CHAPTER 73: THE ONE THEY ALL WANT.

Maximus sank deeper into his couch, one arm resting against the plush cushion while the other held his phone to his ear.

His morning had been quiet — finally a break from the chaos of managing Salt Haven. No photo shoots, no business meetings, no distractions.

Just a simple plan: relax, eat chips, maybe even take a nap.

But then his phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen and saw the name Lily flashing.

He let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

It had been a while since they last talked.

Between setting up Salt Haven Resort and dealing with promotions, he had been swamped.

And Lily... well, she wasn’t exactly the kind of woman who liked to be put on the back burner.

Maximus sighed, knowing there was no way out of this, and swiped to answer.

"Lily," he greeted, his voice casual but wary.

There was a moment of silence, then a dramatic sigh.

"So you do remember me," she said, her voice tinged with playful sarcasm. "I was starting to think I got replaced by a resort."

Maximus chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on, don’t be like that. I’ve been busy."

"Mhm." She wasn’t convinced. "No calls, no texts. Just radio silence. And then I see your face on my feed next to some Anita girl? Wow, Maximus, wow."

Maximus groaned, already seeing where this was going. "It was just business. We needed the publicity."

Lily clicked her tongue. "I know that. But still. You owe me."

He sighed, leaning back against the couch. "Alright, alright. Let me make it up to you. How about dinner? Just you and me. You pick the place."

There was a brief pause before she hummed in satisfaction. "Now that’s more like it."

Maximus smirked. "So that means I’m forgiven?"

"For now," she teased. "But you better make it worth it."

"I will," he promised.

Satisfied, Lily let out a small laugh. "Okay, I’ll text you the details later. Don’t ghost me this time."

Maximus shook his head. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

They exchanged a few more words before the call ended.

Maximus exhaled, tossing his phone onto the couch. That could’ve gone worse.

Much much worse.

He grabbed the remote and powered on the flat-screen TV, planning to lose himself in something mindless — maybe a movie, maybe the news, maybe just some music while he relaxed.

But the second the screen lit up, his jaw clenched.

No way.

No freaking way.

The news anchor was talking animatedly, and next to her was a paused image of him and Anita from yesterday’s shoot.

" — Maximus Prime , the man behind the highly-anticipated Salt Haven resort, was seen with social media star Anita Sparks in a promotional shoot yesterday. The video, which has already amassed millions of views, has sparked major interest in the grand opening of the resort."

Maximus groaned, running a hand down his face. Millions of views? Already?

The segment continued, showing clips from the shoot.

Anita’s confident voice played on the screen: "This is Maximus Prime , the man behind Salt Haven resort. He’s been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this place to life, and let me tell you — it’s worth it ."

The camera cut to Maximus’s neutral expression, his short and to-the-point response: "Glad you think so."

Then, the video flipped to the part where Anita playfully nudged him, teasing him about loosening up.

The newscaster chuckled. "It’s safe to say Anita Sparks’s influence is bringing plenty of attention to Salt Haven. But the real question people are asking — who is Maximus Prime?"

Maximus tensed.

’Here we go.’

"With very little public presence and almost no personal social media, Prime remains a bit of a mystery. But with Salt Haven set to launch soon, that may be about to change."

Maximus exhaled slowly as the segment moved on to discuss tourism statistics and luxury travel trends.

He leaned his head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.

’Great.’

So much for his plan of laying low.

His phone buzzed again. He picked it up, expecting Lily— but it was Zack.

Maximus answered. "You saw it too?"

Zack’s laughter came through the speaker. "Oh yeah. Dude, you’re viral."

Maximus rubbed his temples. "That’s not necessarily a good thing."

"Are you kidding? It’s fantastic. Salt Haven just got more free publicity than we could’ve ever paid for."

Maximus sighed. "Yeah, but now people are gonna start digging into my life. I wanted to keep things extremely private."

"Too late for that," Zack said, amusement clear in his tone. "Anyway, I just called to say congrats. You’re officially a public figure now."

"Wonderful," Maximus deadpanned.

"Enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame, Mr. Prime ."

Maximus shook his head, ending the call.

So much for a quiet morning.

Maximus exhaled as he leaned back into the couch, grabbing his phone again.

He scrolled to Anita’s social media page, already knowing what he’d find — but seeing it with his own eyes still made his brows lift.

Her page was flooded.

The videos of the video shoot had done well, but the one with him specifically? That had exploded.

"Holy shit," he muttered under his breath.

He clicked on the video, watching as it played again.

Anita’s usual confidence oozed through the screen, but the real surprise was the comments section.

[@baddie_lyn: Who is this Maximus Prime and why is he built like that?]

[@officiallina: This man just blinked and I fell in love. What do you MEAN he owns a resort??]

[@sugarplumbaby: Someone drop his number. I just wanna talk. I swear.]

Maximus nearly choked on his own breath as he scrolled.

"Oh god," he muttered, shaking his head.

No wonder Lily was pissed — half of the entire female population seemed to be thirsting after him in the comments, and not just Lily... What would Valerie Sawyer think? She would be beyond pissed.

One thread was particularly long:

[@jennybeans: Anita, I think you’re sitting next to my future husband. Be careful.]

[@livvy_xo: Excuse you, OUR future husband. Let’s share some respect.]

[@baddie_lyn: Ladies, please. We can settle this in a civilized manner. An Anime -style battle, perhaps?]

Maximus groaned, dropping his phone onto his lap. What the hell is wrong with people?