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
Maximus sat in his study, the image of Mary’s tear-streaked face lingering painfully in his mind. He felt a pang of guilt—he had barely seen her again, and he had already caused her to cry.“Maximus, you’re an idiot,” he muttered to himself.Lost in thought, his attention was drawn to an email notif
Alexia sat in the master bedroom, going through her meticulously detailed nightly routine to preserve her youthful appearance. Creams, applicators, and various other products were scattered across the vanity. As she looked into the mirror, she felt a strange tightness in her chest. Time was slipping
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