Marcus had to send a message to Camille, letting her know that Valerie had had a bit too much to drink and wasn’t in any condition to go home. Naturally, he didn’t mention what had happened between them. He promised they’d be there early in the morning to pick up Serenity since they were planning to
As they walked to the sitting area, Valerie couldn’t help but marvel at how naturally Marcus was acting after the night they’d spent together."Valerie," Marcus began, his voice serious as they sat down. "I need you to know that I don’t want what happened between us to be just a casual encounter. I
[Present day]Frederick noticed that his friend and boss, Marcus, was smiling as they drove to pick up Serenity. He considered ignoring it but decided it was better to clarify the reason behind that grin. With Marcus, you could never be too sure—it could just as easily be about his family as about p
"Valerie, you made that promise while you were mourning a good man. But I believe, from wherever he is, he’d want you to be with someone who loves and values you. I’m not just saying this to cheer Marcus on, but have you ever noticed the way he looks at you? The way he’s helped you? That man’s pushe
From the day Valerie started dating Marcus, her life began to change. This man stopped working late, except when it was truly urgent, though in the 15 days they’d been together, that hadn’t been necessary.Marcus made a point of sticking to office hours, mostly because he wanted to spend time with V
“Valerie, you’re such an idiot!” she scolded herself. “You’re letting him fool you again! No, no, no—I won’t go through this again, not like with Maximus!”It felt absurd. A few years ago, she’d been the wife, and it was the assistant having an affair with her husband. Now she was the assistant, and
Marcus, after speaking with Olsen, returned to his office and was a bit surprised not to see Valerie’s bag. He called her, but she didn’t answer, so he tried Frederick instead.“Frederick, have you seen Valerie? I don’t see her bag in the office,” he said, feeling a tightness in his chest.When he a
Marcus was speechless. Hearing Valerie’s story in her own words broke his heart. Peter had never told him the full story, only bits and pieces. Now, everything made sense—her reluctance to let anyone close, her guarded heart. And while Marcus rarely thought of going to Valentia, at that moment, he h
After the conversation between Pierre, Laura, Lucius, and Maximus, it was time to talk to Paul. However, Maximus felt it was something that needed to be discussed between father and son.He fully understood that Laura wanted to be involved, but this—this was something only he could and should handle
"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