The Heir

chapter 25

Maximilian glanced in the direction of the door when it opened. The store manager came in carrying a velvet box, followed by a male sales assistant who carried the attaché case Wilfred brought earlier. The employees put them down on the coffee table between their seats and exited the office. He eyed them for a moment and looked at the store owner, who was now smiling widely at him.

“I really feel bad about what happened, and this is the only thing I know to somehow make it up to you. Please accept the necklace as a token of my apology and take your money back, Mr. Lee.”

“O-oh…” Maximilian did not know how to react. It was the first time someone did that to him. And the price of the necklace was no joke. He turned to the butler. “What do you think, Wilfred?”

“Well, in my opinion, why not?”

Olivia nodded at him. “Take it, Mr. Lee.”

He picked the velvet box and opened it. A smile curved on his lips as he imagined the necklace around his wife’s neck.

“Thank you, Olivia,” he said as he closed the velvet box again. “I will bring my wife here next time and buy your jewelry… for real.”

MAXIMILIAN was on his way to his car when he took out his phone from his pocket. He searched for a good restaurant around the place where he can make a reservation for their anniversary dinner when suddenly something caught his attention. A video originally shared on the Tiktok app appeared on his newsfeed. And the incident was familiar to him because it was the same scene that happened at the jewelry store. The uploader took his side profile, and their distance was a bit far, so it was still hard to see his face on the video. His lips twitched as he read the comment threads on the post. Most of the commenters were on his side, and they were discussing how wealthy he was to pay for a twenty- million-dollar necklace in cold cash. Some could not believe that a man like him, looking so ordinary,

could be that wealthy. They assume that he has this high position in society, perhaps a son of a wealthy family. Some even claimed that they knew him, but he doubted that. Up until now, Maximilian has not shown his real identity in public.

“Young Master.”

He turned in the butler’s direction when he heard him called. “Oh, you are still here. I thought you already left.”

“What are you so occupied into?” Wilfred asked nonchalantly and moved closer to him. Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

He showed him the video on his phone.

“It seems that the public has a high expectation of you.” The butler cleared his throat. “You made quite a scene back there.”

“Did I?” His brows furrowed.

“Of course.” Wilfred sighed. “Young Master, little by little, you are getting the public’s attention. Sooner or later, the intrigue will drive everyone to dig into your real identity. So, I am wondering when you will reveal that you are the heir—”

Maximilian raised his hand, beckoning him to stop talking. “Wilfred, I will reveal my identity when I feel that it is the right time to do so. For now, I am still enjoying the moment as I watch from the sidelines. It is… thrilling.”

“Anyway, here is the money.” Wilfred handed him the attaché case full of money.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“Well, because it is yours, Young Master.”

“Aren’t you supposed to bring this back—”

“I already pulled it out, and I am afraid that once I tell your father that I brought you the money, there is no reason for me to take it back.”

He was about to say something when the butler hopped inside the car and sped away.

“How am I supposed to hide this money from Victoria?” He lowered his gaze on the attaché case. “I don’t even have a bank account. Ah, Wilfred…” Maximilian groaned and crossed the street to get into his car.

He did not know if the butler was trying to annoy him or something.

But before thinking where he could hide the money, he needed to make a reservation first.