Chapter 24: Mistakes (2)

My voice sliced through the room, silencing Max immediately. I scowled and crossed my arms, exuding disdain. My mask, the one I had always kept dawned for the sake of upholding the brotherly façade, was now cast aside. Forgotten.

“Why…? Just why are you all so obsessed with me?”

My words bounced around the cabin walls. No one spoke. The silence allowed us to hear the muffled waves crashing outside the windows. Octavia merely let her eyes express her shock. Max, well… Max’s jaw had hit the linen sheets below.

“I have told father this, and I will tell you the same,” I went on without a hitch. “I’m twenty years old. My life doesn’t revolve around making you people happy. And I’m not even leaving forever! I’ll be back within half a year, so why are you trying to cage me like I’m some flightless bird?! I don’t care about what happened two years ago! I’m older now, and I can take care of myself! My happiness isn’t your responsibility! Nor is Devon’s, or father’s, or even your happiness mine!”

I averted my eyes after finishing my piece. I didn’t want to see whatever expression Max was making. I had a good enough idea anyway…

“‘Obsessed?’ ‘You people?’”

I glanced back at Max. There were no words to describe the sheer pain on his face just then. His eyes were glossy, and he pursed his lips to hold back his tears. Slowly, he sank into the bed and kneeled. The entire scene was the epitome of someone who had just lost everything that mattered to him. I wasn’t fazed. It was time I spoke my mind. I opened my mouth to continue, but a sharp voice immediately cut me off.

“What is wrong with you, Kallius?”

Octavia...

She lifted her eye patch to reveal wide eyes filled with anger and utter disbelief.

I frowned, indicating to her to mind her own business. But Octavia wouldn’t budge. She continued giving me her piercing glare as she softly embraced Max’s head as he shed a quiet tear.

“You went too far” she mouthed to me as she rubbed his shoulder.

Really? Frankly, I don’t think I went far enough. From what I have gathered during my time at the Alistair’s, Max is a bit spoilt. The baby of the family who isn’t afraid to do as he pleases. Is it not my job as his older brother to scold him when necessary? He ran away from home and was now pouring unnecessary feelings onto me. I wasn’t in the right state to be listening to this right now anyway…

A bit hurt by how obviously Octavia was taking his side, I merely answered her with a disappointed shake of the head.

“Maximus. When we reach the next stop, I’m sending a letter to father telling him you’re with me. Hopefully, it reaches him before he publishes you as missing in the national paper. And I don’t want to hear any nonsense out of you until he sends someone to escort you back.”

You are reading story I Became the Second Male Lead at novel35.com

I got up and walked around to Max’s side of the bed. He was still hunched over like a wounded soldier, but I grabbed his arm and pulled.

“W- wait!”

“What?”

Max and Octavia both looked at me with a hint of frustration in their eyes.

“Don’t- don’t you want to hear how I wound up here?” Max cried, almost pleadingly.

“Then you should have told me that earlier instead of crying about how awful I am…” I thought as I scrunched my nose in annoyance.

“No, I don’t,” I answered curtly. “I don’t care about how you got here. Now get up.”

My sleep-deprived self may have been partly responsible for my brief responses. In a normal state, I might have listened to his predictable story. He likely felt upset that I left despite his begging me not to. The household was probably also too suffocating for a free spirit like him, so he ran away from home, bought a disguise, and ended up gambling all his money away out of curiosity. Or maybe even spite. Anyway, I didn’t need to hear anything more to see—

Slap!

Before I completely pulled Max up from the bed, I felt a sharp sting on my hand. I quickly withdrew in shock as I staggered away from the bed. Octavia had just smacked my hand away from Max.

“I told you that you were going too far!” cried Octavia as she gathered her skirt and got up from the bed.

“Ha??” I exhaled as I clenched the hand she had hit.

My eyes went wide with utter confusion as I stared at Octavia’s small stature standing in front of me. I was beyond just being hurt now.

You can find story with these keywords: I Became the Second Male Lead, Read I Became the Second Male Lead, I Became the Second Male Lead novel, I Became the Second Male Lead book, I Became the Second Male Lead story, I Became the Second Male Lead full, I Became the Second Male Lead Latest Chapter