My Love Until the Last Goodbye by Alut

Time had flown by. The Bartzes were about to leave, and with them, Serenity and Alden. In just a week, everything would change again.

It was clear that once the Bartzes returned to Hesperia, the families in Valentia would start making moves too. As everyone already knew, Theodore would stay in Florentia, Maximus in Valeria running PBE Group, and Peter, ever the free spirit, would work from home alongside his wife and daughters.

Maximus was sitting at his desk, going through pending tasks, when a phone call snapped him out of his focus.

"Mr. Evans, I think we need to talk..." said the voice on the other end.

"Who's speaking?" Maximus replied, not recognizing it.

"Pierre Legrand..." came the reply, followed by a weary sigh.

"Mr. Legrand, weren't you supposed to let me know when you arrived in the country?"

"Mr. Evans, I'm calling because I've arrived. And I want to see about meeting my son."

"As I told you during our last call, Paul already knows you exist. I've left the decision up to him, and he hasn't agreed to see you. What do you want me to do? I respect my son's decision—and you should too."

"Mr. Evans, he's a teenager. Of course he's not going to want to. But if you don't step in or lay things out for him, he's never going to agree to meet me."

"I'm not going to force my son into anything. He's old enough to make his own decisions—especially when it comes to someone he doesn't know and doesn't want to know."

"Mr. Evans, I'm parked right outside your house-well, outside the Evans mansion. You'd better come down and open the gate, because I'm done waiting. Otherwise, I'll take whatever legal steps are necessary."

don't want to take him away. I don't want to have to resort to a court order, though you and I

Legrand, are you threatening

it, my

to the civilized man who said he didn't want any

same thing that happened to your

you don't learn to respect your son's choices,

have five. And if I've learned anything, it's that the most important thing is respecting their choices

to meet my son and I've waited long enough. So you better tell him

escalate things—because he knew exactly the kind of influence that man had, and that he really could take Paul

had the

He informed the butler of an unexpected visitor, got up from his desk, and walked to the

can I come in?" Maximus

"Yeah, Dad, what's up?"

last

the boy said, lowering

told you Pierre Legrand was coming to

but I'm not

you are. You're strong and smart. You'll know how to handle yourself in front of him. Ask him your

a great grandfather, even if he doesn't love all our chaos. And you can't deny

"Yeah, but he's different..."