Mary woke up after a long nap, feeling relaxed. Peter had been right—the lavender oil had helped soothe her. Perhaps it was the change of environment, or maybe it was having Catherine and Peter close by. She knew she had to be strong and recover quickly so she could see her grandfather again. Whatev
He poured himself a glass of cognac and lit a cigarette, something he hadn't done in years. His neck ached, his head throbbed, and the alcohol only seemed to heighten the surreal fog settling over his thoughts. Suddenly, he began to see a familiar silhouette moving through his office. It was faint,
Maximus got up and took the first flight to Florentia. His wife had invited him to talk, and he wouldn’t let that opportunity slip by. Upon arrival, he drove as quickly as possible to Lunavalle. That particular day, the fields looked more radiant than ever. He was carrying a mix of emotions he could
“Of course, it is! You didn’t want to let go of Alexia—and I get it. I know you love her. But I also know you’d never let the company fall into Peter’s hands because of your strange rivalry. You can’t stand losing. But I’m not willing to stay in this game anymore. I don’t know how much more I’d have
After Catherine took Mary away from Maximus’s mansion, time continued its relentless march forward. Alexia was proving to be exceptional in many ways, outshining several of her colleagues at the office. This didn’t go unnoticed by her lover, who only briefly felt the absence of Mary at home.News of
A thought crossed Maximus’s mind. Could his grandmother be grooming Peter to take over if he failed to meet her ultimatum? Lately, that seemed like a possibility he couldn’t dismiss. Their last argument had revealed a side of her he had never seen before.“I need more pictures of this woman. I want
Once Maximus and Mary left the wedding hall, they arrived at the mansion. Mary felt unsettled by the deathly silence during the drive. The only thing Maximus had said was that the honeymoon was canceled.When they got to the mansion, Maximus stepped out of the car first and hurried inside without ev
The morning after the wedding, Mary woke up and struggled to remove her wedding dress. The intricate beading and pearls, meant to symbolize well-wishes, made it nearly impossible to take off by herself. In frustration, she resorted to scissors, cutting parts of the fabric. Afterward, she took a show
Time had flown by. The Bartzes were about to leave, and with them, Serenity and Alden. In just a week, everything would change again. It was clear that once the Bartzes returned to Hesperia, the families in Valentia would start making moves too. As everyone already knew, Theodore would stay in Flor
She was still holding her bridal bouquet—hadn't even had the chance to toss it. And even if she had, there would've been no one to catch it, since the whole wedding had been so secret and closed-off.Mary walked behind him, trying to catch up. She didn't understand why he was so upset."Mary, there'
She ended the call. She could feel her grandson was suffering because of the mistakes he'd made, but she couldn't give him the same kind of affection she used to when he was a child.This time, he hadn't just fallen—he'd hurt someone else. And not just once. He'd hurt her both physically and emotion
[The past]Mary woke up after a long nap. Peter had been right—the lavender oil had really relaxed her.Maybe it was the move, maybe it was having Grandma Catherine and Peter around, or maybe it was just that she knew she had to be strong so she could recover quickly and see her grandfather again—bu
"Mr. Palmer, I know you came here looking for something that might stop me from seeing my daughter. But I can assure you—if there's one thing I've always been, it's stubborn. I didn't even listen to my own parents—at least not until they finally found a way to tie me down..."And I won't back down f
Maximus looked at the young man, stared him in the eyes—and saw exactly what he'd been hoping to see. After receiving the full report on Adrian's life, he already knew the guy was telling the truth. At moments, he could even see himself reflected in the young man. Though, if he was being honest, Ad
Maximus knew full well that his daughter was going through a pivotal moment in her life. He could see it clearly—just as his children grew, so did their problems. All he could do now was pray to every saint he could think of, asking for the wisdom to guide them the best way he could.Maximus had al
Once everything was said and done, Lucius walked to the study, where Maximus was already waiting for him, reviewing some documents related to the merger. "Have you said goodbye to everyone?" Maximus asked, looking at his son with a sad expression."Yeah. Amanda's saying her goodbyes too… Thank you,
The man saying goodbye felt every step grow heavier and heavier. His family was here, and he was leaving them behind to go to a place far away.This time, he wasn't leaving alone—but he would've much rather stayed. He knew that this family needed him… and he needed them just as much.When it was Pa