My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 962

The walk to the café felt endless to Lucius. He needed to get there as soon as possible and save Amanda from Angela’s interrogation. He was worried she’d dig up embarrassing details about his past, and even more worried that Amanda would end up scared of the kind of man he had been under Frank and Leonardo’s influence.

Anthony had been silent most of the way, only breaking it once to ask about the girl. Lucius knew he had to answer—if he didn’t, the man would find out on his own.

"Who is Amanda Hayward?" Moriarty asked without slowing his pace.

"She’s… She’s… She’s a girl I just started seeing," Lucius admitted honestly.

Maximus was surprised. Lucius was never this open with him. The two of them had never had a conversation like this before, but he wasn’t going to judge—he just wanted to observe.

"From what I know, you’ve been seeing her for weeks at that café where you do your schoolwork instead of staying at your apartment," Moriarty said, making it clear he already knew everything, so there was no point in hiding it.

"Yeah, but we only just started going out…" Lucius replied nervously.

"Whatever. It’s your decision what you do. I promised your mother I’d look out for you and your best interests. But if that means keeping you away from your family and your father… sometimes promises need to be broken," Moriarty said without stopping.

"What do you mean by that?" Maximus asked, intrigued, his eyes full of surprise as he looked at his son.

"I mean that if Lucius wants to go back with you, he can. But he knows his studies will be interrupted again, and he’ll have to take that risk," Moriarty said with absolute certainty in his voice.

"Hey! I’m right here, in case you forgot. I’m not a kid anymore," Lucius protested.

"You be quiet, young man. The adults are talking," Moriarty said, knowing it would irritate him.

"I would never do anything that could harm my son. The decision is his, not mine," Maximus said in response to Moriarty’s suggestion.

As much as Maximus wanted Lucius to come back and live with them, he knew that returning would mean losing all the progress he had made at university—just like last time. He couldn’t allow that. And even if Lucius decided to follow him, he would talk to him and make him see reason.

"Alright, I think we’ve arrived at the café where my wife is," Moriarty said as he opened the door.

Minutes later, a small child wrapped herself around Moriarty’s legs, and the cold, hardened man he showed to the world completely melted, showering his daughter with kisses and hugs.

Maximus was stunned to see this side of Moriarty. Everyone in Valentia knew him as a strict, no-nonsense man. His personal and family life were rarely discussed—people only knew he was married and had a daughter, but public appearances were scarce.

"My love! Look, I want you to meet Amanda Hayward," Angela said, delighted with the girl.

Amanda extended her hand and greeted the man in front of her properly.

"Nice to meet you! But the person you really need to meet is this man right here… He is Maximus Evans, father of Sebastian Sinclair—your boyfriend," Moriarty said bluntly, not bothering to sugarcoat it.

That statement sent a wave of heat rushing to both Amanda’s and Lucius’s faces.

"Maximus Evans. A pleasure, Miss," Maximus said, shaking her hand firmly.