My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 38

Chapter 0038 

+25 BONUS 

During the drive, Mary relaxed after her conversation with Calum. She had finally seen a side of Peter that few people knew, and now she understood why Catherine held him in such high regard. She realized why Catherine thought it was better for her to stay with him. 

“What are you looking at?” Peter asked as he took a bite of pizza. 

“Nothing!” Mary replied, feeling caught. 

“It must be something. Those big eyes of yours would’t be on me unless you were curious.” 

“Well, maybe. Why don’t you get along with Maximus? 

“Oh, it’s that? Did you overhear any of our conversation? 

“Mmm… no.” Mary didn’t understand what he was referring to. 

“Maximus and 1 are brothers, but let’s say he was raised with the idea that he’d always be the president of the company. 1, on the other hand, was always second in everything, so I tried harder to get my parents‘ attention. I never succeeded. But that didn’t stop me. I started my own businesses outside the family. Some went well, some didn’t. My brother thought I was wasting my inheritance and began limiting my funds, so I decided to move to Gaela and start fresh.” 

“Wow. So, it’s all about money?” 

“Yes and no. It’s really more about the competition for our parents‘ attention. When our mom died, I thought it would bring us closer, but it only drove us further apart. I made a lot of mistakes, didn’t know how to handle her passing. That’s when Grandma stepped in and had a serious talk with me. She didn’t want me to ruin my life. I’m a Palmer, whether I liked it or not, and she wanted me to uphold the family 

name.” 

“Catherine is really close to you. I could see that.” 

“She wasn’t always. She only came to me when she realized I was carrying a heavy burden. One day, I tried to take my own life. I was tired of running and couldn’t handle it anymore. After that, Grandma took care of me during my recovery, and we’ve been close ever since. I could never say no to her.” 

“I see. But I still don’t understand why you’d want to end your life when now you seem to love it so much. You enjoy the adrenaline; people hold you in high esteem. I just don’t get it.” 

“Well, enough about me. Tell me about yourself,” Peter said, quickly changing the subject. 

“I’m not sure what to tell you. There’s a lot I’ve been told not to talk about, so I don’t know what to say.” 

“Alright! If you won’t talk, I’ll tell you who you are, and you can confirm if I’m right.” 

“What? What do you mean?” 

“Your name is Maria Mary Preston. You’re from Hesperia City, from a well–off neighborhood called Candosa. You went to an all–girls school. Your father is very strict and didn’t let anyone get close to you. I’ve heard you don’t have a good relationship with him. You just turned 18 on Saturday, and you celebrated it with my brother. A nice gesture on his part, considering he doesn’t like that kind of thing. That surprised me.” 

H 

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Chapter 00 

“How do you know all this about my life?” 

“So, I’m right? You were a lonely girl, and your best friend is Regina Let me tell you, since your family left the country, she hasn’t lost hope that you’ll return someday. The police have tapped her phone, and if you try to call or text her, they’ll track your location That’s why she shut down all your social media accounts,” 

“You’re scaring me! How do you know all this?” 

“Well, as soon as Grandma asked me to take care of you, I looked up everything about you. Maximus is good at investigating people, but I have more connections outside the family.” 

“I can’t believe this!” 

“You and your grandfather left on a private Palmer jet Your grandfather asked for this favor because of an old friendship between our families. In fact, up until about 20 or 27 years ago, the company was Preston & Palmer. But my grandfather dissolved the partnership on the advice of his mistress, Lucy Levett, who happens to be Alexia’s grandmother–Maximus’s great love. My grandmother hates her because Alexia is the spitting image of Lucy, the woman who caused the rift between our families.” 

“You figured all this out on your own?” 

“Of course! And I bet most of what I just told you is news to you.” 

“No,” Mary said, shaking her head in disbelief. 

“Now you know. Your father, Alexander Preston, is in Layburn, where there’s no extradition, and he’s being protected by some friends. Your aunt Camilla and Gale are in Moorak, constantly on the move to avoid being found. Your grandfather is under the protection of the Palmer family. He’s said to have suffered a heart attack, but the truth is that Grandma gave him a villa near the vineyards that once united our families. He’s being well cared for, but he chose to stay away from you to keep you from being dragged into his problems.” 

A tear rolled down Mary’s cheek as she thought about her grandfather, alone in a distant place, while she was here suffering over a man who would never truly care for her. How had she lost sight of what really mattered? 

“Peter, you’ve surprised me. I didn’t know any of this. The most important thing to me is my grandfather. Is he okay?” 

“As far as my investigator could tell, your old man is doing fine. Grandma assigned him a nurse to take care of him. His room overlooks the vineyards, and every afternoon, he goes out with two glasses of wine, toasts to the air, drinks one, and watches the sunset before heading back inside.” “That was our ritual! But I never drank wine. He said I had to wait until I was of age.” 

“See? I’m not lying. Your grandfather is in good hands. Oh, by the way, we’re almost home.” 

When she snapped out of her thoughts, she saw a Tuscan–style villa. It was a cozy stone house, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, radiating warmth and a sense of home. 

“Come on, get out. This will be your home from now on. Welcome!” 

Chapter 109 

+25 BONUS 

“Good evening, Mr. Peter! Pleasure to meet you, Miss Mary. My name is Agnes, and I’m the housekeeper here. I’ll be assisting you with whatever you need.” 

“Agnes, could you have one of the guys help bring Mary’s things in from the car?”