My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 1104

"Still…" Maximus muttered.

"Come on. Didn't you make mistakes at their age?" Magnus added, throwing salt into the old wounds.

"Dad…!" Maximus said, grimacing.

"Just have faith," Magnus said calmly. "Brown's a good kid. He probably just let fear get the better of him. He's been trying hard to make things right—you can see it."

"You know," Magnus added with a chuckle, "old George even offered him all his businesses just to stay with his crazy granddaughter."

"What happened?" Maximus asked, clearly surprised.

"What do you think? Didn't you say when you found him, the kid barely had enough to survive?"

Maximus nodded, remembering.

"The young Brown earned my respect for that," Magnus continued. "It says a lot when, for someone his age, his daughter and your daughter were more important to him than any fortune. And believe me, that's not easy to walk away from."

Maximus sighed heavily. "Oh, Dad… what am I going to do with you?"

"Listen to your old man, that's what," Magnus said, taking a puff of his cigar. "By the way, in a few days, Matthew and I are flying to Las Vegas. You'll be in charge while we're gone. We need some vacation, a little fun."

"Fun?" Maximus asked suspiciously.

"Yeah… gambling, drinking, sex, and other things…"

"Magnus! Must you be so descriptive?" Maximus scolded.

"We're in private, aren't we?"

"Yes, but… where's the dignified man I met in Germany?"

Magnus just grinned mischievously. "Son, once you get comfortable with people, you can drop the mask."

Maximus sighed again. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me and respect me," Magnus teased, shrugging.

"I guess I will…"

"Told you." Magnus's eyes shifted slightly, and he nodded toward the path. "Look who's coming."