Chapter 0248
+25 BONUS
The weekend flew by quickly. It was Sunday afternoon, and the three Bartzs stood anxiously at the airport, awaiting the arrival of little John and his nanny, Camille. After picking them up, they would head to collect Emma Fiore, who had finally agreed to live with the Bartz family. Though Emma was a sweet woman, Valerie didn’t want her living alone in Florentia at her age.
Marcus had a mountain of tasks to handle, but he made time to greet his young son and take the whole family out for dinner. Starting tomorrow, he would officially join the Palmer company. It was essential to be well–rested, as he was stepping into unfamiliar territory and had to remain vigilant for whatever surprises the Palmers might have in store.
At 6:00 p.m., the plane carrying John and Camille landed. After passing through customs, the newest arrivals joined the rest of the Bartz family. The moment Valerie saw her little boy walking through the glass doors, she ran to scoop him up in her arms.
“My sweet little one! Come here! I’m going to smother you with kisses!” Valerie cried, pulling John into a tight hug.
“Mom, Mom, you’re squishing me!” John squealed.
“I missed you so much, my little one!” Valerie exclaimed, covering his chubby cheeks in kisses. “And look at you! You’ve
grown so much–you’re not the baby I left just a week ago!”
‘Alright, my love, let me hold my little John,” Marcus said, reaching to take his son.
“Hey, shorty! How was your trip?” Serenity teased her little brother.
“You’re the shorty!” John retorted with a grin.
“Camille! Come here, my friend!” Valerie said, stretching her arms wide for a hug
Valerie’s eyes filled with happy tears. Her family was almost complete–just one more stop to pick up Emma, and everyone would be together. With twb strong–willed women, Emma at 74 and Camille at 60, moving in, Marcus thought to himself, “This is going to be interesting.‘ It would be like having both Valerie’s mother and grandmother under one roof. But if it made his wife happy, Marcus was more than ready for the challenge.
“Camille, my dear! How was the trip? Was everything alright?” Marcus asked, turning to John’s devoted nanny.
“Everything was fine, Marcus! To be honest, I never imagined myself flying on a plane, let alone on such a long journey. It was comfortable, but I nearly had a heart attack during takeoff and landing,” Camille confessed with a laugh.
“How did you manage to convince your daughters to let you travel?” Marcus asked curiously.
“Marcus, I told them they’re grown women now, with their own jobs and lives. They always leave me alone anyway. So, I told them I was going with my John–how could I leave him alone? That would never do! I left them a week’s worth of meals and told them to figure things out. They promised they’d come visit as soon as they could take a break,” Camille said confidently, looking lovingly at John
“I like that attitude! You’ll love Valentia–the food, the scenery, everything,” Valerie chimed in, moving closer to Marcus.
Meanwhile, Serenity was holding John and whispering things into his ear, making the little boy laugh as he glanced at their parents. Despite their significant age difference, Serenity had always taken her role as a big sister seriously. Even when John was just a baby, she cared for him like he was her own. Though she teased him mercilessly, she knew her job was to prepare him for life. “You can’t grow up to be some spoiled rich kid, John– everyone hates those people,” she often told him.
Chapter 0248
“Camille! Are you ready for a grand tour of Valentia?” Serenity asked, still holding her little brother. “Serene, have you figured out how to get around in Valentia yet?” Camille asked teasingly.
“Nope, Camille! But if we get lost, we’ll just figure it out as we go!” Serenity replied playfully.
#35 BONUS
“What do you mean, figure it out as we go? I’ll make time in my schedule to take you all on a proper tour,” Marcus said seriously.
“Dad! It’s supposed to be a girls‘ trip!” Serenity protested, throwing a conspiratorial glance at her mother.
Valerie gave her daughter a wide–eyed look, silently telling her to stop talking
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“Valerie, are you in on this plan too?” Marcus asked, eyeing his wife suspiciously.
After what happened with Maximus, Serenity had come to better understand her mother’s fears. She saw her now with a new perspective, no longer judging her actions as harshly as before, knowing the struggles she’d endured in her youth.
“It’s just a little outing,” Valerie said sweetly, putting on her best puppy–dog eyes. “We know you’ll be busy, and we don’t want to bother you.”
“Alright, but you’ll need to take security with you. That’s non–negotiable,” Marcus said with a resigned sigh.
Finally, the family made their way to the car and headed to pick up Emma. Marcus had sent a trusted chauffeur to fetch her. His plan was for everyone to meet at a chic restaurant he had reserved for dinner. To save time, he decided it was best to send someone directly to Emma’s house.
Frederick arrived on time, helping Emma load her few bags into the car. The older woman took one last nostalgic look at her little home before heading off toward a new chapter of her life with Mary and the Bartz family.
Chapter 0249
