Chapter 0317
Chapter 0317
Before Marcus could say more, another blow landed–this me from Maximus. Blood began streaming from Marcus’s nose.
“Never! Do you hear me, Bartz? Never speak to my daughter like that again! Do I make myself clear?” Maximus roared, teetering on the edge of losing control.
“Enough!” Valerie screamed, tears streaming down her face. “Maximus, this is exactly why I didn’t want you near my daughter! You and your damn family only know how to destroy each other. You were never good to your brother, and when I was young, you had no mercy on me. Don’t you dare try to play the role of the perfect father now.” She rushed to Marcus’s side to help him.
“Let me go, damn it!” Marcus spat, clutching his nose with one hand and swatting Valerie away with the other.” What else have you been hiding from me, Valerie?”
Valerie froze at the harsh shove. She understood Marcus’s anger–how could she not? He had just learned that Serenity, their Serenity, wasn’t the daughter of his late friend. And now he also knew that Maximus and she had spoken privately days before.
“Marcus… please…” Valerie stammered, paralyzed, her gaze shifting to her daughter, whose eyes brimmed with tears. “Serene…”
Laura, horrified by the chaotic scene, ran to Serenity and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Laura didn’t understand everything that was happening, but seeing her family fight was something she had grown accustomed to. For Serenity, though, it was an entirely different story.
“Marcus, I’m warning you–don’t you dare push Mary again,” Maximus said, his voice low and threatening.
“Ha! And you’re going to teach me how to treat a wife?” Marcus sneered sarcastically.
“What the hell is going on here?” Alexia’s voice rang out as she unexpectedly walked into the boardroom.
Her eyes swept over the scene: Maximus with blood on the corner of his mouth and Marcus trying to staunch the flow from his nose.
“Greta, bring the first aid kit!” Alexia barked from the doorway.
Lucius, still leaning casually against the wall, watched the carnage with a sinister smirk. He was thoroughly enjoying the chaos. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined things would go so perfectly.
“Lucius, help me control them!” Alexia demanded, stepping forward to try and separate Maximus and Marcus.
Maximus moved toward Serenity, who was sobbing uncontrollably. But before he could reach her, Marcus’s hand shot out, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall. Both men lost all sense of reason, exchanging blows without restraint. Valerie rushed to separate them, but in the frenzy, one of them–she couldn’t tell who–shoved her, and she fell hard to the ground.
The two men were so consumed by their rage that they didn’t even notice what they had done. Alexia, realizing they were on the verge of killing each other, shouted for Lucius. He reluctantly stood, dragging his feet to intervene, though it was clear his half–hearted attempts weren’t working. Seeing no other option, he called for security.
The Bartz security team arrived within ten minutes and managed to separate the two men.
Valerie, still on the floor, realized her wrist was injured from the fall. She cradled her hand but knew no one would notice amidst the chaos. Her patience was at its limit. Rising to her feet, she marched straight to Serenity.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 1317
“Serenity, let’s go. We have nothing to do in this godforsaken place!” Valerie said angrily, grabbing her daughter’s hand and storming toward the door.
“No! I don’t want to leave!” Serenity cried, her voice trembling with rage and grief. “Mom, what else have you been hiding from me all this time? Did you think I’d never find out? All these years! All these years longing for the image of a father who didn’t even exist! You’re so cruel, Mon! So cruel! They hurt you, but me-” she broke off, sobbing uncontrollably.
Chapter 0318
