Page 59 of Redemption

I angrily wiped my tears away with my hand. This wasn’t the time to cry. Better to find out the extent of Max’s deceit now than to wonder about it on and on.

Max opened his mouth to speak.

I raised my hand, silencing him.

“No, Max. I should be the one talking, not you. I need to speak, and you need to listen,” I said firmly, then took a deep breath to calm my nerves. “You broke my trust. How could you do this to me?”

He sighed.

“That wasn’t my intention. I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I let old promises and misguided loyalty cloud my judgment, and I didn’t know how to be honest without losing you.”

His answer didn’t soothe me. Frustration boiling over, I thrust the document at his face, then spoke in a bitter tone.

“If you hadn’t plotted to take my ranch in the first place, you wouldn’t need to regret your actions or worry about losing me.” Taking another breath to regain my composure, I demanded, “How long have you been working with Richard on this?”

His eyes dropped.

“It started a while back when I had a moment of weakness.”

His face turned earnest and he stepped forward. I stepped back, not wanting him close.

“Anna, please understand. My feelings and intentions have changed drastically since then. I realized now what truly matters.”

My heart sank at his vague reply. Well, I wanted answers, so the best thing to do was to rephrase the question.

“That’s not good enough, Max. You’re not being specific. How long have you been trying to take over Harrington Ranch?”

He didn’t reply, so I repeated the question.

“How long have you been planning to take over Harrington Ranch with Richard?” I pressed on, desperate to hear the truth.

He remained silent. His inability to answer spoke volumes.

My chest constricted with fury.

“Was this your plan all along, even when you offered to help me?”

Max still didn’t answer, but he scratched the back of his neck and looked away. The fact that he couldn’t defend himself made me feel I was close to the truth I dreaded. Finally, he spoke. It was a hollow attempt compared to what he had shattered.

“Let’s settle this amicably, Anna.”

I wanted to scream, to shout at him until my throat was sore. But I pressed on with a calm voice that hid how I truly felt.

“Why have you been so interested in my ranch, Max?”

He sighed, a weary sound that did little to soothe my frayed nerves.

“Initially, I was only trying to fulfill my father’s last wish that I buy Harrington Ranch. But now, all I want is to help you improve it and make it better.”

His confession made me pause. Max had thought about buying the ranch long before I inherited it. A chilling thought crept in. Had Max employed similar tactics with Grandpa?

“When did you start planning to take over the ranch?” I asked.

He hesitated, visibly struggling with his answer. Time stretched painfully as I waited, my heart pounding. Then he spoke in a barely audible voice.

“After my father died.”

The words landed like a punch knocking the air out of me. I stepped back involuntarily, my hand flying to my mouth in shock. Pain gripped my chest tightly, and tears blurred my vision.

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