novelraw Chapter 143: Max The Owner (1)
Chapter 143: Max The Owner (1)
<🎧 Song Recommendation: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) by Lil Nas X>
"Uh... Nothing. I mean, I’m sorry I was just streaming."
Max’s voice cracked slightly as he stood frozen by the island.
He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with guilt.
Von had earlier given Max permission to stream while under his roof to help the guy pass the time during the lockdown.
It was only fair. That was, after all, exactly what Max did for a living before Von hired him to be a core part of his team.
Von respected the hustle of content creation and understood that the internet demanded a certain level of high-energy, unhinged behavior to keep viewer retention high.
But what he was seeing right now was absolutely nothing close to what he expected when he told Max to make himself at home.
Turning a kitchen into a battleground for a blindfolded taste test was really pushing the boundaries of their arrangement.
Marcello looked at Von, his dark eyes wide with apprehension after seeing that his employer hadn’t said a single word since stepping into the room.
"Signore Von," Marcello clasped his hands in apology. "I so sorry. I try to stop him. I tell him, Signore Max, this is kitchen, not playground. But he say... he say it is for the internet. He say you are the one who gave order. I take the blame. It is my fault."
Hearing the distress in the old man’s voice, Von let out a long sigh and his initial annoyance faded.
Marcello was a professional who treated his workspace with the utmost respect, and he clearly felt responsible for letting the chaos spiral out of control.
"Marcello, you aren’t in trouble," Von waved off the apology.
"I understand exactly what happened here. You were just put in a tough spot. In fact, why don’t you go take a break? Take the rest of the day off. Have some rest."
Marcello blinked, looking incredibly relieved by the immediate pardon, but his eyes still darted anxiously around the room. It went against every fiber of his being to leave his sanctuary in such a state of disarray.
"But Signore... the mess," Marcello protested weakly, gesturing toward the half-eaten food and the smeared counters. "The plates. It must be clean."
"Don’t worry about it," Von said with a wide smile, while looking over Max. "I’ll take care of it."
A chill ran down Max’s spine.
Marcello didn’t need to be told twice. Realizing that a different kind of storm was about to brew, he gave a swift, grateful bow and speed-walked out of the kitchen toward the staff quarters before Von could change his mind.
Max saw exactly where this was going and knew he had to control the narrative immediately before things got out of hand.
"Man, don’t be mad," Max stammered, taking a cautious step backward toward the hallway. "I’ll call some people to clean everything right away. It’ll be spotless in an hour."
Max was about to turn and walk off to make his escape, but Von closed the distance in two long strides and simply held onto Max’s shoulder from behind.
Max’s forward momentum was instantly halted. The streamer couldn’t move an inch afterwards.
He tried to pull away, twisting his torso, but Von’s palm was just too firm, anchoring him to the floor like a heavy iron weight.
After completely securing him in place and making it clear that escaping wasn’t an option, Von walked right past him and grabbed the smartphone off the makeshift plate tripod.
The live chat on the screen was absolutely flying by in a blur of text and emojis. Thousands of viewers were reacting in pure surprise to the sudden, dramatic turn of events.
A lot of viewers had even joined in just now after hearing exactly who was live on the stream.
[xX_DemonSlayer_Xx: No way!! IS THAT VON?! 🤯]
[Ahmedabad1791: NAH BRO IS COOKED 💀💀💀]
[pastmybedtime: RIP MAX 2011-2020. yes he acts like a 9-year-old 🙂↕️]
[AmNoDemon99: Wow, he wasn’t joking. He actually lives with Von LMAO.]
[PineapplePizzaEnjoyer: I think Von is Max’s boss bro... we warned him! He’s definitely cooked meat now.]
Von smirked reading the chats, leaning his elbow casually against the edge of the island. "Cooked meat? That’s accurate."
The chat, realizing Von was actually reading their messages aloud, shifted gears from pure shock to active instigation. They immediately began throwing Max under the bus.
[OnlyMoneyFanatic: PUNISH HIM VON! He deserves it for all the ragebait food takes!]
[SleepParalysisAngel: YO VON! You won’t believe what Max said about you earlier! He said you worked for HIM! 🧢🧢🧢]
[@MeNextTime: CAUGHT IN 4K. Max literally said this was HIS house and you just pay rent downstairs.]
Von paused, lowering the phone slightly so the camera was no longer pointed at his face. He looked up at Max with a dangerously calm expression.
"Really? Are they telling the truth, Max?"
Von lifted his hand and pointed the phone’s camera directly at Max. Max immediately threw his hands up in the air, shaking his head in panic.
"No, they’re lying! Why will you even trust them. I could never say that," Max yelled with a straight face, despite the sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.
[SavageGamer007: He’s lying Von! He said he owns there!]
[PewPewMaster: Make him pay rent Von! End him!]
[Lily_V: Punish him!!]
"Well," Von decided to ask the audience directly, treating the thousands of viewers like a jury. "Since Max says this is his house... do you guys approve that he leads by example and cleans it all up?"
The chat instantly agreed to his suggestion, creating a waterfall of text.
[BigChungus2020: W Boss]
[ToxicSniper: Make him scrub the floors with a toothbrush!]
[look_mom: Dress him up like a cat girl while he cleans!!]
[just_a_girlguy: CAT GIRL MAID MAX LETS GOOOO]
Von laughed out loud at the comments. He was genuinely amused by how quickly they had turned on their favorite streamer.
"You guys really have no chill. But... I love the suggestions."
Max’s eyes went wide with absolute horror as he processed the words. "Wait. Von, you can’t be serious. Let’s talk about this. We can negotiate."
"The chat has spoken," Von said seamlessly, completely ignoring the plea. "I think we’ll do a combination. A deep clean of the kitchen, but the uniform has to fit the crime. I don’t have a cat girl costume..."
Von tapped his chin in thought, pacing slowly in front of the camera lens.
"But the cleaning staff has a spare maid uniform in the laundry wing. Will that do, chat?"
[Yes]
[DO IT LMAO!]
"Give me two minutes," Von told the stream. He pointed the phone at Max, setting it down securely against a coffee mug on the counter so the lens perfectly framed the terrified streamer. "Chat, watch him. If he tries to run, let me know."
Von turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.
Max just stood there, completely frozen in place, staring helplessly at he screen as the chat relentlessly mocked his impending doom.
Less than three minutes later, Von returned. He was holding a folded, black-and-white frilly maid uniform, complete with a little white lace apron and ruffled sleeves.
Without missing a beat, Von tossed the costume directly at Max’s chest.
Max caught the fabric on pure reflex, staring down at the lace.
"Put it on," Von ordered with a serious, unyielding look that made Max’s face go pale.
"Bro, come on... I can’t do this," Max begged, holding the apron out as if it were his kryptonite. "I have a reputation! Millions of people watch me!"
Von narrowed his eyes at his words, all traces of humor vanishing from his face.
"Don’t speak again until you put it on. Unless one of us has to pay rent as you stated."
That was the ultimate threat. Max slumped his shoulders and trudged off to the nearest powder room located just off the main hallway.
When he emerged a few minutes later, the visual was absolutely spectacular.
The maid outfit was far too small for him. The frilly black-and-white sleeves gripped his biceps tightly, digging into the skin, and the delicate white lace apron barely wrapped around his waist, the strings straining to stay tied in the back. He looked absolutely ridiculous, like a poorly drawn cartoon character brought to life.
Von picked up the phone, immediately flipping the camera to show Max in all his humiliating glory. He also pulled out his own personal phone from his pocket and snapped a few pictures while he was at it, securing premium blackmail material for the future.
The chat instantly filled with a wave of crying-laughing emojis.
Max smiled wryly, trying desperately to salvage whatever shred of dignity he had left in front of his audience.
"But wait... if this is my house, how do you have the power to punish me?"
"Well, I’m bullying you," Von replied. "If you have the power to resist, then come fight me. Don’t you think so, chat?"
[2OldForThis: Bro Von isn’t even huge, but he would fold Max LMAO]
[HideYoKids: Von would literally end his whole career]
[saberlordoflife: RIP Maid Max 😂]
Von smiled mischievously at the screen, thoroughly enjoying the dominance of the situation.
"You heard them. Now, grab a sponge, boss! Get to cleaning."
Max grumbled under his breath, reaching behind his back to tie the strings of the lace apron tighter so it wouldn’t slip off.
Accepting his fate, he grabbed a wet microfiber cloth and a bottle of multi-surface spray from beneath the sink and started aggressively scrubbing the stains off the island.
Von hopped up onto a perfectly clean section of the counter, getting comfortable.
He read the chat while Max labored in the background, scrubbing plates and wiping down surfaces in the frilly outfit.
"Let’s do a little Q&A while the homeowner cleans his kitchen," Von announced to the stream after some thought.