Chapter 87 A Reward

Isabella was increasingly full of anxiety, from the room where the young woman was waiting along with Marian and Elena, loud noises were heard coming from the office.

Isabella's heart was beating full of anxiety and fear, what was happening in there?

Suddenly, there was silence, Isabella's fear increased, the young woman thought the worst and could not bear it anymore, she ran to ask the employees of the mansion for a first aid case and once she had it in her hand, she went to the office full of conviction.

Marian and Elena followed her, but when they tried to enter, the door was locked.

"Max?" Honey, please open the door..." Isabella called, her eyes full of tears and her hands trembling. I didn't even want to imagine what had happened inside the office.

"We're fine, darling... We're trying to figure this out... Just..." Maximo sighed heavily from inside. "We only need a moment.

I didn't want to open the door, as the mess in the office was evident. He feared that seeing the chaos would make Isabella frightened or, worse, angry.

"Then I'll wait out here, Max." I can't leave... I need to see you... I need to know you're okay..." Isabella replied tenderly, her voice full of pleading.

Inside the office, Diego and Máximo were still on the floor, trying to catch their breath after the fight. They looked at each other briefly. Máximo noticed the pain in Diego's expression when he heard Isabella's words, which soon transformed into a sad smile.

"I... I know... I know I don't have a chance with Isabella... If only... If I had found her before you... This would have been very different, believe me..." Diego murmured, his head down.

"Maybe, but it wasn't like that..." Máximo refuted.

"I think it's time for me to go... Everything has already been said..." Diego got up with effort, his muscles sore from the beating. "You don't have to worry, I'll disappear... I'll go back to the hole I used to live in hiding...

"You don't have to hide again..." Máximo also got up, wincing in pain as he moved. "Maximilian will not bother you again.

"What?" Diego looked at him, confused.

"Aiden, Isabella's cousin, investigated Maximilian and tracked down your mother. She revealed the whole truth about Gustavo to us. In addition, the gangsters he robbed also came; they took him away to teach him a lesson. Let's say that they will make you pay for all the evil you have caused. In short, in a short time, Maximilian will be in prison. So, you and your mother are no longer in danger and can live your life as you wish...

"My... My mother..." Diego stammered, perplexed, with his mouth open.

"She's here..." said Maximo, as he walked towards the door.

When he opened it, he found Isabella's arms, who had dropped the first aid kit to hug him. Behind her, Marian and Elena entered; Elena remained static for a moment, when she saw her son, her eyes filled with tears and in an instant, she was running to hug him.

"Max, for God's sake, look at how you are..." Isabella pulled away a little to look him up and down, visibly worried.

With one hand, the young woman picked up the kit from the floor, while with the other, she pulled it to a sofa inside the office, from the little that was half raised.

Diego hugged his mother, excited, she asked him questions and he answered calmly, there were no secrets to keep, nor why be cautious.

A few minutes later, at some point, the man slid his gaze to that sofa, where Máximo was lying, Marian was sitting next to him, holding his hand, while Isabella was in front of her spouse, cleaning and healing him with great delicacy and care.

Something inside Diego stirred, there was the woman he had always loved, however, she took care of another man, as if it were something fragile, with veneration, with sweetness, with eyes full of love.

It was difficult to accept, but it was the truth, Isabella and Máximo loved each other.

After finishing, Isabella picked up the kit and approached Diego, with a shy smile, the young woman slid the small suitcase towards Elena.

"This will help you..." I hope you get better soon, Diego. Isabella said with a faint smile, marked by an obvious friendship and nothing more.

Diego pursed his lips as he watched Isabella return to Maximo, who gave him some scolding, but with affection and evident love. While Elena opened the first aid kit to begin healing her son, Diego stopped her.

"I think we'd better go..." Diego commented to his mother.

"What?"

"We have nothing else to do here, mother..." Diego insisted.

"Where shall we go?" The woman muttered.

"That doesn't matter..." Diego smiled at her, although the smile did not reach her eyes, which continued to reflect defeat. “We will start from scratch, as we have always done...

In the midst of Isabella's small reprimand to her spouse, Máximo noticed how Diego left with his mother, in absolute silence.

He immediately got up.

"Wait..." Máximo called them. They both turned around in surprise. "Mrs. Ortiz, before you leave, let me thank you for confronting that man who caused you so much harm, despite your fears, and for helping us..." He turned to Elena.

"Oh, it's not necessary, I also did it for my son and me..." The woman replied kindly, although somewhat embarrassed.

"You deserve compensation for all the damage that Maximilian has done to you..." Maximo said seriously.

"What?" Diego frowned.

Isabella and Marian approached surprised to hear Maximo's words.

"You don't have to start from scratch..." Máximo continued. “Maximilian does not have to continue affecting their lives. Mrs. Ortiz, you can see it as a reward for your help...

"I... I don't..." the woman stammered, perplexed.

"It's not necessary, Maximo. Now that my father is gone, I can try on my own..." Diego turned, completely ignoring the offer.

"I want to leave you my companies abroad..." Máximo blurted out suddenly. Diego turned on his heels again, stunned.

"What?"

- The truth, Diego... I don't want them anymore; I can't take care of them. I am determined to stay with my spouse and dedicate myself to being the head of the family. I don't have the energy, nor the desire, nor the time to take charge of these companies. Máximo said seriously.

"Maximo, I don't need your pity..." Diego replied, uncomfortable.

"It's not a pity, honestly, I think they deserve it, for everything that Maximilian has taken from them and even so, it seems very little to me..." Máximo insisted, remembering everything he had heard from Elena and Diego, everything they had left and lost.

"Even so... I can't accept it..." Diego said, shaking his head.

"It will be a loan..." Máximo blurted out, surprising everyone.

"What?" Diego asked, confused.

"Diego, you've practically taken care of everything in those companies. You have been the one who has worked hard to maintain them and make them grow... “Máximo affirmed.

"You started them, I was guided by the plans you left, the strategies..." Diego refuted.

"But I haven't been able to supervise them for a long time. The only thing I've done is inject some capital, that's my only merit..." Máximo replied.

"That's what makes them yours, Maximo, the money..." Diego shrugged.

“Money that you can pay me as soon as companies consolidate and generate more profits, which will surely be in a short time... And if you don't want them, that's fine, I'll have to sell them to any stranger who offers me a decent price. The truth doesn't interest me..." - Máximo said.

"Will you sell them?" Diego asked, with some interest.

"Yes, I've been thinking about it for some time..." Máximo said, leaving Diego thoughtful. - Diego, you don't have to start from scratch, you don't have to go out and prove anything to anyone. With everything you've done for those companies, you've proven more than enough... You are a very intelligent man, I know, so I am sure you would never waste this opportunity. Máximo concluded, extending his hand towards Diego.

"It's okay..." Diego agreed, shaking Maximo's hand. "I'll only accept it as a loan...

"Well, I'll settle the papers right now, but first of all”" I only have one condition..." Everyone looked at Maximo, intrigued.

"Which one?" Diego asked.

"I want you to stay abroad, away from Isabella. Maximus said without hesitation.

"What, Max?" Don't you trust me? Isabella asked, frowning.

"Of course, honey..." Máximo replied sweetly, before looking at Diego firmly again. - The one I don't trust is him... And for obvious reasons.

“I accept. Diego nodded, knowing that the best thing to do was to rebuild his life elsewhere.

Diego signed the papers that same night and went abroad. Although his heart was still broken, at least he felt a glimmer of hope, without fear or secrets, free from his father's shadow.

Isabella and Maximo returned to their penthouse, exhausted for the day.

"What you did was a very nice gesture on your part..." Isabella muttered, lying on her spouse's bare chest in bed.

"What?" Máximo asked, stroking her hair.

“Leave the companies to Diego... Despite what he did and the lies, you decided to help him..." Isabella murmured, raising her face to see her husband's expression.

"It wasn't out of pity..." Máximo replied sincerely.

- I know, you wanted to compensate him for Maximilian, him, and his mother... It wasn't his fault, it was his father's..." Isabella muttered, thoughtfully. “Diego is a good man; he always has been. He only had a very hard life, with no possibilities, and he took the only thing he found... Although it was not the right thing to do.

"I'm starting to get jealous..." Maximo growled.

"What?" Is it serious? Isabella looked at him amused.

"Well, I don't like to hear you talk like that about Diego, or hear you talk about another man..." Máximo turned to lean on Isabella. "To be honest, I'm very jealous, although I think you should have noticed by now. I even have my doubts when Aiden comes to visit you..." He murmured with a faint smile.

- I can't believe it, Max! Isabella tried to scold him, but a passionate kiss silenced her, making her lose her breath.