Chapter 0779
At the mention of the company that had belonged to his late wife’s parents, everything clicked for Marcus. Vincent Moriarty was the estranged son of Simon Stephenson his late wife’s father. Now it all made sense. Anthony and Vincent’s strange interest in him had a reason. The aunt Anthony had once mentioned was none other than Valentina Stephenson Moriarty.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me Valentina was your aunt?” Marcus asked in shock.
The revelation hit him like a bucket of cold water. He had never had the chance to meet this so–called brother. He knew his brother–in–law had hated him. He knew what a terrible father he was. But he had never imagined he would see him again. Even after everything that had happened, he had never stopped to wonder what had become of Simon and little Anthony.
“If I had told you the whole truth, you wouldn’t have cooperated the way you did. You would’ve focused on something else, and we wouldn’t have gotten this far,” Anthony said honestly.
“When Magnus contacted us, I didn’t think we would make it this far. My son was rising in politics–not because he wanted to be a governor or any of that nonsense. He wanted to be a judge. He wanted to punish people differently than you did,” Vincent added calmly.
“I still don’t understand your motives…” Marcus admitted, still struggling to piece it all together.
“Marcus, just know that a big part of what we’ve accomplished is thanks to your friend–the one you almost wanted to kill–Peter Palmer. After this trial, he probably won’t come out unscathed–at least not his family name. But he knows that, and still, he helped us.”
“What the hell does Peter have to do with this?” Marcus growled, clenching his fists.
“Peter Palmer conducted an extensive investigation. He uncovered some dark secrets about the Levett family, the Palmers, and even a few about the Bartzs–though those were more related to your uncle. Now, he could’ve destroyed all that evidence. But he didn’t. He kept digging. He and Theodore went so deep into our families‘ pasts that they discovered he wasn’t actually Maximus’s brother. His brother’s real father was Magnus Evans. When Magnus saw the investigation, he reached out to us as a personal favor. The rest… well, you already know.”
Marcus was stunned. Memories of his time with his wife flooded his mind. They had been so young, so in love. Their life in Galea had been peaceful. They had everything they needed there. How much had his life changed since Valentina and their child died? How many people had he lost along the way? He had buried himself in his grief—at least until Valerie and Serenity came into his life.
“Marcus? Are you okay?” Anthony asked, noticing his dazed expression.
“Yeah… It’s just…” Marcus tried to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat.
“Relax, man! You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack if you don’t calm down. Remember, you have four kids now -well, three–but those three still need you,” Vincent said, standing up and placing a hand on his shoulder.
“You know about my current marriage?” Marcus asked, turning to look at him.
“Of course! And I’m glad to see you didn’t stay trapped in that life of excess after Peter supposedly died.”
Marcus met his gaze and asked, “How long have you known about me? How long have you known I was alive? Why didn’t you look for me?”
“Marcus, we all dealt with Valentina’s death in different ways. My father got sick after losing her. I straightened up. I never married, but I took on my role as a father. And I know–nothing I do now will make up for eight years of absence. But my son and I are happy with what we have now. You should be too.”
1/2
125 BONUS
“Justice always comes and it comes when it’s supposed to “Vincent continued. “So be ready, because on Monday, a lot of things will come to light. It won’t be easy but who ever said it would be?”
After a long conversation between the three men, Marcus left the house. He was overwhelmed by a storm of emotions. He couldn’t believe that everything Peter Palmer had done was to bring Marcus peace. Looking at it this way, Peter had been trying to keep him from dirtying his hands any further.
His plan hadn’t been to destroy the Bartz and Palmer familles. His goal was to restore the dignity of the Bartz name and expose the Levetts–no matter who had to fall.
