My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Once everything was said and done, Lucius walked to the study, where Maximus was already waiting for him, reviewing some documents related to the merger.

"Have you said goodbye to everyone?" Maximus asked, looking at his son with a sad expression.

"Yeah. Amanda's saying her goodbyes too... Thank you, Maximus. Really-thank you for letting me spend time with my siblings. Thank you for letting me see them again," Lucius said, his voice heavy with emotion.

Maximus looked at him, got up from his chair, walked around the desk, and pulled his son into a strong hug.

"You, Lucius... you're my son. Never think I would deny you the right to come here. If you told me right now you didn't want to leave, I'd go talk to Moriarty myself and convince him to let you stay-even if I had to sell my soul to the devil to do it."

"If you want to stay, I'll talk to him and make it happen."noveldrama

"Thanks... but I'm a man now. And what kind of man would I be if I let you fight my battles for me?" Lucius said, steady and certain.

"Alright, son. I won't push. But I want you to know this-this house, and everything we have, will always be open to you and your girlfriend. By the way... I really like her. I'm glad you're finally living the kind of life a young man your age should be living."

"Thanks, Maximus. Really... These days here have been amazing. And yes, I'll do everything I can to come back. I hope I can make it happen," the young man said, completely sincere.

"Wherever you are, you know you have me—and all of us.

"Please, don't isolate yourself. I know we were never very close, but... as long as we're alive, there's always time to start over."

"I know... I know, Dad," Lucius said, a little shyly.

When Maximus heard his son finally call him "Dad," a strange warmth spread through his chest, and he couldn't help but pull him into another tight embrace.

"I love you, son. Never forget that. It doesn't matter how much time passes. It doesn't matter how far apart we are. It doesn't matter what happened in the past.

"All that matters is that I love you just as you are. And I hope life gives us the chance to keep seeing each other more often," Maximus said—and then he remembered something.

"Wait... I have something for you. It's been waiting for you for years."

Maximus walked over to the safe, opened it, and took out a small case. Judging by the way it looked, it clearly had been kept for a long time.

"I've been saving this for years..." Maximus said, handing the case to his son.

Lucius looked at him, puzzled.

"What is it?"

"Open it," Maximus said, clearly excited.

Lucius opened the box. Inside was a white gold watch-simple, without too much

design. The most important part was engraved on the back.

[Lucius, my son... Only time will show you how much I love you.]

Lucius read it and couldn't stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. His father took the watch and gently fastened it around his left wrist, then took his hand and kissed it.

"To me, you'll always be my son... my baby boy that I used to visit at night after long days at the office.

"You probably don't remember—it

was so long ago-but I'd stay with you almost until dawn. You'd fall

asleep in my arms while I rocked

you in that chair in your old nursery.

"Believe me, there will never be enough time in the rest of my life to make up for

the years I was absent," Maximus said, tears running down his face.

"Thank you, Dad..." Lucius whispered, doing his best not to cry as he launched himself into his father's arms.

That hug meant everything to

Maximus. He hadn't been hugged like that by Lucius since the boy was maybe four or five years old. His

grandparents had taken those moments from him too.

"Finally... this watch is where it belongs. Maybe one day, when you have a son,

you can give it to him," Maximus said with a tearful smile.

"I will. You can count on that, Dad," Lucius said, hugging him again.

After that, father and son walked out of the study. Everyone was already in the SUVs, waiting to head to the airport.

After many hugs, tears, and promises to return soon, Lucius and Amanda boarded the private jet that Moriarty had arranged for them.

Maximus just stood there, watching as his son-once lost to him as a child, and now returned to him as a man-flew off in that plane.

No matter what, he was sure that however much time life gave him, he would use

it to make his loved ones happy.

"How are you feeling?" Diana asked as she approached, seeing him still staring up at the sky.

"Excellent," he said, turning to look at the woman beside him. "I don't think I could feel any better."

"That's music to my ears," Diana said, pulling a little box out of her coat pocket. "Look-Lucius sent this to my office before he left," she said, her eyes shining with emotion.

"What is it?"

"Open it," she said with a smile.

Maximus opened the tiny box. Inside was a pendant with a pink diamond—a gem symbolizing innocence, sweetness, and love. And the diamond itself was incredibly rare.

Maximus looked at it and instantly understood the meaning. Lucius didn't need some grand gesture to say goodbye to the woman who now stood by his father's

side.

That small gift said it all: he accepted her-completely, and without reservation.