CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - A Glimpse of Vulnerability

Max nodded, reaching for the whiskey bottle with shaking hands. This time, Ava gently intercepted, moving it out of reach. "I swore I'd never be like him," Max said, his voice barely above a whisper. "That I'd rebuild what he destroyed, make the Bennett name mean something again. But sometimes... sometimes I wonder if I'm just following in his footsteps." The vulnerability in his admission stunned Ava. For the first time, she saw beyond the arrogant facade to the wounded man beneath – a man still grappling with the betrayal of his father and the weight of expectations he'd placed on himself. "Max," she said gently, "you're not your father. You've built something incredible here. But you don't have to do it alone." He looked up at her, his expression a mix of hope and wariness. "How can you say that after the way I've treated you? After everything you've seen?" Ava smiled softly. "Because I know the real you, Max. Not just the tough businessman, but the man who stays late to help a