Chapter 0148
Not far from the Bartz residence, Maximus Palmer was accompanying a young and beautiful woman at the National Gallery of Modern Art. After their tour of the gallery, Maximus suggested they go for a coffee. The girl, clearly excited, didn’t object.
“Maximus, darling! I’m heading to the restroom, I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Okay.”
After Peter’s death, many things in Maximus’s life had changed. The very day Peter’s remains were to be cremated, Mary vanished. She hadn’t said a word, not even a goodbye. It wasn’t until everyone noticed her absence that they realized she had gone. Maximus assumed she had used the chaos surrounding his brother’s death to make her escape, but as usual, he was far from the truth.
While the girl was away, Maximus lit a cigarette. That bad habit had stuck with him, and quitting felt impossible. He pulled out his phone and opened his cloud storage, searching for photos from twenty years ago. He found one he kept tucked away–Mary, her hair dyed pink, smiling vibrantly.
Two decades had passed, and he still couldn’t forget the 19–year–old girl who had once been his
Thinking of her stirred a strange unease within him. That’s called guilt, Maximus,‘ he often told
himself.
wife.
Lately, he’d developed an unhealthy pattern of dating naïve young women. They saw his expensive car and charming looks and eagerly fell into his arms. There was nothing left of the man he had been 201 years ago. He had married with a heavy heart, and his marriage was far from what he’d hoped for. He had four children, and he suspected at least one might not even be his.
“Darling, I’m back!”
“Audrey, I need to talk to you seriously. We can’t keep seeing each other. I have to go back to Valeria, and you need to stay here and focus on your studies. I’m too old for you, and this relationship isn’t good for you.”
Audrey was stunned. That very morning, they’d shared an intimate moment, and now he was ending things.
“Maximus! But…” she began, trying to keep her anger in check
“You’re young, and you’ll find someone less complicated than me,” Maximus said calmly.
His initial plan had been to spend a few more days with her, but seeing the photo of Mary had triggered his guilt–a type of guilt so overpowering that it made him blurt out everything on his mind.
“Maximus Palmer, the rumors in the media are true, aren’t they? You only go after young women to use them and then toss them aside!”
Hearing this, Maximus grew irritated and stood up from the table.
“I already paid the bill, so I don’t owe you anything. What you or the media say about me is of no importance to me. Goodbye, Audrey.”
Outside the café, Joseph Tate–Maximus’s new assistant and right–hand man–was waiting. Matthew
had retired, but he still kept in touch with Maximus. their bond, like that of a father and son, had lasted for years. When Matthew retired, Maximus had begged him not to stay away entirely. He still needed. Matthew’s advice as a father figure, a friend, and a trusted confidant.
“Sir, where should I take you?!
“Take me to Aventine. Let’s go home. And remember, whatever you saw, none of it leaves this car.”
“Sir, there’s no need to remind me. That’s very clear.’s not my job to get involved in things that aren’t my business.”
After marrying Alexia Levett, she had chosen a mansion in an exclusive area of Eterna. Aventine was now home to the Palmer–Levett family
The Palmer mansion where Maximus had once lived with his parents–and later with Mary–had never been sold but was now abandoned. The once–lush gardens that Mary and Emma Fiore had lovingly cared for were now dry and lifeless. The fish in the ponds were long dead. The emptiness of the mansion gave it an eerie, almost ghostly atmosphere.
It had become a house full of painful memories, one that Maximus occasionally visited. He would sit in the living room and close his eyes, recalling the beautiful girl who had once danced through that enormous house as if she owned the world.
