Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love

Maxwell's attention was on the papers when he heard her; he replied nonchalantly, "Victoria, all that stuff is water under the bridge."

Victoria's eyes were rimmed red, her lips white from biting; she stubbornly insisted, "I was your girlfriend for two years; I deserve to know, don't I? During that time, the person in your heart, was it ever me?"

It was a question she had never asked before. Their relationship was a complete fluke. Back then, they often spent time together discussing things about the preparations for the annual gala, and rumors spread that they were dating.

Later, when someone heckled them, asking if they were really an item, Maxwell didn't respond. Perhaps it was his pride that kept him from dignifying such baseless rumors with a clarification, but to everyone else, his silence was as good as confirmation.

And just like that, Victoria found herself playing the role of his girlfriend.

Maxwell looked up, his gaze meeting Victoria's; different from her agitated state, his tone calm, "I."

"That’s it." Victoria cut him off; a self-deprecating laugh that was uglier than tears escaped her, and she stepped back, "Why would I ask such a dumb question? How could a man who hasn't even held my hand in two years possibly like me? But I can't blame you; after all, you did tell me to chase my own happiness if I fell for someone."

Perhaps not wanting to hear any hurtful truths from Maxwell, Victoria turned and left immediately after speaking, even forgetting to take the documents on the table.

Maxwell closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. A few seconds later, he wearily opened them and pressed the intercom, "Christ, take these papers down to Victoria."

Once Christ had left with the items, Maxwell opened the top drawer of his desk, revealing a wristwatch inside.

The back of the metal watch bore the logo of some luxury brand, but it wasn't one of the models his company had released.

It was a custom piece. Just like the one he'd been given at Martin's welcome party, though this one looked noticeably older.

When her phone rang, Rosemary was delicately gluing a thumb-sized porcelain fragment back into place with tweezers. Not wanting to be distracted, her phone was on silent, but she glanced at the screen when it lit up.

It was Oswald calling. He'd called a few times before, all about getting her back to the studio for work.

Putting down her tweezers, Rosemary wiped her hands on a damp cloth before picking up, "Oswald."

"Hey Rose, you free to grab a bite later?"

Oswald was about the same age as her grandpa, and Rosemary couldn’t bear to turn down such a request, so she agreed.

"Sure, I'll let you know the place once I've decided."

It wouldn't be polite to show up empty-handed, especially since Oswald had been looking out for her at Heritage Revive Studio. After tidying up, she set out for the mall to buy some presents.

Just as she opened the door, she locked eyes with Martin, who was heading her way. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before he teased, "Did you know I was coming and decide to welcome

me at the door?"

Rosemary knew he was joking and didn't take it seriously, "What brings you here?"

Martin said, "I was passing by downstairs and thought I'd check in to see how you're settling in. The security guard at the door mentioned someone troubled you last night?"

He didn't mention that he had asked the security to keep a special watch on her place and that they had called him when someone came looking for trouble the night before; he couldn't make it back in time since he was out of town.

Rosemary stepped aside to make room, "It's been taken care of. Do you want to come in?"

Martin glanced at her high heels, "Heading out?"

"Yeah, I'm meeting an elder for dinner and was about to head to the mall to pick out a gift."

"There's a large shopping center not far from here that sells things for all ages. I'm free this afternoon, mind if I drive you there?" Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Rosemary wasn't aware of the shopping center Martin mentioned. Although she'd been living there for a while, she was a homebody who had only ventured as far as the food street behind her place, "That'd be great, thanks."

"You've become more polite over the years. Our families used to visit each other quite a bit, and you'd climb over the fence into my yard to steal fruit. You weren't so shy back then."

Rosemary laughed awkwardly, "I was young and didn't know any better."

Back then, her mother was still around, and she was the pampered little princess of her parents, a bit mischievous. Seeing that Martin's pear tree was laden with fruit that had fallen and was not being

collected, she climbed up and picked a couple.

Little did she know that this one time, she'd get caught red-handed by Martin, who was reading in the yard. Startled, she dropped a pear, which, by chance, fell right on his head.

Thinking back on it now made her cringe!

Martin seemed to reminisce, a touch of melancholy in his eyes, "Looking back, those were the best times."

Rosemary thought he was being nostalgic, as growing up brought more worries than one's younger years. She tried to comfort him with a smile, "People have to grow up and experience all sorts of things."

Martin looked at her, a wry smile on his face, "You say it like my old philosophy professor from one of those electives."

He shifted the subject, "Did you sort things out with Maxwell?"

The mention of Maxwell sourly filled Rosemary with grievances. She had lost the last lawsuit and had to wait another three months before she could appeal again. Considering the almost crushing defeat last time, she didn't expect different results even if she tried a hundred times.

Her mood visibly darkened, "No, looks like it's something I'll never get sorted in this lifetime. Do you know any lawyers who are better than Harvey?"

Martin knew about the divorce drama between Maxwell and Rosemary but hadn't paid much attention to it, only hearing bits and pieces during social gatherings. He had no idea it had escalated to court battles.

He shook his head, "I don't."

At least in recent years, he hadn't heard of any lawyers who could rival Harvey in the legal field.

“If you're thinking about getting the upper hand legally against him, it's gonna be tough. You might as well have a heart-to-heart with Maxwell. Even if you guys are heading for splitsville, at least try to part on good terms.”

Rosemary's frustration burst out like a floodgate had been opened, and she just went off, chattering non-stop, "You clearly don't get Maxwell. He's the type who wouldn't hear a single piece of advice from others, and his ears are just for show. The chance of him taking it is as likely as a snowball's chance in hell. He's just dragging his feet on purpose when it comes to the divorce, a classic case of 'If I can't be happy, nobody can.'"

Martin gave Rosemary, who was all indignant, a complex look, his expression loaded with meaning, "Maxwell isn't the type to cling and won't get caught up in a tangle."