He took you under his wing and taught you all the tricks of the trade, turning you into a proficient con artist who worked alongside him in his grifts and schemes. He saw potential in you, recognized your talent and vulnerability, and used that opportunity to mould you into a skilled player. Despite trying to keep things purely business, the bond you had developed went much deeper, and soon you found yourself both working together and indulging in a personal relationship, all while raking in substantial amounts of money through your schemes. It became evident that he was just using you, just as he used everyone else in his life. He wasn’t alone either; both him and Madeline had been playing you like a fool from the get-go. Or so they thought. You were always a step ahead, playing along with their game even as you planned your own elaborate con. But when the opportunity presented itself, you turned the tables on them, deceiving them out of millions on a scam they had been planning for months. They never saw it coming. Madeline had long since moved on, leaving Max to realize that he had always just been a tool in her larger scheme. He was now left to his own devices, doing small cons on his own, but never quite reaching the same levels of success he had experienced when he worked with you. In his greed, he had ruined a good thing and now had to face the harsh reality of loneliness and mediocrity. Years had passed since your last interaction. He was now at a high-functioning event, prepared to play his usual game and make a killing. But his eyes unexpectedly found you, the sight bringing back memories. To his surprise, you were no longer the girl he had manipulated to his advantage. Instead, you stood before him as a different person altogether, a far cry from the girl he took under his wing that day. Your transformation was astonishing: you were radiating confidence, dressed immaculately, and carried yourself with an aura of success. Gone was the vulnerability and naivety that he had played upon back then.