Chapter 392
Marrying
Chapter 392
Everyoneâs attention was focused on Max, so hardly anyone noticed Valerie and Matthew embracing. And the infamous Matthew, kriown for his aloofness towards women, showed no sign of rejecting her at all.
Meanwhile, Owen continued fussing over Max. But Max 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, Maxâs 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 this, Olivia stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Maxâs face remained tearâstreaked and filled with guilt.
âI never thought, at this old age, Iâd still have the face to come here. Iâve truly let you down,â he said, wiping his tears and holding Oliviaâs hand tightly. âOlivia, since Iâm here, I must tell you about what happened all those years ago. The day Sarah and her father drowned, it happened because they took my boat! If I hadnât taken that nap and had been there to help them navigate, maybe the accident wouldnât have occurred⦠Iâve regretted this every day since then. Itâs my fault. I failed you
Max cried like a child. Olivia lost two loved ones all of a sudden. She was more devastated than anyone else, but even in her grief, she couldnât put all the blame on Max.
Olivia said, âItâs not your fault. All these years, you stayed away from the Anderson family out of guilt. But everyone has their fate. If youâd been on the boat, all three of you might have drowned!â
She smiled bitterly and patted his hand. âDonât feel guilty anymore. Sarah wouldnât want to see you like this. She was so close to you. She would never blame you. Over the years, Iâve come to terms with it. She wasnât meant to grow up with me, and now sheâs gone. Itâs just fateâ¦
Olivia continued, âEnough, donât dwell on it. Sarah is gone, but we must keep living. However, she had never truly moved past her grief. Maxâs 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 a whole Olivia had to muster her spirits to comfort Max
Olivia asked. âIs the ambulance here!
Max shook his head and said, âItâs not necessary. Itâs just my old ailment. I felt guilty when I stepped in, and it overwhelmed me. I couldnât catch my breath, so I fainted. No worries now. I took some medicine and feel much better. Iâll go to the hospital later for a thorough checkâup.â
As the conversation wound down, the atmosphere grew somber, Olivia gently patted Maxâs back and then turned her gaze toward Valerie. She smiled softly.
âWhatâs this young ladyâs name? Watching her throw caution to the wind just now had me quite worried. Who knew sheâd pull you back from the brink,â Olivia remarked.
When Valerie was mentioned, Maxâs eyes lit up. He turned to Valerie and exclaimed, I didnât expect it would be you saving me again!â
Olivia was puzzled. âAgain?â
Max sighed and explained, âA while back, I missed my wife terribly and had an emotional breakdown. I fainted then, too. The ambulance got stuck in traffic, but this young lady took me to it. She saved me once before.
Valerie quickly waved her hand. âI just gave you a ride. The real lifesavers were the medical staff:
âDonât be so modest. At my age, if I collapsed on the road, most passersby would hesitate to help, fearing a hefty compensation if anything went wrong. Yet, you rushed me to medical care without a second thought. People like you are rare. You truly saved me. Max insisted.
Valerie chuckled at Max
at Maxâs words, She hadnât thought much about it, especially since she didnât have many assets herself.
But Maxâs appreciation piqued her curiosity. If she ever did encounter a scammer pretending to be a helpless old man, she wondered how the wealthy Matthew would handle compensating a few old men.
Olivia couldnât help but look at Valerie with more interest. She had already found Valerie quite likable in appearance, and now she found her even more pleasing-
With a kind expression, Olivia asked Valerie, âWhatâs your name?â