Chapter 0150
Chapter 0150
At the Bartz mansion, Valerie and Emma chatted about their lives, and one of the topics that came up was Maximus Palmer–specifically, some recent updates about his life.
“Emma, you said Maximus is paying for his actions. Do you know what’s become of him?” Valerie asked curiously.
“Do you still think about him, my dear?” Emma replied, a little intrigued.
“No, Emma, but since you brought him up, I got curious. Ever since I left here, I didn’t want to know anything about the Palmers, even though my husband has business dealings with them.”
“Well, it’s not like I keep track of his life either, but you know how it is. When you work in the home of a powerful family, you hear things from the staff.”
“I can imagine!” Valerie said with a small laugh.
“The last I heard about Maximus is that his life hasn’t been good. He’s still married to Alexia, but everyone knows they’re together out of habit or for other reasons–probably business.”
“What? Wasn’t she supposed to be the love of his life? Valerie said, surprised.
“Apparently, she never was. These days, rumor has it that, while he’s discreet, he’s been known to seek out young girls–his lovers are usually no older than 20.”
“Wow… That’s surprising.”
“My dear, sometimes when I hear those stories, I think he’s searching for someone like you. It pains me to think he’s looking for something he’ll never find.”
“Emma, we had plenty of chances to make things right, and he ruined them for his wife. Don’t feel sorry for him. Besides, he’s too old to be chasing after girls. It’s ridiculous.”
“Well, that’s what people say. He only made the tabloids once, but that was a long time ago.”
“And Alexia? What’s become of her?”
“That woman… She’s a powerful force, I’ll give her that. She works at Maximus’s company and has a high–ranking position. Last I heard, they have four kids together. She lost two other babies, and now that she’s older, I doubt she’s still trying to have more.”
“What do you mean by ‘still trying to have kids??”
“Well, don’t quote me on this, but I heard she wanted to have a big family. She wanted to give Maximus lots of children. But from what I’ve been told by people who’ve worked for them, she only had babies to keep Maximus tied to her. Once they were born, she handed them off to the nanny and didn’t take care of them herself. Poor kids… They never had a real mother figure.”
The two women kept chatting until nightfall. Marcus eventually came out to join them after finishing a long meeting with Frederick.
“Ladies, have you spent the entire afternoon talking? Marcus asked, clearly amused.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0150
“My love, it’s been 20 years since we’ve spoken. We’re nowhere near catching up!” Valerie replied with
a sinile.
“That’s the smile I like to seel” Marcus sald, wrapping his arms around Valerie and planting a kiss on her head. “I’m starving. What do you say we go out for dinner? Valerie, did you tell Emma what you
want?”
“Oh, yes!”
“So, Emma, what do you say? Will you accept Valerie’s proposal? Will you come live with us?”
“Sir, it would make me so happy. But Valerie said she doesn’t want me to work here. I’d be happy to work for you, if you’ll let me.”
“No, Emma. We don’t want you to work. We want you to live with us. We want a new life for you, and you’re important to my wife. I’d never let you put yourself in that position.”
“Sir…”
“Come on, Emma! You’ll get used to it. For now, it’s just the two of us, but wait until my kids arrive. They’re a whirlwind–especially my little one!” Valerie said cheerfully.
“And when do they get here?”
“They’ll arrive next week. So you have a week to get everything sorted and move in. We want you to be settled by the time they arrive. They’ll love meeting you–they’ve heard so much about you.
Emma’s heart clenched as she watched Marcus hug and kiss Valerie. He had once been the man who had helped her and her sons when they were struggling. Valerie, whom Emma had once seen as her own daughter, had gone through so much, and Emma couldn’t help but feel guilty for not doing more to protect her. It wasn’t that she disliked Marcus. It was just that she imagined Valerie must have suffered greatly to reach where she was now.
The three of them went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant. Valerie couldn’t help but be amazed by the area Marcus had chosen for their home. It was nothing like her old house in Hesperia. Not that her home there had been bad, but this place was one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Valentia. It almost felt like Marcus was trying to send a message to someone.