218 The Fourth of July party 3

Brianna and Quentin broke out of the kiss when they heard girly giggling from the side. Three pre-teens were not secretive about peeking at them and whispering through giggles.

"It seems that we have an audience.", Brianna said breathlessly.

Quentin exhaled. "We should stop or move to a more private place."

Brianna's intense gaze was locked on Quentin's and she bit her lower lip, and he knew that she is all fired up. He was fired up as well.

"Do you want us to find a guest room? Or go to the pool house?", Quentin suggested.

"I do.", Brianna admitted. "But... how about we try to enjoy the party like normal people, and leave that for later?"

Quentin smiled and nodded in response. He likes that Brianna said to leave it for later. 'Later' means that she will not run away and that she will be by his side. He does not care how long is that 'later', because it is the first 'later' she is giving him. And it sounds wonderful.

One thing stood out and he had to ask: "Like normal people? Are you implying that we are normal?"

Brianna stifled a laugh. "I really don't know why I said that. Probably because I don't feel normal."

"How do you feel?", Quentin probed cautiously.

"Other than aroused, I am nervous… and happy."

"Happy is good. And the other two are good as well.", Quentin said smugly.

He stood up and offered her his hand. "Let's go and join the party…"

…

Quentin and Brianna found Liz, Mia, and Hunter standing and chatting in the shade of one tree.

"Where is Max?", Quentin asked.

"He said that he needs to take care of something and asked us to watch over Liz.", Mia responded while doing her best not to stare at Bri's and Quentin's connected hands. They are holding hands!

"Watch over Liz?", Brianna repeated. "After the pool incident, I guess she needs bodyguards."

Liz didn't have a response to this. But she knows that she should increase her vigilance. Having her friends around her like some form of protection is touching and embarrassing at the same time.

"Here you are!", Sabrina exclaimed as she approached them with Ashton who was two steps behind her.

Liz looked at Ashton and sighed. He looks like a puppy who is following Sabrina around. An idea popped in Liz's head about getting Sabrina to notice Ashton, and that might be the trigger for Sabrina to break free from Jackson. Liz took a mental note to talk to Max about this when she gets a chance. And probably with Mia and Hunter as well because the two of them are familiar with Ashton. Liz does not know him well, but he seems to be a nice guy.

Sabrina hugged Mia and Liz and they introduced her to Brianna.

"You are dating Quentin?", Sabrina asked right off the bat.

Brianna glanced at Quentin before responding in a small voice: "Yes."

Mia nudged Sabrina. "They just got official."

Sabrina understood. "Oh, you are shy? How cute!"

Brianna blinked. Is she shy? People called her many things, but 'shy' was not one of them.

"Is Jackson here?", Liz asked Sabrina in an attempt to get Sabrina to change the topic. Brianna does not need to be teased, not when everything is still fresh.

"No. He said that he will stop by later.", Sabrina responded while wondering, why is Liz asking about Jack? Didn't they have a talk where Liz found out that their engagement is a sham?

Sabrina didn't want to talk about Jackson, and she remembered that Ashton is by her side. She gestured toward Ashton and asked Brianna: "Did you meet? This is Ashton…"

Hunter and Quentin felt neglected, and as soon as Ashton's introduction was over, he was neglected as well because four girls started chatting without needing any inputs from the guys.

…

In the parlor on the main floor of the villa...

Max found Nathan with six of his buddies playing poker.

The parlor is a large room with built-in bookshelves and paintings filling the walls. The dark brown color of the wood and equally dark red carpet are a stark contrast to the rest of the house which is a combination of bright grays and light blues mixed with whites.

There are three sitting areas and two octagon-shaped tables with eight chairs around each, a pool table and one rectangle-shaped table with raised edges is for playing dice games.

A wet bar on the side has a bartender who is busy preparing drinks.

There are about forty men in the parlor, playing games, drinking, and chatting in a good atmosphere. That is why there are no middle-aged (and older) men at the party. And if Liz could glance inside this room, she would see that almost half of them were present at the fundraiser of the Franciscan Medical Center.

This is the room where Nathan brings his buddies for occasional gatherings and Madeline has her Thursday's women-only event when she is the one hosting it (members take turns in hosting).

Nathan gestured to Max to take a seat at the table. "I assume you are not here for the game."

Max confirmed and took his seat while greeting other gentlemen at the table. Max was pleased that Mr. Stone (aka Rita's father) and Mr. Bolton (aka McKenzie's father) are present.

"I wanted a word with you or Mr. Stone, but since both are here, this is perfect.", Max said.

Max told himself repeatedly to leave this for later, but he could not. Every time he looked away from Liz, he met strange gazes who obviously didn't approve of Elizabeth by his side, and he decided to make his move now.

"Do you want us to talk in private?", Nathan guessed.

Max declined. "It might be good if others hear about it. It will save you the time of conveying the message later."

Nathan guessed that whatever it is, it's not pleasant. But Max is here, and Nathan knows that Max will not just back down. He gestured with his hand to Max to go ahead and hoped that Max does not make this too awkward.

"I am here with Elizabeth...", Max started and glanced at other men at the table. "For the ones who don't know, that is my girlfriend."

The nods told Max that they heard him, or that they knew about this.

"Rita Stone attempted to push Elizabeth in the swimming pool.", Max said bluntly.

"What?", Mr. Stone asked in disbelief. "Why would she do that?"

Max raised his hand, indicating to Mr. Stone to wait.

"I don't know if it was meant as a prank or as a more malicious attempt, but it is Rita's luck that she failed. Your daughter left the party. Mr. Stone, because you are my father's friend, I will not act against her or you this time but if she tries anything again, I will not be benevolent."

Max glanced at every face at the table and his gaze stopped at Mr. Bolton. "Don't make me say this to everyone separately. You are responsible for your family."

Max stood up and declared: "I want everyone to know that Elizabeth is with me and acting against her is the same as acting against me. It is your job to inform all your family members so that they are aware of how actions of one will impact all. Do not test me."

Nathan looked at Max who managed to intimidate six people at the table who are almost twice his age and shook his head inwardly. It's not that he approves that those youngsters are making crazy attempts at Elizabeth, and he knows that Max is acting like this because of McKenzie who caused problems in Hawaii, but this is a party. How are they going to chat in a light atmosphere after this?

Max broke into a smile. "Enjoy the party."

Max observed every face at the table and he saw that he accomplished his mission in delivering a warning. This was not part of his plan initially, but he had to do something or Liz will end up dodging various 'pranks' for the duration of the party, and probably after that as well. And he brought her here to relax and enjoy, not to be a target.

Nathan looked after Max who left the room and cursed him silently for throwing a bomb and leaving.

Nathan glanced at his stunned buddies awkwardly. He knows what is coming, and he started counting in his mind: '3… 2… 1…'

"Did Max just threaten us?", Mr. Lisowski asked Nathan with disbelief obvious on his face.

Nathan exhaled. "What would you do if someone is endangering your loved one?"

"It was just a prank of pushing a girl into the pool.", Mr. Stone said sternly.

"For a young lady who picks her clothes meticulously and spends hours on hair and makeup, getting soaked in the pool is more than just a prank.", Nathan responded. "Not to mention ruining her day she was looking forward to and embarrassing her publicly, but there are dangers of being hurt as well. And also, this was not the first attempt to eliminate Maximilian's girlfriend."

Mr. Lisowski noticed Nathan's choice of words. "Eliminate?"

Nathan responded with a small nod. "I don't want to get into details because it will make this mood darker than it is. All of us here are aware that things can spiral out of control and I don't need to explain how a prank can escalate into something dangerous. Max has a girlfriend and they are in a serious relationship. Whoever approaches her with malicious intent, we will treat that person as an enemy who wants to use Elizabeth to hurt Max."

A stifling silence descended on the poker table, and it seemed that all other noises from the room were blocked off as well.

They all understood that Max is protective of his girlfriend and that Nathan is supporting him and there are even hints that Elizabeth is being approved as future Mrs. Anderson. That means that whatever Max plans to do in retaliation, Nathan will not stop him.

Mr. Stone stood up. "Excuse me. I need to find out what happened." He walked out of the room to find his wife, without giving anyone a chance to respond.

One by one, others did the same. Nathan watched them leave and he knew that they are going to find their wives and children and to warn them to behave before one of them crosses Max's bottom line.

Nathan stood up and went to the bar. Mr. Wardle and Mr. Ramos are there, and he could use a drink.

---

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