From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17 - That's Not My Name?

His chest tightened, a sinking feeling pulling down hard in his stomach.

That one sentence—"If you're watching this, then I'm already dead."—

It was already too much to take in.

He's really gone... Max thought, staring at the frozen image of himself on screen. Is this what I think it is?

The kid ended up in the hospital. His body was covered in bruises. Am I about to watch his suicide note?

The idea unsettled him more than he expected.

And if that was the case—would the hospital really have just discharged him like nothing happened?

Still, the truth was impossible to ignore. The real Max Stern was gone. And somehow... he'd taken his place.

He took a deep breath. One of the few advantages of living the life he had was that his emotions weren't easily shaken. If he was going to take over this life—play the part of Max Stern—he needed to understand who the kid really was.

Without hesitation, he clicked play.

And braced himself.

"My life..." the Max on screen said, voice already breaking. "It's been hard. So hard. And maybe, as someone from the Stern family, that's hard to believe."

His voice cracked.

"Things changed when Mom and Dad died. And the more I think about it... with everything that's happened, I don't even know if it was an accident."

The Max in the video pulled his knees into his chest, hunching forward. He rocked gently, like he was trying to find some small, familiar comfort in the middle of his pain.

Eventually, the Max on screen wiped his tears away. His expression changed. There was still pain in his eyes, but now there was something else behind it. A spark.

"But I can't give up," he said, voice steadier. "I won't. That's why... I'm going to fight back, in my own way."

He looked straight into the camera.

"The reason I'm making this video is so that if someone finds it... they'll know. I, Max Stern, didn't kill myself."

Max blinked at the screen, surprised.

He hadn't expected that.

And judging by the look in the kid's eyes, it wasn't fake. This was real—raw. The face of someone who had been pushed too far, for too long... and had finally decided to fight back.

And where did it get him? Max thought, jaw tightening. In a hospital bed, with bruises all over his body.

The Max on screen let out a heavy sigh before continuing.

"There are people... people who've made my life miserable. Every one of them has hurt me in their own way. And I swear, I'm going to get back at them. All of them."

He hesitated, glancing away for a second—then looked back at the camera.

"But if this video ever gets out, I don't know which one of them will see it. And I'm sure... somehow, they'll twist this too. Use it against me. Or worse—use it to go after the people I care about."

"That's why I'm recording this. Not just to vent. But to find the truth. To finish what I couldn't."

His eyes narrowed.

"All of these people hurt me in some way... but one of them... one of them killed me."

Max was making a mental note of everything being said. It was obvious this video had been made for someone—but who? A friend? A family member? Maybe even Aron? One thing was clear—it wasn't meant for him.

Not for someone with no context. Not for someone who had taken over Max Stern's life.

I should probably ask Aron what really happened, Max thought. He hasn't said much about it, and I never pushed... maybe there's a reason. Still, judging by how he acted today, I doubt he's involved.

On screen, the boy's voice cut through Max's thoughts.

"Remember the following names..."

Max immediately pulled out his phone and started jotting them down.

There was no way he'd remember them all otherwise—and something about watching this video again just didn't sit right with him. It felt too personal.

One by one, the names were listed. And then, after the last one... silence.

"I'm sorry for putting all of this on your shoulders," the Max in the video said quietly.

And just like that, the screen went black. The video was over. Max slowly closed the laptop. It felt like he had just peeked into someone else's soul. Like he'd read a diary that was never meant to be opened.

"But why?" he growled. "Why didn't this idiot say what these people actually did to him?"

"How's anyone supposed to help you if they don't even know what happened? No details, no context—just a bunch of names! How was this video supposed to help anyone?"

It almost felt like the real Max had wanted to make things difficult. Like he'd purposely left behind a puzzle without giving anyone the pieces.

Beep. Beep.

Messages from: "Stalker."