Mary and Maximus arrived at the beach. Maximus chose one of the lounge chairs provided by the hotel and sat down. Mary, eager to feel the sea, set her bag aside and began to remove her dress, excited to dive into the water.This was only her second time seeing the ocean, and she wasn’t going to miss
Marcus Bartz, after having lunch with Valerie, went to his study and sat behind the luxurious marble desk. He retrieved the briefcase Frederick had handed him upon his arrival in Italy from the safe. After staring at it for several minutes, he finally spoke:“Peter, I know that one day I’ll get my r
“Come on, Mary. Keep talking! Are you out of arguments now?”“I want you out of here! Get out of my house!” Mary shouted.“This house belongs to Peter Palmer. In other words, it’s the Palmer family’s property. It’s not yours. Unlike you, I’m actually about to marry Maximus, and you? Well, you’re not
After the Palmer family left Peter's home, an unsettling silence engulfed the house. Frederick couldn't comprehend what had driven Marcus to react with such fury—Marcus, a man he had always known as composed and level-headed, now appeared shaken to his core.“Sir, Agnes, we need to treat your injuri
Agnes accompanied Mary back to her room, helping her lie down before speaking softly.“Mr. Bartz had a heated argument with Mr. Maximus. That’s why he’s in such a bad mood. Please forgive him; he didn’t mean to be rude to you. He’s under a lot of pressure. He’s upset because Mr. Peter’s family wants
Maximus arrived at one of Frank Levett's houses. Alexia, deeply concerned about his battered appearance, quickly ushered him to the room they would be staying in. She demanded the staff attend to his wounds and called for a doctor to examine him.Meanwhile, Frank bid farewell to his friend, profusel
Marcus drove through the rainy streets, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel, while he called Frederick. He needed an update on Mary—needed to know if she had been found. The memory of their earlier interaction replayed in his mind, filling him with guilt. He cursed his cold, dismissi
After dropping his mother off at a hotel in central Galea, Leonardo drove back to Peter's house, gripping the wheel tightly as the guilt and frustration churned inside him. It was past 10:00 p.m., but he was determined to fix things. He still couldn’t understand how everything had spiraled out of co
"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