Maximus’s POV
There’s something off about Mason. Ever since he returned, he’s been acting strangely. He barely speaks to me, and when he does, it’s always to throw jabs my way. I try to engage him in a decent conversation, but he shoots me down every time. Mason feels so different from the boy who left the house.
Back then, he was shy and timid, hardly speaking up at home. Our father used to pick on him constantly, and I was the one who always stood up for Mason against our father’s relentless teasing.
It got worse when Mason expressed his desire to pursue something other than business in college. I’ll never forget the heated argument that erupted that day.
Our father hit him like he was a child, forcing him to follow his plan. So when Mason called me to say he had switched his major,
