"Mr. Palmer, as I told you, Maximus isn’t in the country, so whatever you want to do will have to wait until he arrives.""Damn Maximus! Always acting so important… Call him right now!""Sir… I already told you… Maximus is on a flight back to Valentia.""Call him!"With no other choice, Matthew find
Serenity arrived at Maximus’s house feeling nervous. The bodyguard Maximus had assigned to her escorted her to the door, but her legs felt like jelly, and her hands wouldn’t stop trembling. Just the thought of running into Leonardo made her uneasy. She wanted to call Alden—she needed to talk to some
“In the Palmer family, divorce was frowned upon, especially after my father abandoned my mother. I couldn’t do the same. But if it had been up to me, I would have left her the moment I found out she was cheating on me.”“She didn’t deserve the life you gave her. Now I understand why I treated Mary t
“Maximus, before you go… I need you to sign this document. Otherwise, I promise you, Serenity and I are going to have a very good time together…”Maximus’s eyes widened in shock. All his children were at home. That bastard Leonardo had planned everything meticulously, waiting for Maximus to leave th
[Bartz Mansion]Marcus and Valerie were slowly finding some stability. Valerie, now over six months pregnant, was enjoying a quiet afternoon in the garden with Marcus when a knock at the mansion door broke their peace. Camille went to open it, only to find the family lawyer from the Levett estate, f
A finely carved wooden door creaked open. A hooded man entered, holding a camera. Without a word, he took pictures of her and recorded her, ignoring her desperate cries.“Boss, I’ve sent you the pictures of the girl. The others haven’t woken up yet. I’ve got them separated, just as you ordered,” the
The same morning that Leonardo Palmer was claiming what he believed was "rightfully" his, Frank Levett Jr. appeared at the Valeria police station. He was pushing a wheelchair carrying what was left of a man—a frail, senile figure barely upright against the chair's backrest. That man was none other t
Frederick told her about how Marcus had fled to avoid certain death, knowing that if Frank Levett discovered he was still alive, he would hunt him down. He recounted how Marcus had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in New York, where someone who resembled him had been decapitated as a warnin
[A few months earlier ]It was nighttime. Alden was out of town, and Serenity couldn't sleep. Her belly was still round with pregnancy when she noticed Peter sitting alone in the garden. She decided to join him—as long as he was okay with her company.He had recently woken up, and to him, nearly eve
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