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
Emma and Mary arrived at Fred’s clinic, and he was visibly surprised to see Mary accompanied by the housekeeper rather than Maximus.“Mary! How are you feeling?” he asked warmly.“Hi, Fred. I’m okay. Honestly, I don’t really know what happened. I just remember heading toward the stairs, and after th
That afternoon, as Mary tended the garden with music blasting from her small speaker, she didn’t notice the shadow looming behind her. Maximus had returned. The loud music had drawn his attention to the garden, where he found his wife singing cheerfully, her clothes smudged with dirt and her face gl
Maximus looked up from his desk. “Mary… Come in.”Her heart sank at the unexpected invitation. She hadn’t planned for this. Memories of their last confrontation flashed through her mind, and she hesitated.“Come in,” he repeated firmly. “I need to talk to you.”She stepped inside reluctantly, bracin
Mary left the study carefully after hearing Maximus. Once she was in the hallway, he heard her running down the stairs. A smile appeared on Maximus’s face. Silently, he followed her and listened as she excitedly shared the good news with Emma.“Ma’am, but we haven’t decorated the house in ages. The
-[Maximus' Thoughts]I can’t deny I miss Alexia, but I’m so angry with her—her silence, her absence, leaving without a word. It’s the same as years ago when she went to Paris.Spending time with Mary confuses me. Alexia’s absence, her not being here to whisper in my ear about what to do with this g
Mary and Emma focused on preparing dinner, completely unaware of when Maximus had left the mansion. As the sun began to set, Mary went up to her room and found the dress and jewelry box her husband had left for her. When she opened the box, butterflies fluttered in her stomach. The dress was daring,
"We never said we would deny you that," Laura replied sharply. "But let’s be honest, Mr. Legrand, this puts us in a very uncomfortable situation. I do believe he should meet you, but we should take it slowly—we can’t just drop the truth on him all at once.""Lau…" Lucius finally spoke, his voice cal
[Present Time]Adrian replayed the conversation in his mind, but there wasn’t much to consider. The offer was tempting—anyone in his position would see it as the perfect deal. But he already knew what he truly wanted: his daughter.He had made the mistake once before—choosing what his school, his fa
"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