"Why won't you make what we have official?"Maryanne doesn't have enough time to process what Max has said before he ambushes her with the question. She channels everything in her power into not choking on her own saliva.Once she has composed herself, she says, "Because, Max, I'm not sure what this even is.""Maryanne, you have feelings for me, right?""Yes." Although she doesn't want to admit it, there is no way around it.Max shrugs, his brow wrinkling, "Then what's the problem?""It's not just as simple as going out with you." Maryanne's body is tightening with frustration. How can he not see it?"Why not?"Working hard not to release her irritation, Maryanne breathes in deeply. "Because we have history Max."He scoffs and waves his hand as though he is brushing off their previous interactions, "I don't care about the past."Maryanne wants to scream at him. She was crushed by what he had done. Although she now knows that Daniel sent her the pictures, she is still not cert
Maryanne frowns when she picks up her phone that is vibrating against her desk, echoing within the library. Geneva? Why would she be calling her right now?"Hello," she answers after bringing the phone to her ear.The maid sounds like a whimpering mess. Maryanne can hear through the phone that she has been crying by the wilt in her tone, "Oh Miss, I am so sorry. I don't know what to do. I called the police, they're on their way. I haven't told Mister Ryder yet. I don't know what to do."Tension tightens its grip around Maryanne's heart." Geneva, slow down. What are you talking about?"It takes a moment before Geneva is able to compose herself, "It's Riley, Miss. She's gone."Dread causes Maryanne's entire complexion to pale and her chest to fall into her stomach, "What do you mean, she's gone?""I can't find her anywhere. The back door is broken, the window shattered, and her room is a wreck. I just cleaned it before she took a nap, so it shouldn't have been so messy." Geneva stops
Maryanne is huddled on the main couch of the living room; her body still not calm. Her hands tremble as she worries about Riley. There still has been no new updates regarding the case and it has been hours. The head detective has been telling Maryanne and Max to remain in the house. They have set up a trace on their phones in case the kidnapper calls with a ransom. They need the both of them within the house in case they get that call, so that they can talk to the culprit. Although Maryanne is petrified of talking to anyone remotely close to a suspect, she only wants Riley home, safe. She will do anything she can to make sure that happens. Max enters the living room, hanging up on a call, but Maryanne isn't able to hear who it was with. He sighs and stands quietly for a moment, just watching Maryanne as she stares off across the room, her eyes wide and bloodshot. Her knees are up by her chest, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders for warmth. She tries to tune out the aggravating voi
"Max, are you sure that this will work?"They both sit within the living room, printing off pictures of Riley that read 'Missing: Riley Ryder' at the top and the bottom says 'Reward: $1,000,000'. Maryanne sits and stares at the picture, wondering if they will ever see her again.Max shrugs, "I can only hope. If nothing comes of it, then I'll raise the amount. I'll use this house if I have to.""What if they aren't able to find her?""They will, don't worry." He pauses as he stacks some of the paperwork. Geneva rushes about around them, grabbing papers and heading out the door with them.One of the detectives enters the living room, his cellphone in hand. "My men are searching the entire town and into the city to find Riley."Max straightens, facing the man, "Do you have any leads?"He cringes softly, "Not at this moment, no." he turns to Maryanne, his voice gentler, "We wanted to ask a favor of you, Maryanne, if that is alright?"She frowns as confusion lines her features, "Me?
It has been several hours since Maryanne stood before the reporters and spoke about Riley. Nothing has come of her speech except more phone calls with strangers' saying how sorry they were and that they hope that Riley is found quickly.Maryanne can't help but think it is odd that the kidnapper has not called them yet. If it was related to Max's work, then it would be about a ransom. Max has enough money. So why not call and blackmail him into giving them an insane amount of untraceable cash? What else could be a motivator?Max paces back and forth across the living room. Neither have been able to go back to their rooms. It is too close to Riley's for comfort. Maryanne has barely slept. The exhaustion is taking its hold on her, but she is fighting it. She shouldn't be sleeping while everyone else is still awake and searching for Riley. Max has barely shown any sign of exhaustion. He is grim and alert at the same time.He grumbles, pausing at the main window and watching the reporters,
Maryanne grips her phone tightly, her body trembling as they pull into the parking lot of the old house. It isn't far from where their house is. Caroline was this close all along.Max puts the car into park and turns the ignition off, "Maryanne, you shouldn't've come. Stay in the car." He glances at her for only a second before opening his door.Maryanne bites out, "I am not staying in here when Riley is in there." She swings open her own door, fighting the tingle in her legs causing her muscles to be weak. She takes a sharp breath in and tries to reorient herself before fear causes her to panic."Maryanne," Max warns as he quickly moves towards the front door.Maryanne refuses to back down and is right behind him, her eyes wide with terror.Max glances back toward her before huffing, "Fine, just call the cops while we're here. We can't wait for them to arrive but having them here will help.""Okay," she nods and swipes open her phone.It takes a few rings before the call is answ
Sitting in the pristine courtroom, Maryanne tries to remain calm. For the last year she has been dreaming of this day. For the chance to fight for Riley and gain custody.It is different now. Maryanne glances to her side and looks at Max who sits tensely, talking with his lawyer. She wonders if what she is going to do will be the best for Riley.The judge leans forward from his seat, "From what I have understood, this has been quite a year for the both of you, as I am sure it has been for Riley. I had my reoccurring doubts about how you two would manage the time spent together in one house, but I can see it has worked very well for you. I understand that you each want sole custody, and I am willing to grant it to one of you, but I would like to hear your testimonies on why you deem yourself fit for sole guardianship."Maryanne nods and organizes the paperwork she has in front of her. Taking a sip of her water and then taking a deep breath in, Maryanne clears her throat. "Thank you,
As the cold winter air rushes through the quiet library, rustling pages of a few open books, Maryanne shivers, her body tightening up. She presses the start button on her key fob to make sure her car is running. Shaking the chill off, she releases her tied up hair from her dark scrunchie, allowing her pale locks to fall down around her shoulders. After running her hands through her hair, she pulls on a black beanie and shrugs on her winter jacket.Maryanne sighs, dreading the walk from the door to her warm car. After she places the strap of her purse around her shoulders and tries to pick up her car keys with her gloved hands, she walks away from her desk."Have a good night," Jessica calls out to her, her glasses slipping down her thin nose as she looks up from her paperwork."You too. Don't stay too long." Maryanne smiles softly before bracing herself against the mid-January air.She all but bolts to her warm Toyota, groaning out a sigh once she is out of the freezing wonderland.
Sitting in the pristine courtroom, Maryanne tries to remain calm. For the last year she has been dreaming of this day. For the chance to fight for Riley and gain custody.It is different now. Maryanne glances to her side and looks at Max who sits tensely, talking with his lawyer. She wonders if what she is going to do will be the best for Riley.The judge leans forward from his seat, "From what I have understood, this has been quite a year for the both of you, as I am sure it has been for Riley. I had my reoccurring doubts about how you two would manage the time spent together in one house, but I can see it has worked very well for you. I understand that you each want sole custody, and I am willing to grant it to one of you, but I would like to hear your testimonies on why you deem yourself fit for sole guardianship."Maryanne nods and organizes the paperwork she has in front of her. Taking a sip of her water and then taking a deep breath in, Maryanne clears her throat. "Thank you,
Maryanne grips her phone tightly, her body trembling as they pull into the parking lot of the old house. It isn't far from where their house is. Caroline was this close all along.Max puts the car into park and turns the ignition off, "Maryanne, you shouldn't've come. Stay in the car." He glances at her for only a second before opening his door.Maryanne bites out, "I am not staying in here when Riley is in there." She swings open her own door, fighting the tingle in her legs causing her muscles to be weak. She takes a sharp breath in and tries to reorient herself before fear causes her to panic."Maryanne," Max warns as he quickly moves towards the front door.Maryanne refuses to back down and is right behind him, her eyes wide with terror.Max glances back toward her before huffing, "Fine, just call the cops while we're here. We can't wait for them to arrive but having them here will help.""Okay," she nods and swipes open her phone.It takes a few rings before the call is answ
It has been several hours since Maryanne stood before the reporters and spoke about Riley. Nothing has come of her speech except more phone calls with strangers' saying how sorry they were and that they hope that Riley is found quickly.Maryanne can't help but think it is odd that the kidnapper has not called them yet. If it was related to Max's work, then it would be about a ransom. Max has enough money. So why not call and blackmail him into giving them an insane amount of untraceable cash? What else could be a motivator?Max paces back and forth across the living room. Neither have been able to go back to their rooms. It is too close to Riley's for comfort. Maryanne has barely slept. The exhaustion is taking its hold on her, but she is fighting it. She shouldn't be sleeping while everyone else is still awake and searching for Riley. Max has barely shown any sign of exhaustion. He is grim and alert at the same time.He grumbles, pausing at the main window and watching the reporters,
"Max, are you sure that this will work?"They both sit within the living room, printing off pictures of Riley that read 'Missing: Riley Ryder' at the top and the bottom says 'Reward: $1,000,000'. Maryanne sits and stares at the picture, wondering if they will ever see her again.Max shrugs, "I can only hope. If nothing comes of it, then I'll raise the amount. I'll use this house if I have to.""What if they aren't able to find her?""They will, don't worry." He pauses as he stacks some of the paperwork. Geneva rushes about around them, grabbing papers and heading out the door with them.One of the detectives enters the living room, his cellphone in hand. "My men are searching the entire town and into the city to find Riley."Max straightens, facing the man, "Do you have any leads?"He cringes softly, "Not at this moment, no." he turns to Maryanne, his voice gentler, "We wanted to ask a favor of you, Maryanne, if that is alright?"She frowns as confusion lines her features, "Me?
Maryanne is huddled on the main couch of the living room; her body still not calm. Her hands tremble as she worries about Riley. There still has been no new updates regarding the case and it has been hours. The head detective has been telling Maryanne and Max to remain in the house. They have set up a trace on their phones in case the kidnapper calls with a ransom. They need the both of them within the house in case they get that call, so that they can talk to the culprit. Although Maryanne is petrified of talking to anyone remotely close to a suspect, she only wants Riley home, safe. She will do anything she can to make sure that happens. Max enters the living room, hanging up on a call, but Maryanne isn't able to hear who it was with. He sighs and stands quietly for a moment, just watching Maryanne as she stares off across the room, her eyes wide and bloodshot. Her knees are up by her chest, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders for warmth. She tries to tune out the aggravating voi
Maryanne frowns when she picks up her phone that is vibrating against her desk, echoing within the library. Geneva? Why would she be calling her right now?"Hello," she answers after bringing the phone to her ear.The maid sounds like a whimpering mess. Maryanne can hear through the phone that she has been crying by the wilt in her tone, "Oh Miss, I am so sorry. I don't know what to do. I called the police, they're on their way. I haven't told Mister Ryder yet. I don't know what to do."Tension tightens its grip around Maryanne's heart." Geneva, slow down. What are you talking about?"It takes a moment before Geneva is able to compose herself, "It's Riley, Miss. She's gone."Dread causes Maryanne's entire complexion to pale and her chest to fall into her stomach, "What do you mean, she's gone?""I can't find her anywhere. The back door is broken, the window shattered, and her room is a wreck. I just cleaned it before she took a nap, so it shouldn't have been so messy." Geneva stops
"Why won't you make what we have official?"Maryanne doesn't have enough time to process what Max has said before he ambushes her with the question. She channels everything in her power into not choking on her own saliva.Once she has composed herself, she says, "Because, Max, I'm not sure what this even is.""Maryanne, you have feelings for me, right?""Yes." Although she doesn't want to admit it, there is no way around it.Max shrugs, his brow wrinkling, "Then what's the problem?""It's not just as simple as going out with you." Maryanne's body is tightening with frustration. How can he not see it?"Why not?"Working hard not to release her irritation, Maryanne breathes in deeply. "Because we have history Max."He scoffs and waves his hand as though he is brushing off their previous interactions, "I don't care about the past."Maryanne wants to scream at him. She was crushed by what he had done. Although she now knows that Daniel sent her the pictures, she is still not cert
As the sun shines into the bedroom, slowly rousing Maryanne, she groans. Stretching, the blanket shifts against her bare skin and causes a cold shiver to wrap around her body. Releasing a short breath, tension explodes in her chest when the memories from the night prior wash over her. She holds down a gasp lodged in her throat as she turns her head and see's Max lying next to her. She tries to push herself to the edge of the bed, her mind racing with what to do. As she remembers each moment of their night together, a heat thickens in the pit of her abdomen, her body fighting against her mind.Checking once more to make sure he is asleep, Maryanne slips from under the covers, pushing away the cold biting at her neck, and grabs a t-shirt from her closet. Once on, she grabs a clean pair of underwear and some sweatpants. "Good morning." As Max's gravelly, half-asleep voice rumbles through the room and shakes Maryanne's chest, she freezes.Hiding her embarrassment, she tries to say conf
It was probably a very bad idea to drink at dinner. With only three glasses of wine in her system, Maryanne was very tipsy. Her vision is blurred around the edges, while her head is light. Although their ride home is for the most part smooth, Maryanne finds herself shifting back and forth, unable to keep herself steady. Max eyes her, concerned, and places his arm around her shoulder in order to hold her upright."Are you drunk," his voice is deep and intense as his hot breath hits her ear. Maryanne holds back the soft moan that fights its way up into her throat. This is not good. Her willpower to hold back is starting to weaken. She places a hand on Max's knee in order to help steady herself, but it only causes Max to jump with the sudden movement."Maryanne," he says cautiously.She is unable to create a coherent sentence so she just hums, "hm?""Are you alright?"Maryanne nods, her head lolling back. She can see the lights of the house down the street. She closes her eyes and