[Hesperia, 15 Years Ago]Following his failed attempt to bring Peter’s daughter back to Valentia, Leonardo had no choice but to face his mother. Catherine had summoned him, demanding he visit her as soon as he returned. What she didn’t know was that Leonardo’s supposed retreats to Nepal lasted only
Valerie froze as Serenity’s voice broke the tension in the room. Turning to face her daughter, she tried to compose herself, wiping her hands on a towel to buy a moment. Marcus’s sharp gaze moved between the two women, sensing the undercurrent of unease.“They want us to go to Palmer Group,” Marcus
Marcus arrived at his office and asked his shared assistant if Maximus was in. He had personal matters to discuss with him. The assistant only shook her head no, avoiding even standing up. The dangerous aura radiating from Marcus was enough to keep her glued to her seat. Normally a calm and kind man
After a long drive to pick up both of his daughters, Maximus arrived at Palmer Group. When he pulled up, the valet opened his car door. Normally, these routine actions went unnoticed, but today, Maximus took in every detail. He knew that by returning everything, it would soon be clear who would assu
Maximus quickly tore open the envelope, and like Valerie, felt a heavy weight press against his chest. The envelope was eerily similar to the one he had once presented to his ex-wife when he sought answers about Peter’s daughter. As he unfolded the report, his face turned ghostly pale. It was the sa
Before Marcus could say more, another blow landed—this time from Maximus. Blood began streaming from Marcus’s nose.“Never! Do you hear me, Bartz? Never speak to my daughter like that again! Do I make myself clear?” Maximus roared, teetering on the edge of losing control.“Enough!” Valerie screamed,
Serenity was devastated. She had never felt such betrayal in her life, and what crushed her the most was that it came from her own home—from her mother. The realization tore her apart.Valerie tried to approach her daughter again, but Serenity rejected her. Laura, calm and patient, stepped in.“Don’
Leonardo was visibly fuming, his anger boiling over at the realization that Maximus had been prepared to hand over the largest share of the company to Serenity, the daughter he had with Mary. Rising from his seat, he spoke sharply:“Maximus, enough with the theatrics. We need to have a private discu
Valerie approached, one last time, one of the most important women in her life in Valeria.Emma Fiore—the woman who had taken her in almost like a daughter. While they had grown close during the three years Valerie was married to Maximus, their bond went far beyond that. They were family.Emma had c
After that hug, Valerie walked over to Laura, Serenity's sister, with whom she'd developed a bit of a bond."Laura and beautiful Adele—I wish you both all the success in the world… You must finish your studies and use your degree. You're living proof that it's possible—and that's exactly what your l
The day had finally come—the Bartz family and the newly formed Palmer-Bartz family were leaving for Hesperia.Without meaning to, the three families found themselves gathered once again at the airport.Marcus was saying goodbye to Peter, who, due to his memory loss, only held onto the memories of th
While Valerie packed up their things for the move back to Hesperia, Peter was driving with Celeste and their little girls toward Willowcombe.He was taking her to see how the renovations on the house—where they'd soon be living—were coming along.Celeste was in the back seat with the girls, tending
Valerie was packing clothes into the suitcases, though she kept drifting off, thinking about the reason they'd come here in the first place.At first, everything had seemed simple—quick even. Within a few months, they'd be back in Hesperia. But it had already been over a year.Things hadn't gone as
After Maximus said goodbye to Pierre, he went back into the mansion and headed straight to his son's room. Paul was lying on his bed, facing away from the door."Paul, can I come in?" Maximus asked gently."You're already in, Dad… Are you here to scold me for something that happened years ago?" Paul
"That's right. I'd like to speak with him alone, if you don't mind, Mr. Evans.""I think you're misunderstanding something. Letting you into my home doesn't mean you get to decide whether I'm in the conversation or not. Still, I'm trying to be reasonable—and if Paul wants to speak with you alone, on
Not too thrilled about it, Paul left his room and headed toward the garden, where a man was already waiting for him—one who didn't look his age. And to be honest, the resemblance between young Paul and the man was unmistakable.As soon as he heard footsteps approaching, the man—already sipping a cup
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