|A return trip|

Max paced back and forth while waiting to board the plane, four friends watched him, starting to get nervous.

"What are you going to do?" asked Alex, biting his thumbnail distractedly while keeping his eyes on his friend who continued to pace.

"I don't know, coming to Hawaii to keep up appearances as if I know nothing, I think it was a mistake. I should be there and confront them." Gus shook his head.

"Don't tell me that coming here and escaping the hell you were in is a mistake. We're your friends and at least you've had some fun, right?" Max stopped pacing and smiled weakly, looking at his four friends: Gustavo and Alejandro, both Americans, Viktor and Sasha, Germans who came to work with him from Berlin.

"Of course, he's had fun, the shameless one!" They all burst into laughter seeing their friend's face turn red, giving him away.

"Shut up, you bastards." They laughed even louder in that private boarding lounge.

"I want to know," said the tall, burly, and elegant man, crossing one leg over his knee and leaning back against the chair. "Was it so intense that you got lost in those thighs all night and part of the morning?" Max wasn't one to share personal details, and the worst part was that they knew it. The only girlfriend he had ever had, who he had made his fiancée, was in New York at that moment and was part of his father's legal team.

"I've never done this. You know that." They all nodded slowly, wiping the mockery off their faces.

"But it's been done to you, and we don't know for how long. That vile bastard did it to you, and we all hope he gets his karma. And of course, you'll help him get it." They all remembered Horacio, another friend of the group, who still didn't know he was an ex-friend, had been sleeping with Max's fiancée right under his nose. Max had been devastated by the betrayal of both, who thought they were covering their affair perfectly, but it wasn't so. Max had discovered them and continued with the wedding plans as if nothing had happened, just to teach them a lesson they would never forget. Max hated infidelity; his mother had done it to his father, and he always believed that being unfaithful wasn't manly and that when one loved, it could cause a lot of pain. And although he loved his fiancée, he would never forgive her.

"Come on, spill it," said Alejandro, as curious as the others.

"I'll just say this: A real lioness." They all widened their eyes, impressed by Max's response, and then began clapping, excited and amused. But the voice over the loudspeaker, announcing it was time to board, interrupted the moment. "Now, let's go to New York," Max announced, grabbing his briefcase.

The flight hours to New York City went by quickly. Max had constantly replayed the images of the previous night and this morning, but then they vanished when he remembered she was married and on her honeymoon. "Relax, it was just casual sex," he told himself, feeling angry and disappointed. He had been the man used for infidelity. Well, maybe her husband knew, but he shook his head. He needed to focus on the merger happening first thing Monday morning and still had to prepare for that meeting with his father. This merger was crucial for the family, but even more so for his father, as it marked his retirement from business, ending on a high note. Max would be the head of everything his father left behind, and though it was a lot of pressure and responsibility, he would take it on. But without a wife by his side as planned. And he didn't know it yet.

During the ride from the airport to the hotel where his father was temporarily staying, he thought about his next steps to achieve his goals. A bellboy carried his suitcase, and they headed to the elevator. Before entering, he turned to his four friends.

"At the bar at nine?" They all nodded, tired from the trip and the sleepless nights they had during the week in Hawaii. Max entered the elevator, and the doors closed in front of him. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Let this end quickly," he prayed to himself. Upon arriving at the suite, he left his things and then went to look for his father. It was past two in the afternoon, so he assumed he would be at lunch. He typed a message to his father's assistant to find out where he was. "Restaurant," came the reply. He smiled, seeing that his father still kept his habits. He headed to the restaurant and found him at the private table with the best view of the city.

"Finally, you made it, son," his father said with excitement, greeting him. Max sat down in the chair across from him.

"How was the bachelor party?" his father asked, quite curious, taking a bite of steak. Max signaled the waiter, ordered the same as his father, and then watched him eat, waiting for an answer.

"It was fun," Max said, looking away at the view. Then he let out a long sigh.

"That sigh is unusual for you. What's bothering you?" Max wanted to tell him there wouldn't be a wedding, but that would be for another time. He looked back at his father.

"Nothing's bothering me, I'm just tired and jet-lagged from the trip. But let's not talk about me," he paused, "Are you ready for the new merger?"

His father finished eating and took a sip of his wine, then wiped his lips with the cloth napkin.

"I'm finally at peace. I close this last deal, and everything passes to your hands. I hope you follow my steps as long as I can still guide you."

"Don't start with the death talk and all that. You're healthy, your latest tests are stable. Just cut back on the meat." His father snorted.

"Never. I love meat." Max smiled at his response.

"Well, as you wish." His father smiled now.

"My other guest has arrived," his father said, looking past Max. He turned his head over his shoulder to see who he was referring to, and there she was, walking elegantly towards their table: Irina, his current and unfaithful fiancée.