Making Aron one of Max's most trusted individuals had been one of the best decisions he could have made.
It kept replaying in Max's head as if it were a small, steady drumbeat under everything else , the simple logic of it. Aron moved without fuss, acted without asking, and carried weight in a way that didn't call attention to itself. Max thought of the White Tigers, of old allies he had relied on in the past, and a bitter little comparison formed in the back of his mind. Those other people had always wanted something in return. They complained. They counted favors like receipts. They took weight and measured what they would lend back.
Not Aron. Aron never asked. If anything, he seemed to try quietly to take as much weight off Max's shoulders as he thought fit. To show up without negotiation, without ledger or claim , that was something Max found hard to get used to. It felt, secretly, like a gift he didn't deserve.
