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
Valerie tried to hold back her tears, but a flood of emotions and memories overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t stop them. A couple of tears escaped, and she quickly wiped them away under the astonished gaze of her ex-husband. Rising to her feet, she said, “Maximus, stay away from her! I won’t say it a
[The past]Sunday arrived quickly, and Valerie and Serenity were at the airport, saying goodbye to Marcus. Serenity’s eyes widened when she saw her father boarding a massive airplane. Tears began to well up, and she didn’t fully grasp that he was leaving but would be back. Inevitably, she burst into
“I gave it to my daughter. She didn’t want me to leave, so I promised her I’d come back soon. That means we need to work faster than usual—I don’t want to be here more than a week, two at most.”“Marcus, you have a daughter? You didn’t mention this last year! She must be a baby.”“It’s a long story,
After Peter’s death, the Palmer family descended into utter chaos. While Peter hadn’t been the one running the family, what he represented to each of them triggered a cascade of emotional reactions.Grandma Catherine fell into a deep depression. The once strong, proud matriarch slowly became a shado
In one of the gardens of Cambridge University in London, a refined 20-year-old walked confidently toward his economics class. His stride was abruptly interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Searching through his backpack, he answered the call.“My son, I need you to come home!” came the voice of a
Serenity lay on her bed, scrolling through her social media feed when a notification popped up—an email from Maximus Palmer. A sharp pang shot through her stomach, but it quickly dissolved into anger. That bastard actually dared to write to her? How could he? What gave him the nerve?[Hello Serenity
“Oh, I see. That’s what’s been on your mind?” Marcus asked gently.“Yes, back then Catherine forced us to come here. Maximus and I made a pact to get along, and it worked—at least until Alexia arrived,” Valerie said nervously.“My love, you should’ve told me. We could’ve gone somewhere else,” Marcus
The next day, Valerie and Marcus shared the news with their children about taking a week off for a trip to unwind. The past few days had been stressful, and they needed a break. To their surprise, both Serenity and John flat-out refused to miss school. Serenity explained that she had already missed
After kidnapping Serenity, Leonardo and Lucius fled to Davos in the Swiss Alps. It was the ideal place to rest and strategize, not to mention the seat of the World Economic Forum. Their choice wasn’t random; Leonardo already had a plan. With the money secured and the truth about his relationship wit
Peter, understanding his son Alden’s intentions regarding Alexia, felt it was wise to stay close. Knowing how impulsive his son could be, he had no choice but to return to Valentia. He entrusted the arrangements to Darius Richards, who secured a central house in Westhaven and enrolled little Ethan a
Marcus chose not to interrupt his girls and instead went to tuck John in. Afterward, he headed to the master bedroom, took a shower, changed into his pajamas, and lay on the bed. The past few days had been exhausting.When he first entertained the idea of returning to Valentia, he never imagined it
“Serenity, he adored you. Even though he wasn’t your biological father, he loved you. If he had stayed with us, I know he would have loved you more than your real father ever could.”Valerie recounted every detail of her life with Peter. Serenity listened quietly, wishing that one day she might find
Serenity released her and nodded silently, her tearful eyes wide with anticipation.Valerie took a deep breath and began. “I told you I fell hopelessly in love with Maximus Palmer, but things didn’t work out. After my suicide attempt, I was discharged from the hospital and went to his grandmother’s
Valerie and Marcus arrived home after a short flight. She had been longing to get back and hug her children. As difficult as it would be, she knew she needed to have an honest conversation with her daughter. Just as she had opened up to Marcus, she now needed to explain everything to her daughter, l
When Alden saw how much his mother was suffering from the revelations, he nearly made the mistake of revealing that his father was alive. He had to bite the inside of his lip to stop himself, clenching his fists so tightly that his palms bore the marks. The pain was almost unbearable. After tucking