Funky Crimson

The Lee Estate

Down the hallway, Emily's breath hitched upon seeing Maxen and Lance talking. "Honeeey," she sang sweetly to Wyatt who was busy chatting with a guest.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Wyatt asked, sliding his palm at the small of Emily's back.

"10 o'clock. By the library. Hurrrrry! I can smell Maxen's anger from here," Emily whispered to Wyatt's ear.

Wyatt gave her his champagne flute and sweetly kissed her temple before warning her, "Stay here like a good little girl. I don't want you to get caught in case a fight breaks out." Emily giggled and pawed the platoon commander's chest, tipping her chin towards the library's direction in a hurrying manner.

Lance smirked when Maxen pivoted on his heel and faced him. He thought he finally hooked Maxen's attention on his fingertips so all he had to do was to tug on the line. He looked smug throughout while tattling about his "encounter" with Olivia. How could she be so useful even after they broke up? Swirling the champagne in his flute, he tipped it towards Maxen and whispered, "Make sure you handle her rough. She likes... no... She loves it." Lance chuckled at his short kiss and tell, sure as hell that the playboy prince would love his trivial gift.

What Lance didn't see was how Maxen's fingers were curled into a fist with so much force that his knuckles turned white and made a cracking sound. He grinned like a meerkat upon seeing the decorated platoon commander named Wyatt approach them.

"Hey, Brother. I've been looking for you," Wyatt said with a light tap on Maxen's shoulder to ease the blazing inferno that could be seen in his friend's eyes. He gave Lance a curt nod and waited a little for Maxen to pull himself away from the heated conversation but was flabbergasted at what the insolent bastard spouted.

"We were talking about Olivia," Lance started, "and I gave His Highness a few… tips." Lance's stupid grin annoyed the two men to which Wyatt decided that Maxen could do whatever he wanted to this insolent bastard and he would not stop his friend.

"Brother, hold this for me please," Maxen said as he handed Wyatt his champagne flute. "Say that again."

"Which one? Oh, the part that she loves it rough?"

Wyatt laughed like a maniac. He saw nothing but a funky crimson spilling in the Lee's mansion tonight. Wyatt watched as Maxen pin Lance on the wall with his forearm and purple veins popped out with the amount of force that his brother applied.

Maxen was about to land a punch on Lance when his phone rang so he picked it up with his free hand while his other arm was still pinning Lance in place. He took a sharp breath to compose himself and picked up the call, smiling slightly as he heard his rose's voice. "Hey, gorgeous. If you keep on calling me, I might as well leave the party and spend the night with you," Maxen said upon hearing Olivia's 'hello'.

Wyatt could hear Olivia's bell-like laughter from the phone. He inched a little closer to eavesdrop on Maxen and Olivia's conversation. He needed to report something to Emily later and who knows, she might give him a prize too for his good intel.

"I was thinking if I can borrow Stoneface MIB1 to spar with Shadow tonight," Olivia didn't beat around the bush and asked. The truth was, she wanted to see the techniques that the Sui security detail are using and compare notes with her security detail's existing fighting techniques.

"Sure. Is there anything else that you need except for the cologne?" Maxen nodded after hearing Olivia giggling at his question. "Olivia," Maxen trailed before asking, "I met a guy who kisses and tells. What do you think I should do to him?"

"A warning should be enough," Olivia replied nonchalantly; she was busy motioning her orders to MIB1 and Shadow to get inside her decoy apartment. When the two entered her decoy apartment, she huffed and voiced out, "Don't waste your time on 'boys' like him. You know better not to deal with traitors. Ok, hanging up now. Thank you, Max. I owe you one."

Maxen dipped his phone back in his suit pocket and tsked at Lance who was frozen in his spot. It was a good thing that Wyatt's broad shoulders was blocking them away from the guests' prying eyes.

"You heard that? She said to give you a warning," Maxen said through gritted teeth, choking out the air from Lance's chest as he pinned the latter tightly and painfully on the wall.

BAM!

The loud sound of Maxen's fist hitting the wall stole the guests' attention that many darted their gazes towards the three men's direction. They watched with bated breath as Maxen pin Lance on the wall, his fist that was kissing the wall painted it with trickles of his blood. The stationed Sui's security detail marched to the hallway's entrance and blocked the view from the guests in an attempt to control the situation. The party was at a standstill. This was the first time that Maxen made scene. Everybody talked in hushed tones and made speculations on what made the Prince lose his cool.

"That was Olivia's warning. But you see, I don't enjoy giving warnings. I go in for the kill," Maxen whispered into Lance's ear, landing a punch to the insolent bastard's gut whose face turned purple from the assault. "Is this how rough she wanted it?" Maxen asked before landing another punch on Lance, "Or this rough?" He tsked when Lance's knees buckled under the pain. What a wussy, Maxen thought. That's only two punches and the insolent bastard looked as if he was about to die.

For a moment, Maxen moved his sight away from Lance when he saw Ollie from the corner of his cut through the thick security detail barrier and listened as the latter whispered, "Brother, this is not the right place for murder." Maxen ignored Ollie and shifted his gaze back to his human punching bag. Not satisfied with his blows, Maxen kneed Lance on the groin that sent the latter whimpering on the floor.

"Be thankful I saved your face for your wedding," Maxen said as he wrapped his knuckles with his suit's white pocket square. "Next time you open that filthy mouth and disrespect women, I'll make sure your face ends up in the trash where it belongs." He turned on his heel and was about to leave when Ollie caught him by the arm but he briskly pulled away from his friend's grasp and walked out of the crime scene.

"Party's not over yet, Brother," Ollie called out while he eyed Lance who was curled on the floor. He nudged Lance's face with the tip of his shoe to check if the guy was still alive and yep, unfortunately he was. He tried several times to get back at the sleazebag but Olivia told him to leave the bastard alone. Oliver and Wyatt trailed behind Maxen who parted the Sui detail human barricade like how Moses' split the Red Sea.

King Alistair cleared his throat, dismayed over his son's little show. He saw who Maxen was manhandling before the guards made a human shield.

"Is everything ok, Your Highness?" Patriarch Lee asked in a concerned voice. When he saw Maxen's wrapped knuckles and the bloodstains on the white fabric, he hit his cane hard twice on the floor. The loud thuds of the cane that the Lee Family knew all too well made them scram to where the patriarch stood.

"Selena!" Patriarch Lee barked. By the time Selena surfaced, the Patriarch was beet red with anger, offended that Lance made a ruckus at the Lee's Thanksgiving Party. "I think you and your guest are tired. You can leave this place at once."

"Grandpa, I…" Selena flinched upon hearing another string of thud sounds.

"It's ok, Patriarch Lee," Maxen clamped his hand on the patriarch's shoulder. "Pardon me for my little show. Now, let's keep this wonderful party going. We don't want disrespectful bastards to ruin our night, don't we?"

Maxen's words somehow doused the burning anger in Patriarch Lee and the old man tapped Maxen's hand that was clamped on his shoulder to show his approval. Patriarch Lee did not need to know the juicy details of Maxen's flare up because he knew it all stemmed from that Lance Go. He never liked the man, and his distaste doubled after Selena and Lance's Ting Hun celebration[1].

Guests feasted at the sight as Lance Go was carried out of the Lee Mansion by two guards who were followed by Selena with her head bowed and her hands balled into fists. She stopped for a moment by the Lee Mansion doors, looking around for that one person and when their eyes locked, she gave him the most pitiful look of the century: glassy eyes, red button nose, and quivering lips. Seeing that the man was affected with her stare, she turned her back and resumed with her red carpet walk of shame out of the party.