191 They returned home to a mess 1

In the hallway of the 31st floor…

Max didn't let go of Liz while she punched her passcode and he carried her inside her apartment princess style.

"What do you want to do first? Eat, or shower?", Max asked while pushing the door open with his back.

Liz answered with a question in a seductive voice: "Are those two my only options?"

As the door closed behind them, Max's steps froze, and he was glad that he didn't answer Liz's question yet.

"What the…?", Liz was unable to finish her question.

She looked at all the people in her apartment and wondered, why are they here? There are papers scattered on the floor and a lot of carry-on boxes stacked in several places. Disposable plates and cups are mixed with ceramic ones which obviously came from the cabinets of Liz's kitchen. The number of empty water and juice bottles are telling her that these people are here for some time. And are those wine bottles from her pantry? What's with all the mess? There is some ambient music in the room… Did they throw a party in her absence?

Liz had so many questions, but she could not speak.

"Why are you all here?", Max asked.

Nathan, Madeline, Mrs. Wilson, Foxy, Rhonda, Mia, Hunter, Sabrina, Olivia, Ashton, Jake, Derek, and Mike stared at Max and Liz entering her apartment like newlyweds. The only thing out of place was that instead of flowers, Liz had two plastic bags in her hands.

They all stared at Max and Liz, unsure of how to respond to Max's question.

Liz squirmed out of Max's hold and as soon as her feet touched the ground, Liz's sight narrowed on Mia. She is the only one who has her passcode. Well, Olivia has it as well, but Liz can't imagine that Olivia has the capability to summon this diverse group of people, so the only suspect is Mia. And why is everyone looking at them with a mix of disbelief and glee?

Liz cleared her throat and asked Mia: "Will you tell us what is going on here? Or I need to call the security?"

At the sight of carefree Max and Liz entering the apartment, Nathan was ready to burst into a scolding. They were obviously somewhere having fun while everyone else was worried sick while looking for them! But now that Liz is looking around with shock and anger obvious on her face, his fighting spirit subsided.

Mia darted toward Liz and hugged her tightly. "We thought that you are dead!"

Liz was not sure if she heard Mia right. "What? You thought that we are dead, and you decided to throw a party and trash my place?"

At Liz's question, everyone glanced around, and they realized that the apartment is super-messy.

Liz tried getting out of Mia's embrace, but Mia is too strong.

Max grabbed Mia's wrists and pried Liz out of Mia's hold before he put his arms around Liz protectively.

Max frowned at Mia. "Will you explain what is going on here? Or will someone else do it?"

"Where were you? We couldn't reach you the whole day!", Hunter grumbled. He is not happy how Max handled Mia.

"On my boat.", Max responded.

"Ah…", Nathan exhaled loudly. They forgot about the boat. Actually, they forgot about many options. As soon as Nathan heard Hunter talk about Tyler and how he has a grudge against Max and that he was stalking Elizabeth, Nathan didn't think about anything so harmless like Max and Liz spending a day on his boat.

Now that Liz is here, Olivia glanced at the mess in the apartment, and as Liz's housekeeper, she was embarrassed. "I will clean this up quickly…"

Ashton, Jake, Derek, Mike, and Sabrina joined Olivia in tidying the place.

Liz ignored Olivia. She looked at Mia and exhaled in frustration. "This… I don't know what to say."

Liz looked at Max. "Why does this feel like we are parents who returned earlier than planned, and we caught our kids throwing a party?"

Max was not sure if he should laugh or cry or start scolding everyone present. He carried plastics with their food to the dining table and then turned to the living room.

"OK. Will someone tell us why all of you are here? Even if you thought that we left the country or died, that does not explain all this.", Max was unable to hide his irritation. Other than seeing that this group of people trashed Liz's apartment, the two of them were about to eat, freshen up and have sexy time (not necessarily in that order). With all this commotion, Liz's mood might worsen!

Nathan waved them to come to the living area. "Why don't you sit? It's a long story…"

Max held Liz's hand in his and led the way to the sofa.

"Make it short.", Max told Nathan.

About ten minutes later…

Olivia and her five helpers almost-tidied the apartment by clearing up most of the mess, while Mia and Hunter told Liz and Max what happened during the afternoon. Nathan and Madeline added details and Mrs. Wilson, Foxy and Rhonda listened.

"You assumed that we are kidnaped by Tyler? And because of that you located major gossips in Seattle and told them that the two of us are missing?", Max asked while his eyes darted angrily between Hunter and Mia.

Liz was so irritated by the current situation that she decided not to speak. Max spent so much time and effort to get rid of those gossip sites, and these people just added oil to the fire! And her apartment is still not tidy enough!

"Yes and no.", Hunter responded. "We didn't tell them that you are missing. We asked them questions related to you two, to find out how much they know and what is the latest they have."

"Oh, and we threatened them that we know where they live and if they spread any more gossip related to any of us, we will be back.", Mia added.

Max took a deep breath to compose himself. "And you think that your questions were so clever, and they didn't pick up that something is going on?"

"No matter what they picked up, they have no proof.", Hunter said in a weak voice. "You know that we would never do anything to harm you or to cause problems on purpose."

Max shook his head in disapproval. "I know. You would not do it on purpose. But since when those people need proof to cause trouble?"

"We have their phone numbers and addresses. If any of them dares to misbehave we will find them easily.", Mia said. "You were missing, and we were out of options. We were concerned."

Max and Liz exchanged glances but none of them responded. They know that everyone present means well, but that does not mean that they didn't overreact and possibly caused more problems!

"Well, it was a long day.", Mrs. Wilson said while standing up from the sofa chair. "I am glad that Max and Liz are back unharmed. But don't think that this was in vain. Thanks to you coming to the hospital, I found out that leniency only makes it worse." She turned to Elizabeth. "I don't know how to convey how sorry I am for Tyler disturbing you at work and making you feel unsafe. I only hope that in time I find a way to make it up to you."

Liz was surprised that Mrs. Wilson knows about that. "Uhm… Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. Just hearing these words and knowing that you care means a lot."

Mrs. Wilson eyed Liz's dress. "You seem like a fashionable young woman. I will send you some of my latest creations."

"That is not…"

"Please, I insist.", Mrs. Wilson interrupted Liz's rejection and put her business card on the coffee table. "It will make me feel better. If you don't like them, throw them away. I heard that you are from New York and that you came here for work, on your own. Feel free to contact me if you need anything. If I can help you, I will. I hope that you will sleep better with the knowledge that by tomorrow evening, Tyler will go to the army, and he will not be back for some time."

Mrs. Wilson turned to Nathan and Madeline. "Thank you for allowing me to join you. I was able to see how a great family interacts. Cherish what you have because there is nothing better than seeing your kids grown up into respectable adults."

Mrs. Wilson made her way toward the door and Rhonda and Foxy stood up as well.

"The party is over.", Rhonda said half-jokingly and turned to Liz. "You were right. I and Nicole are getting along well."

Liz smiled. "I am glad."

Foxy hooked her arm with Rhonda's and announced: "You two kids are getting into trouble, so the two of us agreed to keep an eye on you."

"Thank you.", Liz and Max responded in unison.

As much as Foxy sounded like she is joking, both Liz and Max know that Foxy and Rhonda are watching over them.

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