From Bullets To Billions

"Did you just say that these kids were rich? And that they had money? Aren't they part of East Brinhurst, like the rest of the schools?" Max asked, his curiosity piqued.

Brinhurst was known as the most deprived part of Notting Hill City. It was an area where people didn't even want to walk alone at night, and for good reason. Even the students in the schools there had lost most of their hope for a future.

Max knew the area well. It had become a magnet for delinquents, attracting all kinds of unsavory characters. However, Brinhurst itself was split into two parts: East Brinhurst and West Brinhurst.

East Brinhurst was where all the schools involved in the current gang mess were located. It was also where Max's apartment was, and where the six gyms he had purchased were scattered around the area.

Though Max had been smart about it. He'd bought the gyms closer to his own school and Seaton Academy, rather than near Clapton's territory, an area that wasn't exactly under his influence yet.

As for West Brinhurst, there were a bunch of schools Max hadn't made contact with yet. But from what he'd heard, the situation there was practically the same, and likely to become a problem in the future.

The entire region of Brinhurst was a breeding ground for gang activity. The Rejected Corps, along with the Chaline Boys, operated there as well. Though, to be fair, they didn't really care about what the students were up to, aside from using them as easy tools to recruit into their gangs.

Because of all this, hearing the words rich and Brinhurst in the same sentence didn't exactly add up in Max's mind.

"Konsoon is one of those fancy grammar schools, where kids need to get a certain score just to be let in," Jay explained. "It's not like a private school, there's no fee to attend, but because of its reputation, a lot of parents who are serious about their kids' education send them there."

Jay leaned back a bit.

"On top of that, Konsoon's located right on the edge of Brinhurst."

"Although it's technically in Brinhurst, most of the kids don't actually live in the area," Jay continued. "They come from the outer parts, studio types, upper middle class families. But since they are in Brinhurst, as the saying goes, Brinhurst boys will be boys. There's a pretty big number of them that have ended up turning delinquent. And smart ones, at that."

Max nodded thoughtfully, listening intently, at least on the surface.

"I see, I see... so they have money, then. That's what I'm hearing," he said, resting his chin on his hand.

Jay exchanged a look with Joe.

"Why do I have the feeling that Max didn't listen to a word I just said?"

"He did," Joe replied with a small laugh. "He just heard the part where you said they have money."

At that moment, Max shifted in his seat, causing both of them to straighten as he suddenly spread out his arms with dramatic flair.

"I've decided," Max declared. "We'll form an alliance with Konsoon. We need to protect the mone, I mean, the students."

"Max..." Jay said slowly, trying to keep a straight face. "I don't think now is the right time to be so righteous. Believe me, I'd like to help them too. But right now, we're only allied with Seaton Academy, and they don't exactly have much fighting power. Joining forces with Konsoon would basically bring us into a full-scale war."

The smirk on Max's face still hadn't faded.

"I've thought about it. If Konsoon wants to join us, they'll have to pay a higher price than the others. For starters, every single member who becomes part of our group will have to join the Bloodline Gyms."

He leaned in slightly, voice turning confident.

"Not only that, they'll have to pay triple the usual fee. On top of that, they'll be required to do a campaign around their school, selling our merch to their members. I think... three times the Seaton fee is fair, don't you?"

Once again, Joe and Jay exchanged glances.

"Well..." Joe began, rubbing the back of his neck. "They're pretty desperate to align with us. I don't think they'll disagree to your conditions. But... like I said, it will piss off Clapton."

"Max, I have a feeling..." Joe started cautiously. "You're not just allowing Konsoon to join so you can make money off them, are you?"

"Of course not." Max folded his arms confidently.

Now both Jay and Joe were starting to worry. The same thought crossed both of their minds in that moment: Had Max run out of money? After all, he was paying all the members, giving out bonuses, covering a ton of other expenses... maybe this whole alliance idea was because he was desperate for cash.

If that was the case, and they ended up going up against Clapton High and their gang just to save Max's finances, well, they'd still do it. For Max. But it would definitely make things riskier.

Little did they know... they were sitting across from a multi-millionaire who was just shy of becoming a billionaire.

"I also have a way for us to deal with Clapton High," Max continued, shifting gears. "We need to shut this down before they build it into something bigger."

"They're going to keep growing their alliance. That's why they haven't attacked yet," Max explained. "Clapton would've come at us already, but after seeing how much damage we did with just the two of us, that's what made them form their alliance in the first place."

He leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming.

"Right now is the perfect chance to hit back. Either take them out, or give them an offer they can't refuse."

Jay and Joe leaned in, listening closely.

"I'm thinking we invite all of Brinhurst to a Showdown, East and West," Max proposed. "The strongest from the Billion Bloodline will go up against Clapton's best. That way, not everyone in the group gets involved."

"And if we win... it'll show all of Brinhurst our strength. They'll think twice about trying to rise up against us again."

"I'll do it," Jay said reluctantly, rubbing his chin. "But I'm not so sure Clapton will accept."

Max simply folded his arms, calm and confident.

"Oh, they will. Tell them the winner of the match gets one hundred thousand."

That number hit like a hammer. Jay and Joe stared at him, eyes wide.

Now they were really confused.

Did Max have money... or didn't he?