162 Preparations for the FMC fundraiser

~ Seattle, Alpha Group ~

Monday

10:52 AM

Max and Nathan are walking down the hallway, on their way to their next meeting.

"Did you see Hunter?", Nathan asked Max.

"No. He will not come to work today.", Max responded dryly.

"Will he come tomorrow?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" Irritation was apparent in Max's voice.

Nathan exhaled. He called Hunter on Sunday, but all his calls ended in the voicemail. But even if Hunter picked up, Nathan is not sure what he should say. Should he apologize? For what? Because they want to know about Mia's family?

Nathan regrets that the situation reached the point where they argued and that Mia's feelings are hurt, but he does not believe that they are wrong for asking about her background. After all, if they are about to get married, Nathan is confident that he and Madeline (and the rest of the Anderson family) have the right to know from where Mia is coming from.

The fact that Mia reacted the way she did and that her past is practically non-existent only confirms that something is wrong about it. And since they don't have any facts to work with, Nathan and Madeline are imagining anything from drug lords to Italian mafia and international criminals. They don't have anything against Mia, and they don't want to stand in Hunter's path to happiness, but they will not support him if he plans to be tangled with a shady family like that.

Nathan is not sure how to handle this situation. Hunter was never a problem-child. He was obedient and followed rules, he was a good boy. And this… he does not know what to do. It's like Hunter is not Hunter anymore, but someone else possessed his body. Can falling in love change a person to such extent?

"Do you think that we overdid it?", Nathan asked Max reluctantly.

Max knows that Nathan is talking about their fiasco dinner on Saturday.

"'Overdid' is a mild word for what you put Mia through." Max didn't sugarcoat his words. "Even if you have no respect for Mia, both you and mom know that Hunter is in love with her. Did you think that he will sit and watch while you are grilling her?"

Nathan forced a smile and nodded at the group of three employees who are standing in the hallway and observing Nathan and Max as they walked by.

"We didn't think that it will escalate like that.", Nathan admitted. "We only wanted to find out something about her family."

Max shook his head in disapproval. "Why didn't you talk to Hunter in private first? With everyone present, it only made it worse."

"As I said, we didn't think that it will escalate… Did Isaac say something?"

Max paused. "About?"

"About the dinner."

"No. Isaac didn't mention it. He left after breakfast on the next day."

"You are getting along well with him.", Nathan voiced his observation.

"Yes." Max pressed the button to summon the elevator and turned to Nathan. "Dad, Isaac arrived on Friday and he was curious about me. He wanted to know if I am treating Liz well and how we are getting along. He never asked about my family or my background."

Nathan understood that Max is telling him indirectly how he and Madeline took the wrong approach on Saturday when talking to Hunter and Mia. "We only want to make sure that she has no ulterior motives. The fact that she is concealing information about her family is unsettling."

"Ulterior motives…", Max repeated. "Tell me… if her father is in jail for murder, how would you treat Mia? Or if her family is poor, would you support them?"

"That… I don't know.", Nathan admitted. "But we would at least be wary of her and keep an eye on the situation."

Max and Nathan entered the elevator. During their ride to the 42nd floor, both of them were silent.

As soon as they exited the elevator, Nathan pulled Max to the side. "I see that you don't approve. What would you do differently if you are in our place?"

Max has no problem sharing his opinion. "If you are concerned that Mia is a gold digger, cut Hunter off financially. Don't tell him that it's because of her, but that you want him to live from his own income. Many families are doing that, and it would not be unusual. It's as simple as that. That would solve the problem and you could sleep peacefully knowing that Mia can't touch your bank accounts. If her family are criminals or involved in anything bad, that does not mean that she is. Even if she was a criminal before, people change. Look at me."

Nathan's brows furrowed while listening to Max. They didn't think about it from that perspective.

He likes the idea of cutting of Hunter financially. In truth, Hunter has his own salary and he is not using any money from family accounts, so even if they cut him off, it would not change anything other than to let Mia know that Hunter is on his own. And later, if they are convinced that Mia is true to Hunter, they can always include them back. Really, it is a simple solution but when the background check results came, both Madeline and Nathan panicked, and they didn't think straight.

As for the fact that people change under the specific circumstances, Max is a perfect example how it can happen. Twice. Once when his behavior took a wrong turn and the second time when he started dating Elizabeth and fixed his act.

Max was frustrated. For years, his father is preaching how Max needs to straighten up his life, and now he failed miserably at this simple thing to the point of alienating Hunter.

"Dad, there are many ways to solve this issue, and starting a round of questioning in front of Mia was not one of them." Max's snorted. "If you treated Elizabeth how you treated Mia, I would not show up to work today either."

This reminded Nathan that they caused a misunderstanding about Liz being pregnant. And she also witnessed them being rude to Mia, who is Liz's friend. "How is Liz? Did she say something about the dinner on Saturday?"

"I don't think that Liz will attend another dinner with the Anderson family any time soon.", Max said honestly. Actually, even if Madeline and Nathan organize the party of the century, Max has no intention of allowing Liz to get near his family. They are so overenthusiastic about Elizabeth that they will end up chasing her away.

Nathan looked at Max with a troubled expression. "Max, son… I apologize. I wish that there is a way to turn back the time and redo that dinner, but I can't. We left a horrible impression and I have no idea how we can fix it."

A small smirk appeared at the edge of Max's lips. "There is one thing you could to regarding Liz…"

Nathan's eyes lit up.

Max started with a warning: "I don't know if it will fix the things completely, but it will be a move in the right direction."

Nathan glanced at the time. "Max, at this rate, we will be late for the meeting.", Nathan indicated that Max should get to the point.

Max smirked when he saw Nathan's enthusiasm. "A hospital is organizing a fundraiser on Saturday, and Alpha group is invited."

Nathan confirmed that he knows what Max is talking about. "Yes. The Franciscan Medical Center. We are sending three representatives. It will be someone from finances, as usually."

Max frowned. "You know that Elizabeth is neurosurgeon at the Franciscan Medical Center, right? And based on the invitation, the neurology wing is on the list of their future plans."

Nathan understood the meaning behind Max's words: "You are saying that I should go in person."

Max confirmed. "Elizabeth values her career. She will appreciate your support."

Nathan added in agreement. "Good idea. Thanks…"

Max lifted his hand, indicating that he is not done. "As an additional proof of your sincerity, you should call some of your friends and encourage them to attend the event in person… and place their donations toward the neurology wing."

Nathan looked at Max who is taking advantage of the situation and exhaled in defeat. "OK. I will let them know that the promising neurosurgeon will be my daughter-in-law. Is that fine?"

Max paused. "You can tell them what you want but remember that Liz likes to keep her private life… private. If you say something like that, it might lead to a dinner with an ending similar to the one we had on Saturday."

Nathan understood that he should not talk about Liz's private life. And he didn't want to. His intention was to see Max's reaction to the 'daughter-in-law' part, and he is surprised with the outcome. "You are serious about her?"

"We will be late for the meeting.", Max ignored Nathan's question and walked toward the conference room where the meeting is.

Max didn't answer the question with words, but his smile was worth a thousand words. Nathan is amazed by this discovery: after so much time, Max is finally serious about a girl to the point of not denying the possibility of a marriage! And it's not just any girl, but Elizabeth who is a doctor and a daughter of Isaac Williams. Nathan can't wait to go home and tell Madeline about it.

Nathan followed after Max in hurried steps.

Thinking how Max is serious about Liz, Nathan had to ask: "Will you attend the fundraiser on Saturday?"

"You can't go without your assistant.", Max said smugly and opened the door of the conference room, gesturing to Nathan to get in. "CEO Anderson… after you."

Nathan smiled and shook his head. Of course, Max is coming.

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