bChapter /bb262 /b

    Brian froze for a moment before looking up. ‘What do you mean by that?‘

    Scott paused, then said gently, “A mother wouldn’t stay angry with her child forever. Didn’t you say that yourself, Mr. Masonb? /bWith Ms. Hudson’s friend staying here and you two still getting to know each other, it’s only natural if things feel a bit awkward.”

    After a long silence in the back seat, Brian finally let out a sigh. “You’re right. I was wrong today.”

    He had simply thought that Sebastian didn’t let him see Maxine.

    The car pulled out of the gatedmunity and headed straight for the Mason family mansion.

    Meanwhile, Maxine struggled up the stairs on her crutches. In the second–floor study, she found Vivian flipping through a book.

    Upon noticing Maxine enter, Vivian looked up and asked, “Did Brian leave already?”

    Maxine nodded. “The bodyguard escorted him out.”

    “Bodyguard?” Vivian murmured under her breath. “You’ve always kept quiet about your family, and I only ever heard bits and pieces about how byou /bgot hurt back then from Miss Wheeler.”

    As she spoke, Vivian squinted at Maxine and asked, “That car ident happened right after you argued with your ex–husband, didn’t it? Or maybe there’s even more to the story?”

    Maxine sighed. “It’splicated… I guess it’s both yes and no.”

    She remembered how obsessed Kathleen was back then. Even if she hadn’t had that connection to Sebastian, just her and Gabriel’s greed for the Mason family fortune would’ve been enough for her to plot that car ident against Maxine.

    Maxine quickly filled Vivian in on what had happened back then.

    Vivian mmed her book onto the table, fuming. “How could they be so awful!”

    Vivian paced around the study twice, then nted her hands on the desk and red at Maxine. “Why are you such a pushover? That woman clearly had malicious intentions! That bastard, I’ll make sure she pays for this.”

    Maxine looked at her with a mix of gratitude and amusement. “That woman’s already behind bars. Barring any surprises, she’ll be serving a life sentence.”

    Vivian snorted. “And that blind fool of an ex–husband? You two are divorced now, right?”

    Maxine chuckled, “When I left the country, Mr. Soto helped me fake my own death. Now that I’m back, I’m using ba /bnew identityb, /bbso /bbwe’re /bbpletely /b

    unrted now.”

    But Vivian wasn’t about to let it go. She reached out and pinched Maxine’s cheekb, /bpressing, “But you’re still in touch, aren’t you? That little boy, Brian, he’s living with your ex–husband now, right?”

    “Yes,” Maxine mumbled indistinctly, her words muffled by her cheek bstill /bbeing pinched.

    Vivian said sternly, “So you must keep your guard/up. Don’t let that man fool you again just because of your sonb./b”

    Maxine chuckled, thinking Vivian was about to say something elseb. /bb“/bDon’t worry,” she assured her, b“/bI know what I’m doing.”

    As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Vivian giving her aplicated look. After a long pause, Vivian sighed and said, “I bwish /bbyou /bbreally /bbcould/b. bBut /bthe way I see bit/b, you’re already starting to fall for him again!”

    After saying that, Vivian let out a helpless sigh, shook her headb, /bgave Maxine a reassuring pat on the shoulderb, /bband /bbleft /bbthe /bbstudy/b.

    07:47 bThu/bb, /bb3 /bJul wha

    Struck by this new discovery, Vivian tossed and turned all night before finally making up her mind. She decided to put her previous work bon /bbhold/bb, /bfind a new job here, stay by Maxine’s side to help her win thewsuit against Hamlin, and then bring Maxine back home with her.

    Maxine wasn’t sure what prompted Vivian’s decision, but she was all for it, simply because having Vivian by her side always made her feet bsafe/b.

    Over the years, Maxine had grown so ustomed to having Vivian by her side, helping her tackle problems together.

    bAD /b

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