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
Valerie and Marcus made their way down to the garden for breakfast. The housekeeper had already set the table, and Serenity sat sipping her coffee, visibly uncomfortable. She felt awkward about arriving home earlier than planned, knowing her mother would sense that something had happened—even if she
Valerie hugged her daughter tightly. Though Serenity was tall and carried herself with confidence, today, after hearing her mother’s story, she seemed as small and vulnerable as she had been at five years old, clinging to Valerie’s legs for comfort.“Mamá… I never imagined you had lived through some
Valerie held her daughter tightly in her arms, feeling the girl’s ragged breathing. She wanted to comfort her, just as she used to when she was little. Slowly, the embrace seemed to dissipate the sudden anger that always erupted when things didn’t go her way. But this wasn’t a child anymore—this was
Valerie left without giving Serenity a chance to join her. Her security team was alerted and followed her at a discreet distance. Those tasked with her protection assumed she had errands to run, so they didn’t notify Marcus.After driving for a while, she arrived at Pizzeria, a café-bar located in a
Alden held Celeste tightly as she wept, her body trembling against his. It felt like a part of her was being ripped away. It had already been a week, and still, there were no signs of Peter waking up.The swelling in his brain had gone down, but for some unknown reason, there was no neurological act
"I was thinking we could grab some vanilla ice cream and sit somewhere to talk. Sound good?""Perfect."We stopped by an ice cream shop and bought a liter each.As expected, she devoured hers.I watched her for a moment before taking a deep breath."Mary… there’s something I want to talk to you abou
After a few minutes, I helped Mary into the car. As I closed the door, I noticed Agnes stepping outside to see us off, drying her hands on her apron.Seeing her there—knowing she would be one of the many people affected by my death—I walked over and pulled her into a hug."You stubborn old woman… I
She hesitated. "Well… when you put it like that… maybe."I exhaled, running a hand through my hair."I have to admit something. You’re my least favorite person in the world.""Gee, thanks.""But you’re also Mary’s best friend. And you’ve proven to be a good friend to her. So, I just want to ask one
As I stepped out of my room, I was immediately greeted by the loud, unmistakable laughter of Aurora. God, that woman still got on my nerves… And to think that at one point, Mary had actually suggested that she and I could be a couple. According to her, since we were both wild, chaotic, and loved par
After finalizing the last details of my fortune, I picked up the phone and called the one person who had the power to change my life forever."Peter?""Marcus…""What’s going on? You don’t usually call me twice…""Well… technically, you called me earlier…" I said, trying to sound casual."What’s wro
"I just remembered I have something urgent to go over with Marcus. I can’t put it off—it’s about the meeting. I completely forgot. I’ll talk to my father and the doctor to reschedule our appointment. Just give me until noon, okay? This is really important."Before she could respond, I turned toward
[Peter's P.OV]For a few seconds, I just stared at Celeste.She was just a girl—well, compared to me, she was.She was thin, her curly hair as messy as always, and she wore glasses that made her look even younger. There was an innocence in her eyes, a brightness untouched by the weight of life.I sm
Alden’s stomach dropped. "What do you mean by that?"Maximus hesitated before saying, "I’m sorry, Alden… Celeste… But we have to be prepared for the fact that he might not wake up.""He will wake up," Celeste said firmly, her voice trembling with emotion. "He promised me. You said it yourself—Peter