just me who was hurt by my dad's actions. Max was also equally affected. And from the agony shadowing his face, I could fathom he has endured more than what I went through. How could my dad ruin both our families like that? Suddenly my features soften and I feel like sympathizing with him. "You promised to marry her and then left...You went back to your family. Have you never wondered how we were living? Didn't your heart ever want to know how your son was doing?"

I bite my lip when I see Max's eyes blazing with sadness and the hatred that I tried to bury for my dad begins to surf back. "You always prioritized your family. Then why the hell you made my mother fall for you? Why the hell you made her believe that you loved her? Why the hell you kept her in dark? She was a fool to believe you."

He shakes his head and stares blankly at the wall in front of him. "She waited for you...but when you never came, she decided to go back to her brother in Boston and start a new life. But my uncle fucking threw her out knowing that she was carrying on an illegitimate child." He curls his fists and darts his gaze between me and my dad.

"She drowned in depression and then became an addict. She had debts to one of our dealers that supplied her with drugs. And with her death, I was left with no other option than to join the Cobra." I clench my jaw and look at my father in pure shock. If it hadn't been for what he did, Max wouldn't have turned out to be a criminal. My dad is the real reason why he is here, doing all this shit.

Dad Looks at him and whispers in disbelief. "Sammy is dead?"

Max doesn't pay attention to what my father asked as he continues. "When I started working, I had no intentions of digging in the past or having revenge." He pauses for a brief moment and cocks his head at Christopher. "Until Christopher asked me to find out about Nicole. You know I was overwhelmed with the coincidence. And at that moment I realized the wounds buried in my heart were being dug up for a reason. I knew I was going to have a taste of my revenge."

Max snaps his eyes at me and then shrugs. "And when I got everyone exactly where I wanted, I knew this was it. This was my time." The sadness in his eyes is gone, and all that I could see now is a gleam of burning vengeance. "What can be more amazing than to have your daughter get killed here right in front of your eyes?"

"Maximus, no..." my dad protests, trying to free himself.

Max ignores him and pulls his gun out, making me gasp in horror. A bolt of fear rushes through my spine as I look at him. "But there is a tiny problem. I am just conflicted in deciding who needs to die first- my best friend or my stepsister?" He pouts, taking a step towards me. Fuck! That's it! I am going to die. I gulp and close my eyes, waiting for him to reach me, but he doesn't. I frown and open my eyes and find him walking in the direction of Christopher. What is he doing?

"Dying is easy, but watching your love die in front of your eyes is something painful. So, my dear friend deserves to go first." He flashes a smirk to me, standing in front of Christopher. "Nicole, say goodbye to Christopher before he gets his head cracked."

"Max, no..." I screech as he presses his gun against Christopher's head. Tears begin to fill my eyes as I watch Christopher staring blankly at him with a gun pointing at his head. No, this can't be happening.

My eyes turn blurry, dreading to witness the tragedy that's going to occur in front of my eyes. But then there is a commotion in the back. And before we know the sounds of gunshots rip through the air.

I wait for Max to pull the trigger and do the job, but nothing happens. Time passes, but I don't feel the bullet pierce through my skull. What the hell? And then we hear the gunfire from the outside. Max frowns and looks behind my back. I take in the change of his expression and follow his gaze to the door and watch in surprise as Richard makes his way in. Holy fucking shit! What is he doing here now?

Richard walks in and his men march in, following him closely. Richard points his gun at Max as he stomps on the ground to reach us. I see Max's men drawing their guns and taking a fighting stance with their arrival. What the fuck is going on? Aren't they all together in this?

My eyes shift back to Richard and the people behind him. Colby, Josh, Robert, and Michael follow him, securing their hands over their weapons. Damn! Within seconds, the room fills with his men, more like my men in specific. I know I should say that if I had still been on his side, but I am not. This is literally getting insane!

My mind seems to stop comprehending what's going on for a minute as I stare at them. But when I mistakenly glance back at Colby, I imagine him to be signaling something to me. What is he trying to say? And then it fucking rings the bell inside my head, making me realize that he is here to help. I just need to wait for the right time.

"Back off, Max," Richard states, pointing his gun at his head as he stands in front of him. Max looks at him angrily, still keeping his grip on the gun over my forehead.

"Don't you hear me? I am gonna blow your head...so fucking give it to me." Richard says, signaling to his gun. Max purses his lips and looks around to see his men being outnumbered by Richard's men. His gaze flickers over my face before he hands him his gun and lets his hand fall to the side with a frustrated groan. Richard grabs the gun and pushes it into his pocket, still keeping a hold on his own gun.

I gulp harshly and look at Nicole. She looks pale watching all this fucking shit unfolding in front of her and I feel bad thinking that I played a part in dragging her into this situation. My gaze then wavers to her left and land on Mark. He is having a stern expression on his face and I wonder how is keeping sane. Of course, he is a cop. It's not a big thing for him, just like me. He has been through such shit for a long time.

"And fucking tell your men to drop their guns." Richard's raging voice brings me back to look at him.

"No way." Max shakes his head in denial.

However, Peter seems terrified by whatever is happening. His forehead covers with sweat as he stammers. "Drop the guns." The guys look at him in confusion and when they don't do it, he screams again." I said drop the fucking guns!" This time they seem to obey him and I look at them in astonishment, wondering if they work for Max or Peter. I guess if they chose to listen to Peter over Max, then probably he is the boss.

"What the fuck?" Max curses in disbelief, looking at Peter. "You don't understand it, Richard. Christopher needs to die and so does that girl." Max turns towards Richard and says.

But Richard ignores him and motions one of the men to gather the guns. A deadly silence envelopes us as we watch the guy pick all the guns that have been dropped by Peter's men. Once he is done, he makes his way to the door, and that's exactly the moment when Richard makes the mistake of shifting his focus from Max to check on that guy. Fuck no!

Max doesn't hesitate to take advantage of this slip as he reaches to grab his arm to twist his gun. Richard lands his eyes back on him in no time, and I watch them get into a fight, struggling over the gun. Richard seems to have control as he bends the gun and shoots Max's leg. He groans in pain but doesn't step back. Their fight weaves a messy disturbance in the atmosphere, letting Peter and his men gain the courage to defend. In a flick of the second, havoc erupts in the room as both gangs lunge to grab each other's throats. Some reach to grab their guns from the guy carrying them as bullets fly through the air. What the fuck is going on?

My head seems like it would blow any moment trying to register all this shit. Stay fucking calm, Christopher! My eyes then search for Colby in between all these disturbances as I spot him fighting a guy in the corner. Amidst all the chaos, I try to keep my focus on Colby. And as if he just grasped it's the time, he looks at me throwing a last punch at the man before he hits the floor. He then nods and pulls out two knives from his back and launches them at the men standing to my side who seem to be lost in the explosion going around. It hits them perfectly as they fall to the ground, wincing in pain. He then runs towards me, throwing punches at other men, getting in his way. As he reaches to cut my ropes, without delay I rip them off with his slight press.

"Wow! What are you waiting for, then?" He asks me amusedly.

"Thanks, man," I mutter to him, wriggling my arms to feel them again.

"You owe me a lot, considering how you didn't think about trusting me..." He looks at me and says. I know he talking about all his calls that I kept ignoring. It's not like I didn't trust him, but after learning about the soft corner that Nicole had for him, my jealousy began to cloud my judgments. And how could I rule out the possibility of him backstabbing me considering he is a Scott too? But now I know I was wrong. Colby is nothing like his father or his uncle.

"I am sorry for being an asshole..." I apologize to him in a low tone.

"Now is not the time." He responds, grabbing the hand of a man who comes to hit me. He twists his arm before pulling out a blade and slitting his throat. He takes out his gun and hands it to me. "Come on, let's get to work."

Before he could walk away, I catch his arm. "You don't need it?"

He looks at his gun in my hand and smiles. "Nah...I am good with this." He says, juggling the blade that he has in his hand.

I nod and turn around. Without wasting any time, I hit the man coming on my way. I don't wanna kill anyone unnecessarily. If my hand could do the job alone, why waste a precious bullet. So I throw a punch across his face and kick him in the gut as he falls back.

When I lift my gaze, I catch a glimpse of Mark, down the stairs, dodging the attacks of a man in front of him as they fight. Then I realize something. Shit! How could I forget that Nicole is still here?

I scan through the room hurriedly before noticing Nicole still sitting in the same chair. She has her eyes tightly shut and I breathe out a sigh of relief, knowing that she is safe.

I rush towards her, trying to ignore everything happening behind me. When I untie her, she opens her eyes, looking a bit startled.

"Hey, it's me," I whisper to her, trying to calm her, and her eyes soften. I pull her with me to a corner and examine her body for any signs of injury.

I feel relieved when I don't find any. My eyes travel back to her eyes as I cup her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

She looks into my eyes and gives me a small smile. But then suddenly her gaze moves to something behind my shoulder and I watch dread consuming her beautiful face. Before I could try to register what has caused her this bother, she shoves me to the side with an effective force. What the fuck?

"Nicole!!!" I hear a scream along with a gunshot. If it hadn't been for the fear in Mark's voice, I would have taken a moment to appreciate her strength. She almost pushed me to the ground.

I gain my stability and instantly look up to see what has happened. And at that moment, what I witness makes my body shiver with panic. My heart almost stops thumping and I feel the inability to breathe as I watch Nicole fall to the ground with the deadly red color staining her top.