“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
[Present day in Westhaven, Valentia]Valerie felt restless. Marcus had rushed out in a hurry for work, leaving her worried. He hadn’t even changed his clothes, leaving in casual attire, grabbing only his coat, and disappearing like a man possessed.From a young age, she’d developed the habit of drin
Tears welled up in Valerie’s eyes. Marcus, seeing her reaction, stood up and went to her.“Why are you crying?” Marcus asked gently, his voice tinged with concern.“It’s just… this piece belonged to my father. When I ran away, I never saw it again. It was such a treasured family heirloom, passed dow
[Present day in Westhaven, Valentia]Valerie rested in Marcus’s arms. She hadn’t been able to relax since he left the house, her mind racing with worry. Why had he rushed out so abruptly? Now that he was back, things were clearer, but her anxiety hadn’t subsided. The thought of telling her daughter
“Well, you don’t need to worry about him anymore. We took care of that. He’s living exactly where he always wanted, meditating and trying to atone for his sins.”“That’s good. But now that Maximus is running the company, how are my shares being managed?”“We’ve been working through Matthew, but with
[Present day]After Marcus’s confrontation with Maximus—and the hard punch he’d landed squarely on his jaw—Maximus spent the rest of the night sleepless. The blow hadn’t left a mark, but the lingering pain in his jaw was a stark reminder of just how strong Marcus had become. The man Maximus had know
"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