CHAPTER 82: IT’S ALWAYS MORE... NO REST

Just as he reached for a towel, the door creaked open.

Dressa stepped in, her eyes still heavy with sleep, her oversized hoodie hanging loosely off one shoulder as she shuffled forward.

"Morning," she mumbled, rubbing one eye as she walked up to the sink beside him.

Maximus arched a brow. "Did you sleep okay?"

She nodded lazily, turning on the faucet and cupping water in her hands. "Yeah. Unlike someone who had to be carried to bed like a sack of potatoes."

Maximus smirked, leaning against the counter. "Hey, I was exhausted. Workaholics don’t just stop because their body tells them to."

Dressa rolled her eyes, splashing water on her face. "More like your body stopped for you."

Maximus chuckled, watching as she reached for a towel.

There was something oddly domestic about the moment — the two of them, standing side by side, groggy from sleep, sharing a quiet morning routine. It felt... nice.

Without thinking much about it, Maximus leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Dressa froze mid-motion.

For a second, her brain completely malfunctioned.

The towel slipped from her hands, falling to the counter as her cheeks turned an aggressive shade of pink.

Maximus swore he could almost see steam rising from her ears.

He stepped back, blinking at her reaction. "...Uh, Dressa?"

She finally snapped out of it, looking at him like he had just short-circuited her entire system. "D-Did you just — ?"

Maximus smirked, tilting his head. "What? It’s just a kiss. You act like we haven’t done it before."

Dressa covered her face with both hands. "T-That’s not the point!"

Maximus laughed, stepping past her and ruffling her hair as he made his way back into the bedroom. "Relax. You’re cute when you get all flustered."

Dressa let out a frustrated groan, still hiding her burning face in her hands. "You relax! Ugh, why are you like this?!"

Maximus only laughed harder as he grabbed his phone from the nightstand, checking his notifications.

As expected, there were way too many messages from Zack.

[Zack: Dude, wake up. We’ve hit over 230,000 registrations.]

[Zack: If this keeps up, the servers are gonna explode.]

[Zack: You alive?]

[Zack: Maximus. Wake up before I come over and physically drag you out of bed.]

Maximus let out a low whistle, running a hand through his hair. "Damn, 230,000 already?"

Dressa finally emerged from the bathroom, still pink in the face but at least somewhat recovered. "What’s with that face?"

Maximus waved his phone. "Zack says we’re past 230,000 registrations."

Her eyes widened. "Already?"

"Yeah. Apparently, the site’s barely keeping up."

Dressa frowned, crossing her arms. "You guys clearly rushed this thing. You should’ve reinforced the servers."

"Hey, I wasn’t expecting this kind of traffic." Maximus yawned, stretching. "But whatever, I’ll deal with it after breakfast. I need food before I collapse again."

Dressa huffed, but she followed him as he made his way downstairs.

The smell of coffee filled the air as Maximus walked into the kitchen, grabbing a mug and pouring himself a generous amount. Dressa eyed him warily as he took a sip.

"You’re not just gonna survive off coffee, are you?"

Maximus raised a brow. "Why? You offering to cook?"

Dressa snorted. "Not a chance. I still remember the disaster from last time I tried to cook."

"That was one time."

"One time too many."

Maximus sighed dramatically, walking over to the fridge. "Fine. I’ll make some toast."

"Living life on the edge, I see."

Maximus smirked, grabbing some bread and tossing it into the toaster.

He leaned against the counter, scrolling through his phone as he waited.

Another message popped up from Zack.

[Zack: Seriously. Call me when you’re awake. We need to talk strategy before this thing gets out of hand.]

Maximus exhaled through his nose. He knew Zack was right.

They were growing way faster than expected, and if they didn’t get things under control, they’d be in for a logistical nightmare.

"Guess I better call Zack before he loses his mind," Maximus muttered, grabbing his coffee and heading toward the living room.

Dressa followed, plopping down on the couch as Maximus dialed Zack’s number.

The call barely rang twice before Zack picked up. "Finally!"

"Yeah, yeah, good morning to you too," Maximus said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Dude, do you realize how many people signed up overnight? We’re at 230,000 and counting!"

Maximus leaned back. "So what’s the plan? You said we needed more hands, right?"

"Obviously. At this rate, we are going to burn out before launch day."

Dressa, overhearing the conversation, raised an eyebrow. "Why don’t you just hire temporary staff?"

Zack must have heard her. "Who was that?"

"Dressa. And she has a point."

"Huh. Smart." Zack cleared his throat. "Anyway, yeah, I was thinking the same thing. We’ll need people handling ticket verification, guest services, and all the other nonsense that comes with a big launch."

Maximus hummed, considering. "Alright, set up interviews. Get the best people you can find. I’ll focus on making sure the servers don’t explode."

"Finally, you’re thinking ahead."

Maximus smirked. "Hey, I always think ahead. I just prefer doing things my way."

Zack groaned. "Right. Just don’t pass out again. I don’t need Dressa carrying your ass to bed twice in one week."

Dressa choked on her water. "I what?!"

Maximus grinned. "Relax, Dressa. It was just once."

She groaned, throwing a pillow at him.

Zack laughed on the other end. "Alright, I’ll handle the hiring. You just keep those servers from combusting. Later."

The call ended, and Maximus stretched, setting his phone down.

Dressa crossed her arms. "So what now?"

Maximus smirked. "Now? I eat my toast, and then I work."

Dressa rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."

Maximus sat down at his desk, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as he took a deep breath.

He had expected things to be chaotic, but the sheer volume of registrations flooding in was overwhelming.

His throat nearly went dry as he opened the database, watching as new entries appeared by the second.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath.

Click. Click. Click.

His fingers moved swiftly across the touchpad, sorting through the mass of tickets, approvals, and system verifications.

Each click felt like a tiny battle won, but the war was far from over.

Dressa had been watching him from the couch for a while, her chin resting on her palm.

At first, it was interesting — watching Maximus in full work mode, eyes sharp, jaw tight, fingers moving at lightning speed.

But after ten minutes of relentless clicking, she started feeling bored.

After thirty, she sighed loudly.

"Are you just gonna stare at that screen all day?" she asked.