Fake Date, Real Fate-Chapter 63: Banished

Max blinked in shock, as if his body was still deciding whether to stand up or collapse.

His cousin—the cousin—laughed nervously and tugged on his arm.

"Let’s just go inside," she said while trying to drag him away. "Ignore them. He’s not worth it."

They turned to leave, but they didn’t get very far.

Two security guards stepped forward from the entrance of the restaurant and stood there effortlessly blocking them.

"Sorry, sir. You’re not allowed entry." One of them said

Max stared at them like they were speaking a foreign language. "What?"

His voice cracked. "Do you know who I am?"

"I said, do you know who I am?"

The crack in his voice sold him out, but none of the guards answered him or even reacted.

A moment passed.

Then the front doors opened, and the manager himself came rushing out.

"Mr. Walton," he said quickly—to Adrien. "I am so sorry for the disturbance."

I felt my stomach drop.

Max froze.

Adrien didn’t look at him. Not even once.

His voice was colder now. Final.

"He is banned," Adrien said simply, his gaze fixed somewhere over Max’s left shoulder, completely ignoring him." from every property you own or every partner you remotely deal with or have ever dealt with."

"Understood, Mr. Walton," said the manager, his tone immediately taking on a high amount of deference.

He turned to the security guards. "See these two off the premises immediately. And make sure they know they’re not welcome back."

"wait. Wait! What?" Max stammered, finally finding his voice, though it sounded panicked. "Banned? Why am I banned? You can’t just –"

He waved his hands, first at Adrien and then at the manager. "Do you even know who I am? I’m Max Fucking Harrison! My father owns the Harrison Group! We dine here all the time! This is ridiculous!"

"Mr. Harrison, while we respect your family... it is clear your actions recently have not been conducive to a pleasant experience for our other guests."

He glanced—just slightly—at Adrien and me. "Furthermore, Mr. Walton’s request is... definitive."

Max blinked. He seemed to finally process the name. The weight of it, the power of it, finally seemed to settle in his bones. The colour drained from his cheeks, leaving him looking sick, and even more pale. The arrogance plastered on his face just moments ago faded, replaced by dawning dread.

His cousin, who had been tugging desperately at his sleeve, finally let go, stepping back as if distancing herself from a radioactive source. She understood, everyone understood, the sheer and utter power of the Walton family. They weren’t just wealthy; they were implicated in the system of the city itself, endowed with operations in every market, their name shrouded in a mixture of awe and fear.

"Walton?" Max repeated, whispering now. He licked his lips as he looked from Adrien, to the manager, then to the unmoving guards. "Adrien Walton? But... but how...?"

Adrien remained still, even if that was not traditionally the term for perceiving a state of being. He was talking to another person on the phone and was active in thought, but Max could tell that Adrien was looking past him, probably about 30 cm away somewhere over his left shoulder, like he didn’t even exist.

"My apologies again, Mr. Walton," the manager said stepping out of the way for the guards. "It won’t happen again."

Max finally flinched as a guard gently but firmly took his arm. "Sir, we must insist you leave."

"No, wait! Mr. Walton!" Max’s voice had turned into a painfully sad croak, and stripped of any previous arrogance. He tried to twist around to look directly at Adrien, to plead with him, to explain to him, anything to stop what was unfolding I guess.

"Mr Walton! Wait! You can’t! This is ridiculous."

Adrien let out a breath—a small, almost inaudible breath, but it resonated with the weight of a millennia of power; he still wouldn’t look Max in the eye. fгeewebnovёl.com

Madison, however, looked genuinely scared now. Her Pookie Bear wasn’t looking so tough under pressure.

She had a solid grip on Max’s arm again, and she was pulling harder. "Max, let’s just go. It’s fine, we’ll eat somewhere else." Her voice was tight, squeezed

"No! I’m not going to let some—" Max started reluctantly, staring pointedly at Adrien—who still wouldn’t react.

The security guard on Max’s left took a step forward, his hand lightly but firmly touching Max’s elbow. "Sir, we must insist. You need to leave the premises now."

I watched as humiliation flickered in Max’s eyes. His expression quieted when he realized it was a battle he couldn’t win. He turned on Adrien, feeling the build-up of tension then his eyes veered to me.

"This isn’t over, Isa," he hissed, a pathetic attempt at a threat.

I just watched him, my expression blank, allowing him no satisfaction.

Madison finally managed to drag him away, practically pulling him around the security guards who parted just enough to let them pass, then closed ranks behind them.

Max threw one last angry look back before disappearing around the building and Madison helped him along, running down the sidewalk with her clutch purse flopping around at her hip.

And again, there was silence, heavy and thick with the fallout of what had just happened.

The small crowd of lunch-goers who had paused to watch the spectacle slowly began to disperse, murmuring amongst themselves, eyes flicking between us and the restaurant entrance.

The manager waited a beat, ensuring the offending duo were gone, then turned back to Adrien, his smile returning, but it was mixed with apology. "Again, my sincere apologies, Mr. Walton. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

Adrien finally shifted his gaze, his eyes meeting the manager’s. The coldness from moments ago has melted, but was replaced with a calm amd mildly weary politeness. "o, that won’t be necessary, thanks. Just don’t let them be back. Or cause any similar issues."

"Consider it done, sir," the manager assured him, bowing slightly. The manager then gave me a slight nod of acknowledgment before retreating back into the restaurant with the doors swinging shut behind him.

I stood frozen for another second taking in the empty space where Max and Madison just disappeared.

I felt the fight go out of me, replaced by a trembling emptiness and a sense of deep shock. Not just from the confrontation itself, but from the shocking finality of it.

I turned slowly and faced Adrien.

He was looking at me, his eyes softened now, looking concerned on his face. His hand still rested lightly on my back, his warmth felt grounding. I don’t know what to say.

"Miss Miller?" he inquired again, this time in a quiet, familiar deep voice instead of a harsh "quiet down."I guess I didn’t hear him the first time. He didn’t ask about the conversation, or Max or Madison - he asked about me.

I spoke in a quaking whisper. "Mr. Walton"

He met my eye with a small, almost imperceptible nod. His gaze never broke.

"You..." I swallowed, trying to process what had just happened. The quiet, considerate man I had been slowly getting to know, who listened and provided gentle reassurance, had just removed my ex out of a public place with a few choice words. The manager for the restaurant had practically saluted him. "You own this place?"

He paused for just a moment. "Or have a big investment in... many of them."

My eyes widened a bit

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