"Since Marcus came into my life—despite how different we were—he's always demanded more of me than I thought I could give. He’s always believed in my abilities, never limited me, always taught me something new, and constantly pushed me to be better."When we saw each other again, Marcus accepted Ser
This day had started as a glorious one for Frank Levett. He was finally becoming the owner of Palmer Group—a feat comparable to buying one of the biggest designer clothing chains or something like that, without spending a single cent.What Frank hadn’t counted on, however, was that by taking the bus
After a long journey—hours that felt like days and days that seemed eternal—Alden boarded a flight with the children to the UAE. They were already expected there by Serenity and the others.This was where Alden, or Theodore, stayed whenever they visited the country. The security measures in place we
After Frank Levett had finished speaking with the “friend” who owed him a favor, all he had to do was sit back and watch the misfortune rain down on the Palmer family. It was inevitable that Maximus Palmer would get caught in the fallout.The next morning, Marcus Bartz stood in the warehouse where t
The Rosaria hospital was a massive complex, a collection of three U-shaped buildings. Dr. Hill had been extremely cautious, but no matter how much she tried to avoid it, if fate had its way, Valerie and Peter were bound to run into each other eventually.Peter did his best to stay in his room, espec
“You’re right, Mary. We were young and immature. Well, I wasn’t that young, but immature? Definitely. Irrational? Completely. You became my obsession. I was always looking for a way to bring you closer to me. Maximus worked hard to give me that chance, but what I didn’t account for was how you felt.
"On the other hand—and this is what hurts me the most—I hurt Marcus with my attitude, my actions, my thoughts. With all those things piling up, I didn’t even need to cheat on him with you for him to feel hurt. You know, he and I aren’t in a good place right now."Our life in Hesperia was wonderful.
Marcus was already quite upset upon learning that Peter was in the same hospital as Valerie. His mind wasn’t thinking clearly; jealousy had taken over again. He was genuinely angry, and all that filled his mind was one idea: this must be Peter's doing.Weeks ago, Peter was supposed to have left the
"Yeah, Dad. I know it’s not easy, and that there will always be new things to learn. I can’t take anything lightly.""That includes talking to Serenity’s parents. You need to do that.""There’s a lot we have to discuss—including the truth. Dad, I love Serenity. We’re expecting a baby. And we got mar
"Do you even hear yourself?" Diana cut in. "As far as I know, you married Marcus under the exact same circumstances. Don’t go looking for excuses. If your daughter fell for him, there’s a reason. And I don’t doubt that you and Marcus raised her to be a good person. You told me yourself—she’s smart.
Diana and Valerie walked down the hallway in complete silence. When they reached the coffee machine, Diana finally spoke."What happened, Valerie? I don’t really understand the situation, but if I’m not mistaken… that girl was your daughter?""Yes…" Valerie said through clenched fists. "And the boy
"Mary! Please…! This isn’t the place!" Maximus said, fully understanding where her reaction was coming from.Marcus, seeing his wife, had no idea what had just happened. But before he could spot Serenity, Alden, and Ethan, they had already slipped into Peter’s room.Serenity had tears in her eyes, a
Maximus took a deep breath, thinking for a moment while Alden went to the car to get Ethan. Watching him, he said,"Serenity, like I said earlier, I’m probably the last person who should be saying anything. But I just want you to know one thing—no matter what happens, I will support you. It’s only n
"Serenity, Alden…" Maximus said, watching as they checked on Ethan, making sure he was still asleep in the car."Maximus…" Serenity said softly, looking somewhat embarrassed."Alden, you and I talked about this… What happened?""Dad… Maximus… He and I love each other. That should be enough for us to
"Let’s go. I don’t know what happened exactly, but we need to hurry.""Yeah…"Once he saw the others leave, Alden found the car he had arranged, helped Serenity and Ethan inside, and secured them. Ethan had fallen asleep again. As Alden drove, his mind was racing—above all, he was anxious about what
After several long hours of flying, a plane landed at Flameco International Airport in Valentia. Alden and Serenity arrived with the whole family, both feeling a mix of nerves and conflicting emotions. On one hand, Serenity was finally returning to her mother and father after months away. On the oth
"You did a great job as a father too. Alden turned out to be a good man, and let’s not forget your grandson, little Ethan.""Alden is who he is because of his mother. I’ve only been helping shape him for the past five years. He’s a good kid thanks to everything his mother taught him. He’s good in bu