Chapter 0113
After hours of brooding in his study, Leonard made a difficult decision: He would send Peter to Galea, to an internment school for troubled youth. Without a word, Peter was pulled from his room, still in his pajamas, and taken to the institution. From that moment, Peter wouldn’t see his father again until years later, at a family meeting called by Catherine.
Catherine had pleaded with Leonard to bring Peter back, but Leonard knew that if Peter returned, his future in Valeria would be ruined. No school would accept him, and the opportunities available to him would vanish. Leonard chose to be the villain in his son’s eyes, believing it was the only way to protect
him.
At the internment school, Peter met all kinds of peers, from those who were deeply troubled to those who were simply misguided. He learned from them, adapting to life without his father or brother. Occasionally, he missed Catherine, Emma, and Matthew, but his time alone taught him resilience and responsibility.
During his university years, however, the weight of everything he had endured began to take a toll on his mental health. The once rebellious boy grew quieter, more withdrawn, until one day he decided to end it all. He took sleeping pills with whiskey and lay down to die. A roommate found him and alerted Catherine, who was preoccupied at the time with Marcus’s recovery.
Peter made Catherine promise never to tell his father about the incident, and Leonard never learned how close he had come to losing his youngest son.
Peter and Marcus Bartz met during one of Marcus’s walks through the hospital gardens. Marcus noticed. the boy’s last name and was intrigued he knew Catherine Palmer, and it seemed impossible that this boy might be her grandson.
peter
–
attending therapy sessions at the hospital, and after each session, he would visit Marcus. The two struck up a friendship that lasted for years. Marcus, grappling with the loss of his entire family, bonded with Peter, who felt like he had none.
When Marcus was discharged, Peter made sure to be there to say goodbye. He saw Marcus about to enter a Maserati, surrounded by bodyguards. Intrigued by the scene, Peter tried to approach but was stopped. until Marcus waved him through.
“Marcus, I just came to say goodbye. I’m glad I met you. I know we met under awkward circumstances, but I hope you get better, my friend.”
“Peter, keep studying. Appreciate your family. You never know when you might lose them. Look at me- this is the time to forgive.”
“I already told you, I have no family!” Peter snapped, then quickly changed the subject. “Hey… When I graduate, can I look for a job at your company?”
“You don’t need to wait until you graduate. I know you’re smart. You can work with me anytime,” Marcus replied, smiling. “Frederick, please set up a secure way for us to stay in touch.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0113
“Yes, Marcus,” Frederick replied, turning to Peter. “I need your full name, address, phone number, and email if possible. Here’s my card.”
Marcus then closed the car door and drove off. From that day forward, Peter maintained contact with Marcus and eventually began working for him.
Years later, when Catherine called Marcus to a family meeting, he wasn’t surprised to see Peter at Palmer Group’s office. But meeting Leonard and Maximus was a shock. Understanding the fraught relationship between Peter and his family, Marcus sought to balance the scales by naming Peter as president of the company. However, Peter wasn’t interested–becoming president would mean returning to the place where he had been cast out.
Now, Leonard was tormented by guilt for never explaining why he had sent Peter to Galea. Though years had passed, the distance between father and son had only grown. Despite Catherine’s attempts to mediate, Peter refused to reconcile with Leonard.
Peter later learned that two years after the incident with Alexia, she had left Maximus. He felt some satisfaction that she was no longer part of the Palmer family, but as Maximus was still his brother, he also felt pity for him, knowing through Catherine that Maximus had been devastated.
In the present, Peter wasn’t surprised to learn that Maximus had reunited with Alexia. What infuriated him, however, was how Maximus had taken Mary–solely to prevent Peter from returning to Valeria as president.
Since the family meeting where Catherine distributed the company shares, Leonard had been trying to contact Peter. But Peter managed all communication through his lawyer. Leonard understood that he had failed his son when he needed him most and wanted to make amends, but after so many years, Peter wasn’t willing to forgive.
