<b>Chapter </b>392
Everyone’s attention was <b>focused </b>on Max, so hardly anyone noticed Valerie and Matthew embracing. And the infamous Matthew, kriown for his aloofness towards women, showed <b>no </b>sign of rejecting her <b>at </b>all.
Meanwhile, Owen continued fussing over Max. But <b>Max </b>was still regaining his senses and barely heard him. As he gradually came to his senses, he looked around and finally fixed his gaze on Olivia.
Then, <b>Max’s </b>eyes turned wet instantly. He stood up shakily. Despite the crowd urging him to sit and rest, he insisted on getting up. Then, he stubbornly walked toward Olivia with difficulty.
Olivia was startled. Seeing how weak Max was, the others hurried to help him walk, but Max refused.
Seeing <b>this</b>, Olivia stepped forward, <b>cing </b>aforting hand on his shoulder, but <b>Max’s </b><b>face </b>remained tear–streaked and filled with guilt.
“I never thought, at this old age, <b>I’d </b><b>still </b>have the face toe here. I’ve truly let you down,” he said, wiping his tears and holding Olivia’s hand tightly. “Olivia, since I’m here, I <b>must </b>tell you about what happened all those years <b>ago</b>. The day Sarah and her father drowned, it happened because they took my boat! If I <b>hadn’t </b><b>taken </b>that nap and had been there to help them <b>navigate</b>, maybe the ident wouldn’t have urred… I’ve regretted this every day <b>since </b><b>then</b><b>. </b>It’s my <b>fault</b>. I failed you
Max cried like a child. Olivia lost two loved ones all <b>of </b><b>a </b>sudden. She was more devastated than anyone else, but even in her grief, she couldn’t put all the me on Max.
Olivia <b>said</b>, “It’s not your fault. All these years, you stayed away from the Anderson family out of guilt. But everyone has their fate. If you’d been on the boat, all three of you might have drowned!”
She smiled bitterly and patted <b>his </b>hand. “Don’t feel guilty anymore. Sarah wouldn’t want to see you like this. She was so close to you. She would never me you. Over the years, <b>I’ve </be to terms with it. She wasn’t meant to grow up with me, and now she’s gone. <b>It’s </b>just fate…
Olivia continued, “Enough, don’t dwell on it. Sarah is gone, but we must keep living. However, she had never truly moved past her grief. Max’s guilt was even deeper than hers. Twenty years had passed, yet he was still mired in it. His wife had also been depressed and passed away years
The Anderson and Redfield families had fewer interactions over the years, and Max himself has lost interest in business, resulting in the decline of the Redfield Group as <b>a </b>whole Olivia had to muster her spirits tofort Max
Olivia asked. <b>“</b><b>Is </b>the ambnce here!
Max shook his head and said, “It’s not necessary. It’s just my old ailment. I felt <b>guilty </b>when I stepped in, and it overwhelmed me. I couldn’t catch my breath, so I fainted. No worries now. I <b>took </b>some medicine and feel much better. I’ll go to the hospitalter for a thorough check–<b>up</b>.”
As the conversation wound down, the atmosphere grew somber, Olivia gently patted Max’s back and then turned her gaze toward Valerie. She smiled softly.
“What’s this youngdy’s name? Watching her throw caution to the wind just now had me quite worried. Who knew she’d pull you back from the brink,” Olivia remarked.
When Valerie was mentioned, Max’s eyes lit up. He turned to Valerie and eximed, I didn’t expect it would be you saving me again!”
Olivia was puzzled. <b>“</b>Again?”
Max sighed and exined, “A while back, I missed my wife terribly and had an emotional breakdown. I fainted then, <b>too</b>. The ambnce got stuck in traffic, but this youngdy took me to it. She saved me once before.
Valerie <b>quickly </b>waved her hand. “I just <b>gave </b>you a ride. The real lifesavers were the medical staff:
“<b>Don’t </b>be so modest. At my age, if I copsed on the road, most passersby would hesitate to help, fearing a <b>hefty </bpensation if anything went wrong. Yet, you rushed me to medical care without a second thought. People like you are <b>rare</b>. <b>You </b>truly saved me. Max insisted.
<b>Valerie </b>chuckled at MaxBelongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.
at Max’s words, She hadn’t thought much about it, especially since she didn’t have many assets herself.
But Max’s appreciation piqued her curiosity. If she ever did <b>encounter </b>a scammer pretending to be a helpless old man, she wondered how the wealthy Matthew would handlepensating a few old men.
<b>Olivia </b>couldn’t help but look at Valerie with more interest. She had already found Valerie quite likable in <b>appearance</b>, and now she found her even more pleasing-
<b>With </b>a kind expression, <b>Olivia </b>asked Valerie, “What’s your name?”