“The collar prevented me from shifting,” Max told her. “Samora said that since she saved my life, my life belonged to her. She wanted to keep me as her slave forever.”
Max grimaced. “I was only around sixteen then. I couldn’t remember a thing, and I was confused and frightened. When she forced me to fight in The Pit, I was terrified but I had no choice. It was years later that I realized that I did have a choice. I could fight back. Draven and I began to talk to each other before and after our fights. We started to plan our escape, and we encouraged each other. Draven got free first, but he went into hiding. We only got in touch again many years later.”
“So you’re hoping that by going back to The Pit, the place where you started, you’d remember something,” Kristy said slowly.
“Actually, I’m hoping to draw Samora out,” Max replied. “She escaped and disappeared. I tried to find out about my past on my own. I hired private investigators, I tired hypnotherapy, I drank potions and consulted sorcerers and healers. Nothing.”
He gave a dry, mirthless laugh. “But when word got out that I was trying to find out more about my past, a lot of people came forward claiming to be my long lost family. They claimed they were my blood relatives even though some of them weren’t even bear shifters.”
“Those scammers have no conscience,” Kristy said angrily.
“Yeah. They knew my net worth, and they thought they could get a piece of the pie.”
Kristy looked up when Draven came sauntering back into the kitchen.
“Did I hear someone mention pie?” Draven asked hopefully. “Oh, I know!” He rubbed his hands with glee. “Let’s go to The Magic Oven. I can get my favorite chicken pie and chocolate cake. And I’ll buy a few boxes of cupcakes back for the ladies in the office!”
Turning to Kristy, Draven said, “The Magic Oven is a lovely bakery, and the owner, Layla, is the best baker in town. She baked me the most awesome birthday cake!”
Giving Max a meaningful look, Draven said quietly, “It’s good for them to meet.”
Kristy didn’t know what to make of Draven’s last statement. Why was it important for her to meet Layla?
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Max parked his car in front of a cozy little bakery. Draven bounced out of the back seat even before Max had killed the engine. “Here we are!”
Kristy smoothed her hand self-consciously over her new dress as they walked towards the little bakery. Her dress was a gift from Max.
After their talk in the kitchen, Max had presented her with a big box of beautiful new clothes. Apparently, he had rushed into town to do a whole lot of shopping while she was sleeping.
As Kristy walked towards The Magic Oven with Max and Draven, she saw a raven-haired woman arranging some muffins on the display shelves.
The three of them entered the bakery and the woman straightened up to greet them.
“Oh, hi Max! Hi, Draven!” She smiled warmly at Kristy and said, “Welcome to The Magic Oven!”
Kristy smiled back. “Hi, are you Layla?”
“Yes I am! You are...”
“I’m Kristy.” Kristy hesitated before saying, “I...I’m Max’s friend.”
Layla’s deep brown eyes crinkled as her smile widened. “Then you’re my friend too,” Layla declared. “Feel free to look around. See if there’s anything you like.”
“I know what I like.” Draven raised his hand. “I want your famous chicken pie, and a big slice of chocolate cake.”
Layla laughed and grabbed some paper boxes. “Of course!”
“Give me all your cupcakes too,” Draven said. “I’m going back to the office shortly. I’ll leave them in the pantry and they’ll be gone in no time!”
Kristy looked around and spotted a “Help Wanted” sign on the counter. “Are you looking to hire someone?” she asked Layla.
“Yeah. I need an assistant. Things can get crazy around here,” Layla replied as she filled the paper boxes with pretty little cupcakes.
“Will you hire me?” Kristy blurted out.
Layla’s brows shot up and she gave Kristy a quizzical stare.
“I need a job,” Kristy said earnestly. “I...I haven’t worked in a bakery before, but I’m a fast learner and a hard worker.”
Kristy looked hopefully at Layla. This would be her first real job. She was no longer a slave and now she could have a paying job just like everyone else. She could finally have a real job, a real life.
The thought made her a little dizzy with joy and excitement.
Layla canted her head at Kristy. “When can you start?”
“Right away!” Kristy almost shouted her answer.
“You got the job.”
“You mean it? I...I’m hired? I can start now, right?” Kristy stammered.
“Yes, of course,” Layla replied, smiling.
Max opened his mouth but his phone started buzzing insistently. Draven was also frowning at the flurry of messages on his phone.
“We need to get back to the office,” Max and Draven said at the same time.
“Something urgent has cropped up,” Max explained quickly to Kristy. “We have to...”
“Go,” Kristy said. “You guys have important jobs.” She grinned suddenly. “And I—have a job too!” Turning to Layla, she said, “I’ll get to work right now, boss!”
Layla laughed. “No, no, not boss, Just Layla.”
“I’ll stay here,” Kristy told Max excitedly. “I have a job now. I’m working at The Magic Oven!” She beamed. “I can’t wait to start.”
Max saw how happy and excited she was. He nodded and gave her an encouraging smile. “Okay,” he said. “Have a good day at work. I’ll come pick you up at the end of the day.”
Draven was picking up the boxes of baked goods at the counter. He paid up and backed out the door. “Come on,” he called to Max. “The meeting is about to start. Hurry!”
Before he left, Max turned around and said to Layla, “Thanks.”
“Anytime.” Layla let out a quiet sigh as Max walked out the door. “It’s always good to see you, Max.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Kristy stole a glance at Layla.
There was a thoughtful, wistful look on Layla’s face, and Kristy saw the quiet affection in her eyes.
Layla turned around and met Kristy’s curious gaze. “Oh, it’s not what you think,” she said with a short laugh. “Max is...family.”
Before Layla could elaborate, the door opened and a tall blond man strolled into the bakery. Layla’s face lit up when she saw him. “Dean, what are you doing here?”
Dean came up to Layla and pulled her into his arms. He gave her a deep, lingering kiss before releasing her. “I came to see my beautiful mate,” he drawled.
Layla giggled and swatted at his muscular arm. “Kristy, this is my mate, Dean. Dean, meet Kristy. She is Max’s friend. Max just left,” she added softly.
Kristy gaped at Dean as he shook her hand and greeted her. She stared at Dean open-mouthed, unable to blink or speak.
The resemblance was unmistakable and uncanny. Dean was blond and blue-eyed, and he had the same tall, muscular build as Max. Their facial features were so similar.
In fact, Dean looked like a younger version of Max.
“You look so much like Max!” Kristy remarked. “You guys could be...”
“Brothers,” Layla stated.
“Yes! You and Max look like brothers!” Kristy exclaimed in amazement.
“They are brothers,” Layla said. She said it like it was a matter of fact.
“What?” Kristy frowned and looked from Layla to Dean in confusion. What did Layla just say?
Dean blew out a breath and shook his head at his mate. “It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t remember.”
There was a trace of sadness and bitterness in his voice.
“Just because he doesn’t remember doesn’t mean it ain’t so,” Layla retorted. “Max is your brother.”
Kristy gasped and blinked at the couple. “Ma
x...is your brother? He has a brother?”
“Two.” Layla held up two fingers. “Max has two younger brothers. Dean and Zack have been searching for their big brother for years. Dean always believed that Max was still alive. It’s been more than twenty-five years, but their paths finally crossed. Dean and Zack found Max at last.”
Kristy stopped breathing. She tried to process what Layla and Dean were saying. Somehow, she didn’t think that they were making this up.
They were telling the truth, but the truth sounded too strange and surreal.
“Max...is your brother? You found him,” Kristy whispered.
Layla sighed deeply. “They found him. But Max doesn’t remember them at all.”
Kristy opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she could get the words out. “Max can’t remember you, because...he can’t remember his past.”
Layla and Dean froze and stared at her.
“What do you mean?” Dean demanded. “What happened to Max? We searched for him for years after he disappeared. It was by sheer chance that we came face to face with him. I recognized him straight away. But Max just refused to acknowledge us. He acted like we were strangers!”
Kristy saw the anguish and anger in Dean’s blue eyes. There was no guile, deceit or pretense on Dean’s part. His emotions were raw and real, and Kristy just knew in her heart and in her gut that Dean and Layla were telling the truth.
Dean was Max’s brother.
Max had a family, and she wanted so much to help Max reconcile with his brothers.
Kristy could understand Max’s skepticism and wariness. Many people had come forward claiming some sort of kinship with Max. But they all turned out to be scammers, fraudsters and con artists. It was irksome, exhausting and downright maddening to be inundated with calls, emails and whatnots from strangers with elaborate sob stories and phony documents.
Kristy chewed on her lower lip, trying to decide how much to tell Layla and Dean.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Max...has been trying to remember his past,” Kristy said at last. “He has been searching for answers, and many people have come forward claiming to be his long lost family. But they just wanted his money. There are just too many unsavory characters around.”
“These people...” Layla spat. “They’re like sharks in the water. No wonder he doesn’t believe us.”
“Can you tell me what happened? What happened to Max?” Kristy asked, looking intently at Dean. He looked just a couple of years younger than Max.
Dean exhaled a long breath. “No one saw Max again after he ran out of the house after an argument with Dad when he was sixteen,” he said. “We looked for him, and we kept searching for him but we never found him. He just disappeared. Without a trace. That happened more than twenty-five years ago, but I kept hoping that one day, I would see Max again.”
“It was by sheer chance that he came and ordered a cake from my bakery,” Layla interjected. “That’s how Dean and Zack found out that Max was still alive. They saw him, face to face, but Max really doesn’t remember them. Max has become one of my best customers, and he frequents Dean’s restaurant, but he regards us as just friends.”
“Not family,” Dean added and looked away.
“It’s possible that...someone has stolen his memories,” Kristy said tentatively.
“What?” Dean and Layla said together.
Kristy gulped. Had she revealed more than she should? This was Max’s story, not hers. She shouldn’t be telling them anything, even though she desperately wanted to help them.
“Ask Max,” she pleaded. “Ask Max to tell you his story.”
Layla shook her head. “Max has become a good friend, but...he doesn’t let anyone get too close to him. We tried inviting him to Noah’s birthday party, but he declined. Noah is Zack’s little boy,” Layla explained.
Kristy gasped. Max had a nephew.
He had a lovely family right here. But he couldn’t remember them at all.
Kristy understood completely how Max felt. She could hardly remember her parents’ faces, and she knew that if she were to come face to face with her father right now, she wouldn’t feel anything at all towards him.
He would be like a stranger to her.
It was just incredibly sad.
“Max did come to our wedding though,” Layla said softly, lacing her fingers through Dean’s.
“As a guest,” Dean said. “He...wouldn’t be my best man. So it was just Zack. I wanted my two brothers...” He trailed off.
The silence stretched between them.
Finally, Layla clapped and said in an optimistic, upbeat tone, “Well, now that you’re working at The Magic Oven, Max will be dropping by more often.”
She turned to her mate and announced, “I just hired Kristy today!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Max drove to The Magic Oven once he got out of that long, tense meeting. A contract with one of their important business partners had to be renegotiated urgently.
Max had his whole team of lawyers with him, and Draven and a couple of directors had also attended the meeting.
Doing battle in the boardroom was way more tricky and exhausting than fighting in The Pit.
After hours of intense discussion and negotiation, a deal was finally hammered out.
Max was out of the building once he finished signing all the documents. It was past six o’clock and with the heavy traffic congestion, it would take him more than an hour to reach The Magic Oven.
The street lamps had flickered on outside the bakery by the time he pulled up at The Magic Oven. The sky had darkened, but the brightly lit bakery looked warm and inviting.
Max smiled when he saw Kristy bustling around the bakery and laughing with Layla.
She looked so happy, and it was clear that she was enjoying herself.
He was really glad that Kristy was working for Layla.
Layla was kind, caring and helpful, and he knew that she would take good care of Kristy. Max had first met Layla when she delivered Draven’s birthday cake to him at his mansion. He had liked her almost immediately. She felt like a sister to him.
He wasn’t so sure about Layla’s mate though. Her mate, Dean, was a volatile, unpredictable chap.
Dean had punched Max hard in the jaw when Max told him flatly that he didn’t know him from Adam. “Look at me!” Dean had screamed at him. “Don’t you walk away from us! You ran away because you’re a coward! You left us and you never bothered contacting us. And now, you act as if you don’t know us! What the hell! Screw you, Max!”
Max scrubbed a hand down his face. He had met both Dean and Zack, and frankly, he had a grudging respect for the two younger men. Both Dean and Zack were intelligent, hardworking men and they were both successful businessmen in their own right. They seemed like honest, trustworthy people.
Dean and Zack claimed to be his younger brothers. They told him that he was Max Howell, their eldest brother.
Why should he believe them?
But maybe the question he should really be asking was, why shouldn’t he believe them?
Both Zack and Dean were doing well, and they didn’t need any handouts.
But...some people would stoop to anything just to gain an advantage. Max had been shocked and angered when some rather wealthy people showed up out of the blue and claimed to be related to Max. These people didn’t care about him at all. What they really wanted was insider information about his lucrative business deals and contacts.
Max didn’t know what Dean and Zack’s motives were, but he liked them enough to remain friendly with them and their families.
He frequented Layla’s bakery and Dean’s restaurant, and to be honest, it felt strangely warm and comforting to be around them. It almost felt like he was with family.
Still...he had to be careful.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Max got out of his car and walked towards The Magic Oven. Kristy saw him through the window and smiled at him.
Kristy was absolutely beautiful. Her green eyes sparkled and her whole face glowed with joy and vitality.
He walked into the bakery and resisted the urge to sweep her into his arms. He missed her so much even though they had only been apart for a few hours.
“How’s your day?” he asked.
“This is the best day of my life!” Kristy exclaimed. “I love working here.”
Layla chuckled and straightened up from behind the counter. “Hi, Max.”
“Hi, Layla.” He looked around. “Hmmm, everything’s sold out.”
The two women hi-fived each other as they carried the empty trays to the back. “Kristy is really good with the customers,” Layla said over her shoulder.
Kristy’s voice floated out from the back of the shop. “I’ll help Layla clean up before...”
“No, no, no.” Layla pushed Kristy out and said firmly, “You are done for the day. Go home now.”
“But...”
“Dean will be coming over in a while. He can give me a hand. Go, enjoy your evening.”
Kristy looked back and said, “See you tomorrow?”
Max realized that she was holding her breath. She wasn’t sure if her job was secure.
“Of course! See you tomorrow!” Layla replied at once.
“Say hi to Dean for me,” Max said as he opened the door.
“I will,” Layla said softly.
Kristy turned around and from the look that passed between the two women, Max knew that Layla had told her about Dean and Zack.
Max sighed. He wished that things weren’t so messy with him. He wished he could give Kristy a whole, beautiful, loving family. She deserved every happiness, and he wished he could be perfect for her.
She didn’t deserve a man with a broken mind.
Billionaire Beast Bear (Beast Bears Book 3) Page 5