The next morning, without warning, someone was opening the apartment door. That someone was Angela—and she wasn’t alone.As they stepped into the luxurious space, Maximus immediately noticed that his son wasn’t exactly suffering the way he had imagined. Anthony Moriarty was clearly taking good care
Sebastian stepped out of the hallway alongside Angela. Maximus stood by the window, staring outside with a calm expression—though that was merely a skill he had mastered over the years. On the inside, he was a mess of nerves.His mind was flooded with memories: the day his son was born, the fleeting
Lucius let out a humorless chuckle. "Maximus, I was already living in London. We weren’t exactly together even then.""I know!" Maximus ran a hand down his face. "And I also know that the same mistakes I made with your uncle Peter… I made with you. I should have never let you go to London. But it wa
Feeling his father’s embrace, Lucius didn’t know how to react. His first instinct was to pull away, but something strange washed over him—a warmth he hadn’t felt in years.Memories flooded his mind: Maximus hugging him as a child, playing with him, fixing his tie, saying goodbye when he left for Lon
"Anthony Moriarty is a good man… It’s hard for me to admit it, and his methods are far from conventional, but I know he’s a good person. His wife, Angela… she lives up to her name. She’s an angel. She’s taken care of me, treated me like a brother. She’s a good woman," Lucius said sincerely."I know,
Alden had just dropped off Serenity and the girls at Valerie’s house. Even Celeste and the little ones had joined the group. They all planned to help Serenity with the design of her wedding dress.While that was happening, Alden received a call from a familiar contact."Theodore? How are you?" Alden
The walk to the café felt endless to Lucius. He needed to get there as soon as possible and save Amanda from Angela’s interrogation. He was worried she’d dig up embarrassing details about his past, and even more worried that Amanda would end up scared of the kind of man he had been under Frank and L
[UAE, days earlier]Theodore and Fiona were having breakfast in the penthouse while Adam was out running errands. The young man knew that even though his parents had reunited and his father had decided to marry his mother, they still needed time and space to understand each other.Adam was well awar
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