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Outside the Neighborhood.
"Wow, I'm honored you even remember me," MAX said with a self-deprecating smirk.
"Of course I remember you!"
Caroline wiped her tears, a little embarrassed. "You were the one who… made that sound at my coming-of-age party. And, well, you're kinda hard to forget." She glanced up at MAXAM, who somehow seemed even more intimidating from this angle.
"I was just thinking about that party too," MAX admitted, shrugging. "That's why I almost bailed—I hesitated like crazy. But then I figured, eh, saying hi won't kill me. Adam's impressive, sure, but he's not that magical. And if he is? Well, I'll just lie down and accept my fate."
"Adam?" Caroline blinked, surprised. "You're still dating him?"
"Nah, not really."
MAX couldn't resist a snarky jab. "He's my boss now—I'm basically his secretary. You know how it goes, right?" She winked.
"Oh, I get it," Caroline said, her eyes dimming. "My dad had a secretary too… once upon a time."
"Sorry," MAX said, giving her a pitying look.
"You already know, huh?" Caroline forced a smile. "Makes sense. Back then, everyone knew the Channings. Now? Everyone really knows us."
"Your dad was a legend!" MAX flashed a thumbs-up. "Scamming so many people, raking in all that cash—total baller move!" Then she tilted her head, curious. "You really had no clue?"
"My dad never told me anything," Caroline said with a bitter laugh. "He just said business was booming these past few years."
"Oh, it was booming alright," MAX nodded. "All those suckers chasing his 'high returns,' while he had his eye on their principal. People in New York were lining up to hand him money—you practically needed VIP status or a backdoor deal just to get in. How could business not be good?"
Caroline hung her head in shame. What used to be her biggest pride was now her deepest wound. She didn't blame her dad, though. Raised under his meticulous guidance, she knew this kind of thing was a solo secret—not something you'd spill to your daughter, or even mutter in your sleep.
"So, what's your plan now?" MAX asked, glancing at her.
"I don't know," Caroline said, her voice breaking. "I've got nowhere to go. My boyfriend, my so-called besties—none of them are picking up. They're all 'out.' I can't handle more humiliation… I think I need a job. Hey, where's a place Upper East Siders would never set foot in?"
"Brooklyn," MAX replied without missing a beat. "But if someone like you goes there, good luck getting out. Maybe 30% chance you're carried out, 70% chance you just vanish."
"It's not that bad, is it?" Caroline's eyes widened. "I know it's rough, but it's still New York. Don't the cops do anything?"
"Cops need to actually be there first," MAX said, reaching out a hand. "You're a princess who's read a few books and knows the world's got a dark side, but you've got no idea what real darkness is. Come on, get up. If you've got nowhere else, crash at my place tonight. Figure out tomorrow when it comes."
"Really? I can?"
Caroline looked at MAX in shock and gratitude. She never imagined that in her lowest moment, someone she'd once looked down on—a stranger—would offer her a lifeline.
"Only if you don't try to be my 'sister,'" MAX shrugged. "You'll figure out why eventually."
"It's been four years, and you still remember that?"
Caroline took MAX's hand, letting herself be pulled up. She brushed back her flowing blonde hair and gave a wry smile. "Don't worry, no one's lining up to be near me now. The richer they are, the less they want me. Adam's the youngest billionaire out there—he can have anything. No way he'd risk pissing off a crowd just for me."
"Whoa," MAX said, genuinely impressed. "You don't just remember—you've actually thought this through. Girl, I thought I was wild, but compared to you? I'm nothing!"
"No, no!" Caroline waved her hands frantically. "I'm not trying to steal Adam from you or anything…"
"Chill!" MAX laughed, cutting her off. "What's he to me? It's been four years—you think a guy like him is still hung up on someone like me?"
"You're great. You're worth him sticking around for," Caroline said sincerely.
"Quit the flattery," MAX grinned, waving it off. "I said you can come, so I won't back out. Let's go—my car's over there."
"That's your car?"
Caroline gaped at MAX's beat-up ride, stunned.
"Yup, that's my baby," MAX said, tossing Caroline's luggage in the trunk with a self-mocking grin. "Pretty pathetic for a secretary, huh?"
"No, it's not… Is Adam really that stingy?"
Caroline tried to be polite but couldn't hold back.
"What do you think?"
MAX finished loading the bags and motioned for Caroline to hop in. As she started the car, she smirked, "He's not just stingy—he's petty as hell. Cross him even a little, and he'll make your life miserable. You can scream for mercy all you want; he won't care…"
"…"
Caroline started to take it seriously, but by the end, she just rolled her eyes. As a Channing heiress, she wasn't that naive—she knew a tease when she heard one.
"Alright, kidding aside," MAX said, glancing at her with a chuckle. "I call him my 'sugar daddy' sometimes, but I can work for myself. Why take his money? And the car? It's just to get around—why splurge on a fancy one?"
"But aren't you his secretary?" Caroline asked, confused.
"I've played the part," MAX shrugged.
"Now I'm lost," Caroline said, frowning. "What do you actually do? And if you don't take his money, how are you even here?"
Her fifth "bestie"—the one who'd always been the quiet, "poor" one in their group—was still loaded by normal standards. Her family was filthy rich, living in a neighborhood packed with millionaires. In the U.S., the wealthy love jacking up local prices to squeeze out the broke folks, then cluster together. Cops follow, patrolling 24/7 to keep out the riffraff and pamper the elites with top-tier safety.
With MAX's apparent budget, she shouldn't be able to stroll into a place like this without Adam's clout.
"Adam started a book-making company," MAX explained with a grin. "He does the outlines, I flesh out the details and draw the art. When I'm stuck on a plot, I call him over to brainstorm. Or, you know, when I'm stuck on other things that need sorting out. Guy's a beast—endless energy.
So yeah, kinda like a secretary, right?
As for why I'm here, a kid's having a birthday nearby. She's obsessed with our Peppa Pig comics. You know how it is with these rich kids' birthdays—totally different from ours. They get whatever they want. Her mom rang me up, and boom, I'm here singing and spilling unpublished comic stories for her."
"I get it," Caroline said wistfully. "When I was a kid, my dad got Macaulay Culkin for my birthday. (Timeline's shifted—any differences from the original are thanks to Adam's meddling.) Shame he had to go back eventually."
"Your family got the Home Alone kid as a birthday gift?" MAX's jaw dropped. "Your folks were drowning in cash! No wonder Melissa was so jealous of you—and no wonder she's loving this now."
"You know Melissa?" Caroline froze. "Wait, the birthday girl's her little sister?"
That fifth bestie—the one who'd crushed her last shred of hope.
"Yup," MAX said, giving her a sympathetic look. "That's how I heard about you so fast. Even if her mom paid me extra, I only gave my real blessings to my little fan—not the whole family."
"Should've fake-blessed them," Caroline muttered, slapping her thigh in regret. "Could've squeezed out a few more bucks!"
"…"
MAX stared, speechless. "Congrats, you're definitely not adopted!"