Maxwell Laurent Del Valle Novels & Stories

It barely had anything on it to identify who was buried by her side, but the words Bartolomeo Auditore and Isabella Auditore made my stomach churn as my air tightened. “You can visit him when you want to. The two of them, actually,” he said, and I nodded in thanks as my lips quivered. His mother, Luna Claudia, was standing by the stairs as she looked at the two of us, and it took everything in me not to cry. However, I was thankful for the woman who walked toward me, her eyes softening as she put her finger under my chin.

If asked, maybe I would be honest in saying that I would rather be home a thousand times. Not to mention that Jon Maxwell could not attend the company this morning, postponing my plan to find out to what extent Hunter's past may be linked to that of people close to me. There are so many questions eroding my head that I can barely focus on one subject at a time. The chair in front of me produces an uncomfortable creaking when being dragged, and I blink to move away the distant thought. Beatrice Valerian "representative of one of our investors" has just sat down. Her long blonde hair oscillates as she settles down, raising her bright green eyes to take turns her gaze between Penelope and me.

She became skilled at it when she was a rebellious teenager. The door opened with a slight creak. Inside laid dozens of file cabinets. A secured terminal. And shelves of dusty black binders labeled with gold tags—each a record of a year in the De Luca archives. She didn’t have time to go through them all. So she searched by name. Isadora Vale. Nothing in the digital logs. But under V, she found something else. "Vale, I." – Status: UNKNOWN. Last Known Location: Geneva. Alias: Isabella Marelli. Active Year: 2013."

“You can’t just erase me.” “I already have,” he snapped. “And I’m not going to argue with you about feelings, Damian.” “Of course not,” I muttered. “Because you don’t have any.” Maxwell stood up and took a slow step forward as buttoned his jacket with the same care he used to close $5 million deals. His eyes were dark, sharp, and hard to read. “I gave you everything,” he said. “The Vale name. Power. Access. I made you untouchable.”

"Aunt Ryan, this is Miss Valdez from my school. The Yale professor from the decathlon panel." "She's the one who made you take the I.Q. tests, right?" she said, stepping forward and exchanging a handshake with Miss Valdez, who was doing the same. "Yes, she is. Miss Valdez, this is my aunt, Ryan," I introduced, and added proudly, "She is a leading contemporary artist in New York." "A pleasure to meet you," Miss Valdez said, her smile warm but her eyes sharp—assessing, cataloguing, the way she always seemed to be doing. "That's fantastic to hear. I guess excellence runs in the family."

Joaquin turned toward Andrew. He cleared his throat and said respectfully, "Mr. Lloyd, allow me to introduce her properly. This is Ms. Valerie Reyes from our main family. She's also a major general in the military. She's only here today to enjoy the auction, so I hope you'll give her some courtesy." Valerie's face remained calm as she stared at Andrew. She was sure that this time, he would show some respect. But to her surprise, his expression did not change at all.

Most of the floor had emptied, and I should have gone home to Liam, but I still have things to work on. I slip down to the basement level once more, heart pounding as I use the access code Luca had given me. I sit and continue from where I left off, but there isn’t really much I can do in the night without being caught. I skim through internal memos, deleted chat logs, and chance upon one recovered voice note that makes tears sting my eyes. Valerio’s old voice, tired but determined: “We’re close to cracking this. The evidence is solid, and once we expose the board members involved, I can’t wait to be open about us, without the fear of you being harmed.”

“But it seems to me that she is carrying an Alpha blood.” “You…” “Alpha Dante D’Angelo, my mate, Valerie Morozov.” He said, looking down at me. “Put the knife down, Valerie. You are going to end up hurting more than just yourself with these stupid reflexes that you’re having…”

I'll give you whatever kind of life you want. Her words were laughable. I could not help but chuckle as I stared at her coldly. "Still so delusional even at a time like this, Valerie. I would never take back a woman who's carried another man's child. Besides, even if you recovered completely, you still couldn't give me what I want most—children." Valerie begged desperately, "Austin, please stop saying hurtful things. I know I was wrong before, and I've apologized. What more do you want? Aren't you here because you still love me?"

I asked quietly. He nodded. "What's your full name?" Mariano's head turned sideways. He looked me in the eye, sceptic for a moment, before saying hardly, "Mariano Wolfe Lionelli - Montefiore Rivera." "Wow, that's...long." He smiled a bit. "Yes, it is, Isabelle May Forte." My eyes widened. "How do you know my middle name?" I whispered. He leaned in ever so slightly, a jesting smile playing on his lips, but it was enough to set my nerves on fire. "I know everything about you, Bella," He said.