My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

[Meanwhile in the UAE]

"Mr. Theodore Bennett, we have prepared your will exactly as you requested. It will only take effect upon your passing, as per your instructions," said a mysterious lawyer.

"Very good. He will be protected for life, right?"

"That's correct."

"Does he know who I am?"noveldrama

"No, sir... He only knows that someone has funded his education. But he insists

on meeting you. If you'd like, we can arrange a meeting without his mother present..."

"I'm sure she wouldn't remember me anyway..."

"You think so?"

"The boy is her spitting image..."

"I don't want to show up and disrupt his life. Whatever happened back then is in the past. I just want to make sure he's safe and that he never lacks anything. If she never had the courage to tell me anything, she must have had her reasons, don't you think?"

"Perhaps... but I can see the inner struggle you're going through. That's why I'm offering you the chance to meet him—not as who you truly are, but as the man you are to all the children you care for."

"Funny... I used to make fun of Peter, and now I've ended up worse than him."

"You're not a bad man, sir. You've done so much for these children. Finding that boy... it's just life giving you something in return."

"I never saw myself as a father! I'm a businessman-I don't have time for a family. You know, a wife, kids, all of that."

"I know, sir. I do. But today, you're not just the father of one young man-you're a father to all the children you help with your

donations. You must remember that these children will be cared for and protected until they can make something of their lives. Without your help, their fate would have been the same as so many others-death or prison for crimes driven by hunger."

"It's just a way to silence my conscience, don't you think?"

"I don't know what you're trying to silence... because a man as generous as you, I can't imagine hurting anyone."

Theodore smiled. He was already an older man, and he had to admit that while time hadn't physically taken a toll on him, his time was running out. The moment he thought Peter might die, a shiver ran down his spine.

If Peter-who was younger-could rebuild his life, then so could he. In his own way. He was too old to go looking for a wife or to turn into a sugar daddy, so he had made the most logical decision he could He became a benefactor to orphanages, making generous donations, all under the careful

supervision of someone who ensured the money was used properly.

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Life had unexpectedly smiled upon him. In doing so, it had led him to find someone he never imagined he would. Though that story would tell itself one day-when he was gone. Because when that time came, all of his wealth would pass into the hands of that young man with black eyes and hair as dark as the night.

"Mr. Bennett, is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"No, no. Leave me alone. I want to rest and think about what you said."

"Very well, sir. Just remember... no one is ever too old to be a father."

That word stirred something deep inside Theodore. It unsettled him in ways he wasn't ready to admit. After all, he had never imagined himself creating life... when all he had done for most of his own was take it.