Minutes later, Valerie appeared in the kitchen, still groggy. She found Marcus gazing out at the garden with a coffee cup in hand. Smiling, she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his firm yet warm back.“Good morning, sweetheart,” she murmured.“My l
Serenity looked up, momentarily unsure. Then she recognized him—Maximus. For a split second, she hesitated. He looked different today, much like Laura had thought. The man standing before her seemed nothing like the stern, cold figure she had briefly met in Madrid.“Hello, Maximus,” Serenity replied
After a ten-minute drive, Maximus, Laura, and Serenity arrived at the café Serenity had mentioned. The place reminded Maximus of the one he had visited with Mary on her birthday. The three of them took a table on the terrace—a charming spot surrounded by greenery, exuding a tranquil atmosphere. Laur
While Serenity spent the day with Maximus and Laura at the Bartz estate, Marcus, Valerie, and John were having breakfast and getting ready to head out for a little excursion. Despite being a child, John was mature—not the kind of mature that involved making deals or hacking computers, but the kind t
-Meanwhile, Maximus was spending the day with his two young ladies. As they walked ahead of him, he observed them closely. Serenity and Laura couldn’t have been more different. Serenity was extroverted, always on the move, always looking for something to do. From the photos he’d seen, she clearly h
Lucius, after seeing his father walk away and realizing his sister was trying to prevent a fight, softened his expression and turned to look at his beautiful little sister, who was still holding a bowl of popcorn.“Hello, beautiful,” Lucius said, smiling as he gently stroked Laura’s cheek.“Hi, big
Serenity drove home, her backpack safely holding the photographs Maximus had given her of her father. She had a bright smile on her face. She hadn’t attended classes that day, but she’d spent a wonderful day with her cousin and uncle. She imagined that this was what some of her days could be like in
'Is she my husband’s new mistress?'Alexis had been unusually quiet lately, which was odd for her. She was known to be a force to be reckoned with, both in the business world and in her personal life. Audrey was the one exception—Alexis hadn’t done anything to her yet, mostly because the girl’s well
[Months Ago, The Maldives]“Come on, Dad! Hurry up…!” Paul said as they arrived at the airport and his father made his way through customs.“Paul, wait, just let me sign this and we’ll go. If that girl’s already waited this long, I’m sure she can wait a few more minutes…” Maximus replied, rushing to
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