A thought crossed Maximus’s mind. Could his grandmother be grooming Peter to take over if he failed to meet her ultimatum? Lately, that seemed like a possibility he couldn’t dismiss. Their last argument had revealed a side of her he had never seen before.“I need more pictures of this woman. I want
Once Maximus and Mary left the wedding hall, they arrived at the mansion. Mary felt unsettled by the deathly silence during the drive. The only thing Maximus had said was that the honeymoon was canceled.When they got to the mansion, Maximus stepped out of the car first and hurried inside without ev
The morning after the wedding, Mary woke up and struggled to remove her wedding dress. The intricate beading and pearls, meant to symbolize well-wishes, made it nearly impossible to take off by herself. In frustration, she resorted to scissors, cutting parts of the fabric. Afterward, she took a show
Reluctantly, Emma went upstairs and knocked on Mary’s door. She found her already asleep, dressed in comfortable athletic clothes. Remembering how little Mary had slept the night before, Emma hesitated to disturb her. She returned downstairs, determined to serve Maximus herself.“Emma, where’s Mary?
Mary left the clinic and wandered through the city, reluctant to return to the mansion. This time, Maximus had crossed the line, causing her more pain than she could bear. She wanted to call Peter and go back to Galea. 'I never should have left there,' she thought bitterly.Tired from walking aimles
Hearing Matthew's report, Maximus gripped the steering wheel so tightly it was a wonder it didn’t snap. He was torn between wanting to strangle his wife and needing to catch her before she disappeared again.“Matthew, find out which bus she’s on. I’m going to get her.”Without hesitation, Matthew co
Emma, seeing Maximus's unrelenting stance, reluctantly left the mansion. She couldn’t risk losing her job, but her heart was heavy, knowing she was leaving Mary alone in such a volatile situation. She dared not inform the grandmother, fearing it would escalate into a larger problem.As she reached t
Fred left the mansion fuming, but not before reminding Maximus that Mary needed to be seen at the hospital. If not, he would have no choice but to inform Catherine of everything.Once Fred was gone, Maximus approached Mary, who was sitting quietly in the garden, still trying in vain to recover her l
"You said it yourself—if I wanted to, I could’ve hit her back. But I won’t. I don’t want to. And I refuse to let this situation escalate any further. Look at me now—I have stitches in my head. Who knows what will happen next? I’d rather put an end to this now.""Adrian! You don’t have to air our bus
Adrian sighed as he watched Alice disappear in the distance. A short while later, he arrived home. Hilda, the housekeeper, rushed to help him out of the car."Sir… How are you? I thought you’d be back later… We were all worried!""Relax, Hilda. It was just a hit to the head. A few stitches, and that
As if fate itself wanted to set things in motion, the time had come. Laura, Lucius, and Maximus left the house together.The younger siblings saw them go, but they didn’t think much of it. Lately, the three of them had been leaving without saying where they were going, so this time didn’t seem any d
"Dad?""Come in," Maximus said, still checking his inbox."What’s going on, Maximus? Why all the secrecy?""Alright… Serenity’s wedding is over, and Lucius, I know you’ll be heading back to New Zealand soon. Moriarty won’t give me another extension, so we need to move forward with whatever decision
Another day passed at the Evans residence. The family was gathered for breakfast while Diana ran around in a rush, realizing she was running late for work. Maximus, ever the bad influence, kept telling his future wife not to worry so much, but it was impossible—Diana was always incredibly respectful
"Come here," Maximus said, opening his arms.Laura walked over and hugged him."My girl… Never apologize for standing your ground. Never—hear me? Never apologize for defending what’s yours. Honestly, I can’t picture the scene, but I wish I could’ve seen it.""Dad… This is embarrassing. I’ve never ac
Maximus, Diana, and Adele arrived home. Little Adele was completely exhausted—her day out had been long and tiring. For Maximus, spending time with his granddaughter filled his heart and eased the anxiety of what was coming.Laura heard her father arrive and immediately left her room to see him.“Da
After that long conversation between Laura and Magnus, the latter went to Maximus’s study, found a number, and made a call."Joseph George..." Magnus said into the phone."Magnus? What a surprise! This is amazing. A call?" said a raspy voice on the other end of the line."I wish I could say the same
Laura arrived home, and though the drive had given her time to calm down, she was still shocked by everything she had said. She had researched Alice George before, but she never imagined she would actually use that information to intimidate her.Without meaning to, she had proven that a part of her