Max walked back to Mia and told her that James was there and if the worst should occur that he had her back.
James saw Max and took this as his opportunity to call Mia out.
“Oh, you would rather be with Max than me you bitch.”
Max didn’t appreciate James’s comments towards Mia.
“James. I think it would be best for everyone if you went home. You're causing enough of a scene.”
It was clear that James had already been drinking as he was stumbling over his words. "Don't... Don't talk to me like I'm a little boy. You... You... You don’t know what it’s like finding out your girlfriend is cheating on you with someone you hate.”
Max approached James and told him again to leave but James wasn’t leaving, Max didn’t want to use violence to get James to leave.
“James. It’s Christmas I think you should be spending time with your family instead of ruining ours.”
James shoved Max. “Don't ever talk about my family! You son of a bitch!”
Max looked back at Luca and Henry. “To confirm you saw him push me first.”
“Yes.” Henry and Luca said at the same time.
“Good. Then you brought this on yourself, James.” Max grabbed James’s shoulder and started dragging him to the door, he opened the door with his other hand and with both hands threw James outside causing him to tumble onto the floor.
Max wasn’t done as he grabbed James by the hair, readied his fist, and delivered him a threatening message. “If you ever think about ratting us out to NCPD, Arasaka, or any other fucking group. I will personally fucking kill you.”
Wanting to make sure he understood the message, he gave James a powerful punch to the face knocking him out cold.
He looked at James’s unconscious body before being interrupted by Henry and Luca.
“For fuck’s sake Max! I told you not to do anything stupid.” Henry said thinking that Max killed James.
“Relax Henry he’s alive, I didn’t kill him...” Max responded before quietly saying. “Not yet anyway.”
Henry heard Max’s last comment.
“I suggest you do something about the body unless you want him to freeze to death,” Luca said while checking to see if James had a pulse which thankfully, he did.
Max with much distaste knows that he needs to do something about James otherwise he will freeze to death if left out on the streets.
Max started asking for help from Henry and Luca, but they weren’t going to help him with James. This annoyed Max and he started asking why they wouldn’t help him.
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Henry responded by saying that they weren't the ones who knocked James out.
This wasn’t the response that he was hoping for as he thought that Luca and Henry were his friends and would help him regardless of the situation.
“We are your friends Max. But you need to understand that your actions have consequences.” Luca said.
With Henry and Luca not helping, Max grabbed James’s shoulders and started dragging him to his car before a voice could be heard causing the three of them to jump.
“What the fuck are you three doing!?”
Tony was standing at the door confused as to why Max was carrying a body and how Luca and Henry were watching.
“Is someone going to explain to me why Max is currently dragging a dead body?” Tony looked at Henry and Luca. “And why you two are just watching on.”
The three of them were frozen in place, they didn’t know how to explain what happened.
Eventually, Max was the one who started recapping the events that transpired, which only confused Tony.
“So let me get this straight. Mia was dating James but was secretly cheating on him with you, he then found out and started causing a scene which led you to throw him outside to which you knocked him out. And so he doesn’t freeze to death you’re taking him to a hotel room.”
Max nodded his head confirming what Tony said.
“Right, here’s what you're going to do. For a start put the body in that car.” Tony pointed at a four-door car. “Henry, Luca you two will help him. Then once the body is in the car, I’ll have someone drive him to a hotel where he can sleep it off. You three get back inside.”
Tony walked back inside while Max, Henry, and Luca followed what Tony asked them to do before joining him back inside the bar.
Hours pass of joyful celebration as people are leaving the bar, Max asks Mia if she wants to spend the night at his place again, but she declines the offer saying that she can't as she has something else planned.
Max decided to offer her a lift back home, but she again declined the offer, this confused Max and asked Mia what was wrong as she wasn’t normally like this.
“Mia, is it because of James?” Max asked wanting to know the reason she’s declining his offers.
Mia looks away from Max and delivers some heartbreaking news to him. “I... I’m leaving Night City.”
Max was shocked by this news, out of all the people he knew that would leave Night City, Mia wasn’t one of them.
“Wow... Where do you plan on going?”
Mia turned her head back to Max. "Atlanta.”
“Then let me at least drive you to the airport.” Max insisted.
Mia finally accepted his offer and the two left the bar and got in Max’s car but before leaving he handed over some money.
“Here. It should be enough to buy yourself something nice, once you get to Atlanta.”
Mia was shocked by his generosity as she thought that he would be angry at her for wanting to leave Night City but instead, he was happy for her.
The two drive to the airport but before Mia goes inside, she asks Max to come with her.
“We could leave NC together. We could start a new life. Just the two of us.”
Max knew that he couldn’t leave Night City even if he wanted to.
“I can’t. There’s something about Night City that keeps me from leaving this place. Even if I wanted to leave I couldn’t, as no matter how hard you try to leave NC it always finds a way to drag you back in, but you have the chance to leave. Take it, Mia.”
The two kiss one last time.
Max stands by his car watching Mia walk inside the airport, each step getting further and further away from him, ending the bond that they two shared.
Max got back in his car and began driving around the city as a way for him to clear his mind.
During the drive he spots a beautiful mansion for sale that overlooks the entire city from the hills of Westbrook, he makes a mental note of the place as he feels it is time for him to move out of his apartment in City Center.
With the late-night drive over Max returned home and proceeded to look out his window and began to think about the last words he said to Mia, it's there he realized that he would be spending the rest of his life in Night City whether he liked it or not.